Ear Trumpet Labs, a boutique microphone manufacturer in Portland, OR, has introduced their latest creation: a new microphone for upright bass players.
One of the quirks of Ear Trumpet’s company culture is that all of their products carry a woman’s name instead of a model number, and this newest is called Nadine. She was designed specifically for the upright bass as a large diaphragm condenser with a cardioid pattern. The body and the element are separated into two parts so that the head can be easily mounted between the bridge and the tailpiece, with the body strapped onto the tailpiece with a velcro closure.
The capsule and the electronics are custom-tuned for feedback resistance in the frequencies where micing a bass can be problematic, and the cardioid pattern rejects audio response from the rear of the capsule. Internal shock dampers are installed to reduce handling noise.
The company has created this video to help demonstrate how to attach and use the microphone.
Ear Trumpet Labs offers this new bass microphone for $599, shipped in a foam-lined metal case. The company web site indicates that it is currently being used by Barry Bales with Earls of Leicester, Nadine Landry with Foghorn Stringband, and Daniel Kimbro with the Jerry Douglas Band.
Nadine is just now going into production, but as the Ear Trumpet products are hand-wired and tested, the company is compiling a wait list now for customers who might like to have one by the end of the year. They are currently projecting that anyone who gets on the wait list by November 8 can be guaranteed delivery by Christmas.
More information, including technical specifications, can be found online.
Ear Trumpet Labs is dedicated to creating microphones that reproduce clear, natural, acoustic sound and are finely-tuned to the needs of acoustic and bluegrass performers. Several of the other ladies in their line are optimized for groups that like to perform around a single microphone, engineering feedback rejection into the design, with a retro vibe that looks stylish on stage.
Their web site boasts quite a list of notable bluegrass artists who use their products, from Becky Buller to Sierra Hull and more.
