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#1
10-17-2021, 01:36 PM
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Dead E and A string,under saddle piezo
Hello everyone.I am new on this forum.Hopefully its ok to make a thread straight away.
Anyway I got myself an old Seagull 12 string.It has LR Baggs duet preamp with under saddle piezo and mic. I found out that 6th and 5th string produce no or almost no sound.When I tap on saddle It doesnt make noise only on those two parts of saddle. I will take saddle off to check the piezo and saddle for any abnormalities. i just want to prepare everything so I dont have to restring the **** thing 10 times.what shouls i look for and do as action ? 1. Sand bottom of saddle if uneven 2.Sand bottom of saddle slot if i see some lumps etc 3.check if there is problem with piezo piece itself. 4.put a plastic shim under saddle ? Anyone had experience with something similar? Cheers 
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#3
10-17-2021, 02:22 PM
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Quote:
In any case, welcome to the forum!
__________________
2018 Guild F-512 Sunburst -- 2007 Guild F412 Ice Tea burst 2002 Guild JF30-12 Whiskeyburst -- 2011 Guild F-50R Sunburst 2011 Guild GAD D125-12 NT -- 1972 Epiphone FT-160 12-string 2012 Epiphone Dot CH -- 2010 Epiphone Les Paul Standard trans amber 2013 Yamaha Motif XS7 Cougar's Soundcloud page
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#4
10-17-2021, 02:28 PM
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Well, welcome to the Forum!
If the guitar is older, the UST may be bad, or getting there fast! You can get a replacement UST, but first, I'd check out to see what's "been done" to the undersaddle area... Having the bottom of the saddle absolutely flat is the first thing to check. If the saddle is flat underneath, then you can make adjustments to how it picks up the strings. You want to gently "tap" on the transducer itself when plugged in to a sound source, just to make sure that the entire thing is producing signal, but I suspect it is - UST's are generally "of a piece"; it's not the sort of thing where part of it works and part doesn't, unless it's been damaged somehow. If the saddle has a shim under it, that would be something to sort out. The newer Baggs Element UST does NOT play well with shims! There are ways to "tweak" the output of a UST, but, unless you're knowledgeable about the in's and out's of it, I'd take it to someone is is and have them do the work. It may be that the best way to go is to put in a new pickup system if the old one is obsolete. Personally, I am VERY happy with the Dazzo pickup - this, after using nearly everything available for the past 50 years or so...
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"Home is where I hang my hat, but home is so much more than that. Home is where the ones and the things I hold dear are near... And I always find my way back home." "Home" (working title) J.S, Sherman
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#5
10-18-2021, 04:30 AM
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I will check saddle and saddle slot for any funky stuff,shims etc.I just need to hype myself for removing and reinstalling 12 string  If i find out everyting is ok with saddle then it must be piezo piece that is faulty.Is it possible to get good quality under saddle piezo only and to install it in original preamp(just to replace faulty one with new one)? Any suggestion for good qualitt piezo piece? Haris
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#6
10-18-2021, 05:53 AM
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Just to underline something you've already mentioned yourself, not only should there be good contact between saddle/pickup, there should also be good contact between pickup/bridge slot so equal care should be taken.
If you do need to replace the piezo there are many to choose from, Fishman Matrix seems to have become something of a standard. I have two and they're very good, just don't be expecting (I don't think you are) magic.
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Give a man a fishing rod... and he's got the makings of a rudimentary banjo.
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#7
10-18-2021, 07:02 AM
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I bought a used 2017 SJ-200 several months ago and it came with a factory installed Baggs pu. Sounded fine plugged in when I demoed it in the seller's garage but when I got it home I realized the D & G strings were much quieter then the rest. Imagine playing thru a scale and having half volume on those strings. Looked online for info and found the advice about even contact between the underside of the saddle and the piezo Element. Took the saddle out and put the underside on a straight edge and sure enough it looked like an arch with a gap in the center I could see through! It was so obvious I wondered if Gibson "fine tuned" it upon installation. I flattened it with a little sanding and now it is my best sounding plugged-in rhythm guitar. I play it mostly on the Baggs mic with a little piezo mixed in and I get repeated compliments on the tone even with drums, bass, and electric lead guitar in the mix. Hope your fix is as easy as mine was.
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#8
10-19-2021, 12:56 AM
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Piezo is fixed to saddle.Maybe i should look for replacement saddle but i dont know where to look at �� https://ibb.co/Q8QNgq4 I cleaned it up a bit with swab and acetone and now 5th string has sound but 6th is still almost dead.Is it possible to find same replacement piezo ? Cheers Last edited by Doublechinmask; 10-19-2021 at 02:32 AM.
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#9
10-19-2021, 03:39 AM
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I don't have any experience of the LR Baggs system you have fitted. But I do have experience of fitting LR Baggs under saddle p/us to mountain dulcimers. For the dulcimer p/us, they use the same system on gluing the piezo strip to the saddle. And I have had ones with dead spots.
I would suggest buying any cheap piezo strip than fits your saddle slot size and buying and shaping a new saddle from a bone blank to go on top of that (not glued!!!). You can get oversized bone blanks from Ebay and it then just takes time and sandpaper to shape a saddle. 
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I'm learning to flatpick and fingerpick guitar to accompany songs. I've played and studied traditional noter/drone mountain dulcimer for many years. And I used to play dobro in a bluegrass band.
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