Piezo problems - repair Vs replace (and with what)

Airmiles · April 2023

Hi,
I'm hoping there's a consensus of sorts on something I know nothing about...!

So, I have a modest electro acoustic (cheapest all-solid Eastman) with a low-end piezo in it (Fishman sonitone) but it's fine for the small amount of rock acoustic parts it would get used plugged-in for (through an electric amp -Quilter- not acoustic )

But...it clearly has a short or other fault in there somewhere as it chews through a 9V battery in 60 hours of standby (yes, unplugged). So there's a short or something in either the PCB or the jack switch.
If it's the PCB etc. It's clearly beyond economic repair, but could it be the jack switch? How would you tell?

I don't especially trust myself to remove and replace it, so if I'm paying the local shop to do it it might make sense to have a modest upgrade, I'd have thought? Or is it straightforward even for the unskilled? It has to go in anyway for a bit of nut fettling so it's not a big deal.

The obvious drop in modest upgrade would be the Fishman matrix vt, though the shop pushes the K&K Pure. However I read that needs a preamp box/pedal?
Either of those pick-ups alone are roughly the same cost as a new sonitone plus e.g. the Boss AD-2, so might that in fact be a better option?

Thanks in advance.

ICBM · April 2023

It won’t be the jack, because even plugged in continuously the battery life would be a lot more than 60 hours - there’s a fault in something else.

I can’t really advise on replacements as I’m somewhat out of the loop on what’s available, but also because I detest onboard electrics… I always think you’re better off with a passive pickup and outboard electrics. The K&K pickup is excellent and will actually work fine direct to a PA/amp, although it’s even better with an external preamp.

The only real problem is what to do with the existing box and hole in the side of the guitar…

Airmiles · April 2023

Thanks @ICBM - fortunately the current one is the kind with dials inside the sound hole, so nothing to worry about regarding the side of the guitar.
I take your point about passive electrics - I've spent enough time already faffing with strings off and battery changes - food for thought.

p90fool · April 2023

Just a suggestion, I removed the guts from my Faith Venus and just wired the undersaddle piezo directly to the jack, then plugged into a Zoom AC3, and this is what it sounds like directly into my computer. (I know the pic shows a sound hole pickup, but that's just a back-up).

It's simple, robust, uses no batteries and sounds better than any other system I've ever used.

ICBM · April 2023

Airmiles said:

Thanks @ICBM - fortunately the current one is the kind with dials inside the sound hole, so nothing to worry about regarding the side of the guitar.

Ah, I wasn't sure about that bit! I should have left the original post without editing it

.

Airmiles said:

I take your point about passive electrics - I've spent enough time already faffing with strings off and battery changes - food for thought.

For me it's just better. As a repairer, electro-acoustics were the bane of my life... while they're probably not *that* unreliable, they're more so than you might expect, and are almost always a massive pain to repair or replace unless an exact substitute is available, and then it's expensive. Plus they're really a good example of built-in obsolescence, and are frequently badly dated-sounding just about at the point the guitar itself has started to mature nicely.

For me it's far better to keep just a simple pickup in the guitar, and the complex electronics offboard where they can be upgraded or replaced as necessary just by unplugging it.

p90fool said:

Just a suggestion, I removed the guts from my Faith Venus and just wired the undersaddle piezo directly to the jack, then plugged into a Zoom AC3, and this is what it sounds like directly into my computer. (I know the pic shows a sound hole pickup, but that's just a back-up).

It's simple, robust, uses no batteries and sounds better than any other system I've ever used.

I've done the same with my guitars, except that I use a Boss AD-8 instead of the Zoom. I did try a Zoom and thought it sounded very good too, but just marginally preferred the Boss.

shufflebeat · April 2023

I’m quite impressed with the Baggs Element. I had a used one fitted in a backup guitar but was so taken with it that I paid full price to put one in my backup backup guitar.

Airmiles · April 2023

Thanks all - it certainly sounds like passive is the right way forward. I'm inclined to go for the K&K if it avoids opening a pre-amp shaped rabbit-hole, at least in the short term.

@p90fool - thanks for the video - great playing! I can guarantee mine won't sound like that :!

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Piezo problems - repair Vs replace (and with what)

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