Ac Guitar Pick-up dumb-ass Q

Subject: Ac Guitar Pick-up dumb-ass Q
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 07 Apr 00 - 07:35 AM

I have had an old ( but unused) Ibanez Bug acoustic pickup kicking about for about 20 yrs.

I fitted it to my accoustic 6 string and it works fine.

My Question is:

I would like to add some kind of in-line volume control (tone too if poss), so that I can take the level down with out having to go to a mixer or amp.

I know this is a dumb-bunny question... just shows my iggerance... would it be possible to adapt the inline-volume control that you get on some head phones to do this?

If not, can someone suggest what I need?

Thanks

Steven C if you don't want to post, mail me at

[e-mail]

(I don't know how to do the blue clicky thing) Thanks again

Subject: RE: Help: Ac Guitar Pick-up dumb-ass Q
From: Mooh
Date: 07 Apr 00 - 08:52 AM

I use a simple foot operated volume control with or without a Boss bass EQ pedal that allows some boost. I prefer the EQ centres on the bass EQ to the standard guitar EQ pedal. Works great when I can't bring along a larger rig. Good Luck. Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Help: Ac Guitar Pick-up dumb-ass Q
From: GUEST,Jimmy
Date: 08 Apr 00 - 12:01 AM

There are several battery-operated preamps available which will suit the job you want to do. Fishman and several others run $75 - $150, depending on how much EQ control you want to achieve. Your main problem is to add a preamp to raise the signal level of your pickup so that an amplifier can be used.

Subject: RE: Help: Ac Guitar Pick-up dumb-ass Q
From: GUEST,flattop
Date: 08 Apr 00 - 12:40 PM

A direct answer to your question, Steven, is that if you put almost any volume control between the two wires of your pickup, you can use it to lower the volume. Most volume controls are variable resistors. If you wire one between the two leads, all the signal will go to the amp when the control is turned to maximum resistance. As you turn to lessen the resistance and to let electrons flow through, the part that flows through the control will feed back through to the other wire and through the pickup. It will not go to the amp so the signal to the amp is lowered by that amount. This is exactly how most volume controls on electric guitars work. Turning the volume down a bit tends to lower the volume quickly. I believe most people leave the volume up and adjust the amp.

Tone controls on electric guitars work in much the same way except a capacitor is wired into the connection between the two wires. Capacitors only allow the high tones to pass through and block the bass from passing. A capacitor with a variable resistor circiut would feed highs back through the pickup. The variable resistor controls how much of the highs to bleed off. The capacity value determines the cutoff frequency, I can't find my book on customizing electric guitars to tell you values that you can try but someone else might know and post shortly.