Guess who just turned a $20 acoustic into a $21 acoustic-electric!

[vomitHatSteve]

So I needed some switches for my next circuit-bending project. I hopped on Amazon.
They said "Hey, do you want a stack of piezo's while you're here?"
I said "...I didn't before, but yes"

1 raw materials.jpg

30 seconds of soldering* later.

2 pickup.jpg

I grabbed my $20 "Martin" (That's what it says on the electrical tape wrapped around the headstock. You're not allowed to lie there!)

3 guitar.jpg

Conveniently, whoever owned it last had thoughtfully removed the electronics that were already there, so there was a pre-drilled jack hole to plug into. And a tuning hole for me to take a photo of the innards.

4 wired up.jpg

End result:

21 dollar acoustic electric.mp3

Yep. That's some kind of cheap electric alright.

* I lie. I'm terrible at soldering; it was 30 minutes.

[vomitHatSteve]

Next up, my $20 rogue uke and my much more expensive upright. (I'll be less flippant about the latter)

[vomitHatSteve]

5 uke.jpg

Rouge: Fine Instruments. Not fine as in "the finest of instruments" but fine as in "eh... yeah, it's fine"

6 target.jpg

All the videos explaining how to drill holes in a guitar have this thumbnail, so who am I to argue.

7 every drill bit.jpg

Seriously tho, all the tutorials say to use a reamer bit. I'm not gonna spend $40 on a drill bit for a Stupid Deal of the Day uke. Instead I'll use a "poor man's step bit". i.e. I'll use every drill bit I own in increasing size and hope for the best.

8 hey! I didn't ruin it.jpg

Good news! The best happened!

9 this one weird trick.jpg

One clever video suggested using a chopstick to feed the jack through the body of the instrument. I don't have chopsticks, but I do have bendy straws. I like to think I'm more clever because bendy straws are bendy.

...and I'm out of attachments. Boo!

[vomitHatSteve]

Anyway, here's the final result!

10 done.jpg

uke demo.mp3

[Bubba]

Well, this all looks very interesting Steve, but I'm not really understanding what I'm seeing in those pics!

[muttley]

Well, this all looks very interesting Steve, but I'm not really understanding what I'm seeing in those pics!

They are stick on transducers.. You can get them for a few pence each. Best thing is to blue tack them on until you can afford something better. I know a few guys that gigged Upright basses with them for quite a while.. They aint going to sound great but for a live bass they are passable.

[Bubba]

Well, this all looks very interesting Steve, but I'm not really understanding what I'm seeing in those pics!

They are stick on transducers.. You can get them for a few pence each. Best thing is to blue tack them on until you can afford something better. I know a few guys that gigged Upright basses with them for quite a while.. They aint going to sound great but for a live bass they are passable.

Ah, I see. Thanks.

[vomitHatSteve]

Well, this all looks very interesting Steve, but I'm not really understanding what I'm seeing in those pics!

They are stick on transducers.. You can get them for a few pence each. Best thing is to blue tack them on until you can afford something better. I know a few guys that gigged Upright basses with them for quite a while.. They aint going to sound great but for a live bass they are passable.

I used packing tape, but yep.

I actually did some research before pulling the trigger, and the recommendations were all for smaller, more-precisely-placed ones, but these were the ones that I could find in cheap bulk.

[muttley]

You should experiment with placement and use a fixing method that is both thin and gets maximum contact. It really makes a big difference. The bass players I know that have using them ended up finding the sweet spot then using epoxy to fix them.

Many years ago when I was involved in acoustic research we used them all the time. They were pretty new and exciting then... now they are pennies. Thank you China.

[SweetDan]

...The bass players I know that have using them ended up finding the sweet spot then using epoxy to fix them...

I play double bass, and I use a homemade piezo pickup for gigs that require it, so you've piqued my interest. I've been sticking mine to the outside of the top plate, about 1-2" down and out (towards the outside edge) from the treble-side bridge leg, and I use a thin layer of sticky-tac to attach it. I don't know if that's truly the sweet spot or not, but it works. (Here's some video w/decent mix - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eVRGjATooU. I'm trying to remember if/where there's a recording w/the direct sound; if I find it I'll post a link.)

This is what I want to know: when you say they used epoxy to fix them, do you mean they attached them on the outside (finished/varnished) side of the instrument, or the (raw wood) inside? I can't imagine doing that to my bass, which is all solid wood, and $$ (though not as much as pro orchestra or jazz players). I could maybe imagine doing that to a plywood bass, though.

[muttley]

...The bass players I know that have using them ended up finding the sweet spot then using epoxy to fix them...

I play double bass, and I use a homemade piezo pickup for gigs that require it, so you've piqued my interest. I've been sticking mine to the outside of the top plate, about 1-2" down and out (towards the outside edge) from the treble-side bridge leg, and I use a thin layer of sticky-tac to attach it. I don't know if that's truly the sweet spot or not, but it works. (Here's some video w/decent mix - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eVRGjATooU. I'm trying to remember if/where there's a recording w/the direct sound; if I find it I'll post a link.)

This is what I want to know: when you say they used epoxy to fix them, do you mean they attached them on the outside (finished/varnished) side of the instrument, or the (raw wood) inside? I can't imagine doing that to my bass, which is all solid wood, and $$ (though not as much as pro orchestra or jazz players). I could maybe imagine doing that to a plywood bass, though.

Normally to the inside of the top plate just behind the soundpost by a few inches. You can use double sided tape just as well. The carpet stuff is good as it holds well and is easily reversible. Most, in fact all the double bass players I gig with are jazzers as I do a lot of swing and jive gigs as well as dep stuff. Most of their bass's are pretty hacked up from many gigs on the road. For the big gigs they would bring a decent instrument and mic up.

[muttley]

Thats a pretty good trad sound you got going there. What amp you playing through?

[SweetDan]

Edit: Thanks! (and more notes on the set-up)

Behringer BX1200, mids scooped out slightly. And watching the video more closely, I lied/forgot about the pickup placement - looks like it's straight down from the bridge foot.

[vomitHatSteve]

You should experiment with placement and use a fixing method that is both thin and gets maximum contact.

On those two instruments, it's taped directly to the wood, so you don't get much thinner than that!

I like the carpet tape idea and will probably try that with the upright.

[muttley]

Thing is to get the best from them you need good coupling of the two surfaces. Ive found that surface to surface fixing to be wayy better. YMMV, its all about getting a usable tone at the end of the day...

[WhiskeyJack]

jesus. That really doesn't sound all that awful at all. It could be a tiny bit brighter but not too much. Even a fresh set of strings might spruce that up. I don't love alot of acoustic electric sounds casue they have a high end that seems unnatural for an acoustic and just kind of sound brittle. Lack warmth. I hear warmth in whatever this is. It translates.

Good job VHS.

[vomitHatSteve]

It could be a tiny bit brighter but not too much. Even a fresh set of strings might spruce that up.

You're saying I should change the strings more often than every 5 years? o . O

[WhiskeyJack]

It could be a tiny bit brighter but not too much. Even a fresh set of strings might spruce that up.

You're saying I should change the strings more often than every 5 years? o . O

not really. i know a few guys who prefer their acoustic strings to be hella old and blubby sounding. I like crispy bright acoustic strings. just a me thing.

[vomitHatSteve]

Too late! I already changed them all!