Piezo system for electric?

darkshadow54321

darkshadow54321

New member
I'm talking about this:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Bridges...ridge,_Piezo_Loaded_Tune-o-matic.html#details

I love LP style bridges, and this one has the added advantage of having piezo saddles... but does it work?

Do you actually need a circuit for this, or does it work by itself? Do you need to drill an extra hole for the wire to the board, or is it incorporated?

Most importantly, does it sound good? If this particular one isn't that great, please suggest an alternative. :)

Thanks!
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

The Baggs lineup of piezo systems is excellent, I have a Baggs X-Bridge on my Warmoth Strat. When setup and used properly, they can give a very convincing acoustic tone.

First of all, you need to consider how you're going to amplify it. These systems aren't designed to sound their best through an electric amp, you'll need to run it through a PA system or an acoustic amp. If your electric amp has a really good clean channel, you might be able to get away with running it through that, but I still recommend one of the methods mentioned above.

I also highly recommend that you get the Baggs onboard preamp system to go with it. Either that or the Baggs floor unit, but the onboard preamp is easier and quicker to use in live situations. You didn't mention what kind of guitar you wanted to put it in, but you'll need to sacrifice one control for the piezo blend control, and you'll need to drill for a mini switch. This is a bit easier to do on a Strat style guitar because you can just modify the pickguard. They are pretty easy to wire up, much of the preamp system is prewired at the factory and everything is color coded so you know what gets soldered where. The instructions from Baggs are easy to understand and follow, but keep in mind that the warranty and tech support are only available if it's installed by a tech. Baggs does not support users who install it themselves.

One final note, I would recommend using at least 10-46 strings. Since you're trying to simulate an acoustic, you'll get better results with heavier strings.

Ryan
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

I like the Fishman in my Parker, too.

Graphtech is supposed to have a good one as well.
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

the RMCs www.rmcpickup.com are the best piezo systems out there- i have tried Baggs, Fishman, Graph Tech...the RMCs are soooo much better. Better dynamics, and actual acoustic sound that can stand on its own.
However, it is more expensive, and installation is best left to a pro.
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

Thanks for the replies...

I've done some more research and now I know more or less what I would want:

If I use a stereo output jack, I can use a Y cable to hook the standard humbuckers to an electric amp, and the piezo system to an acoustic amp. That way, the tone is optimised for both types.

However, whilst that is an ideal situation, i know that sometime I won't want to carry around two amps, and will just have my electric one. In that case, I want to be able to use a standard guitar cable to have both piezo and electric coming out of the same amp.

However, I don't want to blend the two. I like keeping things fairly simple, so when going into one amp, I just want the option to turn on piezo and turn it off.

So basically, I just want a switch to turn on the piezo system and to turn it off. When using a Y cable, turning on the piezo would make the sound come out of an acoustic amp, when using a standard mono cable, the piezo system would come out the electric amp, just like the regular humbucker sound. No blending needed....

Is this possible?
 
Last edited:
Re: Piezo system for electric?

rspst14 said:
One final note, I would recommend using at least 10-46 strings. Since you're trying to simulate an acoustic, you'll get better results with heavier strings.

Ryan
Click to expand...

I use 11-48 strings, so that's no problem. :)
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

hmm, the 1 amp thing won't work. that is the big drawback. a piexo through a regular guitar amp sounds terrible. you need to run a line to the PA, or bring a small keyboard or acoustic amp. I send a separate piezo signal to my onstage mixer, through some compression and reverb. There is a magnetic/both/piezo switch on my guitar to switch between them.
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

Mincer said:
hmm, the 1 amp thing won't work. that is the big drawback. a piexo through a regular guitar amp sounds terrible. you need to run a line to the PA, or bring a small keyboard or acoustic amp. I send a separate piezo signal to my onstage mixer, through some compression and reverb. There is a magnetic/both/piezo switch on my guitar to switch between them.
Click to expand...

When you say the one amp thing won't work, do you mean that it just sounds awful, or does it actually not work at all?

