Anybody used the cheap piezo pickup/preamp kits from China

DartmoorHedgehog

This is a bit OT, but as I'm a member of this forum and it's something one of us may have come across in guitar or another context...

Has anyone here had any experience of the cheap piezo pickup/preamp bundles that various Chinese sellers are selling on ebay and the like?

This one for example: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electric-Violin-Amplifier-Preamp-System-Piezo-Pickup-Set-For-4-4-Full-Size-Parts-/272330657845?hash=item3f682c1035:g:qvoAAOSwMgdX0C38

My daughter wants me to build her a solid-bodied electric violin so I'll need a pickup and preamp.  These seem ideal, but a bit suspiciously cheap.  Part of me says just buy one and if it's shit then get something better, but I know nothing about piezo pickups and why some are vastly more expensive than others.

I'm not aiming for a perfect realistic classical violin sound because she plays her normal violin for that - it'll be for putting through effects and stuff, so as long as it gives a decent signal with acceptably low noise it should be OK.

Anybody know anything about these before I go and join a violin forum?

alcxam

You'll be fine - as you said, it's not high-end, but they do work perfectly well and if you're going to be using FX and the like, it's not as if it needs to sound sweet and lifelike! (When have you ever heard a guitar piezo system that sounded like an acoustic guitar in a room - they all quack and have that piezo sound...)

DartmoorHedgehog

alcxam said:

You'll be fine - as you said, it's not high-end, but they do work perfectly well and if you're going to be using FX and the like, it's not as if it needs to sound sweet and lifelike! (When have you ever heard a guitar piezo system that sounded like an acoustic guitar in a room - they all quack and have that piezo sound...)

Thanks, that's pretty much my way of thinking.  Seems pointless to build my own preamp or pay loads more if these work.  There are electric violins that do sound like a proper classical violin sound, but louder (or quieter of course if you're using it for practice) - I'm not trying to emulate that.  It's mostly noise that matters - tone can be changed with EQ but a really noisy system would be a problem.

alcxam

In my experience, these cheap piezo systems + preamps are pretty quiet - I'm thinking that you won't have any problems!

DartmoorHedgehog

Thanks mate, I'll give one a try then