soundboard transducer placement?
JBelshe
wondering where to stick the thing. I realize that I have to experiment with
different placements, but I hate taking the strings off, moving the transducer,
restringing it, and so on.
What's your favorite placement?
Justin Belshe
"And the El train came tumbling across the trestles, and it sounded like the
ghost of Gene Krupa with an overhead cam and glasspacks" - Tom Waits
David Neely
sensors and we put them under the bridge. Later the guys at FRAP
demanded placing them slighly behind the bridge and off of the bridge
plate attached to the spruce. Those sensors faded away with the advent
of piezo-saddle pickups.Good Luck!!
David Neely
David C. Hurd
There are at least 4-5 primary resonances for the top which have an
important effect on individual notes on the fretboard. Each resonance has a
node (an area of maximum displacement during vibration) and an anti-node (an
area of minimal displacement, etc.). I suggest that the correct strategy is
*not* to place the transducer on an antinode *or* node but in null zones
between the two. What to do? Use something like Tac'N Stik from Office Max
on the transducer and move the transducer around the outside of the top
until a reasonable compromise among the various resonances and fretted notes
is reached. *Then* put the transducer on the inside of the instrument at
that spot. Of course this approach ignores all of the air resonances within
the body but there's only so much time to spend d**ing with this stuff
before you actually get on to playing music which is the real object of the
business anyway...
aloha,
Kawika
David "Kawika" Hurd
1626 Kino'ole Street
Hilo, HI 96720-5021
http://www.ukuleles.com/
JBelshe wrote in message <19990409132550...@ng35.aol.com>...
JBelshe
>on the transducer and move the transducer around the outside of the top
>until a reasonable compromise among the various resonances and fretted notes
>is reached. *Then* put the transducer on the inside of the instrument at
>that spot.
Of course! D'OH!! I'd like to think that I would have eventually remembered
this, since I've exactly this before.
(feeling less than brilliant...)
xyzj...@primary.net
>I'm installing a piezo soundboard transducer in an old acoustic guitar and I'm
>wondering where to stick the thing. I realize that I have to experiment with
>different placements, but I hate taking the strings off, moving the transducer,
>restringing it, and so on.
>What's your favorite placement?
I find the best default on the inside of a guitar, is about an inch away from the treble
side of the foot of the bridge. I use soundboard td's entirely, having gotten sick of the
tone of undersaddle pu's, and the string balance difficulties with them. The sticky tack
mentioned in this thread is excellent for mounting; the thickness will impact tone and
volume significantly.
I get piezo disks here for fifty cents at a used electronics place, Gateway electronics.
Their buck fifty condensor mics are pretty good too! <G>
Jeffrey
remove xyz to reply
Dwain Wilder
>
> Here then is my suggestion:
> There are at least 4-5 primary resonances for the top which have an
> important effect on individual notes on the fretboard. Each resonance has a
> node (an area of maximum displacement during vibration) and an anti-node (an
> area of minimal displacement, etc.). I suggest that the correct strategy is
> *not* to place the transducer on an antinode *or* node but in null zones
David, you confuse me! According to the above definition, what is the difference
between a null and an anti-node?? They sound like the same thing to me :o\
Dwain
--
Dwain Wilder
Bear Meadow Folk Instruments
http://www.bearmeadow.com
David C. Hurd
By null I rather meant intermediate position between node and anti-node
(or mode); poor terminology on my part for which I apologize. A little too
much cheap Chardonnay before dealing with usenet...;) The gist of the
message remains the same however. Don't place the transducer on either a
node or antinode in order to achieve a balanced result.
Kawika
Dwain Wilder wrote in message <37137F91...@bearmeadow.com>...
Dwain Wilder
OK, I'm with you now. By node and anti-node you refer to two maxima of
different polarity, with a null between, as in a good ol' sine wave,
right? So you don't want to put the xducer there because it will honk
on the fundamental which is forming the node/antinode there? This is
beginning to sound similar to discussions that arise from time to time
about where to place soundholes on dulcimers (in fact, one is going
on right now on MIMF)...
BTW, I get the same effect with tequila, Triple Sec, and limes. Expensive,
but more reliable.
Dwain
"David C. Hurd" wrote:
>
> Hi Dwain,
> By null I rather meant intermediate position between node and anti-node
> (or mode); poor terminology on my part for which I apologize. A little too
> much cheap Chardonnay before dealing with usenet...;) The gist of the
> message remains the same however. Don't place the transducer on either a
> node or antinode in order to achieve a balanced result.
> Kawika
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