The Vektor® Double Bass Pick-up
Inconspicuously set into the bridge foot it won't influence the acoustic sound of the bass.
The vibration is picked up from the front and not from the bridge like with many piezo pickups. The amplified sound is far more natural without picking up body and string noise as much.
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| Crossection through the bridge foot, the pick-up is facing down to the front where it picks up the sound. The rubber disk protects the front and provides the required preasure. The pick-up pictured, is an early proto-type, the newer version is smaller. |
The pickup needs 9V phantom power which can either be supplied by a suitable amplifier or a pre-amp with a phantom power function.
Fitting the pickup requires special tools, fitting should therefor only be done by qualified instrument maker or repairer to avoid disappointment.
Some comments from users:
"In my opinion this is the best pickup on the market right now. It is only a recent development and I feel lucky to be one of the early adopters. The sound reproduction is amazingly natural and consistent for both pizz and arco with none of the problems of bridge-mounted pickups (see below). The key to its performance is the location of the transducer and the type of transducer."
Adrian Cho, Ottawa, Canada. Read his full report here.
"Toby put this mic under the foot (a hole has to be drilled for it in the foot) in a perfect spot. By imbedding it in the foot, it has more gain before feedback and is hotter then any pick up I've tried. The sound is the sound of close mic ing the bass. ...This thing is so clear and clean and all the nuances are there. It is neither woofy nor flat... It is a natural sounding, present, mic like, sound that really represents my bass very well.....Arco sounds utterly fantastic to me.
Piro Patton, California.To read the full test report, go to talkbass.com
Pre-amps
Currently, two types of pre-amps are offered:
1. On Board pre-amp, which is fitted into the jack socket, the battery is fitted to the tailpiece.
2. External pre-amp without volume or tone control. Both units provide the required 9volts phantom power.
Price for pick-up including fitting 225.00 Euros including VAT.
Price for pick-up in the USA: including fitting: $235.00
Price for pre-amps: 59.00 Euros including VAT or $60.00.
All prices are recommended retail only, dealer's enquiries are welcome
A version for cello is in development.