Fuzzy acoustic

mjbphotos

mjbphotos

Moderator
In the middle of band practice yesterday, my acoustic starts distorting like there was a fuzz box on it. Checked everything possible, and found that if I turned down the guitar volume control below 50%, the distortion went away. I usually keep it around 80%.
I assume the piezo has gone bad? It's still under warranty as I paid for the 12 month used one at GC.
 
mjbphotos said:
No one else ever had this problem with a piezo?
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piezo crystals either work or they don't. Likely cause is a loose connection or the piezo not seated correctly (gaps creating physical movement of the housing or unit) although this usually just results in loss of amplitude. I'm assuming you don't have active onboard because battery would also be a likely cause. Piezo crystals just convert physical vibrations into an electrical signal. Pretty basic really. They don't wear out so the problem is likely not the piezo element but it's mounting and connections.

Try an eliminate everything one step at a time.

If it's under warranty let them take a look at it.
 
Someone else suggested the battery, but it is not active, I thought the battery only operated the tuner. I'll throw a new battery in to check (but of course all my spares at the practice space!)

Wondering why the distortion would only happen when the volume got turned up, if it is a physical problem.

I paid for the 12 month used warranty at GC, so it can definitely go back there if needed!
 
mjbphotos said:
Wondering why the distortion would only happen when the volume got turned up, if it is a physical problem.
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If it is not secured properly then you can get a physical feedback going. The thing can buzz away like a jaw harp. Think loose brace and how they can rattle, essentially it would lose out[put first though which is why I mentioned that before..

Always go the easy route first when troubleshooting however and swap that battery out first.;)
 
Have you had a chance to try out a new battery yet?

Just curious if that fixed your problem.
 
I tried what I assume was a new battery (still sealed in a package) and the problem remained. I will try with yet another battery, but think there's more to it!
 
mjbphotos said:
I tried what I assume was a new battery (still sealed in a package) and the problem remained. I will try with yet another battery, but think there's more to it!
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Get it back under warranty. Like I said there is not much that can go wrong with piezio elements so it's down to a dry joint or not installed correctly.
 
Before I went to GC this morning, I was going to try one more battery, but ran out of time, so went up there, only to find out when you buy an extended warranty at GC (in this case it was a 12 month used one), you first have to call a toll-free number to get an authorization - why don't they give your pamphlet when you buy the warranty? I bought 3 things used last year with the 12 month warranty and they never gave me the info (3 different GCs, too)!
But, the interesting thing is that if the value of the item is less than $200 (in this case, $199.99), they just issue a refund gift card - automatically. I assume that if you make too many claims, they may dispute them ....

So with a card for $199.99 on its way, I brought the guitar to the tech, who plugged it in - no distortion - WTF? Maybe the battery was just not 'warmed up' when I tried it before?
Plugged it in when I got home, everything is fine. Guess I'll be keeping my eyes open for some used gear at GC less than $200 soon! :guitar:
 
I'd still be cautious. It may well represent as these niggling problems often do. Batteries don't need time to warm up. I strongly suspect it could be a loose connection from what you describe. Based on the circumstances I'd check the jack socket and lead connection first next time.

Glad it's sorted for now anyhow.
 
muttley600 said:
I'd still be cautious. It may well represent as these niggling problems often do. Batteries don't need time to warm up. I strongly suspect it could be a loose connection from what you describe. Based on the circumstances I'd check the jack socket and lead connection first next time.

Glad it's sorted for now anyhow.
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Appreciate your expertise!
 
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