Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
- Thread starter arnarg
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DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
Depends on the guitar. Strat? Les Paul? Soloist?
Depends on the guitar. Strat? Les Paul? Soloist?
DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
Au contraire, a piezo transducer like that stuck to the bottom of a trem can be interesting.
The secret to disc-type transducers like that is they sound very good when you apply a tad bit of pressure to the backside.
Try this: adjust the trem so the rear is tilted upwards just a tad and slide the disc under the bass edge near the back. Since the bridge will be at an angle, and the disc will not, you might need to make a wedge so the disc sits flat against the trem.
Alternatively, you can raise that whole side of the bridge evenly and wedge the disc under it flat.
Note you want the contact side touching the bridge, not the coated side.
Did this a few years back with a Floyded Charvel Model 2 and got a great acoustic tone, but could find no way to mount it permanently.
If the guitar has any hollow spots in the body design (aside from control cavities), you can mount the disc in one of those. Move it around to find the best place to set it.
However - and this is something I'm currently working on with a Jackson MM1 Dominion - you'll really want some sort of mounting bracket that can both hold the disc in place AND apply adjustable pressure to the disc. It doesn't take much of a pressure change to crack the ceramic, so only press with your finger or some fluffy foam.
Au contraire, a piezo transducer like that stuck to the bottom of a trem can be interesting.
The secret to disc-type transducers like that is they sound very good when you apply a tad bit of pressure to the backside.
Try this: adjust the trem so the rear is tilted upwards just a tad and slide the disc under the bass edge near the back. Since the bridge will be at an angle, and the disc will not, you might need to make a wedge so the disc sits flat against the trem.
Alternatively, you can raise that whole side of the bridge evenly and wedge the disc under it flat.
Note you want the contact side touching the bridge, not the coated side.
Did this a few years back with a Floyded Charvel Model 2 and got a great acoustic tone, but could find no way to mount it permanently.
If the guitar has any hollow spots in the body design (aside from control cavities), you can mount the disc in one of those. Move it around to find the best place to set it.
However - and this is something I'm currently working on with a Jackson MM1 Dominion - you'll really want some sort of mounting bracket that can both hold the disc in place AND apply adjustable pressure to the disc. It doesn't take much of a pressure change to crack the ceramic, so only press with your finger or some fluffy foam.
DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
A preamp won't hurt, but after experimenting with various setups, a disc still needs a bit of pressure on it to get a really good seal against the body. The sticky goo and tape across the back merely hold it in place, but better surface contact means better detection of the resonance.
Most piezo preamps are deisgned to compensate for the lack of or weakness of contact, thus they boost enormously.
And yes, multiple transducers are the way to go.
However, if the one you have is the little ones about the size of a nickel, step up to a Barcus-Berry Disqos. They're bigger and better, as they have ceramic conductor over the whole backside.
They cost, though.
A preamp won't hurt, but after experimenting with various setups, a disc still needs a bit of pressure on it to get a really good seal against the body. The sticky goo and tape across the back merely hold it in place, but better surface contact means better detection of the resonance.
Most piezo preamps are deisgned to compensate for the lack of or weakness of contact, thus they boost enormously.
And yes, multiple transducers are the way to go.
However, if the one you have is the little ones about the size of a nickel, step up to a Barcus-Berry Disqos. They're bigger and better, as they have ceramic conductor over the whole backside.
They cost, though.
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
I tried putting it in my guitar, here's a picture of it:
I taped the transducer to the bridge and then pushed a sponge in between the bridge and the "wall" to generate the pressure you were talking about. It wasn't very loud infact there was very little output, heres a clip:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/11/14/2186339/piezo.mp3
(had to put some gain to it in my mixer, and then ran it through guitar rig)
I tried putting it in my guitar, here's a picture of it:
I taped the transducer to the bridge and then pushed a sponge in between the bridge and the "wall" to generate the pressure you were talking about. It wasn't very loud infact there was very little output, heres a clip:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/11/14/2186339/piezo.mp3
(had to put some gain to it in my mixer, and then ran it through guitar rig)
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
I found some guide to make a piezo preamp/buffer: http://www.scotthelmke.com/Mint-box-buffer.html and if it fits inside of a mint box, it'll definetly fit inside you're guitar
EDIT:
http://www.cafewalter.com/cafewalter/fetpre/index.htm this one also looks good.
