Darrell Thorp explains why he reached for a small-diaphragm pencil condenser on upright bass during a live session rather than using a large-diaphragm mic like he usually does. Recording with a full band in the room meant bleed was unavoidable, and the pencil mic's tighter pickup pattern helps reject more of the room compared to a large-diaphragm alternative.
Placing it right up at the bridge also gives a more direct, focused signal, and naturally controls the low-end buildup. This avoids the boomy sound an upright bass can develop when a large-diaphragm mic picks up too much of the room. Darrell credits the approach to Allen Sides at Ocean Way, who used small-diaphragm condensers like the Neumann KM54 and Sony C55P on upright bass for the same reasons. On upright bass in a live room, a pencil condenser solves a real problem without needing isolation or heavy EQ to compensate.
The specific mic here is the Lauten Audio LA-120, run flat with no high or low cut engaged.