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#1
09-26-2017, 08:49 AM
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thinking of converting my Epi dread to a piezoelectric system.,,have some questions
I am think of converting my Epi Dread to a piezoelectric pick up system.I purchased a complete kit on the bay abd have a few questions. Cutting the rectangular holes for the Eq/control module seems doable as I had dry run on a cheap acoustic and the results were satisfactory. I taped it off,drilled 4 holes at the corners and used a sanding disc in my Dremel to cut out the hole.My main concern is the piezo pick up abd the bridge slot.Will I have to deepen the bridge slot to avoid raising the action to an unacceptable level?if so,what is the best method to do so?Are there any other pitfalls to look out for? The E/Q module has a six band eq so it is rather large and I wonder if installing the system will alter the acoustic properties of the guitar.It sounds really good right now so it woukd be good to know.
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#3
09-26-2017, 09:09 AM
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Quote:
Make a copy of your current saddle in case you ever want to revert back to where you started. Good luck! 
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#4
09-26-2017, 10:00 AM
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Quote:
__________________
"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
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#5
09-26-2017, 10:16 AM
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I would halt everything right there. Once you make a hole for your preamp, you are committed. If this system is junk, will anything else fit that hole? Nope, all these systems are different shapes. If it's smaller than a standard Baggs or Fishman then you're fine. If not, then you have an ugly hole that you could try to turn into a weird sound port. If it was me, I would try it first with the preamp mounted externally. Even if it's ugly for a few days, it's not permanent. Put some felt or other protective material on the guitar, then the premap, then LOTS of green painters tape.
If you haven't done this before, getting the saddle to sit right on the UST is also critical for string balance. You could get one string WAY louder or quiter than others... or several strings. It's not an easy thing to do. I would not touch your current saddle or the saddle slot. Buy an extra saddle to mess with. They are cheap and many stores will carry the same one that's in the guitar (preset intonation). Then you can revert back if this doesn't work. Even good UST systems tend to sound bad, going with a cheap one and making it permanent may really let you down. Why not just go with a K&K? Cheap, No big holes to drill and better tone then any UST I've ever heard. An external eq is good to have, but even a cheap external eq will help a K&K. I've gone direct to a soundboard and just let him shape it for good results. It's extremely hard to fix the quacky piezo UST tone.
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#6
09-27-2017, 10:46 AM
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Yes that is why I am hesitating, the guitar currently sounds great and it will be necessary to carve a rather large permanent hole in its side.What is a K&K? Sound hole pick up?I think I will hold off and explore less permanent pick up options.
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#10
09-27-2017, 03:20 PM
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The most popular K&K is the K&K pure mini. It's what is referred to when people say "K&K" and nothing more. It gets glued to your bridge plate on the inside of your guitar. The placement is quite precise, but they include a jig with it. The saddle never even needs to be touched, so no mods whatsoever (other than endpin jack). It is so simple yet so effective. No batteries ever. An external preamp of sorts helps with tone shaping. They tend to be bassier than most pickups, but I like that. You just have to be able to tame it if playing live with a monitor near by. When I played live, I placed the monitor to my left and behind me (diagonal). This stopped the feedback I was having when the monitor was in front of me. I often ran direct to the board and had him shape the tone. I was never happier with my plugged in tone, just sounded like my guitar.
You may even have someone near you who is experienced in installing them. I got mine about 5 years ago and total cost was $150 CDN (about $125 USD) including installation! It REALLY pays to have someone who's experienced when getting a pickup added. Here is the K&K pure mini page http://www.kksound.com/products/puremini.php Here are the installation instruction from the same website http://kksound.com/support/jig-new.php 
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#12
09-29-2017, 10:29 AM
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Philo, how do you plan to use the amplified guitar? Yes, the K&K is an excellent choice but not for everyone. And yes it is inexpensive but might require the use of an external pre amp, which might not be. If, for example, you plan to play the amplified acoustic with a rock band, I would advise against the K&K.
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