Double Bass BP-100 alternative location ideas. Try this

[jellymax]

Let's hear your experience with using and or adjusting piezo pickups.
I just tried this today, bp100
Installed like a realist brand. Hooked
Up to me swr 12 combo, initial
Opinion is I've never heard this
Fishman sound this good lol

 

[birgebass]

I know a bassist in town who puts one element under the bridge, and one on the arch of the bridge. It works well for him.

 

[shwashwa]

if you're going to do that you may want to put a little rosin on both sides of the pickup elements to get it a bit sticky, otherwise the leg could slide on you and bridge come crashing down or corner of bridge foot impale the top.

 

[Sean Riddle]

I had a friend who did this and it got a real nice sound. When I was in high school the bass I used at school had a BP-100 on it. I wound up taping it to the bridge and it got a moderately better sound.

 

[Ric Vice]

Interesting,
If you're not able to purchase another pickup I guess this is a viable option. Just understand that the BP-100 is a piezo crystal not electret film like the Realist, Shadow, B-Band, or Aptflex.
So you risking cracking the crystal inside the metal housing. If that happens the pickup will stop working. The pressure exerted on the feet of the bridge is higher than the pressure the metal clips
that Fishman uses with the BP-100. You also risk marring the top of the bass as those metal elements dig into wood. Just my take.

P.S. You can purchase a KNA DB-1 Pickup for $99.00 sometimes less that will sound
great on your bass without all the hassle of the Fishman.

 

[jellymax]

Interesting,
If you're not able to purchase another pickup I guess this is a viable option. Just understand that the BP-100 is a piezo crystal not electret film like the Realist, Shadow, B-Band, or Aptflex.
So you risking cracking the crystal inside the metal housing. If that happens the pickup will stop working. The pressure exerted on the feet of the bridge is higher than the pressure the metal clips
that Fishman uses with the BP-100. You also risk marring the top of the bass as those metal elements dig into wood. Just my take.

Oh, I thought the realist was
A peizo.
I can afford a more modern
Pickup or mike. I never much liked
The Fishman, so I am willing to
Risk it lol (its 25 yrs old)

 

[Ric Vice]

It's piezo film that's different than piezo crystal, which is a far less flexible as it's stiffer.

 

[Pete Hand]

Fishman BP-100 = piezo ceramic.
For Sale - Acoustic bass Pickup Fishman BP-100

The Realist = copper jacket piezo film.
For Sale - Acoustic Bass “The Realist” Copperhead piezo pickup

 

[John Le Guyader]

P.S. You can purchase a KNA DB-1 Pickup for $99.00 sometimes less that will sound great on your bass without all the hassle of the Fishman.

And, KNA has great customer service. I bought a used DB-1 here on TB for 50 smackers this past summer or so, but it came without the shims and adapter to mount the 1/4" female jack on the tail piece. I called the US rep to see if they could send me the shims and adapter. They said they do not offer that. But they said they would send me a brand new DB-1 pickup, gratis, no further questions asked. I was shocked. And sure enough, it came in the mail a few days later. Now that is great customer service.

The DB-1 does sound great, especially for $99. I have one on a laminate and on an over 100 year old flatback. Works equally well on both basses.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

The Shadow NFX is piezo film, I’m not so sure about the copper Realist, might be a thin piezo ceramic on brass. They could be bent a bit without breaking the ceramic. Enough for the bridge foot.

The BP100 is a piezo disc sealed with plastic or rubber so the soldered contacts keep in place. On piezo discs the problem is that the contact is made by a thin silver coating that can be soldered but easily separates from the piezo ceramic under mechanical stress.
The soldered area is outside the bridge foot on the Realist (and Shadow NFX) but if you put the BP100 under the bridge foot, there is stress on the soldered area, the contact area with the bridge foot is small and the bridge is raised more than with a thin film transducer because of the soldering points. Also piezo discs are more sensitive to bending than to pressure, so the signal is lower than it might been with a pressure optimized transducer.

I the other hand the signal quality is not bad when using a piezo disc as a pressure transducer. I built my EUB pickup that way and the sound quality is really good. But the signal is weak.

 

[james condino]

You can buy a Vic's pickups copy of a K&K bassmax for around $35 brand new from the maker:

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[Ric Vice]

Fishman BP-100 = piezo ceramic.
For Sale - Acoustic bass Pickup Fishmann BP-100

The Realist = copper jacket piezo film.
For Sale - Acoustic Bass “The Realist” Copperhead piezo pickup

Great prices I've never purchased a pickup second hand, not sure whether I'd go that way or not.

Realist only have about a 4 Year Shelf life and then they start to degrade, how fast that happens
depends on the amount of pressure exerted on the pickup. They don't last much longer then 5 years
but it varries from one instrument to another, and there are always exceptions. I owned both the Realist
and the BP-100. I wouldn't use either of them at this point there are far better and less expensive options.

 

[Ric Vice]

The Shadow NFX is piezo film, I’m not so sure about the copper Realist, might be a thin piezo ceramic on brass.

The original copper foil Realist had two ceramic elements sandwiched between the foil outer layers, they changed the pickups design about 5 years into production, I think it's piezo film now but it may not be, I know they changed it because the first ones mard the top.

 

[Inky13]

You can buy a Vic's pickups copy of a K&K bassmax for around $35 brand new from the maker:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I A/B’d my Vic B against my BP and can attest that the Vic is (IMO) far superior. Not looking to shill for, or bash any gear, but I think most here would agree that the Fishman has seen better days. Having said that, it pleases me that it continues to be a serviceable pickup. I’ve certainly gotten a lot of jobs out of it.

 

[Tonecraft]

I A/B’d my Vic B against my BP and can attest that the Vic is (IMO) far superior. Not looking to shill for, or bash any gear, but I think most here would agree that the Fishman has seen better days. Having said that, it pleases me that it continues to be a serviceable pickup. I’ve certainly gotten a lot of jobs out of it.

What side did you mount your Model B on?

 

[Inky13]

What side did you mount your Model B on?

E-string side.

 

[james condino]

IMO, the best place to put a BP-100:

 

[damonsmith]

IMO, the best place to put a BP-100:

View attachment 4274108

People say that, but, Fred Hopkins, Marc Johnson and Red Mitchell all got iconic sounds out of it. With a good amp and good technique it can be a useful pick up. I still have one - haven't used it in years.
The best thing about it is that it comes off the bass easy - which would be the best reason to not put it under the bridge foot...

 

[james condino]

Lets me honest- they sucked when they were new and they still suck decades later.

The only reason we all bought them back in the day was that there were very limited choices, so we got by with what we had.

All of those players listed got great sounds despite the BP100, not because of it....

 

[Ric Vice]

Agreed 100%, there is virtually no way to get a warm, detailed, and pleasant found from the BP-100. If you're looking for a very upper midrange focused

sound then maybe that's your ticket. Just my take, however I haven't used a solid crystal "piezo" pickup for nearly 15 years. Bass specific microphones just get better

and better while most of the available piezo pickups don't sound any different than they did 20 years ago.