Pickups & Mics for Upright Bass:  Pickups

Fishman BP-100 Upright Bass Pickup

Manufactured by: Fishman

It's the BP-100 that helped to launch the Fishman company, and it's a pickup that's been popular for over 25 years. That said, it's not one of my favorites given some of the more modern alternatives, but it can do a good job if its characteristics meet your needs. The two transducers are placed between each pair of strings at the top of the bridge, held in place by chromed felt-lined clips.


Given its position at the top of the bridge, close to the string/bridge contact point, the nature of the sound is focused on the string, not the body. There's little wood in the equation. If that's the sound you're going for, you may be quite pleased, that level of detail was truly a breath of fresh air when compared to the dark and undefined sounds from many pickups of twenty-five years ago. Installation can be easy, depending on your bridge's shape, though it may be necessary to file the bridge if the sides are rounded in those locations or the clips will pop off. However, that is one of its strengths -- it is easily installed and removed.

Many owners have tended to complain about its thin or quacky sound-- however, in most cases that is due to impedance mismatches, as Fishman product information says a preamp is not required. Literally, it isn't, but you may find it a necessary part of your signal chain for the best performance. IMPORTANT: Please review my Do You Need a Preamp FAQ (link below) to see if it will be needed for your specific situation. If you pair the pickup with a typical high impedance (an amplifier designed for magnetic pickups) amp, you are not likely to be impressed by the result.


Finally, if you've come here looking for replacement mounting clips, since your pickup's stock clips popped off into the fifth dimension (dark corners of dusty stages), let me make an alternative suggestion. While I could make a couple bucks off selling you replacements, you can grab a couple small notebook clips at Staples or Office Depot. Clip them on, then slide out the chrome handle. They are tighter, cheaper, and the basic black looks better than chrome IMHO.

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