I'm doing my first builds with the a rod-style piezo. It is 2.75" long. The piezo has 6 "bumps" in it, where the ceramic wafers are located.
Question 1 is: when you place the piezo under the saddle, do the strings have to line up over the bumps? It seems to me that if the saddle is in full contact with the rod, it wouldn't matter. But then, why the 6 bumps (obviously made for a 6-string guitar)?
Question 2 is: since a 3 or 4 string CBG bridge is usually narrower than a standard 6 string, can these rod piezos be cut shorter without harm?
Question 3 is: can the rod piezo be used as the saddle itself, with the strings resting directly on the rod between the bumps (in the valleys as it were)? That way, bridge construction would be made a lot easier by just mounting the rod on top of a wood block or would there be too much wear-and-tear on the rod?
Replies
Hal,
That's the great thing about this hobby, everyone can have their own preferred method. My opinion is that the rod piezo, mounted in the bridge, gives you the best, most consistent acoustic sound. But it does of course limit the flexibility of being able to stick disk piezos all over the instrument. Then of course it is possible to use a mix of both and use pots to blend them together. The possibilities really are endless.
Ben, thank you for your reply. As usual, you give a good description and provide clarity on these things. I did wind up cutting the rod down for a three stringer. I routed a 1/8" groove all the way through the bridge and installed it under a plastic saddle I had laying around. Honestly, I can't tell much difference between it and a disc piezo other than it responds better to a tone conrol. I'm not sure if the extra effort to mount it and the difficulty in packaging it so it is in direct contact with the saddle is worth it, but I'll continue to try them and evaluate the pros and cons.
One other thing about rod vs. disc:
A disc gives you the freedom to mount it virtually anywhere - under the saddle, under the bridge, inside the box, even in the neck - and it will pick up the vibrations of the strings wherever they resonate.
With the rod, you have to have it mounted under the saddle, so you are picking up the vibrations of the strings only at the bridge. I can see how this may give more clarity of individual strings, especially on a box that may have a thick lid that resonates less or a solid body, but doesn't this somewhat limit the rod? You may as well use a mag pup but for the "hidden" factor.
Just a thought.
C. B. Gitty (Ben) said:
Hal:
Thanks for posting your well-worded questions. You might want to check out the article specifically on rod piezos that I have posted over at www.cbgitty.com. Here is the link: http://www.cbgitty.com/content/view/40/43/. In it I go into some of the nitty-gritty regarding the rod piezos and how to best make use of them.
But to answer your specific questions here:
1) The bumps don't HAVE to line up with the strings, but your are right in assuming that they are intended to do so by design. As with most things CBG, there are no strict rules, but if you can make them line up, why not do so for the absolute best sound.
2) The rod piezos can be cut to shorter lengths for 3, 4 or 5-string instruments. I go into recommendations for cutting in the article linked above.
3) I would not use the rod piezo as the saddle itself. The rubber shrink tubing coating and the fairly fragile ceramic wafers beneath are not made to stand up to direct string pressure and vibration, and are really not good materials for a saddle. It is always best to put some hard material, such as bone, brass or hardwood over the rod piezo that will press down on it with even pressure.
Hope this helps! Also be sure to remember that we have plenty of rod piezos in stock over at C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply: https://www.cbgitty.com/cubecart/guitar-pickups/rod-piezo-endpin-ja.... We ship fast from the US and have a robust returns policy. Why take risks buying from China?
Hi Hal,
I have used the rods you describe and on one occasion on a small travel guitar with narrow string spacing I had one string not resting over one of the bumps. Over the top of the rod I had a metal rod (a cut thick paperclip) as a bridge but even with this the pickup was noticeably less on this string.
I have never cut one myself but read several times how others have done this without any problems.
If it is the same type of rod I have used it has a black plastic coating which will tear over time - I found a thick paperclip fits nicely over the top and works well as a bridge (so long as the bumps line up)
somebody on another thread gave a link to piezo type rods with a single cable and no bumps which I have on order to see if it improves the quiet string on the travel guitar - the link is here http://www.suntekstore.co.uk/bendable-piezo-cable-undersaddle-picku... and they ship free worldwide from Hong Kong (so there is a bit of a long wait for delivery but I have bought from them before and found the price and quality more than make up for the wait).
Regards,
David