Replacement preamp for a Godin piezo bass?

[Jim C]

I have an 80's Godin bass with a Zeta piezo pickup.
It has had intermittent electronics since it was about 1 year old. A small tap on the circuit board used to make it work. Godin discontinued the instrument in the late 80's and have no support for it.
It looks like this one:
New bass arrived - 1980 Godin Zeta Z1 (piezo) inside

Is there an aftermarket pre-amp that would work with this piezo pup?

[khutch]

I'm guessing the answer is yes even though I don't know which ones. I would try emailing some piezo companies to get their opinions. If you don't already know who made the pickup and preamp I would ask Godin. They have always been good about replying to my questions even though I don't own one. Perhaps the company that made the piezo system on this bass is still in business and they should be able to tell you what will work best with it.

Ken

[Jim C]

I emailed Godin and am very disappointed in their reply:

Hi Jim,

That model was discontinued in the late 80's, and we unfortunately no longer have replacement parts. My guess is that the problem is caused by the battery connector. Make sure it's properly soldered, and also change the battery.

Regards,

Michel Belanger
Support Clients / Customer Support
Guitares Godin / Godin Guitars

I would have thought that any pro company that no longer supports their products would at least offer advice or the schematic for repair.
Also think that the smart a$$ answer about the battery is disrespectful as I explained that this bass was a gift to one of there earlier dealers that owned a repair shop.

[khutch]

He did offer you some advice and I see no disrespect in it. Some companies have schematics for equipment that old, many do not. I asked the same person several questions about an old Acoustibass I see for sale in a local shop and he gave me the information on who to contact about a preamp and replacement parts. The company that made the preamp was really no more helpful than Godin was since they don't make that model anymore but they were willing to sell me a new preamp and pickup system if I ever needed one! I think that if Michel had any more information to offer he would have offered it. Godin typically relies on third parties for piezo pickup systems and if they have no spare parts or support neither does Godin. So Godin is a dead end on this project and a little sleuthing says that Zeta has gone out of business. Your only options are to find an electronics tech who can look for simple things like Michel suggested (and possibly even reverse engineer the preamp which often is not difficult for gear of that vintage) or start talking to other piezo pickup makers who may know those pickups well enough to suggest suitable replacements.

Ken

[Guey]

I used to have one of those basses. I am fairly certain it can be repaired. Mine had very shoddy wiring inside the electronics cavity.
This drawing may help.
Good Luck -
Dan