Anyone use a Piezo system?

[redmax61]

I just installed a Graphtech Ghost Piezo system in my new PRS Singlecut Trem. I bought the guitar primarily with that idea in mind. The sound of the thing is absolutely amazing! It sounds thicker and fuller than my old Ovation Celeb Deluxe.

So my questions are, does anyone have a Piezo system on their guitar? What style of music do you use it for? And how do you amplify it?

 

[lukeness]

I have a PRS Hollowbody with the Piezo sys on it. I've tried it through the FOH mix, and it's still a "piezo" to me. No where near a real acoustic guitar.

It's ok... but I don't think I'd ever use it live. Definitely not for recording ever.

Perhaps it could sound better with an acoustic preamp and EQ. Who knows... but in my opinion... piezo never sound that good.

 

[Valtyr]

I have a Parker Nitefly with a passive piezo system.

I use two amps, a Mesa F-30 for the pickups and a Fender Acoustasonic 30 for the piezo. I use an Ernie Ball stereo volume/pan pedal, this way I can switch sounds or mix the tones together all with the pedal.

I haven't tried this setup in a band.

 

[kofasetic]

I have a Godin LGX-SA and the acoustic sound is not that great. You can still tell it's not an acoustic guitar. I run it through a PA. It's a bit on the thin side. But it works for live work.

 

[musicbox]

i was considering buying the graphtech ghost system to solve my string breaking issues... i figured id get a nice little bonus with the piezo, but i had heard that i would have to modify my guitar and lost interest. i ended up just buying the saddles and to date i have yet to break a string, but im still curious about the ghost.

did you buy the pre-amp they sell with it?
how much modification was neccesary to fit it?

strange note: the guy who designed and builds them lives 10 minutes from my house.

 

[redmax61]

There really weren't any irreversable mods made. I used existing holes on the guitar, and replaced the guitar's original volume control with a stacked control that was purchased from WD. I used Ghost saddles and preamp, in addition to the Quickswitch. Everything that I needed was in the kit. It was a snap to install - with a minimum of soldering - and it sounds great!

I've spoken to Dave Dunwoodie and Lea Rawlings a few times. They are very nice and extremely helpful people.

 

[DNW]

My RG2127X has piezo-loaded Double Edge trem.

At the moment, all I'm running it through is a Boss PQ-4 (parametric EQ pedal), with an Intellifex for a bit of delay, or chorus or whatever, into my Classic 60/60 power amp.

 

[Guitarzan]

I have a Warmoth Strat with an LR Baggs X-Bridge and Active X control. It is one of the best sounding piezo's out there. I also own a Petrucci MM/EB w/ piezo.

 

[Ploki]

My RG2127X has piezo-loaded Double Edge trem.

At the moment, all I'm running it through is a Boss PQ-4 (parametric EQ pedal), with an Intellifex for a bit of delay, or chorus or whatever, into my Classic 60/60 power amp.

uff, i have 2027X, can you show me a pic of your guitar?

I have it on my Ibanez RG2120X and RG2027X, it is suppose to be L.R. Baggs, the one on RG2120X has a Hi/low EQ (which is good!) but the one without EQ on RG2027X is more IDIOT proof. :S
anyway, if i run it through my mesa it sounds rather shitty(shitty in 'not sounding acoustic/piezo' meaning), its best to be ran through a PA or a solidstate amp. its cool for live stuff, and for some combos with Magnetic Pickups to add some twang and spark.. for studio, it couldn't replace a good acoustic guitar.

 

[redmax61]

I haven't had any chances to use mine in a live situation, but I'm fairly sure I would just run it direct into the PA for live. I run my Piezo systems through my bass amp just to practice on. My bass cabs have 10" speakers and small horns, so my Piezo actually sounds fairly full going through this setup. I tried running it into my Dual Recto, and as you said, the results were less than appealing.

 

[Ken j]

I have a Fishman Powerbridge and a Fishman Powerchip (preamp) on my homemade neck through. I found that it sounds its best through a friends older Mackey PA with some recent 3-way JBL 12' speakers. It sounds ok through my DC-5 but nothing to get excited about. One issue with the Powerchip is that when in stereo mode the piezo channel won't play or is distorted with some amps, even acoutic amps. I contacted Fishman and they are aware of the problem saying that it is a capacitence issue. How the powerchip works is that it senses what kind of guitar cord you use. If you put in a mono guitar cord it blends the magnetic pickups with the piezo, plug in a stereo cord and it splits off the magnetics and piezo to two different amps. I don't think I would have installed this knowing what I know now but it does have some useful sounds.

 

[nosajwp]

Check this out. I've been bugging Dave at Graph Tech for the past several months about their Ghost piezo saddles for Floyd Rose. I heard from them today, and they want me to be a beta tester for the first designs!

Should I take the plunge and try them out? I've read good things about Ghost saddles, and it would keep me from having to buy an EBMM Petrucci if it turns out well.

 

[RR]

I have a Fishman Powerbridge and a Fishman Powerchip... One issue with the Powerchip is that when in stereo mode the piezo channel won't play or is distorted with some amps, even acoutic amps. I contacted Fishman and they are aware of the problem saying that it is a capacitence issue. How the powerchip works is that it senses what kind of guitar cord you use. If you put in a mono guitar cord it blends the magnetic pickups with the piezo, plug in a stereo cord and it splits off the magnetics and piezo to two different amps. ...

Thank Ken that statement. I too have same set up Fishman PowerBridge / Powerchip. Its like you said, nothing to get excited about, not your Taylor or Martin tone in a recording studio but fairly "acoustic" sounding in live situation. I like it.

 

[tony777]

I have a RG2020X and 2027Xwith piezo and I use my piezo output direct into an Eventide H8000A for nice and weird effects, which I think it's very useful.

I don't think the piezo sounds good when it's connected to an amp, but direct into a PA system will work better, but still the piezo can't replace an acoustic guitar, and definately not in a studio situation, where you would mic the acoustic anyway.

The piezo pickup sounds like a piezo, regardless whether you have it on a electric or an acoustic, but you normally would have thicker string gauge on the acousic, to fatten up the sound, but still it sounds piezo.

my 2 NKR (I'm norwegian) ;-)

Tony

 

[jvk]

I've got an Ibanez S2120X with piezo, even though it has two outputs I normally mix the piezo with the magnetic pickups to get a really nice Zappa/Gilmour clean sound, and with a bit of distortion I get a really nice fat blues sound, it really sounds great.

When mixed with the mags I roll off the piezo volume a bit as it's considerably luoder than the mags because the piezo circuit's active. This way it just adds a bit of articulation and almost chimey clarity to the sound.

Together with the 5-way selector and the piezo-piezo+mags-mags switch I can get 11 different types of sounds!!

I REALLY REALLY want an RG2127x or a RG2027, just imagine, piezo on my Ibanez Edge Pro bridge....

 

[jvk]

Can you guys post pics of your RG2027 & RG2127, I want to admire them and get jealous a little bit

There's a RG2027 on eb*y Australia which has been SCALLOPED!! UGH! I have always doubted the practicality of that. Maybe on a strat where the frets are puny you might get some more sustain and it might feel nice, but on an Ibanez with already tall frets it's probably pointless, the strings never actually touch the fretboard on my 4 RGs.