Cafe Walter preamp - why?

[Bassman Steve]

I own a Precision A/E fretless and find the piezo pick up (in the bridge) is nigh on twice the volume of the Lace Sensor pickup. I love the sound of the bass 'as is' but read a lot about Cafe Walter preamps being used in these basses.

My question is, is this what the Cafe Walter mod addresses or do you folk think there is some other problem? The Cafe Walter site suggests it's about a lack of bass from the piezo but I have to say I don't reckon I have that problem at all.

Do I have a duff Lace Sensor or are they low output anyway. I believe the bass is stock.

[Bassman Steve]

Ok, so the trouble is the piezo is too hot for the pickup rather than the pickup being weak? There is mention of buffering but I'm prefectly happy with the piezo so assumed (never good) that the fault lay in the pickup.

[Jenny_Innie]

I have that issue too. Exactly that. The Piezo pickup is massively louder. So much so, that I couldn't figure out what the controls did.

Am I right in saying that the pickup nearest the neck is the Pbass pickup volume, the one in the middle is a tone (is it a master tone) and the one closest to the bridge is the pickup blend switch?

I'm gonna have to get someone to have a look at mine to make it useable.

Great bass to play - but as soon as ya plug it in there is that volume imbalance thing.

[Bassman Steve]

That's pretty much it. The controls are volume (both pickups), active (master) tone control and then the blend control.

I actually love the sound of just the piezo but would like to have it working to its optimum so want to try and solve this. The lace sensor is completely lost - and has nothing of the tone of a Precision when it's on its own (which makes me think there's something wrong with it). For some odd reason I don;t quite trust a pickup without pole pieces (yes, I know that makes no sense).