K&K Bass Max

Technical note first; Surprisingly high output, almost into the range of an active pickup, so just plug straight into your amp.

I come from electric bass and EUB playing to finally getting the real deal - a double bass. So having gotten a double bass I needed to get a pickup because double bass makers live in the 19th century and haven't yet realised they should have a built in pickup like every acoustic guitar that costs more than 50 pence.

I went for this pickup because it was moderately priced and looked easy to fit, as well as getting good reviews. I needed to do a tiny amount of sanding to open up the bridge but it only took a few minutes and then it fitted in just fine. The sound seems very authentic to my my ears, it picks up each string evenly and pretty much reflects the bass itself.

For live music, I'm willing to accept that a pickup costing twice as much might sound better in a side by side comparison but a) that never happens at a gig, and b) when the rest of the band is playing, any difference in tone will be swamped by the other instruments, and c) no one wants to hear your bass solo, so give it a rest.

IMHO you need to pay a certain amount for a pickup or it just fails to perform the basic functions. If you pay more then you get into a region where stuff works ok, and after that it becomes diminishing returns where nobody but you in your front room can hear what you paid for (I'm talking about for basses, it's different for guitars, fiddles etc). I reckon this pickup is at the point where you get a pretty good deal and spending a lot more won't make it that much better.

I've bought this to amplify a Thomann 111E SN 3/4 Double Bass through a Gallien Krueger MB112-II and I'm happy with the results.

It looks pretty well made and it fitted into the bridge without any need for filing, also the jack clipped securely on to the strings.

It's quite sensitive to the higher frequencies and pickups any clicks and taps that might be included in your playing style, so I have to dial back the high range on the amp. it has a reasonably harsh tone so I expect it isn't suitable for recording by itself and would need to supplemented with a microphone.

But in a live context with a band this perfectly adequate, it has enough gain with spare headroom if you need to push it louder. If left unattended for a 1 minute or so it will begin it feedback but for all intense purposes it would say it doesn't feedback while playing.

Over all a good good enough to get you started with playing with live bands.

I recently purchased an upright bass and was looking for a pickup to use when playing live. After a bit of research, I went for this model. Wasn't sure whether I'd need a pre-amp or not, so bought this - I could always add a pre-amp if it needed it.

Pickup arrived quickly and I fitted it into the bridge in about 15 minutes. A bit of trimming / sanding of the bridge wing was required, but nothing major. The output jack clips onto the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece.

The pickup has a fairly high output so I can just plug straight into the amp. I've not had the need for a pre-amp, but I found it works best with a bit of compression. The sound is great - it took a bit of experimenting with my amp settings but managed to get a sound I like.

Played it live a number of times and it's been loud enough to hear with the rest of the band playing.

I wasn't too optimistic about this pickup, as piezo pickups often sound very tinny and hollow. However, paired with a good preamp, I have been delighted at the quality of tones I am getting. It has a very well balanced, articulate tone, with even output across all the strings, and while it has some detail from finger noise it's not harsh at all.

Fitting it was easy, as I just had to file open the gap in the bridge a touch more. I as a little worried about damaging the crystal, as I was unsure how tight it should be, but I took my time and waited until the gap was wide enough to just make sure it was held, and that seemed to do the trick.

Simple and effective, what's not to like?