Upright Piezo Bridge Pickups...

[Dan C]

Hi all, helping a friend fix a bit of a bodged pickup job on an upright he's recently purchased. 

It came with a piezo squeezed in on the E/A side of the bridge, the usual spot it's added in from what I can tell... but whoever installed it didn't sand the gap completely flat so it doesn't sit fully snug or in contact properly. You can wiggle it a bit if you want.

Is there an easy fix for this that doesn't involve removing the bridge and replacing it? Any piezo pickup suggestions? It's for 50s playing, nothing too slappy so he doesn't want to go the fingerboard mic route. Just the bridge is sufficient, but he just want's it a little more secure and hopefully improve the sound at the same time!

[jrixn1]

Try using a strip of cork to get a tighter fit.

[petebassist]

I'd just sand it flat with fine sand paper then use a strip of wood or cork as suggested to shim it and get a tight fit.

[Beer of the Bass]

I've known people use bits of saxophone reed to shim pickups too, they're handy if you need to fill a tapered gap.

[JoeEvans]

My understanding is that you get the best sound if there's a solid connection on both sides so a shim made of something hard like wood or sax reed might be better than cork.

[NickA]

Wrap the pickup in a bit of sand paper and grind it back and forth in the gap till the sides are parallel and the piezo is a loose fit.

 

Then pack the gap with shims of veneer, I guess sax reed will do nicely..good idea, that will give a hard bright sound, cork ( mid way) or bicycle inner tube rubber if you wanted a softer sound.

 

Generally, squeezing a piezo into too tight a gap will result in a hard clacky sound and more chance of feedback. A partial tight fit will buzz & rattle too.

 

I upgraded from the shadow to a realist sound clamp and use it tightened lightly onto inner tube rubber...then again, I'm after a soft "Eddy Gomez" sort of sound, which the op likely isn't.

[keeponehandloose]

The flatter the better. More surface contact gives a fuller sound.

[sandy_r]

[not needed on journey]

Edited January 25, 2024 by sandy_r

[keeponehandloose]

The Revolution Solo pickup is made to be sanded to the correct thickness, but faces still need to be parallel.

[NickA]

6 hours ago, sandy_r said:

i'd be very wary of using one in this way

The shadow and Underwood slot-in piezos have the piezo bit encased in some plasticky stuff in a metal channel.  Pretty robust.  Use a file instead, if you have one the right thickness..or get a bit of wood the same thickness as the piezo.

[Dan C]

Thanks for all the advice! Will past it along.