New piezo advice

lincolnblue

I have a Breedlove Atlas guitar which needs a new piezo pickup (as far as I know - whenever it's plugged in it's very distorted).

The preamp is fine so I think I just need a new piezo. I have no idea what I'm looking for though or what is a sensible amount to spend. You can get them for £30 upwards but I assume the cheaper end is not the best. 

What brands do I look for? What sort of money is average to spend on a piezo? Any other advice appreciated

ICBM

How do you know the preamp is fine?

In order to definitely identify where the problem is you either need some means of connecting the pickup directly to an amp, or feeding some other compatible signal through the preamp. The first is usually easier.

Assuming it is the pickup, you may be better replacing it with an internal body pickup like a K&K Pure Mini or a Baggs iBeam rather than an undersaddle strip - they sound much better.

lincolnblue

@ICBM thanks for you message. How would I connect it to an amp if it's wired to the preamp? I'm open to replacing it with another type of pickup

ICBM

You need to disconnect the wire from the preamp and temporarily connect it to something that will allow you to run it straight to an amp. If it’s soldered to the preamp, solder it to a spare jack. If it has a 2.5mm plug on it, you need to make a cable with a 2.5mm socket on the end.

While it is possible it’s the pickup, distortion is more likely to be the preamp - so it’s essential to find out first, before you buy any new parts.

maltingsaudio

Just a quick question, but you have got a fresh new battery in the guitar?

ICBM

maltingsaudio said:

Just a quick question, but you have got a fresh new battery in the guitar?

Ha, excellent point which I tend to forget since it's the first thing I check .

Yes, a flat battery (don't assume a new one is good until proven so either by metering or trying it in something else) will cause distortion...

lincolnblue

ICBM said:

maltingsaudio said:

Just a quick question, but you have got a fresh new battery in the guitar?

Ha, excellent point which I tend to forget since it's the first thing I check .

Yes, a flat battery (don't assume a new one is good until proven so either by metering or trying it in something else) will cause distortion...

Yes it has had many new batteries. It's been like this for a couple of years, I've just never got round to fixing it. The guitar has been dropped which could have impacted something. 

AliGorie

these people may know a thing or two

http://7thstring.forumotion.com/f1-breedlove-guitar-forum