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Double Bass $15.28 piezo pickup

N

Nickajeglin

Nov 1, 2007
8
0
#1
Ok, so I'm really really broke. And I needed some sort of amplification for a gig I'm doing. I tried a mike into a bass amp, (sorry, no specifics) but it had a really really loud hum even when I turned the gain way down, and it didn't seem to be picking up the low frequencies of my bass anyways. So I went to radioshack and bought a piezo transducer, a roll of shielded mike wire, and a quarter inch input jack. Then I soldered them together. Now I have a sort of pickuppy thingee that I could possible tape/wedge/somethingelse to my bass somewhere. (and for only $15.28!) I was wondering if anyone could give me any mounting suggestions for the transducer? Possibly wedged into the wing gap on my bridge, or maybe just taped to the underside of it? My bass is at school right now, so I intend to just mess around with it for a while tomorrow.

Nick.
 
#2
Mess around with it, and try it in a bunch of different spots. Who knows, maybe you'll find a new way to get a good sound with a piezo pickup!

Traditionally, pick ups are one the bridge. Depending on the size of it, you could try wedging it in the wing, but if it's the transducer from Radio Shack that I'm thinking of, it's too wide to do that. I have seen legitimate pick ups that have been taped flat to the bottom of the bridge, this may be your best bet.

Good luck!

Tim
 
#3
I tried taping it like that, but it seemed to have a sort of watery tone. Like I was hearing it from under water. Lots of volume, but no problems with feedback, although I did hear a sort of wobble or throb on the open E string. I think I'm going to make another tonight. This time I'll shield my joints, and try to find a better transducer. I think I'm going to try it in the wing later as well, because it's not that wide at all, it's almost paper thin, it would just hang off of the wood a little.
 
#4
The tone issue may be from not having a flush contact, which is probably why most piezo pickups are wedged into the bridge (either the wings like the underwood, or under the foot like the realist). If you shim it into the wing, just make sure that you have something else in there to get a snug (but not tight) fit.

Tim
 
#5
That hum with the microphone and the lack of lows tells me that you were probably running a low impedance mic with a balanced line into a high impedance amp input. The right cable and a transformer might help. I have found that it's hard to beat the mic-in-foam under the tailpiece for accurate sound.

The watery sound on the piezo suggests poor coupling to the bass. Try gluing the piezo element between two pieces of soft wood- basswood is excellent, but pine or spruce will do- and carving it so you can wedge it in one of the wings. You might also try gluing it to the bridge with a thin layer hot melt glue, if you're feeling adventurous. It'll easily pry off if you change your mind.
 
#6
If I encased it in a chunk of balsa wood, sort of like the revolution solo, would that possible make it better? Or should I just not worry about it and shim it in with some sort of paper product, possibly matboard?
 
#7
Wow mje! you answered my question before I was done typing it. Amazing. I'll try it. I found out that the amp is the problem with the hum. When my friend plugs her EB into it it hums just like it did for me.

On the piezo, I later noticed that there was a small gap between the bridge and transducer, due to the cord hanging down and my hasty taping job. I'll take some more time on it tonight and see what I can do.

Thanks for the help everyone.
 
#12
Cool. I'll think about trying that. I can't find a smaller piezo than the one I have now at radio shack (mine is ~1 in) and mine hangs off of the bridge pretty much wherever I put it. I didn't know where to get piezo film stuff. Thanks.
 

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