BassMax vs Revolution Solo II

[Flint Buchanan]

Since this is the safe forum to post this kind of question-what, really, is the diff between a bassmax and a rev solo. They're both piezo elements sandwiched in the wings of a bridge. How different can they sound?

For disclosure I have the Bassmax currently and have just bouight the K&K golden trinity mic to help round out my sound.

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I've never tried the BassMax, but the RSII is a good pickup that sounds very natural. Good output with minimal feedback and clarity when properly fitted. It can be a bit finicky to get just right. I just fitted my second one tonight and it sounds very good at home. Let's see how it does tomorrow out.

BTW, I like your signature. James Carville once said,"There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow lines and dead Armadillos".

[Bob Rowlette]

Hi Flint,

I have owned and used the K&K Bass Max as well as the Revolution Solo II. Although to me there are similarities with the characteristic sound of bridge wing-mounted pickups in general, these two particular pickups are at close to opposite ends of the spectrum. The K&K Bass Max is one of the highest output pickups on the market, while the RS2 is medium output. The K&K has a very strong focused sound, almost like a bass guitar sound, while the RS2's sound is very open and more mic like. The Bass Max has rather high freedom from feedback, while the RS2 is just average here. The Bass Max's output is also of opposite polarity to most other pickups including the RS2. I always used a phase reverse with the K&K Bass Max, but not everyone is sensitive to this.

All in all, these are both good, usable pickups. Of the two, I personally prefer the RS2.

-bob

[Bob Branstetter]

In my continuing search for the Holy Grail of pickups, I have tried both the K&K Bass Max and the RSII. Neither one of these sounded particularly good on my personal bass. The K&K sounded too much like a Fishman B100 and to me the RSII was only slightly better than the Underwood. The RSII is a good buy for $100, but it is not the end all that I've seen some write on the other bass forum. The guys at Upton came up with a good idea when they took a piezo element and fitted & glued it inside a piece of spruce. I think the coupling of the spruce to the maple of the bridge may be why it sounds better than some of the other cheaper pickups. I took one apart and discovered that the difference between the "R" side and the other is that there is more wood on one side than the other. I think it might be interesting to take an old Fishman B100 pickup and fit the elements inside blocks of spruce like the RSII and see how it sounds.

If there is one truth that I've discovered over the years about pickups, it is that there is no pickup that works well on all basses. Just because a pickup sounds good on my bass doesn't mean it is going to sound good on yours. I've had some basses where the David Gage Realist pickup sounds absolutely magnificent and others basses where it sounds terrible. The same thing has occurred with Schertlers and just about every pickup I've ever owned.

I'm currently using a Fishman Full Circle that I mix with an AMT S25B mic. I don't like the Full Circle alone, but it does mix well with the mic. I've never heard any pickup, with the possible exception of the Schertler Dyn-B, that really sounds like a mic. (Any time you see or hear someone saying that a particular piezo pickup sounds like a mic, ask them if they have ever actually used a mic on their bass.)

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Gotta agree with Bob on this. After playing two gigs in the last week with my 'New' RSII, I don't think it's the Holy Grail; merely a nice sounding pickup for a reasonable price. Plugging it directly into the GK MB150 sounds pretty good and is a 'no hassle' solution. I don't need a preamp. It does remind me in some ways of a more natural 'woody' sounding Underwood, although the Underwood may be a bit punchier.
But, I think the price is reasonable and it certainly gets the job done.
My sound is good enough now that I don't worry about equipment too much.

[Flint Buchanan]

I really appreciate all the input.

I have recieved my golden trinity mic with Bassmax, and am trying to figure out how to deal with this new fangled microphone thing. It definately is an improvement over the bassmax alone, and I guess that's what I was looking for.

[Ken Smith]

I have found that the Shadow Pick-up (Underwood style) is the easiest and most versatile for me. I fit most of my Bridges for the Shadow just in case I decide to use a particular Bass for a gig. I have used quite a few of my deep dark sounding Orchestra Basses for Jazz (or amplified concerts) besides using my other Jazz-type sounding Basses and found that the Shadow pick-up works on every Bass I have tried it on.