The school of experience is a hard one, but a fool will learn in no other

[stewblack]

So I decided rather than throwing it into the dustbin I would repair and rejuvenate my acoustic bass. things didn't go quite to plan, for many reasons chief among which is that I didn't bother finding out what and how I should do before I started filing drilling sawing hammering etc. 

The action is almost playable now, nowhere near as much risk of anybody mistaking this fine instrument for something more usually seen at an Olympic archery event. 

However the piezo pick up is producing some interesting results, specifically it can detect the E and D strings and indeed produces quite a pleasant sound. However, when I play the A and D strings  it seems a little more reluctant to have anything to do with the whole performance. 

Ideas? I did nothing other than remove it and wonder what it was and then replace it. 

[Jabba_the_gut]

Often the piezo has four elements that sit beIow the saddle. It will be worth checking that the bottom of the saddle is properly flat and when it was put back in that it isn't snagging on the edge of the slot or any crud has got in underneath that prevents it from sitting flat.

This is what quite a few piezo elements look like - your saddle probably isn't sitting properly flat on a couple of these hence the poor sound from two strings.

Edited May 21, 2019 by Jabba_the_gut

[gary mac]

What Jabba said, is what I would be trying first.

[stewblack]

That's kind of you to point me in the right direction. Thank you. I'll look  and report back 

[stewblack]

OK I took it apart and blew away any dust. I noticed that in filing down the plastic bridge saddle to lower the action I had to go so far that the string was partially resting on the wooden base in which the piezo sits. 

It occurred that not only was the string unable to resonate properly but the bridge saddle wasn't being pressed down fully by the string. Part of the pressure was taken by the wood. 

Filed slots in the wood and bingo! 

Of course I should have removed the entire assemblage in the first place and shaved off the underside of the bridge - but I'm learning. 

[blisters on my fingers]

 I jumped in at the deep end, trying to lower the action on an Ibanez piezo equipped guitar and achieved fantastic results, even with my somewhat rudimentary skills. The fantastic results were achieved by carefully filing the bottom of the saddle, refitting it, filing a bit more until the action was spot on.

So pleased with myself until it was plugged in - disaster. 

The volume from the strings was now completely unmatched. I'd turned a decent enough guitar into a dog's dinner.

I glued a strip of fine sandpaper to a spare bathroom tile and then gently resanded the underneath of the plastic saddle, checking the result against the untouched still glazed part of the tile, to ensure that the saddle would now be completely flat.

Put it back in the slot in the bridge and now the volume was even across all the strings.

A kind of good result I suppose, more by luck than judgement, the surface contact and pressure between the saddle and piezo pickup is so crucial.

Glad yours worked out Stewblack and like you say we're all learning

 

 

 

Edited May 21, 2019 by blisters on my fingers
talking cwap

[stewblack]

@blisters on my fingers

The way I look at it a new bridge for acoustic bass isn't that expensive. Now I know what I'm doing if I decide to do a 'proper' job I can. However, right now I have a usable acoustic whereas it used to have no battery holder, unplayable action, nut lose and too high and was covered in dust.

Result!

[blisters on my fingers]

A result indeed !

Well done mate

Now what can I bugle up next