Piezo Bridge Pickup? What is it?

[splitcoilsenior]

I was looking at Music Man Sterlings and I came across...
http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend....dge?sku=512879
What exactly is a Piezo Pickup?

[Number27]

a piezo is a small crystal that produces an electrical current when pressure is applied to it. a piezo pickup sits under the bridge plate and when you pluck a string the vibrations cause the piezo crystal to send an electrical signal in the exact frequency (or pitch) as the vibrations to a pre-amp, and on wards through the various knobs and switches to your amp. it's really just a different way of picking up sound from a bass for amplification. typically you see them used in acoustic basses because (and i don't know the specifics.. but i think it's because they're so sensitive) they are better at picking up the "acoustic" tone. they are almost always paired with a pre-amp with 2-4 band eq, and are quiet "bright". i've got one in my italia mondial (hard body) and it cops a pretty good upright tone.

[line6man]

To put it simply, a piezo pickup means that there is a piezoelectric element in each string's saddle, which turns the string vibration into an electric signal.

[elros]

Piezo pickups sound quite different from magnetics. Sort of acoustic-like. Have a listen.

Piezo sound clips:
Fretless Benavente piezo
Fretted Surine - ABM piezo pickups
- Same bass again
Conklin fretted bass with RMC piezo pickups
Warmoth DIY fretless with Benavente piezo pickups

[Pbassred]

typically you see them used in acoustic basses because (and i don't know the specifics.. but i think it's because they're so sensitive) they are better at picking up the "acoustic" tone.

because they work with mechanical vibration they don't need steel strings.

They tend to be toppy. I mix mine with the neck pickup. Also, they pick up handling noise.

[elros]

Toppy?

Maybe some. But mine are much deeper than any magnetic I've heard. The bottom end on these piezo pickups seem to have no limit. This goes for the top end too, though. It's bass-tronomical, hah.

[PilbaraBass]

Technically, piezo crystals respond to changes in pressure, not vibration...the crystal(s) are placed under the bridge saddle and as the string vibrates, there are minute corresponding pressure changes which translate to the voltage signal.

Generally piezos have a relatively flat frequency response over a wide sonic range. This is why they may sound "toppy" because magnetic pickups have a natural peak and roll-off (usually designed around 3-4kHz) and therefore they don't have the bright upper end. Also, the placement of the piezo (in the bridge) accounts for rich upper harmonic content.

Piezo pickups, with the right EQ can produce a really clear low end with nice articulation...blended with magnetic pickups, they really add a nice dimension to the bass sound.

[elros]

That's right. I love my piezo pickups!
And the harmonics are all equally present, meaning that the sound is natural and pleasant (IMO).

[mrjim123]

Here is one more sound clip: Carvin LP70P fretted 4-string with humbuckers and piezo pickup/preamp. I can't wait to order one.

http://www.carvinchannel.com/play_audio.php?audio=56

[DanSwain]

I'd also like to offer my thanks for the links above! I'm thinking of making another Bass for myself, and have spent a bit of time debating whether to use just a Piezo-only bridge. Certainly the arguments for the flat response are backed up by these audio files, which is very good to know, because it means that through some fairly simple EQ'ing it's not going to be difficult to get a warm tone.

I suppose when people refer to the sound as 'toppy', it's because we're not used to hearing those frequencies respond like that, so the ear possibly focuses on them. I think mine do

So Benavente, ABM and RMC have been mentioned as brands on this thread so far - are those brands usually the best to look at for Bass, or are there any other recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

Dan

[mikezimmerman]

Graphtech/Ghost is another popular make these days: http://www.graphtech.com/products.html?CategoryID=2

Mike

[251]

A piezo device is a crystal (e. g., silver chloride on a brass wafer) that generates a pulse of electricity when it flexes. Radio Shack sells a small buzzer with a piezo wafer. The driver circuit functions as a pre-amp when you use it as a pick-up. I have opened the case & glued the wafer to conga & bongo drums & clave sticks to lay down my own click tracks for recording. You don't need great fidelity for that. I glued it to the bridge of an old Ibanez bass once. It did a fair job rendering the sound but, that Ibanez didn't have a very good un-amplified sound to start with. 8-).

Many URBs have piezo pick-ups mounted on the bridge. I have heard good things about the GraphTech hardware on bass guitars, too, but don't use 1 myself.

[DanSwain]

I've tried that 'stick the piezo speaker to the body and see what it sounds like' method before as well 251 The Bass I had was probably even worse with it's un-amplified sound than your Ibanez...still, it made me grin for 15 minutes!

I see that Hipshot do their A-style bridges with the Ghost piezo pickups in the saddles (I was looking at the 6-string version that came in at around $265), which doesn't seem to be a bad price, considering that one purchase covers both the bridge AND the pickups. Are there any good examples (besides the ones above) of Basses that make use of piezo pickups? I keep scouring youtube, but to no avail.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by DanSwain

I've tried that 'stick the piezo speaker to the body and see what it sounds like' method before as well 251 The Bass I had was probably even worse with it's un-amplified sound than your Ibanez...still, it made me grin for 15 minutes!

I see that Hipshot do their A-style bridges with the Ghost piezo pickups in the saddles (I was looking at the 6-string version that came in at around $265), which doesn't seem to be a bad price, considering that one purchase covers both the bridge AND the pickups. Are there any good examples (besides the ones above) of Basses that make use of piezo pickups? I keep scouring youtube, but to no avail.

Look for any Carvin bass whose model number ends in “P” for piezo.

Jeff Schmidt has or had an Icon with one…the thing he liked about it was the piezo pickup. What he didn’t like was pretty much everything else, unfortunately

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsctkSjnx50

[DanSwain]

Thanks for that PilaraBass - the piezos on that Carvin sound good! It almost makes me wonder why he had the magnetic ones as well...apart from maybe being a visual reference for his left (picking) hand placement!

[groooooove]

my old carvin XB76 had piezo pickups. in short, its something you probably dont want. after the first week i had that bass i never once touched the volume knob for the piezo, it was off at all times.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by DanSwain

Thanks for that PilaraBass - the piezos on that Carvin sound good! It almost makes me wonder why he had the magnetic ones as well...apart from maybe being a visual reference for his left (picking) hand placement!

My Carvin AC40 has ONLY a piezo pickup.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by groooooove

my old carvin XB76 had piezo pickups. in short, its something you probably dont want. after the first week i had that bass i never once touched the volume knob for the piezo, it was off at all times.

that's really dependent upon what you play and how you play and what your taste in tone is...because there are some who live by the piezo.

[251]

Parker comes to mind as well as Citron. I believe Steve Swallow had a lot to do with both designs.

A 6 string with piezo's & coils would keep me busy exploring sounds for a long time. 8-)