Piezo pickups are extremely sensitive, and often that’s both their biggest
strength and their biggest problem. They can capture the natural attack and
character of an acoustic instrument — but only if they’re connected to the
right kind of input.
Most amps, pedals, and mixers simply don’t have the
high-impedance input a piezo really needs, which often results in a thin,
nasal, “quacky” sound, or even boomy if the amp is set in loud volume, which often causes annoying feedback.
That’s where a piezo buffer comes in.
A
proper buffer presents the pickup with a very high input impedance (in this
case around 10MΩ), allowing the pickup to respond the way it was designed to. The
result is a fuller, more natural tone with better dynamics and less noise.
Subtle details — like the wood resonance of a double-bass or the body warmth
of an acoustic instrument — come through clearly instead of being lost.
For players using Realist or similar upright-bass pickups, this makes a big difference, especially on stage.
Here you can see a simple mini-buffer I often make for such cases. Additionally, the custom unit shown here combines a 10MΩ piezo buffer with a variable high-pass filter (20–200 Hz). The buffer keeps the tone natural and open, while the HPF lets you control low-end boom and stage rumble — a common challenge with double-bass. This allows you to keep the fundamental notes strong while tightening the low end and avoiding feedback.
Whether you’re going straight into an amp, DI, or pedalboard, a good piezo buffer is one of the easiest ways to improve clarity, consistency, and playability with any acoustic or upright-bass pickup.
For players using Realist or similar upright-bass pickups, this makes a big difference, especially on stage.
Here you can see a simple mini-buffer I often make for such cases. Additionally, the custom unit shown here combines a 10MΩ piezo buffer with a variable high-pass filter (20–200 Hz). The buffer keeps the tone natural and open, while the HPF lets you control low-end boom and stage rumble — a common challenge with double-bass. This allows you to keep the fundamental notes strong while tightening the low end and avoiding feedback.
Whether you’re going straight into an amp, DI, or pedalboard, a good piezo buffer is one of the easiest ways to improve clarity, consistency, and playability with any acoustic or upright-bass pickup.