I found some guide to make a piezo preamp/buffer: http://www.scotthelmke.com/Mint-box-buffer.html and if it fits inside of a mint box, it'll definetly fit inside you're guitar
EDIT:
http://www.cafewalter.com/cafewalter/fetpre/index.htm this one also looks good.
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DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
Like I said, the Barcus-Berry DISQOS transducer works a ton better. I've got some of those like the one you posted, where the ceramic only covers half the conductor plate, and they just don't have as good of a response as the BB, so you'll probably need the preamp.
Remove the foam and strum a chord, then press gently on the disc with one finger and see if the output improves. It might need more pressure than what the foam alone is giving. Pressure variations definitely affect the results.
Also if you can attach the piezo directly to the bridge itself rather than the block, you should get better results.
Like I said, the Barcus-Berry DISQOS transducer works a ton better. I've got some of those like the one you posted, where the ceramic only covers half the conductor plate, and they just don't have as good of a response as the BB, so you'll probably need the preamp.
Remove the foam and strum a chord, then press gently on the disc with one finger and see if the output improves. It might need more pressure than what the foam alone is giving. Pressure variations definitely affect the results.
Also if you can attach the piezo directly to the bridge itself rather than the block, you should get better results.
DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
Yes, I've tried the Barcus-Berry Disqos, that's why I recommend it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Barcus-Berry-DI...tem&pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item53e14032cf
I attached it to the bottom of a Floyd Rose trem under edge near the low E saddle and got a very woody acoustic tone.
Unfortunately I couldn't come up with any way to permanently attach it.
Yes, I've tried the Barcus-Berry Disqos, that's why I recommend it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Barcus-Berry-DI...tem&pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item53e14032cf
I attached it to the bottom of a Floyd Rose trem under edge near the low E saddle and got a very woody acoustic tone.
Unfortunately I couldn't come up with any way to permanently attach it.
KoreanGuitarMan
New member
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
Graph Tech makes piezo saddles, yeah? Anybody tried those?
Graph Tech makes piezo saddles, yeah? Anybody tried those?
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
haven't tried them but I checked out their website and I might just order those when I get the cash but I'm experimenting with this because I had a piezo transducer just lying around...
haven't tried them but I checked out their website and I might just order those when I get the cash
but I'm experimenting with this because I had a piezo transducer just lying around...Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
here is another test:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/11/14/2186339/piezo2.mp3
first there is the dry signal (not even EQued) and then the same recording through guitar rig 3. I like it better dry... No change in placement of the piezo disc has been made, only installed it into the circuit of the guitar. It's so much quieter than the magnetic pickup that you can't really combine them without getting a built-in preamp/buffer for the piezo. Used the preamp in my mixer to boost the volume.
here is another test:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/11/14/2186339/piezo2.mp3
first there is the dry signal (not even EQued) and then the same recording through guitar rig 3. I like it better dry... No change in placement of the piezo disc has been made, only installed it into the circuit of the guitar. It's so much quieter than the magnetic pickup that you can't really combine them without getting a built-in preamp/buffer for the piezo. Used the preamp in my mixer to boost the volume.
DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
Definite volume difference, even with the right amount of pressure on the disc, so a dedicated preamp would help with that.
Piezos don't have anything for noise to latch onto like a magnetic pickup does. It's hot (ceramic disc) and ground (brass plate) - not much to go wrong there :lol:
Definite volume difference, even with the right amount of pressure on the disc, so a dedicated preamp would help with that.
Piezos don't have anything for noise to latch onto like a magnetic pickup does. It's hot (ceramic disc) and ground (brass plate) - not much to go wrong there :lol:
Re: Piezo Transducer in electric guitar?
I've been reading online and a "high impedance" (whatever that means) buffer/preamp will not only boost the signal volume but also prevent it from sounding as thin, so with the right preamp I think this might sound pretty decent.
Also, I stumbled upon this... http://windworld.com/products-page/electronic-hardware/piezo-films/
It's supposed to be better than the ceramic disks
I've been reading online and a "high impedance" (whatever that means
) buffer/preamp will not only boost the signal volume but also prevent it from sounding as thin, so with the right preamp I think this might sound pretty decent.Also, I stumbled upon this... http://windworld.com/products-page/electronic-hardware/piezo-films/
It's supposed to be better than the ceramic disks
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