[sdiy] Guitar Synth boards ready... OT Question

[harrybissell]

Scott Gravenhorst wrote:

> Ok, I get it, a contact microphone.  It sounds like it would be difficult to
> get them isolated if the idea is to make a hex pickup.  I'd think vibration
> would conduct easily through the bridge and cause one piezo to pick up more
> than one string.

Yep, you indeed get it.  In most cases they try and use an individual saddle for
each
string with the piezo elements isolated from each other.

Even with magnetic pickups there can be some troubles.  I have a G-vox on my
Ovation
acoustic... with the pickup mounted to the top. It does not perform as well as my
solid
body electric with the pickup resting on the tune-o-matic bridge posts...

(private) BTW I tried your guitar synth tuning. it was pretty interesting and
I'll probably
incorporate a means to do it when I go full poly.

H^) harry

>
>
> "john mahoney" <jmahoney at gate.net> wrote:
> >> Can anyone briefly explain how a piezo works with a guitar string?
> >
> >In guitars, piezo elements (film type) are mounted in the bridge. They are
> >always under pressure from the string tension pressing down onto the bridge.
> >String vibration is transferred to the piezo crystals, which then generate
> >varying signals (varying voltage, I believe -- like a microphone or phono
> >cartridge).
> >
> >This guy sells piezo elements for making your own guitar pickups (seems
> >expensive, to me):
> >http://www.members.tripod.com/~tclutherie/page4.html
> >
> >(Side question: Did the cheap, old "ceramic" phono cartridges use piezo
> >elements?)
> >--
> >john
> >
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Scott Gravenhorst" <music.maker at gte.net>
> >To: <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
> >Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2004 10:18 AM
> >Subject: RE: [sdiy] Guitar Synth boards ready... OT Question
> >
> >
> >> Can anyone briefly explain how a piezo works with a guitar string?
> >> Magnetic pickups are pretty obvious, but piezo?
> >>
> >> "Paddock, Toby" <tpaddock at seanet.com> wrote:
> >> >All Electronics has cute little piezo discs #PE-45.
> >> >The crystal itself is about 0.4" (1cm) dia.
> >> >But I'm guessing that's still too wide.
> >> >
> >> >I just cut one with scissors and it looks like a pretty
> >> >clean cut. (As far as I can tell with these old eyeballs.)
> >> >I expected it to crumble and shatter and bend and such.
> >> >I'll take it to work and look at it under a microscope.
> >> >
> >> >Later,
> >> >Toby Paddock
> >> >http://www.seanet.com/~tpaddock
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >Harry "dipped in BBD's and rolled in cornflakes" Bissell wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> Mono Piezo pickup... sure.
> >> >>
> >> >> HEX piezo pickup....  woah that would be tough.
> >> >>
> >> >> If I had to try it... I would check out some to the piezo stuff made my
> >> >> Measurement Specialties (Digikey)... but not the little plastic piezo
> >> >> benders.   They did not work well for my drum application, and would
> >> >> be SURE to be worse for a guitar app.
> >> >>
> >> >> The Brass benders have a very brittle piezo ceramic... I think its
> >> >> possible the
> >> >> heat of cutting them with a dremel tool might harm them as well.  But
> >> >> hey...
> >> >> for the price of those benders why not try it ???
> >> >>
> >> >> How about taking apart old crystal phonograph cartridges ???
> >> >>
> >> >> H^) harry
> >> >>
> >> >> Ingo Debus wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> > Am Sonntag, 20.06.04 um 23:51 Uhr schrieb nils pipenbrinck:
> >> >> >
> >> >> > > I'm lucky 'cause I own a guitar with a piezo pickup.
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Has anyone tried to diy a piezo pickup? Can these piezo discs (from
> >> >> > buzzers etc.) be cut, with a dremel perhaps?
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Ingo
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >> ---------------------------------------------------------
> >> - Where merit is not rewarded, excellence fades.
> >> - Hydrogen is pointless without solar.
> >> - What good are laws that only lawyers understand?
> >> - The media's credibility should always be questioned.
> >> - The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist.
> >> - Governments do nothing well, save collect taxes.
> >>
> >> -- Scott Gravenhorst | LegoManiac / Lego Trains / RIS 1.5
> >> -- Linux Rex         | RedWebMail by RedStarWare
> >> -- FatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/FatMan/
> >> -- NonFatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/electronics/
> >> -- Autodidactic Master of Arcane and Hidden Knowledge.
> >>
> >
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> - Where merit is not rewarded, excellence fades.
> - Hydrogen is pointless without solar.
> - What good are laws that only lawyers understand?
> - The media's credibility should always be questioned.
> - The only good terrorist is a dead terrorist.
> - Governments do nothing well, save collect taxes.
>
> -- Scott Gravenhorst | LegoManiac / Lego Trains / RIS 1.5
> -- Linux Rex         | RedWebMail by RedStarWare
> -- FatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/FatMan/
> -- NonFatMan: home1.gte.net/res0658s/electronics/
> -- Autodidactic Master of Arcane and Hidden Knowledge.