piezo/magnetics and strings
Posted by: m-rouse <m-rouse@...>
this. I've got a Godin LGXT-SA with piezo saddles and Duncan
humbuckers. I thought that I could get a more 'acoustic' sound out
of the guitar by using acoustic strings. It did sound marginally
more acoustic, but the tradeoff was unacceptable. The sound from the
magnetics was pretty thin. I could have pulled the pickup on the
bass side up closer to the strings and fattened up the bottom some,
but it still was a significant compromise of both the acoustic and
electric sounds. I found that going to fatter electric strings gave
me a better acoustic sound than the acoustic strings, without
compromising the electric sound. I currently use D'Addario XL .011 -
.049. Using the thicker strings does two things:
1. Piezo's produce a richer sound when they are under higher
tension. With the heavier strings, the overtones will be stronger,
thus providing a more 'acoustic' sound.
2. Because the thicker strings are under higher tension, the
vibration of the strings tends more toward an elliptical rather than
a circular motion. This reduces the potential for fret buzz. That
is something to be aware of if you buy a hybrid. You cannot use as
low of action on the hybrid as you might normally use on an electric.
Fret buzz that is not a problem on a Strat or 'Paul will sound awful
through piezos.
What I find myself doing when playing songs that need an 'acoustic'
flavor to the sound is to turn the Piezo's all the way up to provide
the basis of the sound. I then add a little bit of the neck
humbucker to give the sound a richer, more full bodied sound.
If you want a good acoustic tone with 'super slinky' strings, get a
synth-ready guitar and a Roland VG88. Then make sure that you use a
very light touch on the strings so you don't bend them sharp when
playing chords.
Have fun. Plan to spend some bucks on strings and time doing setups
during the first few months you own your hybrid.
IHS,
Mark Rouse
On 8 Jun 2003, at 16:59, Kevin wrote:
> I am contemplating something and wanted to see if any one had already
> tried it and what the results were. I know lots of players put
> electric strings on their acoustic so they can go lighter or just get
> rid of the wound third. Has anyone done the reverse and put acoustic
> strings on their electrics? Especially you hybrid players with
> magnetic and piezo pickups.
>