How Do Piezo Pickups Work? | Too Afraid To Ask

[@ScienceofLoud]

Piezo pickups are capable of transforming string vibrations directly into an electric signal, but how do they work and what is the advantage to using them? At 42 Gear Street we meet up with Ortega Guitars who utilise Piezo technology, allowing their Nylon Stringed instruments to be amplified. Find more Ortega here: ortegaguitars.com/ Guitar used in this video - BWSM/2: www.thomann.de/gb/ortega_bwsm_2_ben_woods_signature.htm?offid=1&affid=367 Subscribe to JayLeonardJ: kzbin.info With thanks to Henning Pauly from HP42 for opening his house and allowing us to create in his studio: kzbin.info More from CSGuitars: Gain access to exclusive content at: www.patreon.com/csguitars Buy CSGuitars Merchandise: www.csguitars.co.uk/store Website: www.csguitars.co.uk Contact: [e-mail]

[@HumbleBasse]

your channel is GREAT dude, interesting level of info, great educationnal delivery

[@firebald2915]

Ok ok ok....why are we not putting this technology into electric guitars using both standard magnetic pickup and piezo under bridge pickups? We twist knobs twice to dial in a sound er... three times if we use a pedal. The uses are endless. I'm gonna purchase a inexpensive Fishman piezo and install it to my tele. Once,years ago, I used a clip on lapel mic in my mandolin and it worked fine without a pre amp. I used placement near the f hole just inside and breathable foam wind sock to keep the feedback to a minimum. Worked great on the house PA system.

[@MonkyMonk729]

Kudos to the mega-nerd who initially figured this shit out. All I know is if it was me who discovered this physical property of quartz and other crystalline substances, I would make damn sure the effect bore my name. Instead of piezo pickups you'd be putting together this awesome video about monkymonk729 pickups.

[@snap-off5383]

Wasnt it John Phillips Peizo who figured it out? 😜

[@hazrod13]

Electricity ! Physics ! Rocks ! Pikachu Shirt ! Yeah ! This video is brilliant !

[@ScienceofLoud]

It's most of my favourite things in one place.

[@jasont3728]

I agree mate- great video from start to finish!

[@najeyrifai293]

As a qualified chemist who's trying to learn lutherie: EXCELLENT explanation of the physics, and very well tied together with the lutherie!

[@citizenparker]

Thank you for pronouncing piezo correctly.

[@Ampher03]

I always that that was the pronunciation

[@Pauly421]

I fuckin hope nobody pronounces it any other way lol

[@bryantherocker]

THEN HE PRONOUNCED CREATED AS KRI-IE-TID

[@air9music]

Bobby G and pronounced heard as haired.

[@walkerdeserttracer6767]

Peezo

[@slap_my_hand]

The piezoelectric effect works both ways. The crystal will deform slightly when you apply a voltage.

[@dekjet]

Those park distance sensors in cars exploit the effect both ways!

[@S50Sinner]

I believe they used that in BMW injectors for a little while.

[@ortegaguitars]

Phenomenal job, Colin. Thanks for having us on the interview.

[@ScienceofLoud]

Thank you for being involved. It made for a very well rounded and interesting video. Let's work together on another project in the future.

[@SHSULeadTrumpet]

So much content!! I love the level of complexity you go to. It’s great to see someone not afraid to say it as it is when it comes to things like this. And it’s not that it’s offensive by any means, but often times information like this is really watered down just for fear of not losing the audience. But this is the level of understanding we as a species should always strive to achieve. Awesome job, I loved it!

[@StudioChimiel]

That Jay fellow seems to know his way around a fretboard quite well.

[@madeinuk01]

Colin You the man... I could sit and happily spent the whole day watching CSGuitars content. Thanks for making the TATA series :)

[@semin811]

Much thanks to those "42nd GS frame dropping effect", I was able to locate Jay's hand. What a fantastic player.

[@mcswordfish]

I have a question that I am NOT Too Afraid To Ask - Will it EVER shred?

[@MrBiggordy]

Considering John Petrucci's signature MusicMan guitar has a piezo pickup under the bridge, I'd say - hell yeah!!

[@dascommissar5264]

I use piezo pickups in a lot of the guitars I build. Trust me, alone or blended with magnetics the sound is just breathtaking.

[@mcswordfish]

"Will it Shred?" is an older video series of Colin's. I'm just trying to wind him up over the lack of a concluding episode

[@synderonline5317]

@@mcswordfish he already finished it? Did he not? I'm sure he did a conclusion

[@mcswordfish]

@@synderonline5317 He finished the rebuild, but was gonig to get a shredder to test and confirm that it could definitely shred.

