shreder75
Well-known member
I see that on the boards constantly, but nobody goes into detail as to what they are...
tell me...I must know!
tell me...I must know!
- Thread starter shreder75
- Start date
beej
Moderator
> what's a piezo
It's a piezoelectric pickup.
Standard guitar pickups are magnetic- they convert a magnetic field (magnets in the pickups + ferrous string vibration) into an electric current.
Piezoelectric materials are crystals which convert mechanical energy (contraction of the material from oscillation or applied strain) into electricity.
Basically it's another pickup located in the bridge of your guitar but it sounds different than the magnetic pickups. More of an acoustic guitar type sound. And it can be combined with the magnetic pickup output to add depth to your sound.
(And ... I wish I had one ...
)
It's a piezoelectric pickup.
Standard guitar pickups are magnetic- they convert a magnetic field (magnets in the pickups + ferrous string vibration) into an electric current.
Piezoelectric materials are crystals which convert mechanical energy (contraction of the material from oscillation or applied strain) into electricity.
Basically it's another pickup located in the bridge of your guitar but it sounds different than the magnetic pickups. More of an acoustic guitar type sound. And it can be combined with the magnetic pickup output to add depth to your sound.
(And ... I wish I had one ...
)
edensdad
Well-known member
Maan that was educational - seriously. I always wondered how they worked. I just figured they picked up the vibrations and somehow transfered them into electrical signals. I just always referred to them as an acoustic guitar pickup in an electric.
>^..^<
>^..^<
koogie2k
Well-known member
edensdad said:
Best thing I ever did was have one put on my JP-6 Rad Red.....I love it!
slukather
Well-known member
koogie2k said:Best thing I ever did was have one put on my JP-6 Rad Red.....I love it!
Hell yeah.
Scott.
phatduckk
Well-known member
koogie2k said:Best thing I ever did was have one put on my JP-6 Rad Red.....I love it!
you do this after market or did you order a JP with one installed?
Warg Master
Well-known member
I want one too
shreder75
Well-known member
so, is there another switch on a guitar that has one to activate it or is it just a 4 wya instead of a 3 way switch?
thanks for the info by the way =)
thanks for the info by the way =)
francric
Well-known member
Now after that very technical description of how they work, Thankyou, can someone give a description how to actually make it work?
PeteDuBaldo
Well-known member
francric said:
Frank,
There are two (labled) outputs on piezo-equipped guitars. You would want to run the normal magnetic output into your amp, and the piezo output into either an acoustic amp, bass amp, or better yet, the house PA. Running the piezo through an electric guitar amp does not sound great by any means, as the tone range is limited compared to a PA.
Both piezo and magnetic signals are also available in the output labeled "stereo" (I think it is the magnetic output), so it is possible to use a "stereo" cable in that output and then split the two signals somewhere on down the road, if you dont want 2 cables floating around.
The piezo is a VERY nice feature, and gives you more freedom of expression if you take advantage of it.
SteveB
Well-known member
jongitarz said:I like my piezo with pepperoni
.. and you have the nerve to groan at some of MY jokes...
For whoever asked, there's a separate 3-way toggle on the piezo guitars. One position selects magnetic pickups, another the piezo, and the middle position activates both simultaneously.
Last edited:
koogie2k
Well-known member
phatduckk said:
No aftermarket. I ordered axe through bassplayr and had it put on my build sheet with EBMM.
francric
Well-known member
Thanks Pete! Now, a few more questions. You must use a stereo cable for the piezo to work? If I run a mono cable and turn on the piezo I get no piezo sound or a crappy one? Do they sell stereo cables with a 'Y' on one end and single on the other or can you get them single to single? I guess what I'm trying to get at is, I connect to a multi effects pedal. It only has one input. But it does have two outputs, L and R. How can I make this work if at all? Then I plug into the fx loop to bypass the pre amp. Which brings me to another question. By using the fx loop does that help the piezo or it doesn't matter?
dan desy
Well-known member
What you really need to do is route the two signals differently. The mag pups to your pedal and amp, and the piezo need to go to a full range rig (PA or acoustic amp).
The piezo through a regular electric guitar rig will sound like crap (IMHO). It's really designed to be amplified though a full range amp.
The piezo through a regular electric guitar rig will sound like crap (IMHO). It's really designed to be amplified though a full range amp.
Last edited:
SteveB
Well-known member
francric,
If you plug a mono cable into the piezo jack, and nothing into the magnetic pickup jack, you can get a combined piezo and magnetic signal on that mono cable.
You can set the 'mix' level -- how much piezo gets added to the magnetic signal -- via the 'mix' control on the back of the guitar.
Using this config, you can get all magnetic with the toggle pointing down toward the floor, all piezo when the toggle is pointing up, and the blended signal when the toggle is in the middle.
This toggle is separate from the toggle swich used to select magnetic pickup combinations.
That ought to work in your setup, but you will not hear the full range of the piezo due to the limitations mentioned by others elsewhere in this thread. But you will still hear that you can get a very different, acoustic-y sound from that little bugger!
If you plug a mono cable into the piezo jack, and nothing into the magnetic pickup jack, you can get a combined piezo and magnetic signal on that mono cable.
You can set the 'mix' level -- how much piezo gets added to the magnetic signal -- via the 'mix' control on the back of the guitar.
Using this config, you can get all magnetic with the toggle pointing down toward the floor, all piezo when the toggle is pointing up, and the blended signal when the toggle is in the middle.
This toggle is separate from the toggle swich used to select magnetic pickup combinations.
That ought to work in your setup, but you will not hear the full range of the piezo due to the limitations mentioned by others elsewhere in this thread. But you will still hear that you can get a very different, acoustic-y sound from that little bugger!
francric
Well-known member
Thanks Dan and Steve. Can't wait till it arrives so I can play with the different combos. For those of you splitting the signal, what kind of amp are you using, acoustic or bass?
dan desy
Well-known member
francric said:
I love the SWR Strawberry Blonde. sounds great, small,light and plenty powerful. And you can get it off eBay for about $300.
But I currently use a Tech21 Acoustic DI through the PA. Not as great as the SB, but at least the DI allows me to "shape" my tone. And through the PA, the acoustic tone is fine.
bing4sons
Well-known member
I run 2 separate cables, one from the magnetic output to my electric pedal board and into my tube amp. The other I run from the piezo output into my acoustic pedal board into the PA. The acoustic pedal board has my LR Baggs Para DI direct box on it, so basically I'm running through the Para DI into the PA.
At home, I have a Crate acoustic amp that I can run the piezo output through.
BTW, they do make TRS cables with the "Y" (2 mono plus) on one end. However usless your pedal is stereo, it's probably only going to pick up one output.
Shoreline sells them http://www.shorelinemusic.com/accessories/cables.shtml I would call them. I think they are closing these cables out.
LR Baggs also makes a Y - TRS cable. You can also get a standard TRS cable and get a Hosa Y adapter, that will do the same thing.
Normally you would plug the stereo end into the guitar and the "Y" end into 2 separate chains (i.e. acoustic and electric).
At home, I have a Crate acoustic amp that I can run the piezo output through.
BTW, they do make TRS cables with the "Y" (2 mono plus) on one end. However usless your pedal is stereo, it's probably only going to pick up one output.
Shoreline sells them http://www.shorelinemusic.com/accessories/cables.shtml I would call them. I think they are closing these cables out.
LR Baggs also makes a Y - TRS cable. You can also get a standard TRS cable and get a Hosa Y adapter, that will do the same thing.
Normally you would plug the stereo end into the guitar and the "Y" end into 2 separate chains (i.e. acoustic and electric).
