Need help with electronics on a Takamine acoustic/electric bass

[Kenny Burg]

Hello my bass-thumpin' friends!
New member here, looking for some advice, hoping y'all can help me out. Just for a little background, I no longer play bass as my primary instrument, my last band broke up in 1988, after which I switched to guitar and vocals. I kept all my basses, but sold the amp way back when.
Flash-forward to 2007, I was in Guitar Center to purchase a new acoustic guitar, and was drawn to a gorgeous Takamine acoustic/electric bass in all koa wood. I couldn't help myself and bought both the guitar and the bass. The purpose was so I could add bass whenever my buddies and I would have an acoustic jam. It's fantastic for that. I have also used it for a few demo recordings in my home studio, but only mic'd, and it sounds really good. Still never plugged it in. Not once.
Flash forward 11 years to 2018, I decided to put together a live act. So my new bassist brings over his rig, and we start rehearsing. I showed him all my axes, and when he saw the Tak, he loved it, and wanted to plug it in. I've never kept a battery in it, so I got a brand new one and put it in. It sounded TERRIBLE. Like dog doo doo. Dead, muffled, yucky. Nothing at all like it sounds acoustically. We tried adjusting the controls on the bass and on the amp to make it sound better, to no avail.
So I went to Takamine's website to see if I could get some info. It looks like they use a number of different preamp units now. I sent them a message asking if there's a better one than mine, and if it could be something I could change out easily. No answer.
So I joined a Takamine owners' group on facebook, and asked them. I got a few answers, but so far, none of them have had any experience with the Tak basses. I'm hoping and praying that one of you does! I'm lost in confusion...
Thanks in advance!
-Kenny

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Are there controls on the side of the bass? A pic of that would help.

 

[byacey]

When did you change strings last? Not that I'm implying it's the strings, but the piezo saddle pickups are very sensitive to a flat, even slot for the pickup and saddle to sit in, with even downward pressure on the saddle. If the strings are pulling it towards leaning a little in the slot, it can adversely affect the signal from the pickup.

 

[Kenny Burg]

Are there controls on the side of the bass? A pic of that would help.

Matt,
Yes there are, however the bass isn't here right now, I loaned it to my bassist for home practice. He's bringing it back tomorrow. I'll take some pics, and I'll do a little troubleshooting and see if I can't find something wrong. I've never been inside this particular axe before.

 

[Kenny Burg]

When did you change strings last? Not that I'm implying it's the strings, but the piezo saddle pickups are very sensitive to a flat, even slot for the pickup and saddle to sit in, with even downward pressure on the saddle. If the strings are pulling it towards leaning a little in the slot, it can adversely affect the signal from the pickup.

It has been a long time. They sound good acoustically, it has hardly been played since. But your theory makes perfect sense. My bassist has it right now, but it's coming home tomorrow. I haven't done anything to troubleshoot it at all besides swapping out fresh batteries. I've never been under the saddle nor pulled out the electronics unit. I will have good look-see tomorrow evening. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[RobbieK]

I have a cheap Cort ABG that has a fishman pre, and its plugged-in tone is bright and clear, but the pickup itself is problematic, with uneven string response. For some reason the saddle slot is tilted forward by about 15 degrees, which makes fettling the saddle trickier than usual. So yeah, definitely check out the saddle fitment, and how the lower face of the saddle interfaces with the pickup. Also check for any debris in the saddle slot. A tiny splinter in the wrong place can greatly effect the pickup response.

Another problem I've seen a lot over the years, not just with ABGs, but with acoustic guitars in general, is that the preamp's input impedance is too low. This gives you a tone that is muffled in the treble and sort of choked and compressed in the bass. One of the first vids I put up for my YT channel is a detailed set up a fretless ABG. Towards the end (8:30ish) I make and install a little fet buffer between the pickup and the pre. If you know someone who is into electronics, perhaps they could do a similar mod on yours. Or failing this, go with a better preamp.

 

[Kenny Burg]

Thanks, RobbieK! The more I think about it, I am nearly convinced it has something to do with the saddle/transducer fit. I know Takamine as a maker of high quality instruments, and this bass plays so well. It's hard for me to fathom them putting a crappy sounding preamp in, even in their more affordable line. It almost has to be something else. I can't wait to get it back tomorrow so I can investigate. I will definitely watch your vid. Thanks again!

 

[Kenny Burg]

Ok, I got the bass back, plugged it in, and it still sounded crappy. So I took off the strings, and inspected the saddle and piezo pickup. On this bass, the piezo transducer has a metal cradle that holds the saddle firmly in place on the pickup. I found nothing wrong there. I disconnected the input and output cables from the preamp, but couldn't get the preamp out of its chassis. So I just put it back together, took the opportunity to clean and oil the fingerboard, and restrung it. I plugged it in, expecting no change, but now it's clear as a bell. Sounds good, just like I had hoped it would. I don't know what fixed it, but the input cable was pretty hard to pull out of its little jack on the preamp, I wonder if there was some corrosion or crud where it made contact before I disturbed it. May never know, but at least it's working as desired now. Thank you all for your advice and help, I really appreciate it!