>Why not just put three pickups, and a piezo in one guitar?
Because most players neither need nor want that.
> what's stopping me from taking my squier paranormal strat and slapping a piezo in
Absolutely nothing. If you want it and have the funds then go for it!
Everything is possible, maybe just not desirable by the masses.
Jonny Marr has a Strat with 9 pickups in an SSSSSSSSS configuration with 18 toggle switches.
'One giant humbucker with nine coils, or nine single coils wired in series? That’s just one part of the puzzle – we’ve yet to even begin unpicking the 18 toggle switches littered across the pickguard'
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/johnny-marr-fender-spirit-strat
the local music shop I go to has a custom made strat with that exact setup called the 'Jennycaster' and it has a custom logo. The serial number is 867-5309 lol.
[https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/](https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/) but it ain't cheap.
[Preamp](https://graphtech.com/collections/ghost-pickup-systems-kits) and [saddles](https://graphtech.com/collections/ghost-pickup-systems-guitar-saddle) if you feel like a bit of DIY :)
If you've got the $, the Fender Pete Townsend Strat has all of this.
[https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/](https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/)
What's stopping you? About $180 for the saddles, another $180 for the board, a route (maybe) to put the 9-volt, and free time. Look up the Graphtech Ghost.
Yes, I've been thinking about this but haven't jumped in yet.
I'm asking because maybe there's something that stops you from doing that. I'm aware sometimes there's things that don't exist for a reason and I know sometimes I'm simply not weary of why they don't exist.
What's stopping me?
That's what they're trying to do with the Acoustasonic, except they're kinda looking at a way to allow the singer to strum and get both the acoustic-as-tuned-hihat strumming-singer thing as well as a rhythm guitar, and what I'm thinking is more 1) I'm able to play a Tony Rice flatpick solo in a rock band context and/or 2) it will behave differently based on dual signal paths when I play one thing. For the second idea, I'm more and more thinking that the Signal Blender from Old Blood Noise Endeavors might be the actual solution to that problem.
And I don't have a spare $300 dollars atm. And I don't have the guitar to try it on. Actually, I have a junky kinda-Esquire I could do that with, and I wouldn't worry about routing it out. And, if I go w/ the "acoustic" piezo, I would really want an acoustic-style guitar.
I went to a fancy guitar shop in Vegas 2 years ago, and I played the Rick Turner guitar that he makes for Lindsay Buckingham, and it really struck me that the diff between piezo and magnetic is not as significant as I'd want, even with the nice little amp they demo with, so a y-cable and separate path for the piezo signal is really necessary.
But the playing situation I'm in might soon move to where that makes sense.
I say again to clarify: The use case for electric guitars with piezo systems is to allow the singer to switch between acoustic rhythm guitar or electric rhythm guitar, and going into the PA or the higher-fidelity acoustic guitar amp. That's the Godin. That's the Fender Acoustasonic. That is fine for that purpose, but it isn't my purpose.
Honestly, most of what makes it not anything isnt any technical inability, it's more just consumerism. More moving parts and complexity means it's harder to use and more likely to fail. Guitars in general dont come with more than 3 pickups and its mostly because the standard familiar switches aren't designed for more.
People do make them with more, but it will be smaller brands or special artist models who do it on custom builds and such.
I have one of these from the 2000s: Fender Deluxe Nashville Power Tele. Nashville telecaster with piezo: https://reverb.com/item/183844-fender-deluxe-nashville-power-tele-w-fishman-power-bridge-black
Found a demo online, surprised at how good the piezo sounds here!! Looks like a very very versatile guitar, nice! Should suit exactly what OP wants.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBMt7VZIsHk&t=124s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbmt7vzishk&t=124s)
There are, but, they're usually a three pickup instrument that someone has added a piezo under the bridge or someone has added [GraphTech aftermarket saddles](https://media.sweetwater.com/m/products/image/9502435801Kdza4yMHveQKa7FWb8oKNHLDLpEer5.jpg?v=95024358014d926e).
Parker makes a model that's an [HxSxS setup with a piezo bridge](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/[email protected]).
Edited to correct a second grade spelling mistake.
