Piezo/13-pin conversion - any words of advice?

[Bollenator]

Hey all,
Lately, I've been enamored with the idea of adding a piezo bridge or saddles to my solid-body Elrick 6-string, so that I can have the 13-pin output and get a MIDI converter to do cool, synth-y things. However, it's not cheap (been looking at RMC and Graphtech, which doesn't include the cost of the outboard effects unit) and arguably too niche to be useful.

Anybody out there who has had this conversion done and can give me some sage advice?

• What brand of piezo did you go with?
• Does the piezo pickup on a solid-body sound good enough to use w/o effects?
• Is the Roland GK3B split-pickup (or whatever it's called) a better idea?
• What 13-pin floor/rack unit do you use?
• In the end, do you think it was worth it?

Thanks!

[Bollenator]

Still curious about this; any sage advice for the piezo/MIDI n00b?

[d-tone]

Hey Bollenator,
I'm working with the Roland system (VB-99 and GK3-PU) for quiet a while and it works very good. Now I ordered a new bass from a luthier I met and I want a piezo-bridge and build-in electronics, 'cause optically the GK3 Pickup and the electronic Box disturb the optic of the bass. I'm thinking about a Graphtech system. But it needs the special Graphtech preamps, Roland electronics didn' t work with piezos.

At the Musikmesse I tried the new synthmodul GR-55. It worked great, with the lowest tracking I've ever heard with a bass.

No more people with midi systems on bass out there?

[Dirk Diggler]

I did it with RMC and Axon and used it for many years, I finally gave up since the low notes on the low b and e were never really acceptable speed wise. Piezo is the only way to go, and it sounds great by itself, of course effects are nice on that signal too.
The Roland stuff is really made for guitar. The VG stuff worked but again was really tailored for guitar, but no lag at all on those since they are polyphonic processors not converters.

I ended up just using a Starrlabs Ztar and couldn't be happier, although it takes a bit of getting used to.

Good luck,
Dirk

[4Mal]

I used the RMC setup to go piezo / synth with a GR-20. I ended up transposing my synth tone an octave down and playing the lines and octave up the neck. Worked OK tracking wise - better than the Roland GK setup for me. Ultimately I dedicated the Roland to guitar and decided that synth bass for me, was better handled using a keyboard synth.

My bass was the 4 string, Godin A4/SA - I really can't imagine that anyone would find a B string useful at all...

I have a Graphtech / Hipshot piezo on my Barker and I have the Hipshot, non-piezo version on a P I'm just completing. It is a very nice bridge. The Grapthech is prett dark. The note envelope is very acoustic though. I'll probably install the mid boost switch at some point - not sure how as I don't want to be modding the Barker cosmetically. Maybe a push/pull pot when I get there.

I've now tried 3 guitars driving the GR-20 and the Godin MultiAC/SA classical, using the RMC system is great. I also have a GK-2a installed on a Dano DC-59 that is a hoot. Still dialing that one in.

Is it worth it ? For synth bass - no. For tone and note envelope ? Absolutely.

I love the note envelope that a good piezo system provides. It's just a much more natural attack, bloom and decay for the acoustic support work I do. The best if the basses I've used are old Godin Acoustibasses from the mid 90's . I have a 94 and 96 with the 94 being my number 1 bass. Both are 4 stringers using the LR Baggs system in which the bridge saddle is bonded to the piezo element. No 13 pin output with that kind of setup but the tone is fantastic. I also have a K&K pure setup installed in a Tacoma Thunderchief - the stock electronics were awful. The K&K is very much like a mic in the body. It is a huge round tone but is meant for low stage volume only - which works fine in most of the acoustic settings I play. and then there is the Kala UBass which I adore...