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Why piezo on electric bass is so underrated?
- Thread starter gigetto
- Start date
I don't like piezo in my instruments, I like magnetic pickups better. I don't like nor how it sounds, nor how it hums, nor troubleshooting the contacts on an under-saddle pickup.
this said, I do have an EUB with a piezo, but got rid of piezoacoustic guitars and basses.
this said, I do have an EUB with a piezo, but got rid of piezoacoustic guitars and basses.
EMG used to make a phenomenal under saddle piezo, the AS93u, for acoustic guitar that I built a bass around back in the 1990s. That system is incredible. They don't seem to make it anymore but a few people seem to still have some lying around. Doesn't need extreme EQ or really anything, it just sounds amazing for bass.
Piezo systems to me are like apples: nothing beats a good one, but a bad one is just a waste.
I had piezo/mag blending capability on my upright bass for a long time and it was killer!! I would love to see that on more BGs, but it has to be done right. Use top quality components & design the system with care, or don't even bother. (I tried to like the piezo on my Yamaha TRB-6P but it just never sounded remotely good to me.)
That might be why we don't see this so often - I think magnetic pickups are more forgiving for the builder and the player.
I had piezo/mag blending capability on my upright bass for a long time and it was killer!! I would love to see that on more BGs, but it has to be done right. Use top quality components & design the system with care, or don't even bother. (I tried to like the piezo on my Yamaha TRB-6P but it just never sounded remotely good to me.)
That might be why we don't see this so often - I think magnetic pickups are more forgiving for the builder and the player.
Just an observation
It's probably not known as an available combination to many players?
The piezo on my Yamaha TRB-5PII seems to mainly add some honk and sizzle when blended in. Can be good in some contexts, preferably with some treble rolled off, but doesn't work well with drive pedals. It's a pretty neat implementation with large piezo elements right inside the bridge saddles, though, just wish it sounded better.
On the other hand, the piezo on the Esh basses I've owned and tried sounds very full. Not sure what the difference is, as they've used normal ABM/Schaller/ETS piezo bridges over the years, maybe some clever EQ on the preamp side?
On the guitar side, Parkers had good piezos in my opinion, resembling steel-string acoustics. No wonder as Larry Fishman was a co-founder.
I guess the takeaway is that you need correct installation and a good preamp to make them work. Probably not worth the expense for production-line instruments.
On the other hand, the piezo on the Esh basses I've owned and tried sounds very full. Not sure what the difference is, as they've used normal ABM/Schaller/ETS piezo bridges over the years, maybe some clever EQ on the preamp side?
On the guitar side, Parkers had good piezos in my opinion, resembling steel-string acoustics. No wonder as Larry Fishman was a co-founder.
I guess the takeaway is that you need correct installation and a good preamp to make them work. Probably not worth the expense for production-line instruments.
So how do you pronounce Chevrolet? Chev-Roe-Lay? or Chev-Roe-Let?
It makes for a good clean look, but it seems to run counter to fatness as far as its essential tone. Ya gotta be into that.
In my experiences with Pie-zo pickups is that they do pick up many of the acoustic nuances of the strings and body and can sound great, but have to be EQ'd carefully not to bring out too much finger and string noise. I had an amazing fretless bass uke from Magic Fluke that was the closest thing to an upright I have ever heard, but the finger noise so loud it was unacceptable. There should have been an HPF in the preamp.
…because all of a sudden, the "tone wood" discussion in regards to solid body Basses becomes relevant.
I just looked it up on a pronunciation site, and it said "pie-EE-zo. In any case, I have one in an EBMM StingRay.
When I learned how to say the word, before the days of the internet, I (and everyone I knew) said "pie-zoh". THen in later years, with the advent of the internet, which probably means the later version is correct, everyone started saying "Pee-eh-zoh".
But when I think of the word, it's part of my life for more than 40 years as Pie-zoh, so I will always say that.
However the internet language dictionary searches seem to agree that it's Pee-eh-zoh.
So if you can learn to say it like that, it's worth putting in your bass. I have one in my carvin fretless, and it's very interesting, specially since I can blend mine in with the mag pickups if I want.
But when I think of the word, it's part of my life for more than 40 years as Pie-zoh, so I will always say that.
However the internet language dictionary searches seem to agree that it's Pee-eh-zoh.
So if you can learn to say it like that, it's worth putting in your bass. I have one in my carvin fretless, and it's very interesting, specially since I can blend mine in with the mag pickups if I want.
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