Piezo quesiton

[TheAntMan]

Hi,

Can anyone explain why the piezo pickups on the bridge saddles do not work with non-metallic strings?

I have an acoustic with piezo and I can use non-metallic strings on it. What is the difference in design?

Thanks,

Ant

 

[TheAntMan]

Update.

Interesting thing happened. I happened to touch bridge saddle while pushing down on part of string over the piezo pickup thinking it may not be seated right. My finger seems to have made a connection and closed some type of circuit. This caused the string to be picked up by the piezo!!!

I tried this a couple of times then took a snippet of a string (metallic) that I had and unwounded a wire from the winding. I touched the piezo with it and got very faint sound. I touched the wire to piezo and bridge saddle and got sound again. I loosened the non-metallic string, placed wire under string -- between string and piezo -- and now I am picking up non-metallic string though piezo.

Can someone explain?

 

[mynan]

Maybe it's some type of ground issue. Maybe the non-metallic material isn't dense(?) enough to vibrate the piezo.

I'm curious...are you using a non-metallic string on an electric bass? Wouldn't that make the magnetic pickup stop working?

 

[TheAntMan]

Bryan,

I should clarify the nature of the non-metallic strings. They are metallic round wounds with a outer nylon round wound that has been sanded smooth. This keeps the strings bright but does not chew up the neck. It also has the feel of flat wounds. I love these strings, they have a unique sound and feel.

The magnets work just fine since the outer winding is thin and allows the metal to be picked up by the magnets. They are made to be used with magnetic and piezo pickups. Again, on my acoustic-electric I have no problem with the piezo nor on my regular Bongo or Stingray. I only have to do this piece of wire trick on my fretless Bongo 4HHP.

Still would like to figure out why the snippet of wire works.

Thanks,
Ant

 

[mynan]

It's got to be some type of ground issue.

 

[PzoLover]

hmmmmmmmmm, interesting poser

It's got to be some type of ground issue.

I'm suspecting the issue is about non-metallic material (string coating)absorbing the vibrations thus insulating the piezo sensor from sensing the very metal to metal vibrations it needs to do it's work ... the piece of wire trick helps to transfer vibrations without insulating the string from the sensor and I doubt there is an electricity grouind issue at play here, just MHO based on intuition mixed with a wee bit of scientific method thinking , I think
ATB,
/PL

 

[TheAntMan]

PL,

Your point is well received but I would have to disagree since I can touch the wire to the Piezo pick up without touching the sting and get sound.

I appreciate all ideas and hope someone from SLO can give us an insider's explanation to this.

Thanks,
Ant