I looked and haven't found any reference to this, so here goes, Has anyone embedded a disc Piezo under the fretboard? The reason I'm asking because the neck that I'm working on is laminated butcher block red oak and it has a beautiful resonance quality about it. I'm not a big fan of magnetic pick-ups for the simple reason they interfere with the looks of the guitar(my opinion). But I like the sound quality that they produce especially close to the fretboard. I'll have 19 frets on my project, so I thought I'd place the disc under the 12th or 17th. If it the sound I'm looking for happens great if not oh well! Cut the wire and move on! I'm placing a rod type in the bridge and a disc inside by the springs with the third under the fretboard and a switching arrangement. Has it been done? If so how was the sound? Any advice or thoughts?
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I tried a movable piezo disc (easy to make) to see where it should be nice or better, the fretboard is not a very good place for me, it takes all the finger taps and parasite hand slide sounds…
Were you using a pre-amp or cap with it?
Only using my audiobox usb "presonus" external card, works too on a guitar amp without preamp…
Hi, any piezo works best when sensing the actual vibrating top. It's locality (further from or closer to the bridge) will give a different depth and quality of signal. If it were me I would two things, as you asked.
One, I would mount the piezo in a way that it could be moved if needed. And two, I would also mount another one in the body on the top, this way I would have the choice of either one or both.
Re reusing the cut off part of a strip piezo, why would you? The end would be too damaged, I imagine, to find a good soldering point. I'll try next time but I have my doubts, but I normally just bin them.
Taff
Thanks Taff, there's 3 piezos, a rod in the bridge and two disc. One in the neck and one close to the reverb springs, each with its own switch to a pre-amp. I'm toying with the idea of a combo vol/off each so they can be brought online percentage wise instead of all of each. For example, the reverb springs sounds good but you don't want them to overwhelm the music. Any thoughts?
The springs alone will add some natural reverb to the guitar's sound. Hooking a piezo to a preamp in that area will create a reverb effect, which is a good idea. A on/off switch for this would work. Add a pot for intensity.
Well now! I found some vol/off switches, they're coming in on a slow boat from China( ETA mid June early July) can't wait to try them out.
Scratch that, No slow boat, they decided to have the merchandise brought to the China coast by a kid on a tricycle packed into a gallon milk jug and tossed into the ocean, where it will be picked up by a passing fishing boat and brought back to shore. It will be handed over to the authorities to be investigated for possible wrong doings, afterwards be sent to a shipping company, who will hold it in customs and then load onto a ship. Halfway on the ships journy, the package will be tossed overboard to continue on its speedy delivery. If it hasn't been eaten by a shark or picked up by another boat, I should receive it by the "end" of July! Trump was investigated in less time!
2 position piezo on a 3 way switch is a good idea so you could choose either one or both together.
Believe it or not, I was thinking about individual pre-amps/equalizer for each piezo, got the room. Bet I could come up with some wicked sounds through the main amp.
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