[@funkmcfingers]

I just got my first electric bass with a piezo pickup and can't put it down, it sounds amazing! Now I have an idea of how it works 😃

[@BAMozzy69]

Jay is an amazing player!! Mesmerising to watch and stunning to hear... Colin is a great player too - just a different style of player.... I have an Electro Acoustic - around 30-35yrs old - and much more modern, a Piezo in my PRS Hollowbody ii which allows the blending of that Piezo with the Magnetic PU's an Electric Hollowbody guitar normally has. There are other models too - solid body guitars like the Music Man Majesty Monarchy (Petrucci's signature model) and PRS make a Custom 22 and 24 (often called a P22 or P24) too. Now you know exactly how they work and why they also require a battery too

[@joelspaulding5964]

Great video; That was a proper explanation of piezos! Jay's playing: It is fun to watch the reactions of musicians watching other musicians- a couple times I smiled in appreciation along with Colin. Fabulous playing and a really nice sound. I heard nil piezo quackery in this audio track.

[@robinleebraun7739]

When I was a kid 60 years ago, you could get a crystal radio kit, which used pressure on a crystal to generate a voltage and would receive radio signals over the air.

[@TheHellishRobin]

Someone else is curious about what happened back there in 07:04 Or is it just me? :P

[@JesseltonGaming]

Lmao

[@s.e.n3264]

When it comes to recording acoustics and classicals, I prefer to record with the pickups, and close up mic and a distant mic all at the same time. Creates a beautiful sound, the extra work is definitely worth it!

[@dimitarhristov9351]

tnx helped me for physics homework! Always knew guitar knowledge would pay out

[@navalshastri]

The guitar playing skills at the end really inspired me and I was waiting for it...

[@Highcastle_of_Tone]

Great explanation, appreciate all the work you put into this to show the underlying science. I have a few acoustics with piezos and I appreciate their utility, but I'm not in love with the quack. Some guitar makers have made some improvements to the simple design, but they still don't approach the sound of a good condenser mic. Still, great video and very interesting.

[@WinchurchGuitar]

This is a really cool video! Very informative, and all the information is precise. Thank you for the free education.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

They sound great w/ Nylon String Guitars

[@bcm1621]

JLJ is such a fun player to watch. Amazing talent!

[@DrumWild]

3:43 This is what you find inside electronic drum pads / triggers. For a long time I would buy "broken" electronic drum parts, replace or re-solder the Piezo electronic transducers, and then re-sell for good money. They're really cheap when it comes to drums. My EBMM Starry Night also has Piezo installed, and the option without those is $1,000 cheaper. I'm not sure why they're so much more expensive in the guitar. My guitar has two output jacks, one with Piezo and electric, and one that is just electric. I've noticed that the Piezo jack makes noise when I'm using my wireless system, so I'm trying to figure out how to deal with that. Could be a cheap wireless system, but not certain.

[@fairguinevere666]

I think part of the price is that they can get that much money out of folks! Although all electric guitar piezo systems I've seen are pricey - 200+ dollars for a simple setup, be it graphtech, Fishman, ebmm. The challenge of getting the crystal inside the saddle, plus cramming a small and efficient and quiet preamp into a guitar cavity is probably what makes it that bit more expensive when compared to an electric drum pad.

[@MiSaLiAnW]

I might have the explanation but i can't translate

[@jimsmint]

The background chat noise is really distracting!!

[@Truedoogie]

Yes...what the heck is happening? Who shoots a video in a room where other people are chatting and laughing?

[@SamDeeksRelovedGuitars]

Great explanation - thank you!

[@banjoist123]

The most insane thing about this video is the guitar player at first plays 4 finger style WHILE HOLDING A PICK in his hand with his index finger, then only later puts the pick down and uses his index. And he seems totally comfortable with either configuration. (Selling all my guitars...) Amazingly scientic explanation that a lay guy like me can understand. Thanks! I'm a luthier and I occasionally work on under saddles and have always wondered why they use the same technology as my lighter!

[@lnlnd]

One of the most popular things where piezoelectric effect is used is a simple lighter. Some of them use traditional flint and steel mechanism that creates sparks to ignite the gas. Others use buttons. When you press one, it charges the spring and then releases it. The spring has a little hammerhead that strikes down on the piezo crystal which creates an electrical spark. If you happen to disassemble one of them you could find out that it has a little piece of wire and you can even experience an electric shock if you unload the mechanism while keeping your finger very close to the wire. The same thing lights up all modern gas stoves. So you can definitely find some application to this effect in completely routine things.

