DIY PICKUPS

[molitovv]

hello all,

anyone have any good links to instructions on making a good acoustic pickup???

cheers

[MarkDonMel]

I'd also like to know if anyone has any resources.

I found these via google,  but I'm on my way out the door so I haven't had a chance to read if there is any substance there.

http://www.radmer.dk/pickups.htm

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-466320.html

Thanks, Matt.

[Rafa]

Im actually building my own elec guitar pickups
8000 turns ...still winding
When Ill finish it (if I do) Ill probalbly record sound clips and take photos.
Cheers
Rafa

[mdh]

anyone have any good links to instructions on making a good acoustic pickup???
cheers

Take a look at this: http://www.liutaiomottola.com/electronics.htm. There are instructions for making an under saddle piezo pickup. You also might check out http://mimf.com. They have an electronics section as well, and there are a lot of knowledgeable people there.

[Mark Hammer]

Probably best not to pursue this topic here, but rather to pursue it where it will do you the most good.  The former AMPAGE forum, now called the Music Electronics Forum (http://music-electronics-forum.com/) has a sub-forum on making pickups.  There you will find highly knowledgeable people like Jason Lollar and Dave Stephens, generously offering advice and their years of experience.  I've been making all my own pickups for nearly 25 years now, and I can highly recommend that forum.

[GFR]

A DIY pickup for acoustic guitars:

The most basic electret circuit (you can use something more sophisticated of course).



Decrease the capacitor if it's got too much bass.

You can use any electret, RS, Panasonics, or a lavalier mic. Results may vary.

1) Get a soft foam cube. The foam block must be slightly deeper than the distance from top to back. It should be slightly larger (about one inch) than the soundhole.

2) With a pen draw two circles, one is the same diameter as the soundhole, the other a little larger.



3) With scissors or a knife, cut the foam making a ring. If the foam is clear, you can paint it black so that you can't notice it after installed.



4) Attach the mic to the outer surface of the foam ring. You can make a hole and the held the mic with pressure, or clip it someway.



5) Lose the strings and put it inside the guitar. Experiment with the mic position. The wire passes through the soundhole.



Q&D recording directly to the soundcard:

http://rapidshare.de/files/33738523/teste-diy-debyll.zip.html

The same recording after some processing:

http://www.savefile.com/files/214268

another one, with some processing:

http://rapidshare.de/files/34931190/Teste_mic.mp3.html

(PS I can't verify if the samples are still online, sorry).

How it works:

The foam has various functions. It helds the mic in place. It isolates the interior of the guitar from the outside, so you pick less noise or unwanted sounds, and have more gain before feedback. It dampens the soundboard a little, for a little more gain before feedback. It has not the same gain before feedback as a piezo pickup, but it sounds like a guitar, not like a... piezo. It's easy to "install" and remove, no modifications to the instrument are required. The acoustic sound doesn't change too much, the soundboard is slightly dampened, and the soundhole still works like a "bass reflex" port since the foam can't absorb the bass very well.

It's based on a German pickup system "DeByll"

Patent:

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=US4748886&F=0

[Carlos]

Hi everybody,

this is what the DE Byl pickup looks like. The pictures are from a review by a German magazine.




You can use two mics for stereo. Notice the mu-metal box for preamp and battery.
The review says that the results with a Takamine guitar were most interesting, because they blended both piezo pickup AND the De Byl system.
Seems like an interesting DIY project for my Takamine.

GTR, What mic did you use?
Do you use a sound hole cover when you play with loud monitors?

Happy DIY holidays

Carlos

[aron]

That foam pickup sounds really neat. I built one once and my friend loved the tone.

[GFR]

I used a no brand capsule. I've heard that the Panasonic capsules are supposed to be very good. Thanks for the magazine scan. Too bad I can't read german

I've never used a soundhole cover, but then I try to play not too loud.

PS. I've also heard that you can salvage Panasonic capsules (WM-34) from old broken wireless telephones.

[Carlos]

The review just says how good the system sounds.
The review does not give any additional information apart from the fact that the mic is a "back-plate electret microphone":

I have chosen a Panasonic MCE-202U:
http://www.schlotzhauer-versand.de/product_info.php/products_id/4348?osCsid=5a449d21fb218098f5830bac2d43274e

Only 5 dollars or 3.70 Euros!

I guess I will need a di box in oder to change the signal from asymmetric to symetric, won't I?

[petemoore]

 Stewart Macdonald was offering a pickup winder machine for less than 20 IIRC.

[GFR]

I guess I will need a di box in oder to change the signal from asymmetric to symetric, won't I?

You mean to get ballanced outputs?

Check this:

http://www.prosoundweb.com/recording/tapeop/buildmic/buildmic_16_1.shtml

Or this (with optional phantom power):

http://www.uneeda-audio.com/pzm/pzm_ch.htm

If you ballance like that the signal is less hot (you are using the internal FET as a phase splitter instead of using it for gain) but you also get less distortion and you can cover up the gain with a good microphone preamp.