Piezo tactics

[rocksalt]

Howdy folks,

Got the Axis SS on order and I'd like to get some advice from y'all on piezo playing live. I read the Petrucci Q&A post where he talked a little bit about it, but I'd like to know how some of y'all out there are swinging this. Ideally, I'd like a one-cable, one-stomp solution.

If there's another thread out there, pls direct me and I'll happily check it out.

Thanks!
-Dave

 

[roburado]

The answer is kind of a good news/bad news one. If you want only one cable, well, fine. You can only use one amp then. Just plug a mono (i.e., regular guitar cable) into the mono output. Then, go.

If you want to use a separate amp or a PA for your piezo, you'll need three more cables and a splitter box (available from EBMM). You can use the stereo TRS cable in the stereo output. Then, plug that sucker into a splitter box. Then, a mono cable carrying the signal from the magnetic pickups will go to your regular amp. Then, the piezo output will go to a DI box with ground lift through on cable. Then, another cable will take the balanced or unbalanced out to PA or amp. It seems that solutions that are variations of this theme are the most commonly successful ones reported here.

Or...were you looking for something more specific?

 

[MusicManJP6]

How good/bad does a piezo sound through a regular amp?

 

[darren]

It doesn't sound "bad", it just doesn't sound much like an acoustic. A dedicated acoustic amp or direct to PA are definitely recommended.

Another option is to buy (or have made, or make yourself) a custom stereo cable with a stereo TRS plug on one end, and split it out to two mono TS plugs at the other end (Parker used to ship their Fly guitars with a cable like this). This is how i have my JP7 running, and it saves having to have a splitter box.

 

[dannymusic]

Heres a new one (i havne't heard from the knuckleheads)

Roland microcube. TRS Y cable. Mags 1/4" into main guitar input. piezo 1/4" into rear AUX input. Still have mini iput aux input available for ipod/backing tracks.

SUPER practice/jam setup.


"real" rig? IMHO, just into a direct box into PA. The acoustic amps on the market; all of them, are made for coffee housey stuff. This guitar piezo loves power and headroom.

 

[Lou]

I run mine live this way:

Stereo cable out of the guitar into a Startouch Stereo AB/Y footswitch. Magnetic (A side) goes to my pedal board to my amp, B side (piezo) goes thru a chorus and delay pedal, DI and into the PA. The mag/piezo selector stays in the middle position on the guitar and I use the AB/Y to do all the switching. Sometimes you can't get to the switch at the right time while playing with your picking hand. This set up cures that.

 

[rocksalt]

The answer is kind of a good news/bad news one. If you want only one cable, well, fine. You can only use one amp then. Just plug a mono (i.e., regular guitar cable) into the mono output. Then, go.

If you want to use a separate amp or a PA for your piezo, you'll need three more cables and a splitter box (available from EBMM). You can use the stereo TRS cable in the stereo output. Then, plug that sucker into a splitter box. Then, a mono cable carrying the signal from the magnetic pickups will go to your regular amp. Then, the piezo output will go to a DI box with ground lift through on cable. Then, another cable will take the balanced or unbalanced out to PA or amp. It seems that solutions that are variations of this theme are the most commonly successful ones reported here.

Or...were you looking for something more specific?

Thanks! To clarify, the "one cable" was more of a one cable to something which then splits the signal, so your reply and Lou's are along the lines of what I was looking for.

-Dave

 

[rocksalt]

I run mine live this way:

Stereo cable out of the guitar into a Startouch Stereo AB/Y footswitch. Magnetic (A side) goes to my pedal board to my amp, B side (piezo) goes thru a chorus and delay pedal, DI and into the PA. The mag/piezo selector stays in the middle position on the guitar and I use the AB/Y to do all the switching. Sometimes you can't get to the switch at the right time while playing with your picking hand. This set up cures that.

Lou,

Do you get channel bleed with the Startouch? That seems to be a complaint out there - especially with gain on the Mags side.

 

[Lou]

Sometimes if I switch to the piezo and I'm on the gain channel I have bleed, but I either quickly switch to the clean tone, or just leave it. It's kind of a pain, but I deal with it.

 

[Sigmunds Couch]

I run a pair of volume pedals. One mag and one piezo. I leave the piezo on at all times and roll it in or out with the pedal. The piezo routes through a Yamaha AG Stomp to a D-box straight to the board.

 

[mr.b]

i use the single cable route. a TRS cable from the stereo out to an EBMM splitter. i used to use a Planet Waves Trs - 2 mono cables but that lead weighed more than my lonestar and was thicker than JP's MKiV main rhythm sound!!!

what i think we need is for EBMM to make a pedal that when the heal is down = magnetic, toe down = all Peizo. that way you could rock the pedal to obtain a blend of both in between heel down/toe down.

if anyone knows of a pedal that'll do that already, please tell me!!!

 

[chedgeco]

New guy here, but I wanted to tell what I've been doing.

I use the Fishman PowerBlend pedal to mix mags and piezo:
Fishman Transducers, Inc - Product Details

The pedal is now discontinued but you can still find them used. Maybe we can talk Ernie Ball into doing something similar, only make it a passive device and not a powered device.

I take the ground lifted XLR out of the Powerblend into a Genz-Benz Shenandoah 200. Sounds amazing for Rock'n Roll Acoustic tones.

I've tried every other way possible and this pedal is the most convenient because it does everything you need it too. Isolates the Piezo from the mags through a isolation transformer and ground lift with the direct out... it's almost perfect.

chedgeco...

 

[roburado]

New guy here, but I wanted to tell what I've been doing.

I use the Fishman PowerBlend pedal to mix mags and piezo:
Fishman Transducers, Inc - Product Details

The pedal is now discontinued but you can still find them used. Maybe we can talk Ernie Ball into doing something similar, only make it a passive device and not a powered device.

I take the ground lifted XLR out of the Powerblend into a Genz-Benz Shenandoah 200. Sounds amazing for Rock'n Roll Acoustic tones.

I've tried every other way possible and this pedal is the most convenient because it does everything you need it too. Isolates the Piezo from the mags through a isolation transformer and ground lift with the direct out... it's almost perfect.

chedgeco...

OH yeah...I remember that someone suggested that before. I forgot all about that, because it's discontinued.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Here's a thread on it

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/27209-alberts-w-piezos.html