[@decode9160]

Thank you so much for this. Was doing research so i could use both this undersaddle and piezo disks for a custom guitar im making.

[@Phaseish]

THAT 6 , 2, 5 , 1 WITH ALL THOSE GROUPINGS IN BETWEEN LOL WAS SERIOUS

[@OIE82]

Just what I was looking for in a technical explanation. Thank you.

[@968hbo]

Very good information! Thank you for your clarification. I really learned a lot from that. One thought. I had some problems hearing from the people talking and yelling in the background. It's because I have a hearing loss. Thanks again I enjoyed it. I would like to hear more ideas on inter works of guitars.

[@jimamsden]

Colin, great video, thanks. I wonder if you'd do a followup on using acoustic body impulse responses with piezo pickups to solve the "piezo quack" problem? I'd really like to see how you would approach capturing the acoustic body impulse responses and combining them with the piezo impulse to reproduce just the sound of the acoustic guitar.

[@ScrambleBandOfficial]

Fantastic video man, really informative

[@garyr1934]

a thorough and entertaining tutorial Outstanding Thank you so much

[@charlesbatsold31]

So glad i smoked before watching. Learned so much.. Lol

[@JammyGit]

Piezo electricity, and this, ladies and gentlemen is why crystals have energy. 👍

[@MonkyMonk729]

Me wondering to myself: Man, what kind of classical guitar is this dude absolutely shedding on? Colin, no less than 2 seconds later: Here's absolutley everything you were just wondering in an eloquent graphic. Me: That was f@#$ing scary mate. And also thank you.

[@paulmurray1298]

Listen to paco pena ..lots of toobvids dont have to thank me lol

[@matthewrushin3800]

Awesome video, great explanation. Jay Leonard J amazing playing, much respect!

[@DeadmanDance]

You could tackle my #tata about impedance mismatch and piezos!

[@soundofBeers]

Thanks! Was having a talk about guitar amplification. I could figure it out regarding metal strings, mangets, coils and induction thanks to my physics courses. That obviously didn't apply to nylon strings and got me curious. Next time I meet my colleague I can now explain (:

[@surethebest]

Awesome explanation - awesome playing as well. Well done! Richard from Paris

[@davidhollowelljr949]

That double-neck Uke looks like an absolute unit

[@shaymiantewhau3014]

Imagine if they tried to make a piezoelectric power station 😂

[@janerickallado8881]

Like place them under roads and walkways. UNLIMITED POWAH

[@realconservative7735]

not super accurate on the dipoles in SiO2 "cancelling out" because while its technically true its more accurate to say something like "sum to zero" because the two negative charges aren't interacting with each other and cancelling, they only interact with the Si and generate a formal charge of 0, but the partial charges denoted by delta are all still there, nothings actually cancelling. everything else that's slightly wrong is boring p-chem stuff nobody would think is that interesting like measuring devices and what not. overall top notch :)

[@RadityoPramAdi]

Piezo pickups + IR loader (with acs guitar IR of course) = sounds pretty darn good.

[@aliali-ce3yf]

this channel is awesome

[@frikkiejacobs8858]

Thank you Colin. Spot on as usual.

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

As much as I appreciate piezo pickups for live performance, I have grown to loathe them for recording in a controlled environment. When I recorded an album as a student, we were forced to use the built-in piezos because we simply could not afford condenser mics or even more than 2 mono channels. So when we recorded guitar _and_ vocals in one take for timing purposes (no click), I was stuck with the harsh, brittle piezo sound of the guitar, which was a bitch to iron out in the mix. I later modified my Spanish-style guitar with a flat piezo glued to the inside of the body top, where the vibrations are much more smoothed out in comparison to the pickup position directly under the bridge, which produces a maximum of shrill high frequency response that is very unrepresentative of the acoustic sound of the instrument, which takes most of its frequency response from the body's resonance.

[@PrizmSeeR]

I think I'll try that now. In fact my favorite classical guitar that has the perfect sound and feel will be recordable. Thank you for figuring this out.

[@pepedecoatza]

Another amazing video, and that guy plays awesome!

[@Furtheronmusic]

Brilliant video Colin. Thanks to Ortega too impressive sounds for JLJ

[@metalupyourass9]

Atta boy Glen! way to represent Canadians! haha

[@raggedrascal5463]

We use the same phenomenon to creat the ultrasound waves used in echocardiography. The electrical input apl,ied to the crytal creates the sound wave that is passed through body tissues and converted to an image used in medical diagnostics.

[@skarfie123]

Love the scientific explanations!

