Need new electronics?

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Hello all!

This is my first post here ever! Pumped I found a Guild Guitar forum. I've over the last 8 months started to really playing my JF30 12 string (1990). It's basically now my main instrument. I've started to play out with it and the electronics on it seems to be not up to par.

I believe it has the under-the-saddle factory pickup that came with it (battery operated) and then I go through a Fishman external EQ before going into either my SWR California Blonde or to a PA.

Here is my problem...

The guitar sounds FABULOUS. Crisp, clean, full, the whole works... but, if I tear into it a little bit and get aggressive (I have acrylics on my right hand and tend to do this), it will like distort and overdrive or something. Has anyone ever come across this?

Is it because it's a 12-string and all of the tones are just difficult to capture and reproduce with the pickup?

I'm thinking about installing an LRBaggs iBeam or something. Any thoughts?

Thanks a ton in advance for any help or advice...

Pete
 

Bing k

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First thing check the obvious. The battery. Weak battery, weak signal.
The cords. Poor cords or connections. Weak signal.
Take a small mirror and look inside to make sure the wires are well connected at the jack.

Try turning the gain down and the volume up if that's an option.

Have you tried it without the external EQ and just go straight to the amp?

The Fishman that it came in it should give you good sound even if you "tear in to it". There has to be a signal problem somewhere.

I sold the last JF30-12 we had in stock last fall. The guy just loves it. Fender DQed the number at the end of 2003. They are a great 12 string. The option now is the 412 and 512 but the price is substantially more than the JF30-12 was.
 
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Thanks for the thoughts...

I did just put a fresh battery in the guitar AND in the Fishman external EQ. And I was just going straight from the guitar and not using the Fishman for a long time until people started telling me it was cutting out at certain points when I got aggressive.

So I'm think it must be a loose wire issue or something. hmm... I'll check it out.

if you have any other thoughts, let me know. Thanks again

Pete
 

reverb11

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The "distorting" that you describe is often caused by the peizo pickup making intermittant contact with the saddle... the saddle should ideally always be in constant contact with the pickup. When you play really loudly or heavily you might be causing the saddle to lift up, move or vibrate off the piezo. This happens all the time and can usually be cured by taking off the strings, lifting the saddle and making sure all is right. The pickup may have to be adjusted in the slot, or there may even be an obvious fault with the bottom of the plastic saddle (uneven wear; an unevenly cut saddle). You can then repair or replace the saddle.. Does this make sense? This was a common probem I noticed when working in a guitar shop.

Just a suggestion.
 
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That makes really good sense actually.

And I just replaced all my strings last night and took a look see. Now, I'm not a repairman or a guitar techie, so I don't 'really' know what I am looking for... but... here is what I found:

To my understanding, there are 3 peices down there that make up the pickup system, in top-down order:

1) The hard saddle on top that the strings actually rest on.

2) The thin magnetic pickup under the hard saddle which a cable is connected to.

3) The thin plastic saddle on the bottom.

Now.. I found all of these and was sure to be very careful when handling them. The only thing I noticed was on the Thin Magnetic Pickup.. it had almost a worn hole on the top layer. Very small, but looked like it had been worn away. The bottom one seemed fine (but I could be wrong because I don't know what to look for).

Any deeper analysis? Need new pickup?

P
 

reverb11

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Do you notice the pickup "cutting out" on any string or combination of strings in particular? The transducer maybe damaged, I don't know-- you might have to replace the pickup... or, I could be completely wrong and you may have bad wiring at the pickup or jack end. It's kind of hard to tell without doing any experimenting. If you have an intermittant contact a the jack end, usually working the cable back and forth in the jack will tell. But what from what you describe as "distorting," my guess is that your problem is with the pickup...
 
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