MiltyG565

If you've been following the couple of threads I have made that relate to this build, you'll know it's still in it's infancy, and i'm trying to get things worked out for it. It's still very much at the drawing board, and that's where this thread will start - I need to draw a bass design. It's not going to be anything mad, think more like a Jazz or Stingray but with a few changes in the design. So, what programme would you recommend for this? Preferably something cheap. Or, if anybody wants to lend a hand and offer up some design ideas, that would also be appreciated. I've got a lot of big ideas for this, and I'm sure you are all going to enjoy this one

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1368667675' post='2080063'] Buffer is the thing that provides a high impedance required by the piezo. The circuit affecting the pickup ends there, but the signal output carries on. Means if you preamp is low impedance, suitable for standard pickups, it won't cause issue with the piezo. Generally magnetic pickups sound good with a high impedance too, hence existence of super hard on, but they don't sound really bad without. Preamps tend to act as a buffer. [/quote] So buffers and preamps aren't mutually exclusive, but not necessarily needed to work together either? Unless you want to run a piezo into a preamp.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1368677131' post='2080076'] Hi chappers, mine is not too good still but hopefully if you didn't break into the joint like me you should be ok sooner, I'm not going to lie though mate its a slow process [/quote] How are things now anyway, Pete?

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1368646585' post='2079801'] Maybe they are overwound to some extent , but in pickup design the extra output you get from more winds has to be offset against the rolloff of high frequencies that usually results from that . The size of the magnets and bobbins in the pickups also has an effect on the tone and overall output of the pickup . Whatever Nordstrand have done with these pickups seems to have met with broad approval from bass players , hence other manufacturers such as Aguilar jumping on the bandwagon . [/quote] My head So what you are saying is, there might be some extra winds, but that means more treble, which isn't what the big singles are known for, so there must be something else, but we don't know what? Why didn't you say so?

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1368646324' post='2079789'] Add to that many cheap import pickups that look like humbuckers are actually just a single coil taking up half the room. [/quote] I know, I inherited a guitar with 2 "humbuckers", more like 2 hummers in a couple of bucker cases.

What's the buffer? What's it's function, and are they usually part of a preamp?

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1368646087' post='2079777'] It does , Milton . Broadly speaking the soapbar single coils sound a bit more hefty ( for want of a better phrase ) than a regular single coil Jazz pickup . The first pickup on the market ( as far as I am aware , someone else may know better ) to cater to this gap in the market was the Nordstrand Big Single , which has turned out to be very popular . These pickups are Aguilar's attempt to have a rival pickup to that one . Here is the description of the Big Singles from Nordstrand's website : [b] big singles[/b] [b] single coil 4/5/6 string bass pickups[/b] These pickups are all about huge, full, loud, aggressive single coil tone. They use the same magnet layout as the Fat Stack, and the resultantly big coil is about as much single coil pickup that can be packaged in a soap-bar cover. This is the ultimate pickup for the Jazz Bass®-on-steroids tone purist! These pickups will fit as replacements for Bartolini™ P2 (5 string) and BC (4 string) pickups. Dimensions are 4.25" by 1.25" and 3.95" by 1.25" respectively. Standard spacing is 19mm ctc at the bridge. [/quote] So it is a matter of stuffing a load more winds on to the pickup then?

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1368644477' post='2079727'] Have you read my post , Milty ? It answers exactly these questions . [/quote] Yes, but it still doesn't answer what is different about them. Technically, what are the difference between standard single coil, and soapbar single coil?

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1368642044' post='2079685'] They aren't hiding anything except the windings. There is no extra gubbins, read my post above. I give up. [/quote] Jesus, take your meds. If you hold the information, oh wise one, what must I do to receive it from you? Anybody else got an explanation for me? Somebody who might be able to explain something to me without getting ratty?

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1368639718' post='2079631'] One mad person in my household then. In fact, I'd go as far as to say the P90 is my favourite guitar pickup. [/quote] I'd say you aren't alone, they are pretty popular, but I was just making a joke at the size of them, like they were trying to hide something. In any case, we still haven't answered my initial question - What's the point? What extra gubbins, if any, do they sneak inside the extra space? What advantage does it give? Why would they just fire a single coil into a bigger casing for the sake of being able to use it as a replacement pickup?

[quote name='Jimryan' timestamp='1368639631' post='2079628'] ...obscurities. [/quote] Panda's, dancing to Like a Virgin by Madonna, whilst trying to eat a meatball sub from subway (tricky at the best of times). Is that obscure enough?

Other than nobody would buy a Gibson that had an "obvious" single coil, don't be mad!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1368638515' post='2079603'] ... and both P90s, 'Soap Bar' or 'Dog Ear', were single coils. [/quote] What's the point in having them in a bigger housing? What did it add or allow them to do that they couldn't with a single coil sized casing?

