• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Piezo bridge basses

B

badgrandad

Sep 1, 2004
510
142
68
Corsicana, Texas
#1
I have been considering getting a piezo bridge (only) fretless for several reasons, not the least of which is that I have been dealing with buzzing and grounding noise from the older stage lights on my church’s stage.

I figured though I need to tap into the experience of TB to see if piezo bridge instruments are free from that type of interference as well as ground noises and single coil hum.

As many sounds as I can coax out of my bass at home, there is no way I can solo a pickup.

Even with both pickups on full and good grounding the lights are a real distraction.

What say ye?
 
#2
My experience of piezo-only is with a Rob Allen Mouse fretless. So far it’s free of electro-magnetic interference in multiple venues. I can’t say that’s always the case with that setup as I don’t know enough about the technology - only my experience. The other potential advantage to piezo-only is that it’s perfectly happy with coated or synthetic strings, which might not resonate as well or at all on a mag-only bass - or so I’ve read here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gorilla Monsoon
#3
I've had many Rob Allen and Rick Turner basses that have a piezo bridge. Some piezo only, and some with a piezo bridge combined with magnetic pickups. The Rob Allen uses Fishman piezo and preamps while Rick Turner designed the electronics in his instruments. I haven't come across any electrical interference issues with any of these basses but my experience is limited to these so I don't know if that's true for all piezo bridge-based systems. My home office is susceptible to interference as I've had it with other guitars and basses, but not the Rob Allens or Rick Turners.
 
#4
badgrandad said:
I have been considering getting a piezo bridge (only) fretless for several reasons, not the least of which is that I have been dealing with buzzing and grounding noise from the older stage lights on my church’s stage.

I figured though I need to tap into the experience of TB to see if piezo bridge instruments are free from that type of interference as well as ground noises and single coil hum.

As many sounds as I can coax out of my bass at home, there is no way I can solo a pickup.

Even with both pickups on full and good grounding the lights are a real distraction.

What say ye?
Click to expand...
No coil and no magnet in a Piezo. No hum.

Piezo and magnetic pickups are different in how they work, their sound quality, and their applications:

How they work

Piezo pickups use piezoelectric crystals or ceramic elements to convert the vibrations of strings into electrical signals. Magnetic pickups amplify the sound of strings by creating a magnetic circuit between the pickup and the strings.

Sound quality

Piezo pickups tend to be brighter and less warm than magnetic pickups, with a clear, pronounced, and transparent sound. Magnetic pickups tend to emphasize the string's vibration and the guitar's electronic character.

Applications

Piezo pickups are commonly used in acoustic guitars, while magnetic pickups are commonly used in electric guitars. Undersaddle piezo pickups are a common type of acoustic guitar pickup, and they are often used for fingerstyle, classical, and smaller-bodied guitars. Magnetic pickups can be good for lead players and for creating sustain.

There are many variations of both piezo and magnetic pickups, including different numbers of poles, single or double-coiling, and over or under-winding. Piezos can also be made in different shapes, such as disks, rods, cables, and thin, bendable strips.

Piezo pickups can be microphonic and can cause interference when used with magnetic pickups.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DJ Bebop
#5
badgrandad said:
I have been considering getting a piezo bridge (only) fretless
Click to expand...
There was no 'consideration' involved.

Saw this in 1986 and knew I had to own one, just never expected it would take 30 years :-)

Maniac (2).jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lo-E, dabbler, Wyrdlow and 1 other person
#6
Mmmm that looks really great!
Today was especially bad because in addition to the stage lights, the stage was covered in Christmas trees and lights. As I would get near any of them the noise increased slightly unless I took my hands off the strings and then it was bad.
 
#8
Turner Renaissance already mentioned... I love mine, got it from Rick waaaay back. I also had a Godin A5 Acoustibass years ago. It was pretty darn good.
 
#9
My piezo basses don’t buzz or hum, but be aware that a piezo pickup will sense any vibrational noise, including bumps and handling. It’s also a very different tone from a normal mag pickup.

Have you considered installing EMG pickups? They will deliver a magnetic-style tone with far less noise than most passive magnetic pickups.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ole Jason
#10
Piezo can be great.
Before going that route mostly to deal with hum at your church, you might want to organize a collection to update the lighting and/or wiring.
I've played a lot of different conventional (i.e. magnetic) bass guitars at a lot of different locations with funky wiring (most notably my home of 26 years). Noise was almost never a deal-killer, but I definitely noticed that some basses rejected it better than others.
Your simplest & cheapest solution would probably involve the wiring in your current bass. Shielding the control cavity would be good (just don't let me do it - LOL). Switching from single coil to hum canceling pickups could also be relevant. If noise rejection were my top priority, I might start my search with EMG. (There are many other good choices, though – my Pedulla Rapture w/ low output Bartolini pickups & shielding paint was super quiet.)
HTH
 
  • Like
Reactions: Snert
#11
I have a Manne Multi w/ humbucker and piezo bridge setup. There's no buzz when soloing the piezo. It sounds pretty warm and acoustic-ish but still works in conventional mixes. Really the only annoying thing about a piezo in the bridge is it will pick up any bumps/vibrations to the body of the bass. If you stand or move around a lot when playing it's possible that kind of thing can be audible through the amp.
 
#13
For various reasons I played an unshielded, single coil bass on a stage next to a huge light tree jammed with transformers this summer. The noise was unbearable, and because of the stage plot, I couldn’t get far enough away to escape it. I broke down and bought an Electroharmonix Hum DeBugger. It’s not a perfect, transparent, or cheap solution, but it definitely gets rid of the noise (and low Bb).
Edit: to answer your question, YES a strictly piezo system with a high quality buffer/preamp will not hum, generally speaking. The same can (usually) be said for a properly shielded bass with humbuckers.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: HaphAsSard
#14
I you replace your pickups with dual coil humbucking type, and copper shield your control cavity, that should take care of your EMI pickup. (Or use a P bass that are naturally hum-cancelling)

Piezo pickups are very nice, if you want that type of sound. As mentioned above, you will likely need to use tapewound strings as the piezo will pick up EVERY little bit of finger and playing noise very well. I really don't know why the makers of the preamps have not bothered to put in notch filters to reduce the handling noises.
 
#19
Do bridge pickup piezos sound good?

Yes!

I assume all piezos are mounted under the bridge, but, I'm not 100% sure.

But, two basses I own that have piezos, are, my Ibanez SR700F, and my ESP-LTD TL-4.

Both sound great, to me.

You're asking about a fretless, and I will say that a fretless with piezos is like ice cream with syrup on it; they belong together.

The piezos have the natural voicing to reproduce the subtle tones of a fretless, at least in my opinion.

I usually play the Ibanez with the piezos only.

So, hamburger + cheese, ice cream + syrup, vintage car + whitewall tires.

I think you get the picture.

Mike ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: GrowlerBox and porterbass

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back