Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tim Pannabecker on May 6, 2022 at 4:04am

Would you mind sharing where and how you are placing the piezos currently?

Permalink Reply by Michael Myers on May 6, 2022 at 4:12am

When I’ve used a disc piezo I’ve fixed them to the inside of the lid, with hot glue, directly under the bridge position. I would have removed material from the neck so that the lid, and/or pickup, doesn’t come into contact with any part of the neck with the exception of the points where the through neck enters and leaves the box.

Permalink Reply by Tim Pannabecker on May 6, 2022 at 4:27am

Piezo in the neck is very interesting.  With the traditional placement under the bridge, when there is neck contact, it really projects through the amp.  The difference in location and output is intriguing.  I’m sure you will get some great responses from the pros on this site.  Thanks for bringing this idea up, I’ll look forward to the responses 

Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on May 6, 2022 at 5:26am

Alot of factors at play here . Not all piezos are equal .  or the same quality .  Vibration of the lid and build design can factor in as well . and/or if the  neck is hard attached to lid etc etc . 

Rule of thumb is to test  placement with tape to try and find a sweet spot .  Also,  some piezos are more sensitive than others , and may need to be tamed with hot glue , padding or .  placement on the neck may hush it a little better  than getting full sensitivity  by the bridge or on the lid . 

Otherwise  a cheap squaky piezo may sound like 2 skeletons humping on a tin roof  using a tin can for a condom ...... or like pulling a cat through a keyhole .

So , test what ya got to work with , and find the sweet spot .  and be sure you get the same brand and quality when trying to repeat success , or  repeat the same design. 

Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on May 6, 2022 at 2:55pm

Hi, It's hard to beat anonymous pick's desription, spot on.

Just to add that strip or UST, or under saddle transducers are made to sense the vibrations of the string, so mounting as close to the string as possible, [under the saddle} gets the best out of them.

Disc piezo transducers read the vibrations of timber in a CBG. The timber is excited by the strings, so again closer to that area the more response. Not always a good response, so as AP says experiment.

Also, a preamp is recommended for a more pleasing performance from a piezo pickup.
Cheers taff