By the way, I've sent you a PM. :)
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

What type of electric amp are you using? If it's something like a 5150, forget it. If it has a really good clean channel, it'll sound okay, but not as good as if it's run through an acoustic amp or PA. You can do what you want if you get an onboard preamp system to go with the piezo, but again, you'll be stuck running it through the clean channel of an electric amp. If you don't want to blend the piezo and magnetic pickups and you're only planning on using one or the other, you'll definitely want some way of amplifying it other than an electric amp. I've heard you can also run these through a mixing board, but I have no idea how that sounds. To be honest, I'm no expert when it comes to mixing boards, PA systems, etc, so I can't really help there. I'm not playing in a band at the moment, but I tested mine through my buddy's acoustic amp, and it sounded great. It actually sounds decent through my Classic 50, but it loses some of the acoustic feel. It sounds more like a really good magnetic pickup played clean.

Ryan
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

It depends on your amp - "terrible" is a little harsh, but if you don't have a speaker with a "wide" tonal range and preferably a tweeter, the result will be a little flat compared with a dedicated acoustic amp. On stage, most people can get a satisfactory tone for rythmn parts, but if you want to do a solo spot and show off your fingernails, a dedicated amp is best.
Pop into a music shop and try a couple of piezo equipped guitars to hear what they sound like through various amps - then you will know.
If you go through the PA board and the desk is good, then the parametric EQ coupled with the broad range house output speaker groups should be more than satisfactory!
 
Last edited:
Re: Piezo system for electric?

I play a Parker Nitefly with Fishman Transducers. My setup is pretty straightforward:

Stereo cable from guitar...cable is a 'Y' split on sending end.

Electric connector/cable: into Dynacomp-->POD-->mini-mixer.

Acoustic: into DOD FE65 Chorus-->Acoustic Xciter-->mini-mixer.

Mono output (left channel) from mixer to Direct Box-->house mixer.

Sometimes I'll use the return line (output) from the direct box into a small Harke bass amp as an additional monitor (when the stage volume is out of control). Otherwise, I rely on a monitor mix for sound.

Most guitar amps have speakers that are specifically voiced for electric guitar. In those cases, the acoustic sound IS terrible.
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

Also, Parker guitars have a 3-way toggle switch for electric/mixed/acoustic pickups.

IF you plan to use one amp, you really need two separate channels. Otherwise, it could be difficult to control the two volumes.

On Parker guitars, using a mono cable results in ONLY electric pickups. Only a stereo cable will activate the piezo system.
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

LesStrat said:
On Parker guitars, using a mono cable results in ONLY electric pickups. Only a stereo cable will activate the piezo system.
Click to expand...

Sorry LesStrat, but this comment isn't entirely accurate. I played a few a while ago when Parker was redoing versions of the Parker Fly lineup and the Deluxe and Classics I played were simplified. There aren't as many knobs on the face of the guitar (that's one big way you can tell) and a stereo cable is no longer needed; in fact I pulled one off the shelf and plugged into a Top Hat Club Royale and Matchless Chieftain with great results.

This is why I'm turned off by most acoustic and piezo systems, it's a lot of work. I did notice on the newer Fly's that I could get some killer acoustic tones through a guitar amp, but diehard players would argue that because virtually all guitar amps don't have a tweeter, it's not going to be the same.

The clips I've heard of the RMC turned me completely off, so I'd love to hear new clips as to how it blows away the other systems. I've played Fishman systems and depending on the guitar, it was either bad or great. The newer Fly's sounded great, but playing the economy line showed the drawbacks of using a cheaper system (I think the last time I tried a Nitefly SA).

What a guitar player needs is clips of each side by side. There's always talk back and forth between L.R. Baggs, Fishman and the newer Graphtech system, yet finding clips of any of them is next to impossible.
 
Re: Piezo system for electric?

the_Chris said:
The clips I've heard of the RMC turned me completely off, so I'd love to hear new clips as to how it blows away the other systems.
Click to expand...

Where did you hear the clips? I'm desperately trying to find some of any system...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Metalman_666
In search of the right piezo bridge
Replies
4
Views
359
Rex_Rocker
Rex_Rocker
Silence Kid
Fender Mustang Vibrato: Setup Guide
2
Replies
30
Views
23K
dagnabbit
D
Pierre
NGD: Reiver Kompact. This is a long one, folks...And it is GOOD
Replies
5
Views
2K
Pierre
Pierre
N
Adding LR Baggs and Ghost Acoustic Phonic preamp to Les Paul with triple shots and ..
Replies
4
Views
4K
Navin
N
C
piezo on electric guitar! help! Piezo Guru's needed!
Replies
3
Views
829
Chocklit_Thunda
C
Back
Top