Bass Master Rockabilly Upright Bass Pickup System

Back in 1998 Bob talked with a lot of Rockabilly players about helping them to get THE SOUND. There was nothing out there that could deliver both a strong, feedback-resistant bass signal AND that retro or psychobilly-style fingerboard slap sound. Everybody had all kinds of stuff, expensive bits and lots of wires hanging off their basses trying to get the sound.

As a longtime bassist, he concentrated on coming up with an "out of the box" solution, and came up with a concept for a new pickup system using K&K Sound's compact two channel preamp and excellent transducers. Dieter Kaudel of K&K Sound responded with prototypes, and together they came up with the first pickup system specifically created to serve the need of Rockabilly, Country, Bluegrass, and even Jazz players who need to convey the slap and other fingerboard sounds -- complete with commanding bass signal. This custom creation combines the strong, established Bass Max wing pickup with a unique fingerboard transducer, letting you EQ them separately and mix their output using a tiny two-channel preamp.

Here's how it works:

• The first component is the Bass Max wing transducer, for a powerful and distinct bass voice, with plenty of mids to cut through the mix.
  
  
• A purpose-built "clicky" transducer delivers your fingerboard slap. It's designed to be taped to the back side of your fingerboard near the top neck joint. This specially-shaped full range pickup can fit flush into the curvature and will capture as much of those percussive and warm sounds as you like. As I experimented with our prototypes, I found fascinating differences in tonal responses and resonances depending on the location of the transducer; tonal variations were apparent when placing the pickup above, at the edge, and below the area where the back of the fingerboard transitions from straight to scooped out. Extra tape is provided so you can experiment, and achieve exactly the type of response you want - from that Bill Black click to a fat thunk. Complete instructions and advice are included to help you find your own personal sweet spot! Once in place, a length of cable runs down the back of your fingerboard, through a piece of foam in the center of your bridge, joining the Bass Max at a three-conductor output jack held between a pair of strings.
  
  
• A five-foot three-conductor cable is provided to convey the individual signals of each pickup to the preamp.
  
  
• The special Two Channel Preamp (included) has a belt clip, for easy availability and balancing on the job, and it measures a mere 3.5 x 2.9 x 1.3 inches. Some guys even attach theirs to the bass' tailpiece along with their wireless! (see mounting kit below) This tiny 10 ounce preamp has separate bass, midrange, treble, and gain trimmers on the inside for each channel, with volume controls on the outside. This lets you fine tune the nature of the response you want from each pickup, and then dial in just the right balance of bass signal and slap sounds. The special output options let you blend the two transducers to one output, or send the EQ'd and matched signals to separate outputs for independent external effecting or multiple amps. (See below for details).

The specialized preamp expands your output options; when you use the regular output jack, both the Bass and Slap transducers are mixed to that single output. However, when you plug a second 1/4" cable into the center jack, the Bass pickup emerges from one and the Slap from the other, allowing you to send the slap to another device, like guitar amp with reverb for special effects, to the PA board, or another amp... whatever you like. 

• Note: This is often called the "Bass Master Rockabilly PLUS" because the original system's preamp was upgraded with the split output capability, and K&K wanted to recognize that "upgrade" when it was released. However, the "plus" has since been dropped from the name since it's been that way for so long now!

K&K's complete instructions are included, and we include several additional tip sheets to help you optimize the pickup system to best suit your personal style.

Note: If you play styles other than Rockabilly, I'd recommend the Bass Master Pro rather than this dedicated system- it will give you slap as well as a wider range of tonal character for other types of music.

UPGRADE System
Add Rockabilly "Click" to Your Current Double Bass Pickup

Do you already have a "main" pickup that you like, but want to add the Rockabilly "Clicky" pickup and blending preamp to it? Check out the new "Rockabilly Upgrade Kit" - all the stuff you'll need in one pre-configured package!

It's not uncommon for a player to already have a "regular" pickup they like to use. Previously, if you wanted to add the "clicky" pickup (a transducer mounted on the back of the fingerboard) to a pickup you already have, it's been possible - but a little "clunky." We sell the fingerboard pickup separately, and you can get a 2-channel preamp to blend - but you end up with a bit of a tangle of wires.

Mark picked up the mantle and worked with Dieter again, this time to create the new (March 2013) Bass Master Rockabilly UPGRADE System, which streamlines the process of adding the clicky pickup and Rockabilly PLUS preamp to your existing pickup, making it simple (and a whole lot more elegant.) Whether you have a Bass Max, or even some other pickup from another manufacturer (magnetic pickup, anyone?) you can finally get the Rockabilly sound without a rat's nest of wiring.

As before, your fingerboard slap is distinctly delivered by a purpose-built transducer, designed to be taped to the back side of your fingerboard near the top neck joint. This specially-shaped full range pickup can fit flush into the curvature and will capture as much of those percussive and warm sounds as you like. As I experimented with our prototypes, I found fascinating differences in tonal responses and resonances depending on the location of the transducer; tonal variations were apparent when placing the pickup above, at the edge, and below the area where the back of the fingerboard transitions from straight to scooped out. Extra tape is provided so you can experiment, and achieve exactly the type of response you want - from that Bill Black click to a fat thunk.

Complete instructions and advice are included to help you find your own personal sweet spot! Once in place, a length of cable runs down the back of your fingerboard, through a piece of foam in the center of your bridge, joining the Bass Max at a three-conductor output jack held between a pair of strings.