Winding Pickups vs piezo elements for amplifying metal

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Butterylicious

Well-known member
Joined
May 17, 2005
Messages
520
Location
Austin
Has anybody ever done this? I'm building a percussion set consisting of metal objects and springs (ala Neubaten) and I don't want to drop a lot of dough on Barcus Berry pickups. Hi fidelity isn't an issue at this time.

Thanks

-Richard
 
no, but I remember an article on using piezo as a transducer in a motional-feedback set-up on a bass driver. I'll try to dig it out if you'd like. Maybe of some general interest(?)


ANdyP
 
I got a few from a guy in Hawaii who was working on using them as ukelele pickups. You can get the basic discs from Digi-key for a buck or two each, meant to be piezo buzzers.

They don't sound that great on acoustic guitar (hence my mic fixation), but for percussion and such they'd be fine.
 
yah a peizo a peice of wood or lexan and a mouse pad ... and voila .. you hav a trigger pad ..

now it will only sen midi data .. i don't think it wil have any sonic qualities...
just a midi trigger...
bit it does work ...
a speake can be a mic ... and whacking on it can generate a prett pronounced curent to be read by a midi brain like an octapad..

hope this helps
later
ts
 
Hi, I've built a couple of e-sets with the Radio Shack 273-073a. These should work just fine. Other shops have different brands too. Just get the piezo transducers and not the buzzers. I usually take them out of the plastic case.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=273-073

Pat
 
Ironically, last night did include a trip to the Rat Shack. I grabbed a couple of piezo buzzers, cut them out of their cases, and soldered on some of those horrible HORRIBLE Radio Shack jacks. the piezos worked really well, but it requires pressurized mounting to get decent low end. I tried super glue but that totally lacked low end. Using a C clamp worked well but after moving the transducer around a few times, it pretty much self destructed.

I guess maybe I should describe the current instrument. It consists of a piece of unistrut with a L bracket bolted to eack end. Between the 2 L brackets is a stretched garage door spring. One end of the spring is dampened with a cloth rag and tape.

Initially I simply laid this thang on top of a crappy guitar's pickup which has me considering winding my own pickups. I found this guitar pickup site after searching the forum. I read myself to sleep which is always a good thang.

Does anybody have any other keen ideas? As far as winding my own pickups, does:
a. stronger magnets = more power
b. smaller guage = better low end
c. etc etc etc



Thanks again,

Richard
 
there was a thread here not long ago with the use of kynar and a plate reverb.

also good pickup forum at http://www.ampage.org/

http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=8641&start=0
 
So for my first try, do you think that 42 guage wire will be much easier to work with than 43? Mouser sells magentic wire only down to 36 guage. Is this usable or not?
 

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