Double Bass Can an Underwood pickup go bad?

[thmsjordan]

Just adding another vote to the yes column. Twice....(two separate pickups)

 

[Roger Mouton]

I've had some recent correspondence with one of the girls. I don't think they're replacing pick-ups the way they used to. I got 20+ years out of my first one before it started acting funny. Don't know if Don is retired or not but he told me that to test the pick-up you plug in, place one the elements between your fingers and squeeze them. If there's a crackling noise it's about time to replace it.

There's another Underwood thread somewhere that, as I recall, talked about the importance of proper fit. I may have chimed in on it. Too tight and the internal elements can fracture. The piezo material on some, if not all of these pick-ups, is crystalline in nature. That suggests fracturing so care is needed to install and maintain the fit for best results.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

There's another Underwood thread somewhere that, as I recall, talked about the importance of proper fit. I may have chimed in on it. Too tight and the internal elements can fracture. The piezo material on some, if not all of these pick-ups, is crystalline in nature. That suggests fracturing so care is needed to install and maintain the fit for best results.

In fact it is some kind of ceramic. High pressure or a hit (onto the bridge side) can crack the ceramic.

To be more safe: when traveling with the bass removing it from the bridge and putting it padded in a hard case avoids some of the possible events that might destroy the crystal.
But it might sound a little bit different each time if you do not get the exact position as before. Realistically that can also happen when the bass is packed up with the pickup in the bridge, so that's not a big deal at all.

 

[Ric Vice]

In fact it is some kind of ceramic. High pressure or a hit (onto the bridge side) can crack the ceramic.

To be more safe: when traveling with the bass removing it from the bridge and putting it padded in a hard case avoids some of the possible events that might destroy the crystal.
But it might sound a little bit different each time if you do not get the exact position as before. Realistically that can also happen when the bass is packed up with the pickup in the bridge, so that's not a big deal at all.

I guess I was really lucky, I've never had a Underwood Pickup dammaged, I have had several Realist's go bad.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

The piezo crystal bridge wing pickups like the Underwood need a rather hard impact to damage the crystal. The brass sheet around take some energy from an impact before it could reach the crystal and if the impact is more towards the middle of the bridge that does no harm to the pickup elements. But a hard impact on the left or right corner of the bridge might do.
That might happen if the bass fells onto the bridge (but that might harm the top too) or if you bump the bass with the bridge to a wall or door or something similar during transport.

I think it is much more probable to damage the cable contact to the crystal by cable movement (some day, at least if the pickup is removed often) than to damage the crystal if you are careful with bass transport.
I had to resoldered the shield of my Shadow SH-950 two times, but this is the prototype and I'm the second owner for the last thirty years (but used it only for some years, it is now in a box for backup).

 

[Roger Mouton]

The piezo crystal bridge wing pickups like the Underwood need a rather hard impact to damage the crystal. The brass sheet around take some energy from an impact before it could reach the crystal and if the impact is more towards the middle of the bridge that does no harm to the pickup elements. But a hard impact on the left or right corner of the bridge might do.
That might happen if the bass fells onto the bridge (but that might harm the top too) or if you bump the bass with the bridge to a wall or door or something similar during transport.

I think it is much more probable to damage the cable contact to the crystal by cable movement (some day, at least if the pickup is removed often) than to damage the crystal if you are careful with bass transport.
I had to resoldered the shield of my Shadow SH-950 two times, but this is the prototype and I'm the second owner for the last thirty years (but used it only for some years, it is now in a box for backup).

I'm picking up something in this thread that maybe I missed before. Installing and removing. I don't think these pick-ups are meant to be taken off/on again very often. Mine have worked very well when they stay put....

 

[Ric Vice]

I'm picking up something in this thread that maybe I missed before. Installing and removing. I don't think these pick-ups are meant to be taken off/on again very often. Mine have worked very well when they stay put....

That’s true for every pickup I’ve owned. The leads that connect to the
crystals can be dammaged if you’re not careful. They all have weak spots,
wingslot pickups can slip around when you take the case on and off.