Noob: Bongo issue with Piezo/preamp?

[gillento]

Hi just got a used MM Bongo 5H w. Piezo off ebay.
I was wondering why the Piezo had so much output comparing to the H.
So I opened the control plate for the piezo trimmers.

There are 5 individual trimmers for the individual string piezos.
There is a 6th trimmer. I assume this controls the "master" output of the 5 individual piezos.

However, turning this 6th trimmer does nothing!

There seems to be a black (ground?) wire that is loose, too.

Can someone enlighten me on this?

I do not want to send the bass back overseas.

 

[adouglas]

So you're the guy...I was tempted to bid on that bass (piezo Bongos are rare).

Call Customer Service.

My piezo does not behave that way.

 

[smallequestrian]

I am curious, if you are understanding the preamp the right way. On the Piezo Bongos I have had/played, the Magnetic is significanty louder than the Piezo, even after I adjusted the trim pots. Turning the piezo blend knob clockwise adds more magnetic, ccw adds more piezo.

 

[adouglas]

Wait a minute.

Piezo is louder than magnetic pickups?

Have you checked the batteries?

Never overlook the obvious!!!!

 

[bovinehost]

Magnetic pickup is louder than the piezos on MY NEW SMALL EQ model Bongo 4 Hp.

 

[adouglas]

SMALL EQ model Bongo 4 Hp.

????????

Small EQ?

 

[bovinehost]

I have recently purchased the actual Small Equestrian Bongo 4 Hp in Medallion Gold.

I am now the Keeper of this instrument.

His sig line is wrong.

Mine is correct!

 

[adouglas]

Ah.

I thought that you might be implying that the GINORMOUS Bongo EQ had been somehow diminished.

As if that's possible.

 

[Psycho Ward]

I had small eq once, my doctor gave me some pills and it went away.

 

[tkarter]

Why would a wire be loose?


tk

 

[bovinehost]

I just sent an email to one of my secret contacts, deep inside the Batcave in San Luis Obispo.

But my magnetic pickup is significantly louder than my peizos. Are you sure you're certain of which way the pickup blend knob works?

 

[tegzsa]

Not really answering the original question. but the piezo has about the same output level as the soloed bridge pup on my HHP5.
With all three running, I get a nice middly sound that hollows out and seems to get a bit louder if I dial out the piezo, though that may be a frequency thing. There are no loose wires at least, none that I can see.

 

[bassmonkeee]

I'll state the obvious:

Have you checked the pickup height of the magnetic pickup? If it's screwed in too far, the piezo could easily be louder than the mag pickup.

 

[bovinehost]

My secret contact says:

"I can see why he is confused about this. The way the trim pots are placed on the circuit board it would seem like the 5 that are grouped together would be for the 5 strings, and the one pot that you would think is the master is actually the B string trim pot."

"So the way they are set up is like this...The first one (G string side of the board) is actually the master, then it's the G,D,A,E and then the B string. The reason the B
string trim pot is isolated is because of the board mounting screw."

As far as the difference in volume, he'd have to hear it/see it.

Jack

 

[gillento]

Sorry,

I wanted to write the piezo has LESS output than the Humbucker.

Thanks for your help. I figured it out.
I just wonder why the Humbucker is so much louder than the piezo.
No it is not mounted excessively high. (about 4-5mm fom the top of the scratchplate). It makes panning to extremes without volume adjustment impossible.

 

[bovinehost]

Someone might have a different experience, but mine has been that the humbucker WILL be louder than the piezos.

Big thanks to Secret Contact jonguitars.

 

[strummer]

Sorry,

I wanted to write the piezo has LESS output than the Humbucker.

Thanks for your help. I figured it out.
I just wonder why the Humbucker is so much louder than the piezo.
No it is not mounted excessively high. (about 4-5mm fom the top of the scratchplate). It makes panning to extremes without volume adjustment impossible.

Hey, don't worry how far the pick up is from the scratch plate, worry about how far it is from the strings