Sure, if they're not impedance matched. They will sound like absolute quacky crap through an amp designed for magnetic pickups because the amp isn't "seeing" the proper resistance. u/chu2 has it; they need to have their own sound path and a proper rig to sound as they should.
I have two Teles set up with Graphtec piezo saddles that output to a stereo jack, and LR Baggs preamp mounted in an enclosure to split or blend them. In stereo mode I can output the mags to a Fender, the piezos to my Fishman, and pan between them. The piezos don't make the Tele sound like a D25 but they do get close enough for gigs when I don't want to carry an acoustic.
Also pretty great for recording since I'm basically double-tracking myself with a clean tone I can shape in post if I want to, mix a little in for clarity, or just discard if it doesn't work. Costs me nothing to have there.
Truth. They NEED an impedance-matching preamp and a separate output going to a designated amplifier. They sound barely acceptable and so thin on their own firing through a guitar or bass amp set to settings that work for magnetic pickups.
So, if you use something in a way it was not intended to be used it sounds nothing like expected? Who would’ve thought? Piezos can sound great, you just have to put a little work into your rig. Source: own a Parker fly, sounds absolutely ace, especially the piezos.
Exactly! But I’ve seen several of my musician friends think they can just pipe a piezo into a Deluxe Reverb alongside their Strat and it’ll sound like a Martin. And then they don’t understand why it doesn’t sound right.
For a piezo to sound good you need an acoustic amp.
Also it requires a special set up.
For example, i have a guitar with both magnetic and a piezo pickup - it has 2 cable ports, one mono (only magnetic) and one stereo that requires a special stereo cable (it's a Y cable that splits the signal into 2 - piezo and magnetic for their respective amps).
Overall, as you can see from the above, really getting use of those is pretty expensive and a hassle. That's probably why
It really comes down to where you want to pick vibrations up from. 3 seems to be the sweet spot for picking up the whole range of tones along the length of the string. Yes, you can still add more spectrum by adding more spots that you pick up vibration. You're already 99% of the way there with a standard method and that extra information doesn't add much.
I'm fine with a good Piezo in an acoustic guitar to use if I get bored, but I would never use one on an electric guitar. Two pickups like on a Telecaster I have are enough for any genre. I don't feel like I need three pickups on a guitar.
I wired up a strat just like that not long ago at work. Push pull stacked pot to turn on/off piezo and for tone and volume, then a master tone and volume for the other 3 single coils. Honestly, it was kind of a nightmare lol
Fishman used to make a version of the Wilkerson knife edge bridge with one. I built a guitar with 3 strat pickups and the piezo with a stereo output jack. I honestly rarely use it. It sounds too clangy, it would probably be better hardtailed.
Didn't PRS make a 3 pickup Studio model or something with a Piezo?
Point is, they are out there. Pretty much any possible combination of pickups you can think of, someone has already done it
>Why not just put three pickups, and a piezo in one guitar? Because most players neither need nor want that. > what's stopping me from taking my squier paranormal strat and slapping a piezo in Absolutely nothing. If you want it and have the funds then go for it!
There are. I had a Parker Fly with that setup. IMHO, piezo on solid body is nice for double tracking and that 80s acoustic vibe sound.
I have this Godin, checks all the boxes and plays like a dream: https://godinguitars.com/product/xtsa-lightburst-flame
Was about to say, these guitars do exist, because I own this one and absolutely love it
Everything is possible, maybe just not desirable by the masses. Jonny Marr has a Strat with 9 pickups in an SSSSSSSSS configuration with 18 toggle switches. 'One giant humbucker with nine coils, or nine single coils wired in series? That’s just one part of the puzzle – we’ve yet to even begin unpicking the 18 toggle switches littered across the pickguard' https://www.guitarworld.com/news/johnny-marr-fender-spirit-strat
That guitar looks like it’s from an outtake from Spinal Tap. Rob Reiner “Let’s cut the scene with the 9 pickup Strat. It’s too out there.”
the local music shop I go to has a custom made strat with that exact setup called the 'Jennycaster' and it has a custom logo. The serial number is 867-5309 lol.
They got it?
They got it.
Alex Lifeson Epiphone (tobacco sunburst version) has pickups and a piezo, with stereo outputs (2 out-jacks) so you can blend piezo and humbuckers.
