4 Strings Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 An upright? Same as a 'normal' pup? Half the volume? Terrible? Any experiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Check on youtube for Sterling Piezo demo....it's close enough as you are going to get to a decent piezo demo. Personally, I wish I had a fretless Ray with piezo, but I doubt I'll go down that route for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thanks for that idea, very useful, not what I expected. Hifi sort of sound. There's another with a Stingray, not as good a test (nor good a player) but confirms the general gist. I suppose I'd really like to know what it sounds like with dampened strings, whether you can get close to an upright sort of sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 To be fair, I've managed to get upright tones with my Stingray H and flatwounds/no treble, and my Ray 5 HS on the S pickups with dead roundwounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 You can get an upright for the same money (just), much more fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1373481280' post='2138177'] You can get an upright for the same money (just), much more fun! [/quote] Or a second-hand EUB and secondhand electric . I have an NS CR5 and Warwick Fortress Masterman 5 that I bought on here for less than a new Stingray... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Well, it was actually for a custom, was wondering whether to have a piezo on it for dinner jazz type music as well as it's more common duties. Can't be changing strings every week or so often but wanted to use the same bass for everything and it would be in place of a neck pup so not too much extra. I have no experience of how the piezo sounded. Got more of an idea now, doesn't seem to be the desired effect, even if it has a very nice sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1373481280' post='2138177'] You can get an upright for the same money (just), much more fun! [/quote] I'd really LOVE to have a proper go at that! Maybe I could sell a Fender for one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1373486122' post='2138242'] Well, it was actually for a custom, was wondering whether to have a piezo on it for dinner jazz type music as well as it's more common duties. Can't be changing strings every week or so often but wanted to use the same bass for everything and it would be in place of a neck pup so not too much extra. I have no experience of how the piezo sounded. Got more of an idea now, doesn't seem to be the desired effect, even if it has a very nice sound. [/quote] I think the association between having a piezo and getting a sound more akin to an upright applies more to fretless basses , where it can give a certain ambience to the overtones that are reminiscent of those on an acoustic bass . Even on fretless , it's a fairly subtle effect . Otherwise , I have never been enamoured of piezo pickups for bass , not least of all because they add a dimension to the overall sound of the bass that is apt to get lost entirely when you get other instruments playing over you in a live situation . Another drawback is also that they can be rather finnicky and prone to going wrong . A lot of trouble and expense for not much tangible benefit , in other words . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I had one and was never that keen on the piezo sound. It was very bright and just sounded like a cheap electro acoustic bass to me. No mid and lots of string noise, it was also very loud and hard to control. Luckily the rest of the bass was awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 [quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1373486197' post='2138244'] I'd really LOVE to have a proper go at that! Maybe I could sell a Fender for one! [/quote] Go for it, I sold one of my two pre eb stingrays to get one, I'm loving it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thanks, all useful comments. Heath, the guy building the custom for me, said he'd bring one round that he's building which has a piezo. It's a fretless and I can totally see how a fretless makes sense. It's also got pretty much a hollow body so its not going to be too similar the solid body but I'll give it another go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Coffee Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I had a mm sr5 with piezo. Not impressed by it. Maybe just didnt spend long working with settings. Not my thing really. Prefer orthodox pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share Posted July 11, 2013 I suppose the extent to which they've caught on might be noteworthy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nilorius Posted January 30 Share Posted January 30 May be i am a fool, but i don't understand. This Musicman, 3eq - humbucker + piezo bridge pickup or bass with only piezo pickup. And what do You all think about it, the price, the sound. Can't find the right rewiev. https://reverb.com/en-lv/item/74863847-music-man-stingray-3-eq-h-piezo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 12 hours ago, nilorius said: May be i am a fool, but i don't understand. This Musicman, 3eq - humbucker + piezo bridge pickup or bass with only piezo pickup. And what do You all think about it, the price, the sound. Can't find the right rewiev. https://reverb.com/en-lv/item/74863847-music-man-stingray-3-eq-h-piezo That is a lovely looking thing. I have a 50's style P-bass with a piezo in the bridge and the variety is useful - growl vs clean. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 I've no experience of the Stingray version of events, though I DO own 2 basses with piezo bridges. I was concerned that the SR might not be a full-range piezo (such that it covers only the higher frequencies), but according to TB, it is full-range. I've found full-range piezo pickups to be a useful addition. Not entirely necessary, but nice to have. Some designs are built around them; •Many EUBs and Acoustic basses. •The Ibanez Affirma and EDA series, which mix magnetic and piezo. They certainly work. My NS5 CR EUB has the potential to sound massive if required, yet humble if not. The Ibanez EDA is intriguing because of its adjustability. There's an ability to adjust the piezo bass and treble independently of magnetic EQ. The controls of the Stingray (vol,pan, B,M,T) suggest this isn't the case. Furthermore, the 'Ray has a strong sonic identity. Does it need a piezo? The piezo component has the potential to sound more airy and "acoustic-like" Is that what you need from the bass? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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