[@killedbyatreehugger]

For the life of me, I can’t understand why this was half recorded in a loud room with people talking and shouting at times. I love the content, this video is just pretty jarring for me

[@MarioHemsley]

Excellent! Thanks!

[@MelvynHaas]

Actually learned something. Glad I subscribed :D

[@PooNinja]

transducers are cool! as a driver or a mic/pickup

[@beervampier]

Great video!

[@russ6541]

Of course Glenn Fricker would know all about it lmao (no hate just saying)

[@timseguine2]

Well, he wouldn't be a very good know it all if he didn't know it all.

[@russ6541]

Tim Seguine very true

[@JackdeDuCoeur]

Always a good lesson!

[@SmugSuspenders]

Are the voices in the background there to show the problems of possible bleed? 😅

[@JuveriSetila]

Patreon boiz coming strong again!

[@hazrod13]

yeah !

[@mikesmoviemadness24]

I have a question I'm too afraid to ask: Pickup rings vs direct mounted pickups; is it aesthetic, or does it make a difference in sound?

[@jom0bx189]

So I knew a couple of things about computers going into this. The mention of manipulating quartz to induce a current caught my attention. This is because all computers have crystal oscillator on the motherboard. Surprise, surprise, they are usually made with quartz. This inspired me to do some research. Piezoelectric Effect in Computers: As he stated in the video, when quartz is supplied with an electric current, it will vibrate. Depending on how the quartz is cut we can predict the frequency that it vibrates at. This is *THE* fundamental principle that makes computers possible. As I said, every motherboard has a crystal oscillator on it. Crystal oscillators are usually powered by a lithium battery on the motherboard so that your computer can keep time even when it is turned off (at least for a few weeks). In the computer world, this is called a real-time clock or RTC (just like your watch). In the past, these onboard clocks were used to set the “clock speed” of the computer. The clock speed controls every function of the computer including how many instructions are processed per second. You could change the speed your computer ran at by changing the oscillator on your board. This was not always good for your computer as it forces every component to run faster and hotter and some components really aren't meant for that. More on this here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aKG6ppKof7qcgNU In modern-day computers, the crystal oscillator on the motherboard is only used for keeping the RTC on track. The computer's CPU has its own crystal oscillator to control the clock speed and therefore all functions of the computer. Past onboard oscillators ran computers at slower speeds such as 10MHz. Modern CPUs run the board anywhere from 2GHz to 5.5GHz in most cases, though 8.723GHz is the overclocking world record. “So where are you going with this?” you might ask. Truth be told, I have no clue. I just noticed a connection between two of my favorite hobbies. The next time you interact with a piezo pickup, just think about how the same science allowing you to make music is used to make every computer you've ever come into contact with possible.

[@leviathan_is_me]

Flex that knowledge 💪grrrrrr.

[@mrrandomassduck]

Of course Glen would know!

[@carlosalfaro1777]

Thanks!!

[@thechrononaut1]

My TATA is: what are phasing issues with multi amp rigs? What are they, what causes them, how do you stop them?

[@anvil777]

Jay Leonard Jay is quite a fantastic player... Watch the last years (?) performance at the Thomann music university

[@TheLukster100]

That is one hell of a guitar player

[@Mistertbones]

I love the Pikachu shirt. Great video about piezo pickups.

[@JoshuaC923]

Great video

[@loganstrong5426]

Science KZbinr Steve Mould has a great video on the piezoelectric effect with some nice physical demonstrations!

[@BeesBadAtLife]

Glen!

[@paeden5431]

This guy is like Fitz from A.G.E.N.T.S of Shield, but for guitar.

[@nobnobnobnob]

I remove that piezo stick under the saddle, then replace it with at piezo disc. Now I need a low-cut filter

[@JayLeonardJ]

Killer vid Colin! Now I don't have to look like an idiot when people ask me how those things work, haha :)

[@PK_TANG_PK]

Your Pikachu shirt rules!

[@SchwartzerAdler]

Aye, Colin! I have a question that I'm (obviously not) too afraid to ask: How is it possible that different pickups, although working with the same method of turning a magnetic signal into an audio-electric signal, create different sounds? I get how humbuckers and single coils sound different, but why do two distinct humbuckers provide a sound that differs from one another in output levels, frequency range and tone colour? That's one question I really can't answer myself... Can you? And by the way: You're awesome in every way! Thanks for doing this!