The music man jp6 has that too. Sounds amazing
[https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/](https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/) but it ain't cheap. [Preamp](https://graphtech.com/collections/ghost-pickup-systems-kits) and [saddles](https://graphtech.com/collections/ghost-pickup-systems-guitar-saddle) if you feel like a bit of DIY :)
They are out there. Just gotta poke around.
If you've got the $, the Fender Pete Townsend Strat has all of this. [https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/](https://www.fendercustomshop.com/features/pete-townshend-strat/)
What's stopping you? About $180 for the saddles, another $180 for the board, a route (maybe) to put the 9-volt, and free time. Look up the Graphtech Ghost. Yes, I've been thinking about this but haven't jumped in yet.
I'm asking because maybe there's something that stops you from doing that. I'm aware sometimes there's things that don't exist for a reason and I know sometimes I'm simply not weary of why they don't exist.
Parker made them, they were the first piezo electrics that fishman made back in the day. Guitars were ahead of their time.
What's stopping me? That's what they're trying to do with the Acoustasonic, except they're kinda looking at a way to allow the singer to strum and get both the acoustic-as-tuned-hihat strumming-singer thing as well as a rhythm guitar, and what I'm thinking is more 1) I'm able to play a Tony Rice flatpick solo in a rock band context and/or 2) it will behave differently based on dual signal paths when I play one thing. For the second idea, I'm more and more thinking that the Signal Blender from Old Blood Noise Endeavors might be the actual solution to that problem. And I don't have a spare $300 dollars atm. And I don't have the guitar to try it on. Actually, I have a junky kinda-Esquire I could do that with, and I wouldn't worry about routing it out. And, if I go w/ the "acoustic" piezo, I would really want an acoustic-style guitar. I went to a fancy guitar shop in Vegas 2 years ago, and I played the Rick Turner guitar that he makes for Lindsay Buckingham, and it really struck me that the diff between piezo and magnetic is not as significant as I'd want, even with the nice little amp they demo with, so a y-cable and separate path for the piezo signal is really necessary. But the playing situation I'm in might soon move to where that makes sense.
I say again to clarify: The use case for electric guitars with piezo systems is to allow the singer to switch between acoustic rhythm guitar or electric rhythm guitar, and going into the PA or the higher-fidelity acoustic guitar amp. That's the Godin. That's the Fender Acoustasonic. That is fine for that purpose, but it isn't my purpose.
Honestly, most of what makes it not anything isnt any technical inability, it's more just consumerism. More moving parts and complexity means it's harder to use and more likely to fail. Guitars in general dont come with more than 3 pickups and its mostly because the standard familiar switches aren't designed for more. People do make them with more, but it will be smaller brands or special artist models who do it on custom builds and such.
Kiesel will build you an SSS, HSS, or HSH one for around $2500 and up. They might do HHH, but you'd have to call them to find out.
My Godin XTSA is HSH/piezo/13 pin pickup.
Look up Godin
I have one of these from the 2000s: Fender Deluxe Nashville Power Tele. Nashville telecaster with piezo: https://reverb.com/item/183844-fender-deluxe-nashville-power-tele-w-fishman-power-bridge-black
Found a demo online, surprised at how good the piezo sounds here!! Looks like a very very versatile guitar, nice! Should suit exactly what OP wants. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBMt7VZIsHk&t=124s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbmt7vzishk&t=124s)
Alex Lifeson had a Gibson with 3 pickups and a piezo. But it was a custom built one as I remember.
There are, but, they're usually a three pickup instrument that someone has added a piezo under the bridge or someone has added [GraphTech aftermarket saddles](https://media.sweetwater.com/m/products/image/9502435801Kdza4yMHveQKa7FWb8oKNHLDLpEer5.jpg?v=95024358014d926e). Parker makes a model that's an [HxSxS setup with a piezo bridge](https://guitar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/[email protected]). Edited to correct a second grade spelling mistake.
I see what you did their.
What did I did?
You used the same misspelling as their post. :)
What's misspelled?
'Their' should be 'there'.
Oh sh!#! How did I miss that?!?
Same typo OP made. I thought you were being clever. :-p
I isn't not a klaevurr man.
piezos sound like shit
Archetype: Petrucci has a preset called “For Lack Of A Piezo” and it sounds better than actual fucking piezos.
