Piezo bass bridges

abarson · #1 08-31-2006, 06:24 PM

I'm aware of the following bass guitar bridges that have built-in piezo saddles:
Schaller 3-DP4
ABM 3704-P
ABM 3710-P
Graph Tech PN-8370-B4 (made with Hipshot)
RMC Pow'r Bass

I would like to get feedback from people's use and comparison of these bridges, what they liked/disliked, ease of installation and setup, etc.
I'd like to know what you think of these as standalone pickups, or in combination with a magnetic pickup.
Also, if there are other piezo bass bridges that I should consider that aren't on the list, let me know.
Much appreciated!!

Pbassred · #2 09-01-2006, 06:06 AM

Bump! Because it deserves it.

I'd love to be able to comment but these things are so rare. I could only find the Graphtech on the web. I'm currently playing around with my TRB1005 and its inherent Peizo preamp (when you know where to find it). Yamaha runs these as a mix-in pickup, post the mag pup mix knob. I tried the godin semi which ONLY has a peizo and hated it, though that's not comparing like for like.

Put it this way. You have mag pups already. your peizo is a phisically separate instalation. You can choose to either switch over or feed in. Why would you rip them out if you dont have to? Don't forget to pay os much attention to the preamp. I think it will need to be Peizo specific.

abarson · #3 09-01-2006, 10:50 AM

This is actually for a new build, and not for replacing an existing bridge.
Since the top wood is so nice, I've been curious about running just a piezo bridge, and not using a mag pickup at all. Rick Turner (among others) did this on some of his basses, and I thought it looked great! Never had a chance to hear one, so this is where my query comes from.