Advice for my sons E. Viola school project

[lunar fog]

Hi all

Just wondered if anyone can provide some advice on behalf of my son who is making an Electric Viola for his school Design and Technology project.

He has previously been advised that incorporating a 'Piezo Pickup for Violin Maker', which he has purchased from Suntek (http://www.suntekstore.com/goods-150...lin_maker.html), is a simple approach. He is under the impression that this pickup is all he needs, and he can plug it into something like an iPod dock initially (via an extension cable he has purchased: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015QGGN...661_TE_3p_dp_1), and maybe get some kind of Amp later.

However I am not convinced, as the pickup looks to my untrained eye as just a pickup (transducer ?) and a short wire with a 3.5 mm Audio Jack, but with nothing to 'boost' a sound. So I wondered if someone can advise if there is anything else that he needs in order to get a sound out to: a) a simple set of speakers/iPod dock initially, and b) an Amp. either now (at Project presentation time) or later.

He has put a lot of work in the construction of the Viola, and I am happy to help him purchase anything he needs to get a sound from a basic Amp setup (option b).

Many thanks in advance.

Lunar Fog

[Mandobart]

Warning signs on your link:

"Here is a high sensitivity piezo pickups for violin maker."
"This piezo pickup is great violin parts."
"Related Tags: ocarinas, tattoo supplies, bass guitar, guitar"

I don't think it will work plugged into an iPod dock. The signal from the piezo element will be an analog millivolt signal. The signal from a phone, iPod, pad, etc. is a digital signal. I have never seen this pickup before, but I doubt this combination will provide any sound at all.

This device, which I have also never used, may be what he is after.

I have installed piezo pickups in over a dozen acoustic instruments. I have used several different preamps and DI's to connect to house PA's, and I've used a handful of acoustic amps with success.

[Marais]

This tutorial might be helpful: http://fiddlerman.com/forum/recordin...out-2-or-less/

I think you would just have to cut off the 8th inch jack, strip the wires a few inches from the end, then hook them up like it shows in the third post.