#1 resource for Cigar Box Guitars, Free Plans, How-To, Parts & More!

How many Piezos can I wire into a single jack?

As some of you guys know, I make a lot of weird guitars using Biscuit Tins.

For the most part, I use Mini Humbuckers for the guitar and bass amplification, but I wish to start using Piezos as a means of simplifying manufacture and safe me a lot of time.

But here's the thing, I like playing these things loud and the Piezos don't to be able to handle this very effectively and I intend to rectify this by adding more Piezos to the inside of the Tins.

I have recently used two inside my Brothers MKIV Biscuit Tin and what I wonder is this, How many Piezos can be wired into a single jack either with or without a volume pot?

Also would the addition of sound holes on the face of the tin improve the amplification of the Piezos or would it just affect its acoustic sound?

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on April 4, 2016 at 7:43am

According to Ted Crocker who has done a lot of fiddling with piezo's,7 discs hooked up together is the point where gain starts becoming loss with more added,7 seems to be the max,i 'think' that was wired in series,but it may be worth asking Ted

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by JP Lace Master on April 4, 2016 at 8:57am

7 seems a bit much, maybe 4 or 5 may work nicely. Remember I use Biscuit Tins opposed to traditional Cigar Boxes, but still retaining the Cigar Box building and playing methods.

maybe a disc in each corner of the Tin or all of them near the centre and bridge under the strings.

I'll have to experiment with this one, but thank you Darryl, you have been helpful.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 4, 2016 at 4:06pm

JP,

Time to experiment. Wire up a piezo to a jack, then place it in different positions beneath the lid of your bikkie tin, using double stick tape. You strum a note or chord, you should notice some differences in both volume and tone. Find where you like the best tones and volume, and place your discs there. Also, if you wanna play these loud through an amp, a pre-amp box can definitely help.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by JP Lace Master on April 5, 2016 at 10:51am

I think you are right. when I did my last guitar, I used blue tack to hold the Piezos in place whilst I moved them about. I found they work best for that particularly guitar when placed near the centre of the round tin, nearly right underneath the bridge itself.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cigar Box Nation on April 5, 2016 at 2:29am

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by JP Lace Master on April 5, 2016 at 10:52am

??????

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on April 5, 2016 at 5:53pm

Reference to a classic US television commercial from 1970. Mr. ( later, Professor) Owl answers the Kid's question of how many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop lolli.

The answer is 3 (until he crunches down on it).