Sethmetal Posted January 20, 2006 Report Share Posted January 20, 2006 Ok here is my desired result and here is what I am planning on using: Ibanez RG 321 Ghost piezo saddles (stewmac) acousti-phonic preamp (stewmac) push pull pot I want the 5 way switch to control the mags. When the push pull is lifted, the mags shut off and the piezo comes on. The mags and piezo will share the same mono jack. I would like them to both be controlled by the same volume knob, but I could use the push pull for piezo volume if necessary and forego the tone control (Who really uses it anyway? not me.) So, here are my questions: 1) Do I have to use the preamp? Will it sound okay without it? 2) Is the volume pot suitable for performing a master volume function? 3)Since the ghost system has saddles with a center mounted screw, it should fit on tyhe RG321's bridge, correct? 4) Instead of having the piezo power turned on when a cable is plugges in, can I wire it to come on when the push/pull is engaged? I think that is all, thanks for teh guidance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted January 21, 2006 Report Share Posted January 21, 2006 as a general rule; piezo through normal electric guitar amp sounds C*ap. Sounds better with a preamp, but still not too hot. I'd go with the preamp if you want mono output as you could run into problems with impedences etc (i've never worked witht he ghost system so i don;t know too much about it). push pull pot is no problem it would just have to be wired like the quick switch that graphtech sell for the system. If you're using the preamp, you might as well wire a stereo jack as the system apparenlty auto detects if it is mono or a stereo cable plugged in. That's give you flexability in the future if you chose to change ur rig round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethmetal Posted January 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2006 Cool, Stereo jack wouldn't hurt anything if it is auto detect, I guess. Does anybody know if a regular 500K pot is up to the task of volume for both. If not do they make the proper rated pot in a push/pull setup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sambo Posted January 21, 2006 Report Share Posted January 21, 2006 If you are using the preamp, you'll need to look at the manual to see what volume pot the piezo needs (i think its 25k?) both 500k and 25k push pull pots are available easily enough. S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fookgub Posted January 26, 2006 Report Share Posted January 26, 2006 (edited) Ok here is my desired result and here is what I am planning on using: Ibanez RG 321 Ghost piezo saddles (stewmac) acousti-phonic preamp (stewmac) push pull pot I want the 5 way switch to control the mags. When the push pull is lifted, the mags shut off and the piezo comes on. The mags and piezo will share the same mono jack. I would like them to both be controlled by the same volume knob, but I could use the push pull for piezo volume if necessary and forego the tone control (Who really uses it anyway? not me.) So, here are my questions: 1) Do I have to use the preamp? Will it sound okay without it? 2) Is the volume pot suitable for performing a master volume function? 3)Since the ghost system has saddles with a center mounted screw, it should fit on tyhe RG321's bridge, correct? 4) Instead of having the piezo power turned on when a cable is plugges in, can I wire it to come on when the push/pull is engaged? I think that is all, thanks for teh guidance. Wow, I can't believe I didn't notice this post until now. I just finished installing a Graphtech system in the exact same guitar as you have. 1. You have to use a preamp. I recommend the Graphtech one. It's very flexible, and allows for a number of configurations. Other preamps will work, though, if you find one that is better suited to your requirements. 2. The pots in your guitar are fine. I used all 500k pots, and my configuration was magnetic volume w/ push/pull piezo midboost and concentric magnetic tone and piezo volume. 3. Yes. Just make sure to get the right saddles. They're the first ones on Graphtech's page: "Ghost Saddle Pickups Import Strat (6pcs) PN-8000-00" 4. You could, but I don't see the point. The preamp doesn't draw much power, and it's just another switch to get in your way. Graphtech includes a switched jack, so you can run stereo or mono and you don't have to worry about pops when you plug in. Anyway, I see where you're going with this wiring scheme, but I don't think it's optimal. Try it the way I did it, but add the "quickswitch" that Graphtech sells. You could also use the push/pull to mute the piezo or magnetic pickups, but without three positions you won't be able to have the mag/mag+piezo/piezo configuration. Edited January 26, 2006 by fookgub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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