AKG DB-1 bridge blank with piezo

[AlanBartram]

Anyone have any experience with these? Is the bridge blank itself any good? Any info is appreciated, thanks

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by AlanBartram

Anyone have any experience with these? Is the bridge blank itself any good? Any info is appreciated, thanks

Alan,
From the looks of Johnas Losses' site they "no longer manufacture" these anymore. I played through a similar design by Barcus Berry. It sounderd awful bright and nasal. So unless they have made improvements with this design I'd get something else.

Ric

http://barcusberry.com/product.cfm?ProductID=23

[AlanBartram]

Thanks Ric, My Bro-in-law found one, that hasn't been used, on craigslist for $75. I'm wondering, is just the bridge is worth that?
Thanks

[Jake deVilliers]

In looking at the photo on the AKG site the wood looks fine but - that's their promo picture.
There's also no heart cut out of the bridge and the legs look maybe a bit thick.

I think you'd be better off buying a Despiau CT6 bridge from Metropolitan Music - both the 'B' and 'C' grades are less than $75.00.

[jonas]

Originally Posted by Ric Vice

Alan,
From the looks of Johnas Losses' site they "no longer manufacture" these anymore.

…*the "h" is in my last name, not first name …

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by jonas

…*the "h" is in my last name, not first name …

As someone who's name has been mauled quite a bit over the years, I feel your pain.
The space provided at TalkBass isn't even big enough for me to spell 'de Villiers' correctly...

[George Barris]

I had an AKG DB1 some time ago on my first bass,a no-name hybrid flatback. I believe the bridge is sliced in half and the pickup is embedded about halfway between the arch and the top. The two halves are then glued back together.
The pickup needs 48volts phantom power, I had the version that terminated in a XLR3 plug. It had a smooth full sound but didn't reproduce the G string fundamental so I sold it. It was the only pickup of many I tried that didn't accentuate the thuddy A string on that bass.
There was another version that terminated in a jack plug and came with an AKG power supply. I used a Rolls mic preamp with mine, or it could be plugged into a sound desk mic input.
I suppose there could be question marks over the glue join in the bridge acoustically, but I don't recall any adverse effects. I was tempted to try another one to see if the G "falloff" was a oneoff, but bought a Full Circle instead.

[Duke_Spicher]

Hey Alan, Nice to see you here. I do realize this thread is over two years old.
I just put a DB-1 on my new Shen Willow. I dig it. For some reason the bass is darker on the E than the others. I have a full circle on there as well, which is a pretty even pickup as well.
With the AKg bridge you do have to have a nice preamp, with adjustable gain, as it is a HOT signal coming off the bass. I am using a D-tar solstice now, which has the phantom power needed. I can blend both pickups into it, though I am seeking a mic blend solution, just haven't got a mic attached yet.
I am the person that bought that bridge off craigslist, by the way lol....Don't be mad!