The background is my first CBG with piezo pickup. That's it in my avatar. I have two piezos mounted in the box with a switch so I can select between the two. I read about mounting the discs but couldn't really figure out what people were telling works best. So I mounted both of them on the neck (I had clearance between the neck and the top of the box. One was ceramic side up and the other was ceramic side down. They definitely sounded different but not good enough. Mounting was done with a blob of silicone sealant about 1/8" thick. Easy and quick. The better output was from mounting ceramic side toward the wood. I then moved one of the pickups to the underside of the top near the bridge area. That gave me good output.
Piezo setup had grounding issues that I just ignored but that passed a lot of noise to the amp and limited the volume somewhat. I then read about preamps and decided to get the little unit from CB Gitty delivered to my home for a little over $14. For that price, I had to try it.
I am glad that I ordered preamp from CB Gitty. If you are considering a build or wanting to get a bit more out of your guitar than you can with piezo disc plugged directly into your amp, you must get this gizmo. It comes with the undersaddle bar pickup. I thought about wiring my existing disc into the mini jack provided, but then, being lazy, I decided to just install the bar style pickup in the lid of my CBG. All I did (I mentioned being lazy, right?) was cut a shallow groove in the underside of the guitar top about 2" up (Toward the neck) from the bridge. I put some super glue in the groove and put the bar in the groove. (I also need to mention that I like super glue). Then I just had to cut the hole for the main box and it was done pretty quick.
The results were dramatic. I can crank this to painful levels if I want to and NO NOISE. That's right - no hum. Everything is shielded and the clean signal is boosted by the preamp. The EQ is a very handy addition to have. I can get a variety of sound depending on whether I am finger picking, using the slide or just beating the heck out of it.
I wanted to post my experience with the preamp since I would have started with this on my first build if I had know how easy it would be to get great output from my CBG. Now I will have to put one in the CBG that I built for my friend Larry.
Many thanks to all who post here with questions and solutions. Both have helped me in my builds.
Comment
Yeah - preamp box on a belt clip . . . would work with all of your guitars.
Here is the link to the Preamp at CB Gitty
Here is the picture of the unit that comes from CB Gitty. This is very well made. The slide pots are smooth and noise free. Mine even came with a new 9V battery. The unit does not have a power on/off switch. It switches on when you plug your cable into the jack.
Here is what the installation on my guitar looks like.
Wayfinder - I appreciate the comments that the disc piezos should also be noise free but I did not figure out how to do the shielding to eliminate the hum. I knew it was a grounding issue but I am better with the hammer and saw then with the soldering iron. That is part of the reason I like the preamp so well. Everything is connected nicely and it works well.
Started by Rich Butters in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Crazed Fandango 8 hours ago. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Started by Nomad Jack in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by J. D. Woods yesterday. 7 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Moritz Voegeli in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray on Monday. 6 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Timothy Hunter in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Apr 10. 14 Replies 3 Likes
Started by Tom T in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Apr 9. 9 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Southern Ray in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Apr 4. 7 Replies 1 Like
Started by Timothy Hunter in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 27. 1 Reply 2 Likes
Started by Taffy Evans in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 10. 1 Reply 3 Likes
Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by BrianQ. Mar 9. 4 Replies 3 Likes
Started by Ghostbuttons in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Timothy Hunter Mar 9. 5 Replies 1 Like
Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 8. 6 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Ken I in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Brian partington Mar 8. 8 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Southern Ray in Cool gear discussion - that's not cigar box related. Last reply by Southern Ray Mar 6. 5 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Taffy Evans in Other stuff - off topic, fun stuff, whatever. Last reply by Taffy Evans Mar 5. 4 Replies 2 Likes
Started by Justin Stanchfield in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Carl Floyd Mar 1. 15 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Joe in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts. Last reply by Carl Floyd Feb 29. 13 Replies 0 Likes
Started by Chance in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 22. 12 Replies 1 Like
Started by Cigar Box Nation in Feature Articles. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 21. 2 Replies 4 Likes
Started by Brad in Cool gear discussion - that's not cigar box related. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 19. 6 Replies 3 Likes
Started by Jacob Shook in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion. Last reply by Southern Ray Feb 16. 10 Replies 0 Likes
Posted by Vlad on March 31, 2024 at 11:48pm 0 Comments 1 Like
Posted by Vlad on March 6, 2024 at 2:32am 5 Comments 2 Likes
Posted by billy jones bluez on February 28, 2024 at 2:09pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Posted by billy jones bluez on February 17, 2024 at 11:00pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
Posted by Vlad on February 11, 2024 at 1:06am 1 Comment 1 Like
May 11, 2024 from 11am to 8pm – Speakeasy Grill
0 Comments 0 Likes© 2024 Created by Ben "C. B. Gitty" Baker. Powered by
Cigar Box Nation is presented by C. B. Gitty Crafter Supply, your one-stop-shop for Cigar Box Guitar parts and accessories!
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
Join Cigar Box Nation