Replace Piezo P/U with Soundhole P/U

ScreamingDave · February 2023

This might be a dumb question, but I have an electro acoustic with a Fishman Presys piezo pickup system, but I prefer mag pickups. If I bought a Fishman Neo-D soundhole pickup, could I simply disconnect the piezo and connect the mag p/u to the preamp, or is the impedance/output of the mag p/u incompatible?

ICBM · February 2023

It’s not a dumb question at all. The answer is… sometimes you can - you’re right, they can be incompatible, although I think it’s mostly the polarised systems like B-Band which aren’t. I’m not completely familiar with the Presys though, so I can’t say for sure. I have done it successfully with several old systems where bridge pickups have died and not been easily replaceable.

Mellish · February 2023

If it was me, I'd go with a soundhole p/u as the lesser of the two evils

.

I always think there's something to be gained tone wise by not having an under saddle p/u.

It's just me, but I think if the guitar has one and you get it out (and install a saddle that sits all the way down) you won't regret it.

ScreamingDave · February 2023

Mellish said:

If it was me, I'd go with a soundhole p/u as the lesser of the two evils .

I always think there's something to be gained tone wise by not having an under saddle p/u.

It's just me, but I think if the guitar has one and you get it out (and install a saddle that sits all the way down) you won't regret it.

I was just going to leave the piezo in there but disconnect it. The setup is fine, so the plan is to connect the soundhole p/u to the preamp so I can still use the pre-amp controls

ScreamingDave · February 2023

OK. Had a reply from Fishman’s technical department, and they say it won’t work.

crunchman · February 2023

Mellish said:

If it was me, I'd go with a soundhole p/u as the lesser of the two evils .

I always think there's something to be gained tone wise by not having an under saddle p/u.

It's just me, but I think if the guitar has one and you get it out (and install a saddle that sits all the way down) you won't regret it.

The soundhole pickup will affect the tone more. You are clamping quite a heavy piece of metal to the top, which restricts the way the top vibrates.

I had two guitars that sounded great when I bought them, but a while later i became disappointed with the acoustic sound, and I sold them. I didn't twig until later that it was because I'd put soundhole pickups on them. Both of them went to people on here - one in the classifieds, and one via a consignment sale in a shop. I'm pretty sure that one of them posted up about taking the pickup off, and that the sound really opened up.

With modern digital trickery, the best option is an undersaddle and a pedal that can load IRs. Get a good IR, and use the piezo into that. It will sound much better than the magnetic one and you won't have a heavy lump of metal in your soundhole.

You get to select the sound you want if you get an IR pedal, but if you want to keep it simple, get something like a TC BodyRez, which is doing something similar, just with one preset.

ICBM · February 2023

crunchman said:

With modern digital trickery, the best option is an undersaddle and a pedal that can load IRs. Get a good IR, and use the piezo into that. It will sound much better than the magnetic one and you won't have a heavy lump of metal in your soundhole.

You get to select the sound you want if you get an IR pedal, but if you want to keep it simple, get something like a TC BodyRez, which is doing something similar, just with one preset.

This - or the intermediate type of thing like a Fishman Aura, Boss AD-8 or Zoom AC-3 which have multiple presets.

It is very counterintuitive that the most 'natural' amplified acoustic sound seems to come from using the *worst*-sounding pickup type (a plain passive undersaddle piezo) through a completely artificial digital model of a mic'ed guitar - so you're not really even hearing the acoustic sound of your own guitar... but it does seem to be so!

Mellish · February 2023

@crunchman ; if it was me, I wouldn't have either.

There *was* a time when I'd make use of electronics on Hummingbirds/J-45s but I was young and foolish

Today when I'm playing at home, I don't need it; and when gigging, my OM-28 is mic'd

ToneControl · February 2023

crunchman said:

Mellish said:

If it was me, I'd go with a soundhole p/u as the lesser of the two evils .

I always think there's something to be gained tone wise by not having an under saddle p/u.

It's just me, but I think if the guitar has one and you get it out (and install a saddle that sits all the way down) you won't regret it.

The soundhole pickup will affect the tone more. You are clamping quite a heavy piece of metal to the top, which restricts the way the top vibrates.

I had two guitars that sounded great when I bought them, but a while later i became disappointed with the acoustic sound, and I sold them. I didn't twig until later that it was because I'd put soundhole pickups on them. Both of them went to people on here - one in the classifieds, and one via a consignment sale in a shop. I'm pretty sure that one of them posted up about taking the pickup off, and that the sound really opened up.

With modern digital trickery, the best option is an undersaddle and a pedal that can load IRs. Get a good IR, and use the piezo into that. It will sound much better than the magnetic one and you won't have a heavy lump of metal in your soundhole.

You get to select the sound you want if you get an IR pedal, but if you want to keep it simple, get something like a TC BodyRez, which is doing something similar, just with one preset.

I would be disinclined to fit a big chunk of kit to the soundhole, although AFAIK it's a very heavily braced area that doesn't vibrate that much. However, you are still interfering with the soundboard

I stopped fitting piezos, I now use K&K pure mini pickups. I recommend them, but assume they are not ideal for louder gigs.
Then I use IR or a wooden guitar body in AxeFx, Helix or DAW
Works for me.
see: K&K Pure Mini Installation/ Review - Acoustics Discussions on theFretBoard

I have one guitar with the K&K Trinity Pro system: adds a microphone and an external preamp/mix box - it has EQ for each channel inside the box. This sounds very good

Image: https://www.djangobooks.com/media/ecom/prodlg/k-and-k-trinity-preamp.jpg

K&K Trinity Pro Preamp - DjangoBooks.com

ScreamingDave · February 2023

My best acoustic sound is from an Ibanez Talman acoustic with a mag pup straight into a Blackstar Acoustic amp, again not what you’d expect, hence my original post about fitting a mag pup to the Washburn

chris45 · February 2023

Any recommendations for a decent brand / model under saddle?

ICBM · February 2023

chris45 said:

Any recommendations for a decent brand / model under saddle?

Fishman AG series.

ScreamingDave · March 2023

OK. Solved this one. Did what I should’ve done in the first place and bought anothe Ibanez Talman with the mag p/u and wil probably put the Washburn up for sale

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Replace Piezo P/U with Soundhole P/U

Comments