Godin Seagull Maritime modifications

[4real]

Well, it worked...the preamp I built didn't but I ahd another that worked well enough...how do I ad a volume and tone control. I'm not sure about teh balance too, the high strings tend to pick up more than the bass strings though it is not too bad...

[newey]

It's a good-looking unit as well, 4real! It fits the look of the guitar much better than the Strat-style SC.

We'll be expecting some sounds samples soon . . .

[4real]

Jul 17, 2014 20:54:29 GMT -5 newey said:

It's a good-looking unit as well, 4real! It fits the look of the guitar much better than the Strat-style SC.

We'll be expecting some sounds samples soon . . .

Yhanks...well these things take time and not sure if it going to be "better" despite the 'look'...the strat things can sound ok despite the bronze strings...it needs some kind of volume and tone control but a short experiment was not too fruitful...so I will give it a rest for a little, so progress si going slow

[4real]

GHS internal microphone arrived. Might ahve to reloacate that battery and because of the internal JLD bridge truss will have to be offset a little.

I am not sure if I can take power from teh onboard piezo system. The tuner works without plugging the guitar in, the mic system is 1.5 volt and the mag system likely 9 volt. I'm not sure if eaths and such need to be separate either. Intending on having three inputs for the three systems, not sure if I can combine them into a sigle multicore cable with a single earth or anything.

Nervous about drilling holes in it too. understandably...

The mag pup has stalled a bit, it does woek but had trouble adding a volume and tone to the system and the balance on teh mag seems out, so not sure if it needs a redesign. The lower bronze strings seem not to ahv a lot of steel in them to 'pickup' and the higher strings comparatively louder...not sure if some kind of tone control would fix that, or EQing on the mixer.

[newey]

The lower bronze strings seem not to ahv a lot of steel in them to 'pickup' and the higher strings comparatively louder...not sure if some kind of tone control would fix that, or EQing on the mixer.

How about fixing it with different strings?

I've always disliked the sound of bronze acoustic strings anyway, so I wouldn't think twice about swapping them out.

[4real]

Jul 27, 2014 20:08:36 GMT -5 newey said:

The lower bronze strings seem not to ahv a lot of steel in them to 'pickup' and the higher strings comparatively louder...not sure if some kind of tone control would fix that, or EQing on the mixer.

How about fixing it with different strings?

I've always disliked the sound of bronze acoustic strings anyway, so I wouldn't think twice about swapping them out.

Because there is a big difference in sound acoustically and with the other pickup systems. Primarily I play the guitar acoustically and looking to combine pickup systems to capture the sound of the instrument. The magnetic pickup is a small part of this sound, you may notice a lot of modern players use magnetic pickups with other pickup systems, generally teh more electric pickup is only a very small component of the electric sound. It helps to defuse things like quack from the piezo system, I am also proposing a microphone so the actual sound of the guitar does matter, electric strings just dont produce the kind of sound of the acoustic.

I also have an eye for better or worse, on this thing as somethig perhaps other acoustic players might be inteested in or certain applications...not that anything more is likely to happen.

I have a modified version of the design in mind for the pickup, making prototyles is a time consuming business though and very frustrating. So, for now he plan is likely to continue with the electronics side of things and go back and replace the pickup part with improved designs down the track...

I do use electric strings on the 'jazz-strat' thing for instance s it is primarily and electric instrument (light top-heavy bottomm with an unwound G) but not likely a good thing for this instrument.

Now about power, controls and such?

[newey]

"Controls" presents some interesting issues if the goal is to avoid any additional holes in the guitar. The only solutions I can imagine to do that would be to either locate the controls externally, perhaps to a box that would clip to the strap. Alternatively, a second pickguard could be fashioned that would be held on by a clip into the soundhole, and would sit a few mms above the existing guard, piggy-back style. Some thumb wheel pots could then be mounted along the underside of the upper guard. The whole thing could thus be made removable.

