eddi Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Hi all, hope everything is fine! I own a 4 strings fretless Acustibass from 1993, serial number 4138. It's one of the old models with LR Baggs pre amps on. The pre amp has been replaced 3 years ago with an original part shipped directly from LR Baggs (I'm pretty sure i can still find the email exchange I had with them). The bass has a couple of scratches on the body but the intonation is perfect. It has one problem that cannot be ignored though: the volume is uneven on the strings. After a couple of minutes it's plugged in the G strings especially drops in volume and the D string overpower the other ones. I took it to the Gallery in Camden and they mentioned it is most likely a problem with the piezo. Now, I've started playing double bass so there's no point for me to keep this bass anymore, but I also don't want to put in the work to fix it investing money to than just sell it (If i needed a fretless i would do it as the tone is incredible and it plays very smoothly). So does anybody have an idea of what the problem could be from this description? Any idea of the costs and times for repairs? How much money could I ask to sell it in this condition? Thank you all so much for the help! Best Edo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 I'd take the strings off and remove the bridge piece. The Piezo element should be under there. It's worth looking in the groove it sits in to see that it is flat and no bits of wood or dust are in the slot. Also the underside of the bridge piece should be flat and smooth to make even contact on the piezo element. I have seen bridge pieces that have a slight scallop so that each string presses down on the piezo with a bit more pressure. Even the act of removing the bridge and replacing it might help. I had a guitar where the bridge was so tight in it's slot that it didn't allow even pressure under all the strings. I found that out by pressing down on the bridge using the plastic handle of a screwdriver whilst playing the quiet string. All things to try before giving up on it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddi Posted December 4, 2018 Author Share Posted December 4, 2018 On 27/11/2018 at 13:00, MoonBassAlpha said: Thank you so much for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted December 4, 2018 Share Posted December 4, 2018 The Gallery are correct, it's a problem with the piezo. I had similar issues with the piezos on my 6 string. Just get a replacement, they are cheap enough and it will save you a load of faff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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