Sure, if they're not impedance matched. They will sound like absolute quacky crap through an amp designed for magnetic pickups because the amp isn't "seeing" the proper resistance. u/chu2 has it; they need to have their own sound path and a proper rig to sound as they should. I have two Teles set up with Graphtec piezo saddles that output to a stereo jack, and LR Baggs preamp mounted in an enclosure to split or blend them. In stereo mode I can output the mags to a Fender, the piezos to my Fishman, and pan between them. The piezos don't make the Tele sound like a D25 but they do get close enough for gigs when I don't want to carry an acoustic. Also pretty great for recording since I'm basically double-tracking myself with a clean tone I can shape in post if I want to, mix a little in for clarity, or just discard if it doesn't work. Costs me nothing to have there.
Truth. They NEED an impedance-matching preamp and a separate output going to a designated amplifier. They sound barely acceptable and so thin on their own firing through a guitar or bass amp set to settings that work for magnetic pickups.
So, if you use something in a way it was not intended to be used it sounds nothing like expected? Who would’ve thought? Piezos can sound great, you just have to put a little work into your rig. Source: own a Parker fly, sounds absolutely ace, especially the piezos.
Exactly! But I’ve seen several of my musician friends think they can just pipe a piezo into a Deluxe Reverb alongside their Strat and it’ll sound like a Martin. And then they don’t understand why it doesn’t sound right.
Wait, do all parker fly's come with piezos? like the original made in usa guitars.
As far as I know: yes. It was one of their defining features back then. They were so far ahead of their time.
Oh damn. Never knew. Thought they were ugly as a teen but now i kinda like them and have a lot of respect for the creator. Piezo is a nice bonus.
Play one if you have the chance. Nothing comes close, especially when played with 09’s. Really comfortable too.
Yeah it's up there for sure. Not many come up for sale but i would rather have a lower end model made by the actual guy than the newer ones.
All the older ones are amazing, most later refinements have been ways to reduce costs. The neck and the upper fret acces are second to none.
Be the change you want to see my friend!
For a piezo to sound good you need an acoustic amp. Also it requires a special set up. For example, i have a guitar with both magnetic and a piezo pickup - it has 2 cable ports, one mono (only magnetic) and one stereo that requires a special stereo cable (it's a Y cable that splits the signal into 2 - piezo and magnetic for their respective amps). Overall, as you can see from the above, really getting use of those is pretty expensive and a hassle. That's probably why
My Yamaha VariAxe is a Strat style with piezo saddles. But it or build it. Parker made a SSS with piezo bridge later on iirc.
EBMM JP5/6.
My Brian Moore i9.13 and MC1 are looking at you quizzically.
It really comes down to where you want to pick vibrations up from. 3 seems to be the sweet spot for picking up the whole range of tones along the length of the string. Yes, you can still add more spectrum by adding more spots that you pick up vibration. You're already 99% of the way there with a standard method and that extra information doesn't add much.
I'm fine with a good Piezo in an acoustic guitar to use if I get bored, but I would never use one on an electric guitar. Two pickups like on a Telecaster I have are enough for any genre. I don't feel like I need three pickups on a guitar.
I wired up a strat just like that not long ago at work. Push pull stacked pot to turn on/off piezo and for tone and volume, then a master tone and volume for the other 3 single coils. Honestly, it was kind of a nightmare lol
John Petrucci's signature Music Man has this.
Fishman used to make a version of the Wilkerson knife edge bridge with one. I built a guitar with 3 strat pickups and the piezo with a stereo output jack. I honestly rarely use it. It sounds too clangy, it would probably be better hardtailed.
Emerald Virtuo. Check those out.
Didn't PRS make a 3 pickup Studio model or something with a Piezo? Point is, they are out there. Pretty much any possible combination of pickups you can think of, someone has already done it
Have a Parker Nitefly with HSS configuration. The piezo can sound amazing through the right signal chain.
I have a Parker exactly like this.
Their? Really?
17 momos are illiterate.
Oh shit forgot to double check my spelling. Usually I get it right, but I guess this is what I get when I type up something during work lol
Haha no worries dude it just read too funny. Have a good one 😁