Maybe the mag pickup has a piece of guard affixed to it with the controls, thumbwheel style, on that? With the pickup and all the controls able to be slid in or out, as a unit. Then, with a pigtail plug to the rest of the guitar circuitry?

Just spitballin' here, you understand.

[JohnH]

To address different output levels on wound and plain strings, could you get enough correction using pole/pickup height? If so, maybe a staggered height arrangement could help.

For controls, connections and power I think I would want to take everything off board using 4core screened cable, one mag, one from the current active piezo and two for bslanced mic plus ground. Ive used such cable from Jaycar and has similar flexibility to normal mic or guitar cord. Then a simple connector box to split out the mic, with XLR to go to mixer mic in, piezo straight through to and output leading to a line in, and the mag with one of our simple jfet buffers, to go to another line in. So no new guitat knobs, one cord from guitar to box, three cords from box to mixer and then full control of levels and tone at the mixer.

[4real]

Jul 29, 2014 3:38:55 GMT -5 JohnH said:

To address different output levels on wound and plain strings, could you get enough correction using pole/pickup height? If so, maybe a staggered height arrangement could help.

THanks John. It's tricky as this thingis very small but got an alternative idea, not an adjustable pup but a rail type, but I think it can stand upping the magnetisim perhaps. Making prototypes are a pain

For controls, connections and power I think I would want to take everything off board using 4core screened cable, one mag, one from the current active piezo and two for bslanced mic plus ground. Ive used such cable from Jaycar and has similar flexibility to normal mic or guitar cord. Then a simple connector box to split out the mic, with XLR to go to mixer mic in, piezo straight through to and output leading to a line in, and the mag with one of our simple jfet buffers, to go to another line in. So no new guitat knobs, one cord from guitar to box, three cords from box to mixer and then full control of levels and tone at the mixer.

I have a 4 core cable as it happens. Will it be ok that all grounds are shared? The mic is 1.5 volt pencil battery. The piezo has a tuner which runs even if a cable is not plugged in (I suspect this might be a fault in the jazz-strat thing going flat regardless...hmmm). The mag pup design will i am sure, require a preamp, at least some kind of buffer.

So, not sure how I should combine the voltages....etc, etc

A wrinkle though is that I want to make a pedal board to run a range of effects...

[JohnH]

Talking of magnets, random thought: How about a piece of extra bar magnet under just the poles that need boostung?

On the cabling, I'd reckon they could all share a ground even if they run on different voltages.

[4real]

The first one had neodyminium alnog the bottom and had little attempt at compensation...so reversing the placement of the brnze string magnets I thought might be enough. It requires building another prototype but it might work so that was the next step.

I was thinking of putting an additional two phone jacks/plugs, the mic mounts this way anyway....need to be sure that it works well enough before I modify anything. I used the 4 core for the stereo lead split in two, but could modify it to three when all is well...

It's kind of complicated as the sound would need to split at the pedal board I think and perhaps be 'conditioned' before that, so it is complicated and not sure what I need to do. Mostly effects are for delays and modelling. It would be good to be able to plug into the tweeterized roland and not have to use a full blown PA and mixer too...

[4real]

More guitar mods...



GHS microphone



Inside 'the ox...because of the JLD in there that forms a truss to the end block in my guitar, I had to place the hold for it off to the side...so Had to glue another 'block' on the solid sides for strength and stability



I installed the mic low and another endpin jack for perhaps a magnetic pickup...for now it is wired to mini phone plug and removed the fender noiseless

MODELLING

And so.....am going to try 'modelling' with a zoom A3...this has a broad range of 'effects' and different tonal variations and multiple other features and the ability to connect both the peizo and mics to separate inputs. Hopefully the modelling on the piezo will remove the quack sound and give it a superior sound.

The mic has a ver realisti electric sound, the A3 also offers mic modelling and a few basic features to sculpt that sound and blend it with the modelled sound. Also offers feedback reduction and muting tuner, boost and a host of features and effects as well as a mono DI or stereo outs