Anybody have a Sil Spec with piezos?

[shred4Him]

I was looking at the control diagram for the Silhouette Special with piezos and I didn't see a switch for switching between mags and piezos. Am I missing something? Are the volume pots supposed to be used to do that? If so, then that is pretty weak. Anybody know what the deal is? I need to know this before I make a choice between piezos or no piezos. Thanks.

 

[NorM]

The Silo, Silo Special and the AL all use the volume knob for the piezo on / off switch. I personally love it this way. I find the selector switch on the axes and pets to be in the way. The only gain would be from switching from full mags to full piezo (or vice versa) is one less move. Another thought I had if I wanted more control would be to put an EB Volume Hammer in line on the floor for the piezo. (I already have it for the mags) Still, to each their own. Here’s an idea, an A-B switch box on the floor. Problem solved. Those things are cheap.

My biggest recommendation is get the piezo option on your MM guitar. Trem or hardtail, these things are fantastic.

 

[shred4Him]

thanks for the reply. I have a Parker Fly Deluxe already so I am familiar with using piezos. Making fast switches from mag to piezo with volume pots would be a pain in the rear. I was also hoping to keep it down to one cable. Having two hanging from a guitar is a hassle. Cable tangle hell. When I make my switch, I always go from full mag to full piezo. Mixing the two is a cool effect when messing around by yourself, but I find it impractical for live stuff. I am just not crazy about the way it sounds with a band. If I am going to get piezos they need to be able to switch fast, otherwise I won't use them much and it will be a waste. The only thing that I can think of is some kind of A/B box that will take a stereo signal and split it into two mono signals. That way, I am using one cable (trs) and I could just switch between the mag and piezo with a click of the switch. I don't remember ever seeing such a thing though. I will have to keep looking.

 

[shred4Him]

so far it is looking like the Fishman Powerblend pedal is the only thing that would do what I am asking. I may have to do that. The only problem is, it seems like it is a preamp. Would it interfere with a guitar that already has a preamp? More research is needed.

 

[shred4Him]

To answer my own question, the Fishman pedal will not work since two preamps isn't a good thing, and it is not a switching unit. Maybe I can have analogman.com make one for me when I need it.

 

[NorM]

How about this.
Run a stereo cable from your guitar to a splitter. Then run them into an EB 6165 Stereo volume pan pedal?
http://www.ernieball.com/products_pedals.php
I think that might meet your needs. What else you got?

 

[shred4Him]

well...I guess...but that just seems too easy.

Thanks. Didn't know about the splitter box. That just made things really easy. One stop shopping.

 

[shred4Him]

Maybe next time I will look at the FAQ's.

Q: I have a guitar with a Piezo Acoustic pickup and a stereo output. Can a volume pedal be made with a single TRS input and dual outputs? Can it be set to simply blend between the 2 sounds? with toe or foot position closing out one or the other sound?

A: When using our 6165 Stereo Pan Pedal, the A input/outputs are mono and the B inputs/outputs are stereo. If you are using a stereo cable, you should run the cable to the B side and then out both A and B jacks. Any effects should go ahead of the pedal if possible. You will be able to control both volumes simultaneously, or, when using the toe-tap switch, be able to pan the volume to each output.

Don't even need a splitter box. You basically suggested that in the first post. Oh me of little faith.

 

[NorM]

My biggest recommendation is get the piezo option on your MM guitar. Trem or hardtail, these things are fantastic.

Go order yourself the most rocking guitar you can

 

[darren]

This is really interesting... i've got a magnetic/piezo hybrid guitar (and a custom 7-string one on the way) and i've been looking high and low for a stereo panner. I had already emailed Ernie Ball to ask if they had such a product and got a flat "no" response. If the 6165 can indeed pan between the channels of a stereo input, that's a huge plus.

The only drawback is that in the middle position, it would be 50% magnetic and 50% piezo, whereas i'd want it to be 100% magnetic and 100% piezo in the middle, with the magnetics tapering to zero in one direction and the piezos tapering to zero in the other, so i get the "blended" sound in the middle... essentially, i want it to function exactly like the Parker's blend control, only on the floor, where i can operate it while playing.

