...why not drill a hole in it? :lol:
Using the instructions found on this page, I took the plunge today and drilled a 3/8" hole in a nearly brand new guitar.
Why, you ask?
If you follow the link, you'll learn how to make a built-in piezo pickup for your acoustic guitar. Since I'm a tinkerer and I like drilling holes in expensive things, I figured this project was right up my alley. 8)
Of course, in my excitement and haste to bring this to fruition, I didn't take any pictures of how I did it. It's really quite easy though, the directions on the site are pretty clear. If you've never done any soldering or wiring before, you may want to find a friend to help you out.
The only external sign that any modification has been made to my guitar is the cable jack near the end of the body. It still looks, feels and plays just like it did before, but now I can plug it in at my leisure and hear the amplified goodness of an acoustic/electric...and the best part is that aside from about 2 hours of time, I've got under $10 invested!
Here are the Radio Shack parts I bought (apologies to folks without a RS store near them):
1 - Piezoelectric buzzer, stock #273-073, $1.99
1 - 2-pack of 1/4" jacks, stock #274-255, $3.99
1 - 6' audio cable (to cut up,) stock #42-2421, $3.29
That's it!
I don't have the factilities to perform exotic audio tests and graphing and such, but my meager ear tells me that it sounds pretty darn good. A bit prone to feedback if you're too close to the amp, and I had to back off the treble quite a bit to make it sound not-tinny, but otherwise it's a right champ. I highly recommend this mod to anyone who's a bit adventurous -- and doesn't mind drilling a hole in a perfectly good guitar. ;)
-Rick
Does it still sound good still withouth being plugged in?
'You and I in a little toy shop, bought a bag of balloons with the money we got"
feel free to talk with me on msn at [email protected]..... no icq anymore
It still looks, feels and plays just like it did before,
I think that answers your question ;)
I am seriously considering this mod for my guitar. It looks awesome.
A hoopy frood knows where his towel is....
umm, before you do that, you may want to compare actual sound samples from a real pickup. Yes I can hear it but the sound is a bit thin to my ears. Could you tweak the sound....yes. Is it as good as a PUTW? I don't know.
I've played around with this on several of my less loved guitars. It's very similar -- if not exactly the same -- as the old Frappe and Buffalo pups. Where one sticks the element determines the overall sound within a range of piezoness. It is possible to install multiple piezo elements electrically in parallel in different locations (and cut to different sizes to balance contributions). But it can be a lot of work to not add that much improvement. It work and sounds as good as some of the pups installed in less expensive electric-acoustics. Equalization is probably the best improvement that can be made.
As for drilling the hole for the jack: An alternative is an endpin jack, which costs maybe $10 to $15, but is structurally more stable and merely enlarges an existing hole.
This is a great learning project with some reasonable results, esp. given the dirt cheap cost.
-Greg
-=tension & release=-
Here are the Radio Shack parts I bought (apologies to folks without a RS store near them):
Interesting fact of the day: 97% of americans live within an 8 minute drive of a Radio Shack. They told me that when I applied there for a job a few years ago... pretty interesting.
Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...
LOL that was soo random! :lol: :roll:
Stairway to Freebird!
got one right around the corner :o
umm, before you do that, you may want to compare actual sound samples from a real pickup. Yes I can hear it but the sound is a bit thin to my ears. Could you tweak the sound....yes. Is it as good as a PUTW? I don't know.
It's not a replacement for a good quality manufactured pickup, of course...but for 10 bucks and one hole (I really didn't mind drilling it) it's actually quite good. The whole thing is just hot-glued and masking-taped in there, so I can pull it out and play around with some different configurations. I have a larger piezo element that I might try out sometime down the road.
If worse comes to worst and I end up hating the whole setup after the novelty wears off, I buy a soundhole or under-saddle pickup, and I've already got a jack in place for it. 8)
You drilled a hole in that gorgeous accoustic?????? oy. Pilot,.... some things work REALLY WELL without electons. I understand your penchant to power up everything, but, geeze man, It's ACCOUSTIC.
-- Scratch 8)
"...if heartaches were commercials, we'd all be on TV" -- John Prine
42
what sort of cableing is this?
A hoopy frood knows where his towel is....
Interesting fact of the day: 97% of americans live within an 8 minute drive of a Radio Shack.
My neighborhood Radio Shack clocks in at about 15 minutes from my driveway. i guess that puts me out in the sticks!
Regards,
Mike
"Growing Older But Not UP!"
I think I'm within 8 mins of 3.
I live in Butthole Canada and I could pee out my office window and hit Radio Shack. Coincidentally the guy who owns it is a musician and the only guitar dealer within a hundred miles.
"You want WHAT on the *&%#ing ceiling?" - Michelangelo, 1566
