Any experience with the Schertler Bluestick or the B-Band AST 1470?

[emjazz]

I'm looking for something different for my solidbody electric bass. I don't know that it'll work. It would certainly work on a semi acoustic or acoustic bass, but I'm not sure about a solidbody. I'm not expecting a lot of volume but for just a little spice to mix in with my magnetic pickups.

Has anyone here tried a Schertler Bluestick or the B-Band AST 1470 under the bridge of their electric bass? Has it worked?

I emailed Schertler but I haven't gotten a response about it. I may just have to try them myself to see, but I'd prefer to hear if anyone else has tried this and had success with it.

[FunkMetalBass]

I expect there'd be so little output that it wouldn't be worth your time. Considering how much of the string vibrates where the condenser is located and the fact that there's no sound hole, you wouldn't gain any benefits over a piezo pickup. In fact, you'd have to do some serious boosting the hear anything, and you risk more feedback using that method than your average piezo elements + buffer.

I haven't tried it, but I think you'd be happier with a piezo.

[emjazz]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

I expect there'd be so little output that it wouldn't be worth your time. Considering how much of the string vibrates where the condenser is located and the fact that there's no sound hole, you wouldn't gain any benefits over a piezo pickup. In fact, you'd have to do some serious boosting the hear anything, and you risk more feedback using that method than your average piezo elements + buffer.

I haven't tried it, but I think you'd be happier with a piezo.

I don't think much of piezo's, but I haven't tried them all. They seem to only be useful when you cut all of the treble from them. I'm open to suggestions though.

I was planning to put one of these under an ebony bridge on my bass.

[m.oreilly]

which forms of piezo pickups have you tried?

[emjazz]

The one's that I remember best are:

RMC in an F Bass AC5....Sounded very good but needed to dial back the tone a bit to be useful for my needs.

The new Hipshot Piezo bridge....I can't remember the company that they're using for these. With the treble dialed WAY back it was pretty good.

Rick Turner Rennaisance bass....sounds great with the tone back.

Citron basses with piezo's....same as above....treble dialed back.

I've played various others through the years but none that I can remember beyond knowing there was a piezo bridge. Again, the treble is always too brittle sounding.

I'd love something that I don't have to dial back most of the treble for. I thought about a the possibility of putting a cap in line with the piezo, but I don't know enough to know if that would work. I also don't want dailing back the treble to effect the magnetic pickups. The sound of those is all there flat or with a slight bass boost.

[m.oreilly]

i found, using piezo bridge saddle pickups, that just adding in (using their buffer volume control) to taste gave the desired result. they are naturally scooped, so making the mag pups a bit more mid eq'ed, along with varying the piezo mix, seemed to balance the bright, though having sweepable mids for the mags really helps.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by emjazz

The one's that I remember best are:

RMC in an F Bass AC5....Sounded very good but needed to dial back the tone a bit to be useful for my needs.

The new Hipshot Piezo bridge....I can't remember the company that they're using for these. With the treble dialed WAY back it was pretty good.

Rick Turner Rennaisance bass....sounds great with the tone back.

Citron basses with piezo's....same as above....treble dialed back.

I've played various others through the years but none that I can remember beyond knowing there was a piezo bridge. Again, the treble is always too brittle sounding.

were any of these with active onboard buffer/preamps? piezos are horribly brittle and thin without them, due to the huge impedance mismatch.

if they were, then you're just hearing what under-saddle piezos sound like. tons of lows but tons of scratchy, stringy highs, too.

[emjazz]

Originally Posted by walterw

were any of these with active onboard buffer/preamps? piezos are horribly brittle and thin without them, due to the huge impedance mismatch.

if they were, then you're just hearing what under-saddle piezos sound like. tons of lows but tons of scratchy, stringy highs, too.

I believe they all were active.

I like the lows, not the scratchy highs....I had heard the Bluestick didn't have the scratchy highs, which is why I was interested in it.

I just emailed Rick Turner to see if his piezo bridge is available for sale. He has a lot of experience with piezo's. If his is available I'll tell him what I'm looking for and see what he says.