Getting rid of the dreaded piezo quack.

[Bongocaster]

Not for me personally. I use a LR Baggs M1. But let's just say for somebody that has a whatever generic acoustic electric with a piezo in it and you want to tell them how to get rid of that awful sound. Like right now. What can you do with EQ or effects to get rid of the quack? What frequencies can you pull out?

 

[TxTeleMan]

I won't use a piezo for just that reason.

 

[Bongocaster]

I won't use a piezo for just that reason.

I figured it would take enough diplomacy to explain to someone that their settings suck without insulting their choice in guitars.

I figured I'd start by getting them to play something without amplification and then the same thing with. If they can't hear that then what do I do.

 

[krisls]

Well, there's a whole bunch of things from general playing style to assorted gear settings to using pedals like compression or EQ.

I find that if you combine an EQ, pulling somewhere in the 2500 - 3000 point a little and a little rubber feedback buster plug (that provides some very mild natural compression incidentally) that will pretty much cure it and most probable feedback issues too.

Kristina

 

[Bongocaster]

Well, there's a whole bunch of things from general playing style to assorted gear settings to using pedals like compression or EQ.

I find that if you combine an EQ, pulling somewhere in the 2500 - 3000 point a little and a little rubber feedback buster plug (that provides some very mild natural compression incidentally) that will pretty much cure it and most probable feedback issues too.

Kristina

Aah that's what I was looking for. I'm assuming that you mean the plugs that go in the soundhole?

I think that I remember reading that piezo pickups create a form of expansion and that some compression can counteract that.

 

[TaylorPlayer]

My old Taylor has a UST Highlander pickup in (until I finally decide to pull it and put in K & K Mini Westerns like I have in my 2 Gibson acoustics). I find that a LR Baggs PARA DI box works great at dialing out the quack. They also provide an excellent pre-amp if needed on my Gibsons with the K & K pickups.

 

[Brokenpick]

I kinda like the ol' piezo quack!
Maybe it's a nostalgia thing...
But after hearing Doc work it, I can't really hate it!
I mean, sure, it ain't "acoustic" but it's cool.
I love a good acoustic with a good mic in front of it. (but that's hard to do...)
I love a K&K Mini Western...
But the quack has it's place!

 

[tjalla]

I've been using the Fishman Aura Spectrum alot at gigs since I got it. Ok, it still isn't a condenser mic'd response through the PA, but it gets you a heckuva long way there and easily. Very flexible, and most certainly de-quacks your piezo.

The Aura Sixteen I believe does something similar on a smaller budget, more compact footprint.

 

[duncan121]

Aura Spectrum is where its at for me...I like it better than the 16 because I can add a touch of compression and this does wonders for killing quack..Ive been experimenting with running a dual source setup by adding a soundhole pickup and blending the two into a mono signal using a DTAR Solstice..next I want to see what happens if I take the mono sig into the Aura Spectrum. I know its overkill but life is about experimenting...I'll post the results

 

[Bongocaster]

So would judicious compression from something garden variety like a Dynacomp do the trick?

 

[telenacious]

.eq and compression can help but they wont take care of the problem in my experience.....what i've found with piezos is that an 18 volt preamp really helps keep the pickup from clipping which is whats creating the quack...thats a main reason why Highlander and D-Tar pups use 18 volt preamps... i think the higher voltage creates a fatter more suitable gain structure so you don't have to send so much signal to the preamp of whatever amp or system you're plugging into...this in turn keeps the transducer from clipping and results in a more natural warm sounding tone...i'm probably a little fuzzy here on my facts but i know from experience that an 18 volt preamp does produce better results...

 

[Stratburst]

One of the most cost-effective methods of killing piezo quack was simply running the guitar/violin, etc. through an ART Tube MP.

 

[Bongocaster]

Keep in mind that I am trying to find quack remedies for someone else and basically on the spot - I personally won't use the things. So I'm looking to EQ the amp or PA or looking at the possibility that someone might have a everyday compressor available. Not looking for perfection either, just trying to tame things away from the teeth grinding stage.

 

[henry b]

I would check the strings going over the saddle . When the string is played/plucked it will lift off of the saddle , giving a "quack" when it returns to its position .My own techie guy cured this problem on my guitar. Hope this is of help. Happy new Year guys .

 

[MrTwang]

OK - I hate to use the "B" word but I solved all my tone problems on guitar, mandolin, ukulele - you name it - with the Behringer ADI 21 for £30 (its a clone of a much more expensive product from Tech 21 I think). Now my sound is warmer - less harsh, louder and more natural.

The problem it seems is to do with impedence - piezos need very high impedence - much higher than a guitar amp or PA input provides and a dedicated preamp like this does the job. Even plugging into it without the volume/tone circuit being engaged improves the tone 200%. Once you click the switch, you have volume, tone and mid sweep. Personally, not so keen on the "valve microphone emulation" (sounds like distortion to me) so I leave that on zero.

(link removed)

BTW - the sound samples on the page don't do it justice.

 

[duncan121]

Quack

As someone else mentioned, quack is often a result of the signal issue and yes some, such as DTAR, have chosen to address this with battery voltage..ie 18v vs 9v..I would contend that quack can often be helped (not solved all together) very cheaply by reduccing the signal/volume on the guitar to roughly 6 or 7 (10 being all the way turned up). Once you do this, boost the volume at the mixer/PA or Amp to proper mix..What this does is reduced the sensitivity of the piezo and takes the "edgey metallicy" sound out of the pickup..The downsize is it does have an overall adverse effect on clarity and sparkle. Again this isn't a long term solution but will help out in a pinch or in the middle of a gig..

 

[Ian]

I'm going with a K&K for my Larrivee, Gitane's and already have one on my Mandolin. I can't STAND piezo's.

 

[KyAnne]

I don't know what the deal is here with "quack". One thread I'm reading says "It's got QUACK" (a good thing). Another thread concerning piezos now leads me towards Hell regarding "quack". Well, I put a K&K Twinspot in my Big Baby and I don't know about "quack" but it did not have quite enough drive for my Kustom amp. You had to turn the volume up all the way to be halfway useable.
And I knew beforehand from reading reviews that it worked best with a preamp.

Well, Mr. Twang hit it out of the ballpark on this one. My wife, bless her heart, bought me a Behringer AD1 21 for Christmas. My acoustic piezo sounds great.
There is no "Bad" quack, I guess, for lack of a better way to put it. Plenty of adjustable drive and eq and blending. Sounds GREAT.
Another thing........this "Behringer" ain't just for acoustics. I put my tele through it and it can go mellow and nasty. This WILL color the tone of an electric too. Oh, I read in another thread that the -20DB switch doesn't work. Well, that is because that switch works only when using the balanced output din plug directly into a mixing board.
Best thing of all, she bought it online for $28 bucks new. No, I did not get a power supply. The instruction pamphlet with it gives some very good starting settings for different scenarios. Hope this helps. Kyanne

 

[KyAnne]

p.s. and yes, Mr. Twang is also correct about the impedance issue. The impedance for the K&K Twinspot is ~1 Megohm. This is definately a high Z device. Matching impedance as closely as possible for maximum signal transfer is what life is all about in electronics.

 

[Bongocaster]

Well it's two different types of quack and if you ever heard the piezo quack you'd know it and want to get rid of it.