[@witeshade]

It's a combination of factors. The strength of the magnet, and the shape of the poles and the resulting magnetic field has some effect. Another huge effect is how many turns of copper wire are used. More turns means it has a greater sensitivity to the magnetic field. But, more turns also changes the resistance, impedance, and capacitance of the circuit due to the fact that it is a physical object. And those different characteristics work together to create a specific frequency response. It is basically exactly like if you deliberately built an EQ circuit into the pickup. Another effect is actually the reaction of the impedance of the pickup to the values of the tone and volume pots, the tone cap, and the input circuit of whatever you are plugged into (which is why many modelers let you specify the input impedance because that already changes the tone). In short, it's an almost magical interaction of physical properties, the careful control and balancing of which let the pickup creator dial in whatever tone they are going for.

[@SchwartzerAdler]

@@witeshade Thanks for your answer, this has in fact clearified a lot of things! Now, a Colin-made video with some split tests would still be amazingly cool... ;)

[@subhrajitghosh666]

Nice It's really informative.

[@KunchangLeeMusic]

So informative thanks man

[@DesAcetek]

just brillant.

[@DragonofLimerick]

JUST TOO AWESOME!!

[@cavanimakesthenoise]

Hello,great video!!Sorry about my English,I have a question.In ur opinion is possible to install this type of pickup inside the guitar?Of course in the proximity of the bridge.I ask this because,I am makeing a solid body ukulele and I don't want to work on the white saddle.So I am wondering if strings vibrations can be caught by the piezo even under the top.Thanks so much.

[@magusguitars]

12:10 They don't. They sit between the saddle and the bridge, which is attached to the guitar top.

[@THEGLASSMANSWORLD]

Thank you for this detailed information! I actually just cut my piezo wire and trying to figure out the correct way to reconnect the wires or to reattach to the piezo pickup itself. Have any info on that? I actually learned that my guitar which has had a piezo should have also had a preamp installed as well. I was told this is passive and not and active pickup. I have always had issues with plugging directly into a sound board without the preamp or without just mic'ing my acoustic amp. Thank you for this info! I will probably go purchase a really nice preamp with new piezo now and cut some holes into my trusty Ibanez. Eventually I'll upgrade to a Martin or eventually a Taylor.

[@damien6685]

Stunning as per normal, I learn something from every one of your videos, but a question: It was mentioned that piezo pickups are supposed to reduce feedback. If I plug my Tanglewood TW9E with a B Band M-450T EQ into a 'standard' guitar amp, as I did but once in my life while sitting with the amp elevated for easy reach, the resulting feedback was almost capable of launching me into the next room. I have never plugged it in since. Or is it a case that piezo's are better but not feedback free and I was just lucky I wasn't using a normal mike as I would have still been in a low earth orbit?

[@morbidangel989]

Well, this is a nicely timed video lol. I'd just been thinking about getting a piezo pickup equiped Fishman Powerbridge for my Strat, and was wondering exactly how a piezo system works.

[@ScienceofLoud]

Now you know! Sensing the string vibrations directly gives a very different signal to magnetic pickups, and processed correctly will allow very different sounds from the instrument than the standard magnetic pickups.

[@imt2798]

My favorite scotsman 😘

[@Nathouuuutheone]

Does the piezo pickup add up the waves of all the strings? How does something like a harpejji have individual pickups without them picking up the sound of all the other strings?

[@blakecurtis7809]

So the piezo trigger you used on the electric guitar has that crystal in it? I use a drum trigger on my kick and curious about that. The first trigger I had was a piezo I got from radio shack years ago. Spliced it to a patch cord then plugged into my drum module. Worked pretty good. Cool video, thank you.

[@TrypticOwen]

Awesome video. I'd be interested to know what pickup technology induces an electronic signal that is the truest representation of the actual mechanical signal? This may stray into subjective territory as the echo in the soundbox seems to be a key difference between the sound of mic and of piezo and people may differ in opinion as to whether this echoing is truly part of the mechanical signal or something that might be better added via effects...

[@leilanisalas6739]

I really love your videos ♡

[@ScienceofLoud]

Thank you! It's great to know that my work is appreciated.

[@rainblaze.]

Hey is steve from Boston.... hey steve 🖑

[@OgamiItto70]

Here's what I wonder. And I'm not afraid to ask, either! Can you run your electric guitar's signal into an acoustic simulator and the acoustic simulator's signal into an acoustic guitar preamp to get realistic acoustic sound from an electric? You'd have to amplify this with an FRFR amp, I reckon. Would it work? Would it sound good?

[@katyungodly]

wow that dude is really good at guitar :o

[@taibasarovadil]

love your pikachu shirt

[@user-fb2kb4wp7s]

Will I be able to get an "electric guitar sound" out of my Piezo?