Piezo sensibility suddenly low on string 5 and 6

Started by Suanko, November 10, 2011, 01:01:02 AM

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Suanko

I've my Godin XTSA for 3 years now and it works well. I own both VG99 and GR55.
Last week, i noticed that suddenly, i had no more sound with the GR55 when playing with string 5 or 6.
On the VG99, i had sound but at very low level.
So i pushed the sensibility of those string to the top to finally have a correct sound.
What happened ? Why do those microphones don't work properly now ?

drbill

I had something similar happen with my RMC-equipped Brian Moore. It turned out to be a bad GK cable.
GP-10, KPA
BM i2.13p, '76 Les Paul Deluxe w/GK-3, MiM RRS, Ibanez RG420GK, Charvel strat copy w/GK-2a, FTP

TheGuitarPlayer

I had this happen to me on my Godin LGXT, but at the guitars second gig. I can't say for sure what happened in your case, but in mine, sweat got into the saddle casing and shorted out the piezo element.  This happened on 3 strings on the same night.  I swapped all six piezos out for graphtech equivalents and haven't had a problem since.

sixeight

I have had the same problem with sweat between the saddles on the XTSA. In the end I returned the guitar and went GK all the way.

You can clean the saddles with pure alcohol. I have done this several times, after contacting RMC. They respond quickly usually.

morris

I've got a similar problem with my Brian Moore with RMC pickups. The 6th string stops working intermiitently and then just comes back. The piezo output direct to an amp exhibits the same behavior.

That saddle was recently replaced to supposedly correct this problem so I suspect it's not an issue of cleaning it.

If so, which part do you clean? Just the tops of the saddles or a more involved procedue?

Thanks for any insight.

Steve

sixeight

Hi Steve,

  I took off the strings and put the saddles in the alcohol. After drying, the volume would be OK again. But after a few days, the problems would return. I do have a problem with sweaty fingers. Before I discovered coated strings I would have to change strings every two weeks. In the end I got rid of the guitar.

Rorster

Regarding piezo shorts with RMC (Fishman...) saddles. Morgan at graphtech once suggested applying a car wax to the surface of the RMC saddle to repel moisture. I have a Godin LGXSA and luckily have not had a problem with shorting out.  Not playing the Godin much lately because I've been on my GK3 equiped Korean made (But sweet) PRS SE Custom.

morris

Thanks for the replies. I extrapolated a solution and wound up cleaning the saddle with contact cleaner. It's been solid for a couple of hours now.

I'll see if it holds up.

Steve

fastelder

Well, this is a long time coming.  It seems that on the Godin saddle pickups, the thin wire is NOT soldered, but GLUED!

One of my saddles had very weak response, and seemed to get worse when I was in a humid/sweaty situation.  I pulled the piezo "cap" off the saddle and sure enough the wire was loose.  What looked strange was that the area it was attached was blackened.  Was it scorched when attached?  This caused me to research before I finally got the courage to set it up to solder.  I realized this would be a one-shot deal due to the tin insulation.  It was then I hit upon the thought of wire glue.

After doing much research, I am now convinced that the piezo is glued to the wire via a carbon based glue.  It wasn't until I got the glue the other day that I found out the glue is WATER soluble, hence the humid/sweat failures.  The glue manufacturer even suggests coating the joint with a clear cover like Superglue to protect it.

So I feel the mystery is now solved!
Gr-55, Gr-20
GT-10
Digitech RP1000
Carvin SH-575
Godin XtSa
Fender RolandReady Strat