Hi Folks
Fishman and Cherub onboard preamps for acoustic guitars come with a disc or rod piezo pickup - my question is can the piezo be a straight swap-out for a magnetic pickup?
I like all the functions that can be had on these preamps, but want the warmer tones of a magetic coil.
Or is the idea like oil and water?! Is it an impedance issue?
Cheers
Replies
Been a while since I built a CBG, but I used to always mix piezo and magnetic (magnetic/both/piezo options using a 3 way switch for example) and send the output through a cheap onboard preamp. Always worked for me.
Did a poor sound quality video a while back - turn your volume up and if your device program shows a volume on the video screen turn that up too ;0)
https://cigarboxnation.com/video/comparing-cbg-pickups
Hi, low impedance magnetic pickups use a preamp, the high gain high impedance pickup do not normally need a preamp due to their high output.
In the low impedance pick ups I have installed one does not have to earth the circuit to the strings due to their low noise caperbility, a good safety feature. I used EMG pickups where the preamp is built into the pickup itself. They used normal pots but of different ratings and of course a battery.
Here's a guitar I built using them.
The Cherub preamp that I have has two solder terminals off the piezo jack socket but wasn't sure if it was for connecting a piezo (that doesn't have a jack fitted) or a magnetic pickup - I didn't want to cook the preamp!
I emailed Cherub USA but never got a reply.
All the info I found on that preamp was for piezo only. Heres a diagram for wiring the piezo to the preamp and magnetic pickup separate to a 3-way switch, but you could substitute the switch with a blender knob.
The more expensive preamp models often provide a magnetic pickup hook up. You may need to go to their website and look through their models or contact them to find out.