Adding pickups to an acoustic bass

[Dan_reeves]

Hi all - I purchased an acoustic bass from Thomann - basically an Ovation copy. I like how it plays and sounds, but obviously is way too quiet acoustically. The piezo pickup and preamp is garbage - I have tried adjusting it in every way I could find online, as well as trying three different undersaddle piezo pieces. Part of the issue is it is really hard to find a whole system that could replace the preamp assembly - it needs to be pretty narrow because the plastic body is narrow.

I am now thinking of routing the top and adding some real magnetic pickups - which I realize will change the instrument quite a bit. Making it more sort of Hofner-esque. Part of the issue I see is grounding. I have thought about wrapping the saddle in copper tape and soldering it to the rest of the pots. Or maybe a metal saddle instead. I guess I am looking for some ideas. Maybe this belongs in electronics, not sure. Thought I’d start here first. Any crazy ideas? Thanks!

 

[dwizum]

There are ways to solve for grounding - and, ultimately, grounding the strings isn't inherently critical to operate an instrument.

The problem you'll run in to is feedback. A magnetic pickup mounted on an acoustic instrument puts you in the same problem solving space as the early pioneers of electric instruments - trying to solve for good performance without the body's natural ability to resonate causing terrible feedback. Of course, the early pioneers solved that by making solid body instruments - or, "semi" hollows like the Beatle bass where the instrument was technically hollow, but orders of magnitude less resonant than an actual acoustic instrument.

My preference, if I were in your shoes, would be to work with electronics to get the current piezo working well. It may be as simple as finding a good EQ pedal or (rack mounted, not onboard) preamp you like. There are units meant specifically for piezo pickups. The biggest issue with piezos is that the impedance is way different than a mag pickup, and since our signal path is meant for mag pickups, plugging a peizo in (either passively or via a badly designed preamp) sounds like crap.

If you want to get adventurous, there are several diy piezo buffer/preamp designs out there on the internet that work well at solving this problem - often much better than brand name units. If the preamp installed in the bass is crap, and a weird size, DIY might be your best bet for solving that.

 

[RichterScale]

First idea I get is to pull the white plastic strip out and make a new one out of aluminium. Drill a hole, feed the ground wire through, strip off the end of the wire, lay the alum bridge in on top of the exposed end of the wire, bob's yer uncle.

 

[Arie X]

the tops on those are constructed like the majority of acoustic guitars -with braces. chopping holes big enough for normal pickups and providing for the hardware to support and adjust them will destroy the instrument.

try an undersaddle microphone like the K&K mini or the Fishman Aura VT if the regular assortment of aftermarket undersaddle devices aren't to your taste. also, it maybe possible that your undersaddle pu isn't installed correctly. they require particular attention to detail to function properly.

 

[Jazz Ad]

The Lace USAB is meant for this very use and works greatly.

 

[Dan_reeves]

Thanks for all the ideas so far!

 

[Arie X]

The Lace USAB is meant for this very use and works greatly.

Indeed

 

[Smith357]

Is there enough space for one of those floating archtop pickups that attaches to the neck? Or a thin surface mount pickup?

 

[Dirk Diggler]

This is why microphones were invented.

The best piezo solutions are individual strings too. I never liked the single piece under the bridge ones.

How about putting a small mic inside? I know guitarists have that option, although those sound holes are mighty tiny.

I seem to recall a piezo disk mounted in wood that can be stuck to the top, I think it was maybe Barcus Berry. I'm sure there a more modern alternatives.

 

[scuzzy]

I got much better performance from my piezo when I cut the bridge into pieces for each string.

Better string to string balance.

 

[slowjam98]

if I were in your shoes

 

[Ostie]

This is why microphones were invented.

The best piezo solutions are individual strings too. I never liked the single piece under the bridge ones.

How about putting a small mic inside? I know guitarists have that option, although those sound holes are mighty tiny.

I seem to recall a piezo disk mounted in wood that can be stuck to the top, I think it was maybe Barcus Berry. I'm sure there a more modern alternatives.

Dean Markley makes one as well.
The Ovation AE basses are not loud to begin with. The HBs are copies. Adding a mag pickup is only going to make things worse. As my dad used to say, “you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”

 

[friedlbug]

In addition to the comments so far, I’d also add that I don’t love the sound of bronze-based acoustic strings through a magnetic pickup, and I don’t know if your inexpensive ABG can handle electric bass string tension. Mine couldn’t. Honestly, I’d buy the HB violin bass, if that’s what you want, and sell that bass (or not).

 

[Aloe]

I gave up on modding my ABG, didn't like nor the fixed bridge nor the piezo. and got myself a Hofner. I'm still happy about that decision.

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

Since you say you like the way it sounds, I would think magnetic pickups would sound profoundly different.

 

[HaphAsSard]

I don’t know if your inexpensive ABG can handle electric bass string tension. Mine couldn’t.

You seem to be under the impression that bronze strings have less tension than "electric" strings: gauge being equal, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It depends. Did the electric set that ruined your ABG have the same gauges as the bronze one it'd worn before? If not, it was diameter that did damaged, not nickel.

 

[Dan_reeves]

Just to be clear, I have both a Beatle Bass and a semi-hollow, so it’s not really a matter of a different bass.

I may try one of the stick on transducers and see how it works. After seeing the picture above, I am not liking the idea of cutting into the top to install a pickup. And my search for preamp/piezo setups is not really giving me the results I’d like.

 

[Dan_reeves]

The Lace pickup looks cool but it’d more money than the bass itself. I might turn it into a piccolo bass also, that’s another idea I am tossing around.

 

[friedlbug]

You seem to be under the impression that bronze strings have less tension than "electric" strings: gauge being equal, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. It depends. Did the electric set that ruined your ABG have the same gauges as the bronze one it'd worn before? If not, it was diameter that did damaged, not nickel.

Good point. No, I put Chrome flats on it, which was probably a dumb move. Pulled the bridge off.

 

[Doner Designs]

The K&K Big Shot is a good quality stick on piezo disc, designed for bass, that can be mounted to the body.