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1368629413' post='2079452'] Nearly all ready for the big reveal. Some interesting takes on this one I think chaps. Good stuff! Clearly still some confusion over the K Meter idea, most people have got their levels really close, but there is one really loud pumpy one, and one rather quiet one. Never mind though most of them are very close. Well done everyone who has had a go, really impressed with the effort and turnout this month (6 weeks) [/quote] Hopefully I'm not one of those... (obviously you can't say though). Thanks Simon for running the competition! It's been fun (Apart from that whole K-meter business )

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1368626740' post='2079399'] Sorry this is taking soooo long, but Soundcloud is being an unadulterated pile of horse 5h1t and will not upload all the tracks properly. No idea why, there is nothing wrong with them at ll. Been trying all day and getting nowhere with the two that it has taken a dislike to. Doing my head in so it is (grrrr).... [/quote] Don't we upload them ourselves to sound cloud?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1368626321' post='2079387'] Wal one is filter based. Its more the blend options that might be an issue. I imagine most bass preamps only consider two pickups. If its just tone controls oyu need from it, need to go Pickups>buffer/mixer/switch>preamp with tone control>output. [/quote] Well, I was thinking more of a switch for each pickup - 1 for the jazz pickups, which would go something like Neck>off>both>bridge. Then just a simplle on/off for the others, then have a volume control for each switch, so you can just blend it using the volume knobs, then some EQ stacked on top of the volume knobs, but I haven't exactly worked that out yet.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1368625600' post='2079367'] Are you using an ACG preamp? Those are fairly complicated devices, not an easy clone job, plus cloning would be rude. Super hard on is a clone of a analogue desk input, so not really its own thing, but the ACG is a design. Filter based preamps in similar style cab be done, but fiddly. [/quote] I was thinking of using the ACG. I heard it was a quality preamp. I don't mind the exact specs, so long as it can do what i want and sounds good. I think the "filter based" is the key to the ACG preamp, isn't it? Is a Wal bass preamp filter based?

I'm not well versed on preamps or any of that technical wizardry. Basically, What I need is 3 inputs to the preamp, and 3 switches (To control each pickup configuration), and then 3 volume controls on the preamp, with the standard tone/EQ controls. [quote name='Gareth Hughes' timestamp='1368624209' post='2079345'] I don't know if all piezo's are created equally, regardless of cost - but I do have a cheap-ish one at $40 or so, and whilst it sounds great for plucking, it produces hardly any signal at all for bowing. So in this instance I can't use that pickup when I know I'll be doing some bowing sadly. I've gotten great results from the K&K stuff found at www.gollihurmusic.com [/quote] I'm going to use it on a solid-bodied bass

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1368623219' post='2079325'] I use a sansamp paradriver,, never got into making small stuff really. Tap up BCer Nick, or possibly Umph, who are my go to people if I need custom things made. Or [url="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Doppelg%C3%A4nger-Effects/210523849037516?ref=ts&fref=ts"]https://www.facebook...?ref=ts&fref=ts[/url] Basically, if you don't need tone shaping a Super Hard on style buffer is all you need. Very simple. [/quote] Cheers, but I'm going to be coupling the piezo with a couple of other pickups, and I would like to mount it all up to an ACG style preamp, which is why I'm looking a custom one made.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1368621450' post='2079269'] Great thought Pete. The venue for the festival is literally a mile from my house, which is where the baton currently resides. So, who's having it next? Is everyone hanging back waiting for the freebies and glory? Or do people not gig as often as they like to pretend? .....Jim is doing a brilliant job on this - let's keep it moving! [/quote] Indeed - No point waiting for the goodies, a lot of companies can be pretty slow at sending stuff out when they aren't exactly being paid for it.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1368621742' post='2079277'] The cost is in the buffering, generally, you can get a transducer mounted in various ways, but the complicated part is the preamp/buffer. A cheap transducer in suitable form and a nice preamp seems to be the way to go. I've fitted a cheap piezo bridge to a guitar, to go to a nice preamp, and its main guitar for a fairly big/award winning folk guy. There is much less going on internally with piezos, and the aim isn't generally colour, so variation is much less than magnetic pickups where people expect a tone from them. [/quote] Thanks! That's what I thought. So getting a cheap one isn't like getting a £10 E/Mag pickup. I'm trying to piece this all together in my head for a project that I expect to do sometime in the future. I was wondering if you are able to make custom preamps, given your amp knowledge?

[quote name='mep' timestamp='1368619937' post='2079237'] Wow, I winder what that could be. Are you invitded on to The One Show or will the bass make an appearance on Later with Dave Swift using it on a song? [/quote] I think it's going to be bigger and better than that

I've been reading up on piezo pickups, and looking at prices, you can get a lot of these things for a few quid, but then go to a well respected company like Fishman, and the prices shoot up, and my query is, is there really any difference? Are the cheap ones really that much worse than the expensive ones? Is there as much variance between piezo pickups as there is for electro-magnetic pickups? Obviously, if I'm going to buy one, I want to get the best one for my money, but if there are "all pretty much the same" then i might as well just get whatever. So what say you, wisdomical BassChatters?

But isn't the closing date today? I'll have it in today, There's just a couple of things I need to do first.

There's still time, isn't there? Is slept all day yesterday... so, yeah