Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark Werner on January 29, 2010 at 12:03pm

I have noticed that with my piezo-equipped guitars they are sensitive to being too close to the amp. Why this is I don't really know....
Since you have to adjust the amp now and then, you can either put the CBG down or wire in a volume control....

Then you can roll down to a low level if you have to get close to the amp.

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Permalink Reply by Roger Morin on January 29, 2010 at 12:14pm

Tinyguitars has used hot glue to mount the piezo. Puts aglob of hot glue down then puts piezo in glue, the covers it in hot glue. I have bought 3-4 guitars from him and never had trouyble with feed back.

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Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on January 29, 2010 at 12:53pm

Dear Double D,

First of all , yes, this subject has been addressed ad abnauseum.... I just used the search feature for "piezo feedback" and was rewarded with 7 pages of hits (probably over 80 distinct posts) full of information.

The question of feedback of a piezo pup is... assuming a typical installation under the lid/top, feedback can be greatly reduced if the ceramic back of the piezo is encased with some "cushioning" material (hot glue, foam, silicone caulk, even a lay of wood).

You will find all the help you need here. Much of it already exists. If you can't find it on the search function (extreme top and right of each page), by all means ask.

Hope this helps,
the best,

Wichita Sam

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Permalink Reply by Brendan deVallance on January 30, 2010 at 7:03am

Is that pick-up on the outside of the box? My brain might have it wrong. I'd try it on the inside of the box. i use a piece of foam rubber to press the piezo against the lid and give it some isloation. The piezo really just acts as a mic. And using foam gives you more of a chance to experiment, If you cover it in glue and it doesnt help, well then . . . . Are you having issues with hum? If that is the case you need to solder it better.

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Permalink Reply by diamond dom on January 30, 2010 at 9:04am

cool, lots to try here guys thanks much for the advice.
i'll let you know how i get on
dom

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Permalink Reply by Jerryrig240 on January 30, 2010 at 11:48pm

Roll your peizo up in a hanky....it dampens things out and gives it more of a low end sound. Also, peizo's don't like feed back, gain or distoration, they are more for clean playing I would say.......I am running into the same problem with my new diddley bow that is driven by a speaker. It likes to squeal, when you think of it, a mic, peizo, and speaker are all kinda the same thing, so when you get to close to your amp, you are bound for trouble. I hope the hanky roll helps on yours, It did mine.

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Permalink Reply by jason peterson on January 31, 2010 at 1:42pm

i have been putting the piezo between two pieces of thin wood and that has been working good for me, the first build i just used the piezo without a volume control and it worked great no feedback but the second build i wired in a volume pot with the piezo and i get i buzzing sound if i don't have the volume turned up to 9 or 10 on the cbg ,does anyone know why this is happening?

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Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on January 31, 2010 at 3:16pm

"cold solder joint"... resolder and it will probably go away...

jason peterson said:

i have been putting the piezo between two pieces of thin wood and that has been working good for me, the first build i just used the piezo without a volume control and it worked great no feedback but the second build i wired in a volume pot with the piezo and i get i buzzing sound if i don't have the volume turned up to 9 or 10 on the cbg ,does anyone know why this is happening?

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Permalink Reply by Randy Webb on January 31, 2010 at 4:35pm

This bridge is 2 pieces of wood sandwiched together. There is a slight cavity in the middle and the piezo is in the cavity surrounded by an acrylic compound that dries to a rubbery consistency. There is a small hole in the bottom for the leads to come out of and the whole bottom is covered in a paper thin piece of foam rubber. This causes it to resist box/body noise and pickup string vibration with less feedback and noise.

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Permalink Reply by Travis "SlackJack" Woodall on February 5, 2010 at 12:51pm

Not sure if anyone suggested this, but one of my friendly CBNation pals suggested to me that I use a balled up page out of a newspaper inside the box. The last CBG I finished, my 23rd total, played great and sounded great but had enough feedback to shoot me to the moon. I tried it, balled it up loosely to where it just makes enough contact with the lid to stay in place...I can crank up the volume and NO FEEDBACK. That, along with my usual encasing the piezo in walnut,is now my standard for all of my build that have a piezo pickup in them. Hope that helps. Good luck!!

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Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on February 5, 2010 at 1:59pm

Not sure, but stuffing the box with balled up newspaper probably kills any acoustic volume... It's clear why it works, it insulates the open back of the piezo from ambient sound waves, which when they gain amplitude, causes feedback.

But, when it is so easy to limit feedback in ways that don't kill acoustic volume of the instrument, why not do it a better way?

No rules,
JMHO,

the best,

Wichita Sam

Travis "SlackJack" Woodall said:

Not sure if anyone suggested this, but one of my friendly CBNation pals suggested to me that I use a balled up page out of a newspaper inside the box. The last CBG I finished, my 23rd total, played great and sounded great but had enough feedback to shoot me to the moon. I tried it, balled it up loosely to where it just makes enough contact with the lid to stay in place...I can crank up the volume and NO FEEDBACK. That, along with my usual encasing the piezo in walnut,is now my standard for all of my build that have a piezo pickup in them. Hope that helps. Good luck!!

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Permalink Reply by Braxton Nagle on February 6, 2010 at 2:56pm

Which are you referring to?

Wichita Sam said:

Not sure, but stuffing the box with balled up newspaper probably kills any acoustic volume... It's clear why it works, it insulates the open back of the piezo from ambient sound waves, which when they gain amplitude, causes feedback.

But, when it is so easy to limit feedback in ways that don't kill acoustic volume of the instrument, why not do it a better way?

No rules,
JMHO,

the best,

Wichita Sam

Travis "SlackJack" Woodall said:

Not sure if anyone suggested this, but one of my friendly CBNation pals suggested to me that I use a balled up page out of a newspaper inside the box. The last CBG I finished, my 23rd total, played great and sounded great but had enough feedback to shoot me to the moon. I tried it, balled it up loosely to where it just makes enough contact with the lid to stay in place...I can crank up the volume and NO FEEDBACK. That, along with my usual encasing the piezo in walnut,is now my standard for all of my build that have a piezo pickup in them. Hope that helps. Good luck!!

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