Has anybody seen anything like this out there?

 

[NorM]

Good one sir.

That's a stop and thinker. If I worked for Ernie Ball I would design and recommend exactly this. (Half turn, full value pots in a stereo volume / pan pedal) Also overlooked is the piezo is active while the mags are passive. Therefore you would want two different pot values on your blend pedal.

How about this. 2 EBVHs (Ernie Ball Volume Hammers). That would take the guesswork out of where is the middle of travel.

Here is yet another idea. Get off the computer and go play your guitar. Learn how to operate the switching system on your guitar. You are able to do everything you want right from your guitar. Give your right hand something to do other than shaking up and down in a jerking motion Also is the added benefit of not having to stand right over your FX board. (You could strap your EBVHs to your feet )

 

[darren]

Heh.

Well, i'd like to be able to switch sounds with one foot in one motion, rather than turning one down and the other up. Seems simple enough, yet nobody's doing it. The control on the guitar is perfect in the way it works, only it requires the use of a hand, and usually both of mine are occupied with the "playing the guitar" thing.

Since my third hand is a little slow in evolving, i'd like to use one of my free appendages for the blend control.

 

[kbaim]

Could you run the piezo out to a vol pedal into a different amp and just step on pedal to add piezo?

kinda like Steve Morse does to effects. 1 out goes to dry amp (always on), 2nd out to effects amp he volume pedal/blends in.

 

[darren]

That would work, but it's only half of the equation. I'd still need another control to reduce the magnetic pickup volume. I want to blend from full magnetic to full blend to full piezo and back in one smooth motion.

 

[NorM]

How about this. 2 EBVHs (Ernie Ball Volume Hammers). That would take the guesswork out of where is the middle of travel.

QUOTE]
Yeah One for the piezo and one for the mags. More volume hammers on the floor looks cool!

 

[darren]

It might look cool, but again, it's a two-step operation to switch from magnetic to piezo, not one smooth pan from one to the other. I might want to switch slowly, or i might want to switch fast. Two pedals isn't the solution i'm looking for.

 

[darren]

To revisit an old topic, i found a way to do exactly what i wanted. It's a little more complicated than what i had hoped, and it involves acquiring a piece of discontinued gear , but it works remarkably well.

The older Yamaha AG-Stomp allows direct MIDI control over parameters, and also has an expression pedal input, unlike the newer MagicStomp Acoustic, which has abandoned these options in favour of USB only. I don't know if any parameters can be controlled in real time on the MagicStomp Acoustic via a MIDI-to-USB convertor, but i digress...

The BOSS FV-300L is a stereo volume pedal that can also be used as a dual expression pedal using TRS cables connected to its output jacks.

So, i have it simultaneously controlling both the GT-6 and the AG-Stomp's volume.

On the GT-6, i have each patch set with the "foot volume" assigned to the sub expression pedal. Minimum volume: 0, maximum volume: 100, range minimum: 128 (the top of the pedal range), range maximum: 64 (the midpoint of the pedal range).

On the AG-Stomp, i have it set the same way, only reversed. Minimum volume: 0, maximum volume: 100, range minimum: 0, range maximum: 64.

So, when the pedal is rocked all the way back (heel position), there's zero piezo and 100% electric. Rocking it forward gradually introduces the piezo signal, with the magnetic signal remaining constant at 100% volume. When the pedal reaches the middle of its travel, magnetic and piezo are balanced at full volume. Continuing to push the pedal forward keeps the piezo at 100% and gradually tapers the magnetic signal to zero, for a fully acoustic sound at the top of the pedal's travel.

Works flawlessly.

An alternate approach would be to use a single expression pedal with a MIDI Solutions pedal controller, and then controlling the volume on the GT-6 and AG-Stomp simultaneously via MIDI. That was my fallback approach if the dual expression pedal control didn't work as planned.