The Realist double bass pickups by David Gage. We’ve been a UK Realist double bass product stockist for many years, and we carry the UK’s most comprehensive stock of The Realist double bass pickups.

All Realist products are available to order for next day before 1 pm delivery or free delivery on our economy service. With large quantities of the Copperhead, Woodtone, SoundClip and Lifeline, in stock at all times, we can always deliver.

We also have demo pickups installed on our double basses, which are available for customers to try out at our Derbyshire location. We are happy to give you advice over the telephone or in-person, to help you choose the right pickup for your double bass and situation. We’ve also put together a useful online guide to help you in selecting the right product. You can read our buyer’s guide below about how to choose the best pickup.

Realist Double Bass Pickup Buyer’s Guide

This article is aimed to help you decide which Realist double bass pickup is best for you and your double bass. We have been stocking Realist double bass pickup products for years now and this article covers most of the questions we get asked by customers when they’re considering buying a Realist double bass pickup.

A list of Realist Double Bass Pickups and Their Strengths

All of the Realist pickups in on this page are in stock and available to try at our location. We have, probably, the largest and most comprehensive stock of Realist products available in the UK.

Realist Copperhead Double Bass Pickup

This is the original, reliable, transparent piezo pickup for upright bass. The patented Realist technology has made it the world’s most respected pickup for double bass. It has become the go-to solution for many professional bassists the world over. In terms of sales, this is by far the most popular double bass pickup we have ever stocked and we use them on our hire basses when asked to supply a pickup.

The Copperhead’s strengths are:

• A great sound (Just Google YouTube clips)
• Excellent resistance to feedback
• Easy and quick to fit for most players
• No need for a luthier visit

Click to read more and to buy the Copperhead

Realist Lifeline Double Bass Pickup

The Realist LifeLine for upright bass is the newest member of the Realist pickup family. Like its predecessors, the LifeLine is based on a concept of self-powered transparent pickups that are easy to use. It offers a focused bass sound for those musicians who are looking for a lot of punch without loss of fidelity. Mounted at the adjuster without glue or fasteners, the LifeLine will fit on most bridges without changing a thing.

The Lifeline’s strengths are:

• Great sound with more punch than the Copperhead
• Super easy to fit (will only fit adjustable bridges)
• Excellent feedback resistance
• Quick to fit with full instructions

Click to read more and to buy the Lifeline

The Realist SoundClip clamps easily onto the bridge of any upright bass, without marking or damaging the bridge. Clamping allows it to be added to or removed from any bass, at any time, without hassle. It’s great for travelling bassists or those who want a pickup only when using an amp. The onboard volume knob gives the player full control to adjust the output on the spot, and a variable weight system helps contour tone.

The biggest benefit of this pickup is that you can experiment with its placement and the different weights to really “dial in” your sound.

• Great Sound
• Volume control
• Sound/tone adjustment through placement and weights
• Fitting and removal in seconds

Click to read more about the Sound Clip and to buy

Realist Docking Station

The Docking station is probably the most undersold Realist product. Yet if you’ve ever been lucky enough to use one, it becomes an indispensable addition to any Copperhead or Lifeline installation, although it’s not limited to working with Realist products. The docking station will work with any pickup that has a 1/4 inch jack socket.

One of its major advantages is making the installation of the Copperhead and Lifeline much easier and quicker as there is no need to remove the ‘G’ string to thread through the P clip that holds the jack socket. The docking station just slides between the tailpiece and the ball ends of the ‘E’ and ‘A’ strings.

• Easy and quick to fit
• No more leaning or reaching to adjust the volume
• Turn up to ’11’ to bypass the device minimising signal loss

Click to read more and to buy the Docking Station

Realist Double Bass Pickup Summary

Try Before you Buy

We have examples of all the Realist double bass pickups in stock and installed on double basses for our customers to try.

Fitting by our Luthier

We offer a double bass pickup fitting service for customers who would rather not install their pickup themselves. That said every Realist double bass pickup is quite easy to install as long as you follow the instructions provided and we are always happy to help over the phone if you need advice.

Still Undecided?

Call David on 01332 840391 to discuss your requirements.

What Our Customers Are Saying ABout Realist Bass Pickups

The reviews below are all from our customers who have purchased a Realist pickup from us. For product-specific reviews, please see the review tab on the relevant product page.

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A Brief Forward from David Gage’s Website About The Realist

To overcome the limitations of microphones and traditional piezo transducers, Realist double bass pickups read off of the instrument’s tone-producing structures. On most instruments, the tone is produced by a resonating “top” or “table.” Using piezo ceramics encased in a thin copper element, The Realist is pressed tightly against the instrument’s table, giving it the ability to sense every nuance of the tone produced there. The Realist focuses on the core of the instrument’s sound to bring you a tone that can only be described as “the most real.”

The Realist is simple. The element is wired directly to a gold-plated output jack, providing virtually lossless conduction of the piezo’s signal. Coloured and textured with the acoustic quality of the instrument, The Realist’s signal need not be run through a pre-amp. Plugged directly into an amp or soundboard, The Realist is easily amplified without sacrificing natural acoustic colour. It takes hours of practice to draw your sound out of your instrument—with The Realist, your voice can be heard more accurately through an amplifier. Both recording engineers and professional musicians have been astonished by The Realist’s tone and response when installed on instruments that are plucked, bowed, or strummed.

Finally, you can play your instrument as you normally would, without having to stop and adjust your amp. Realistacoustic.com