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Squealing piezo?


franzbassist
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So, at sound check last night I noticed a short, sharp squeal coming from my Veillette. It wasn't constant and varied between an almost feedback squeal to a fizzing sound.

At first I assumed it was the batteries dying, so I popped in a fresh pair to no avail. I also trimmed the gain inside the bass, but that didn't solve it either. I was running the bass through a Bassbone, with my BSX upright in the other channel, and that bass didn't have the same problem so I'm confident it's the bass and not the amp. I also ran the bass direct into the amp, and it still did it set up that way too.

It seemed to be more obvious when I blended toward the piezo rather than the magnetic pickup, and a quick google just now suggests piezos can squeal?

Any ideas BC? The bass has worked faultlessly since I bought it new three years ago, and nothing has changed in terms of strings, setup etc.

Cheers

Gareth

PS One thing I didn't try is a different instrument lead.

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Sounds like a piezo element is failing? Is it happening on one /pair of strings more than the others? From my experiences piezos usually tell you they're giving up either by humming or squeaking, never in an attractive way.

Worth looking for iffy solder connections or stressed wires (esp where they join the piezo element) but I'd get in contact with the maker - they're very likely to recognise the symptoms.

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[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1358702071' post='1943633']
Sounds like a piezo element is failing? Is it happening on one /pair of strings more than the others? From my experiences piezos usually tell you they're giving up either by humming or squeaking, never in an attractive way.

Worth looking for iffy solder connections or stressed wires (esp where they join the piezo element) but I'd get in contact with the maker - they're very likely to recognise the symptoms.
[/quote]

Thanks D. Haven't had a chance to give it a good going over today so no closer to a diagnosis. I have an email in to Veillette, so I am sure they'll come back to me with a reply tomorrow.

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Hard to be sure, but I once got that kind of sound coming from my Overwater - one of the really good ones!
I was a bit freaked to start with, but then had a thought as such a problem had never occurred before.. I asked if there was one of those induction loop thingies for hearing aid wearers. Turned out there was, and as soon as that was turned off (not actually needed anyway, they switched it on in that hall as a matter of course) all was fine. Never had a re-occurence.
Does your gear sound as expected again today? If so, I'd suspect the venue!

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[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1358705984' post='1943720']
Hard to be sure, but I once got that kind of sound coming from my Overwater - one of the really good ones!
I was a bit freaked to start with, but then had a thought as such a problem had never occurred before.. I asked if there was one of those induction loop thingies for hearing aid wearers. Turned out there was, and as soon as that was turned off (not actually needed anyway, they switched it on in that hall as a matter of course) all was fine. Never had a re-occurence.
Does your gear sound as expected again today? If so, I'd suspect the venue!
[/quote]

Ah, the venue did have an induction loop...

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I've had that happen once, but it was the DI pedal (Sadowsky) that seemed to pick it up. Moved the box a few feet away and it stopped. That was more like feedback...fairly constant high pitched tone.

That could be it though....see if it happens at home?

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[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1358764274' post='1944472']
[b] [size=3]Squealing Piezo is a great name for a band![/size][/b]
[/quote]
That was exactly what I thought when I saw the thread.

And +1 on the induction loop idea, although I don't know if that would be more of a problem with a piezo than a mag. I would have expected the opposite - more of a problem with magnetic than piezo, but I'll admit I don't have much to base that on.

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Quick update.

I played the bass last night and again this morning, trying all sorts of pickup balance and tone setting variations. No problems at all B)

I can only assume it was the venue, most likely the induction loop.

Thanks for all the help

Gareth

PS Totally agree about squealing piezo as a band name!

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  • 8 months later...

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