Acoustic Guitar Pickup

Step 7: Installation: Step #5

This step is a very important part if you want your guitar to have a nice sound. You are now going to mount the piezo element. Be careful with the element. Piezo pickups can be broken if you bend them. Although it may seem odd, your pickup will produce a much better sound if you mount it hanging off of the guitar, 50-50. In other words, half of the element (brass side) is taped to the bridge (or a brace), and the other half is hanging out in mid-air. The best place to mount the piezo element is on the back side of the bridge. (the side towards the endpin) To apply the pickup, take a piece of double-stick tape, just enough to cover half of the element, and place it on the element. You may also want to use hot glue once you have found the best place on the guitar, as this improves the .4k-1.0kHz range of the pickup. A lot of people also use a sticky-putty, available at a local office supply store. The half of the pickup with tape (or glue or putty) will be the part that sticks to wood on the inside of the guitar. The other half will be hanging off. Try to keep the adhesive (tape/hot glue/putty) as thin as possible as this will help overall performance. It is also important to note that the placement of the piezo element can also be used to boost frequencies from .25-3.0kHz depending on how much of the device hangs in mid-air. Play around with different placements if you want your guitar to have a unique sound. Typically, the closer the pickup is to the bridge, the warmer the sound.

Comments

[stonykill]

I just tried this on a cheap acoustic and it works fantastic. The hardest part was fitting my hand in a 3/4 size guitar hole. Thanks!

[boogie_howsa]

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND FROM THIS PICTURE ,EXACTLY WHERE I AM SUPPOSED TO ATTACH THE PICKUP.IS IT ON THE UNDERSIDE?IF U CANT SEE INSIDE ,HOW CAN U ATTACH IT?WHERE THE HELL IS THE BRIDGE UNDER THE GUITAR?SOMEBODY HELP!!!

[greyhathacker45]

WHY DO PEOPLE ASK COMMENTS IN ALL CAPS? You've got to attach the piezo element INSIDE the guitar underneath the bridge. On guitars that use bridge pins, you can locate this point by feeling around for the thick lip and protruding pins on the underside of the guitar. You're going to want to remove the strings for all of this. Attach the pickup with some high quality double stick tape. I will note that the placement of the pickup depends on personal preference. It will make a noise most anywhere, but some musicians prefer to use slightly different placement to achieve the desired tone.

[SadPatrick]

I read in the previous step where you attach foam to one side of the piezo. So when you attach the "pickup" to the guitar, which "side" of the "pickup" gets attached - the foam side or the piezo side? In other words, are you truly attaching the pickup, and the foam is "facing away" from the guitar, or do you attach the foam? What's the foam do? Pick up more vibration than the piezo alone?

[SadPatrick]

Clarification: In other words, are you truly attaching the piezo, and the foam is "facing away" from the guitar, or do you attach the foam, and the piezo is "mounted" on it?

[greyhathacker45]

The piezo should have a side that is brass. Attach the foam tape to this side. the foam is double sided... it is what attaches the pickup to the bridge. One side attaches to the pickup, the other to the bridge of the guitar. Foam is a common material, but it's not mandatory. You could use a strong glue, or any other adhesive that won't allow the element to vibrate, and produce nasty clicks and buzzes.

[SadPatrick]

OK, thanks. By the instructions, I thought I was supposed to put foam on the piezo in addition to tape, and thought maybe the foam picked up more vibrations or something. If that is not the case, I have some good, strong, thin double-sided tape that has no foam, and I'll use that instead.