[webmaestro]

Inspired by a thread I saw on another forum, I set about piecing together an RG1527 that would include an LR Baggs Piezo system. I'd already procured a RG1527 body and RG1527M neck, so all that was left was to order a new Edge Pro 7 trem and pickups. Once I had those, I contacted Michael at www.shotgunnmods.net about installing the piezo.

Once finished, the guitar will be:

- 2006 RG1527 Prestige body (blue)
- 2011 RG1527M Prestige neck
- Edge Pro 7
- Crunch Lab 7 (bridge) and Liquifire 7 (neck)
- LR Baggs Piezo system
- Remove tone knob (never use it)
- Move volume knob to the spot where tone was
- Install single pushbutton/toggle switch in old volume spot. Push once for piezo-only, push again for magnetic pickups.

When I contacted Michael, I stressed that I wanted a super-basic, SIMPLE control mechanism for the piezo vs. mag selection. I love the old 2027's, but I didn't need/want controls anywhere near that complex:

Since I already had a body and neck, I procured a minty Edge Pro 7 and locking stud mod (thanks Rich):

Next task was to put some of the parts together and string it up--to make sure they were compatible. They were, and the guitar set-up like a dream:

I shipped the above parts, along with the new DiMarzios, to Michael and he went to work...

First, he drilled-out the old volume hole to accommodate the piezo/mag switch:

Here's the new push/toggle switch installed:
Note... I never adjust tone, and hate.. HATE having the volume knob right under my fingers. So, this gets all that crap out of my way. The way the switch works is it's either 100% piezo or 100% mags. Push once to engage the piezos, push again to go back to mags. Simple. I didn't want any blending, stereo outputs, etc. It's all mono.

Next, the LR Baggs piezo system was installed. Apparently, the EP7's are already set up to accept this system. I don't think much machine work was needed at all:

Here's a closeup of the new LR Baggs piezo saddles:

More pics to come, as this is still an ongoing project. Michael still has to install my DiMarzios and a 3-way toggle, then put the whole guitar back together.

Stay tuned...

 

[silverctr]

Totally subscribed to this one!!

 

[webmaestro]

Working on my recording skills at the moment, so hopefully I'll be able to update with sound clips as well as pics when it's done. If he gets the switch from DiMarzio this week, I could have the guitar back in roughly a week.

Key will be dialing-in a good acoustic sound so the piezo doesn't just sound like... well... a piezo. I may explore some of the acoustic simulator pedals out there, but hoping I can get a passable acoustic sound with my POD HD Pro.

 

[webmaestro]

Okay, I'm behind on a couple updates...

On Tuesday (12/4), my DiMarzio 3-way switch finally arrived, so Michael was optimistic he'd have the guitar finished and shipped out to me by Thursday.

At this point, all that was left was to do the magnetic pickup wiring. The positions will be:

1 - Bridge (Crunch Lab) in series
2 - Neck (Liquifire) in parallel
3 - Neck (Liquifire) in series

I love the sound of the neck pup in parallel for my clean sounds, so the combinations above are all I've ever historically used in my guitars.

 

[webmaestro]

Wednesday night, Michael notified me that this baby is done! He sent me one last pic of the final wiring:

Once I get the guitar back in my greedy little hands, I'll upload some full-body shots, and hopefully get some sound clips up on SoundCloud.

EDIT: Looking at the control cavity above, I asked Michael if another tech would be able to figure out the wiring... should I ever want to get the guitar repainted, pickups swapped, etc. He said "probably not." heh

Those of you who know electronics well, take a look in there. See anything that would present a problem for an above-average tech?

 

[tearsx]

1 - Bridge (Crunch Lab) in series
2 - Neck (Liquifire) in parallel
3 - Neck (Liquifire) in series

Now that's simple and useful! :grin:

 

[webmaestro]

Now that's simple and useful! :grin:

Yeah, all my life I've played Ibby's with the 5-way system, but only ever used 3 of the 5 positions (always the same 3). I had never thought about it before, but when I realized that it was a "parallel" humbucker sound that I always used for clean, I figured we'd just hardwire this puppy that way.

 

[silverctr]

Wiring diagram or it didn't happen!

 

[webmaestro]

Wiring diagram or it didn't happen!

Oh dang, it didn't occur to me to ask for that! Fingers crossed that he included it anyway.

 

[WillTubarao]

i'm addicted to the 2nd and 4th position on all my RG1527 and i really hate 3 position switches but, for some reason, your teory makes sense!
please share more info!!!

 

[LordGrendel]

Great thread, excited to see the end product...

 

[webmaestro]

Michael (a.k.a "shotgunn") just made a short video demo of my guitar. The guitar should arrive either tomorrow or Thursday, but for now this is just a teaser. He occasionally does these for his customers, especially if the project entailed some new/unique switching or wiring option (which mine did):

YouTube Video: Edge Pro Piezo Mod with Custom Switching shotgunnmods, LLC

He was pressed for time, so the video doesn't showcase the piezo very well. After it arrives, I'll eventually post some sound demos on SoundCloud that really focus on demoing the piezo sounds.

Enjoy!

 

[webmaestro]

UPDATE

First, I'd like to say that I really hate shipping guitars. Too much potential for loss, damage, or theft.

That said, FedEx must've done something that jarred the electronics pretty badly. I won't detail the issues here, but suffice to say something(s) came loose somewhere. Both the piezos and mags were affected.

Michael and I are weighing our options right now. He'll file a FedEx claim, and has offered to take the guitar back and fix. However, the thought of shipping this guitar again (with the very company that damaged it, no less) and being without it for an extended period again doesn't appeal to me. Then again, having a less-than-perfect guitar doesn't appeal either.

The guys who run guitarelectronics.com have a physical shop here in Phoenix. I'm wondering if they could diagnose and fix it. Some pretty complex/custom electronics work was done in there... so this isn't a job for your average tech.

 

[AlaskaBat]

Damn--that's a tasty RG.....keep us posted!!!

 

[webmaestro]

FedEx claim has been filed, so now we wait. This will be fixed one way or the other, but we're hoping FedEx owns up to the damage and pays-out some of the insurance. That'll help cover the cost of shipping (again) and the extra labor to fix.

I'm a little nervous about FedEx taking my guitar away to some facility and inspecting it. The damage can't be seen--it has to be heard. Anyone had experience with making an insurance/damage claim on guitar electronics?

 

[webmaestro]

Just realized I left this one hanging.

Long story short, everything turned out great. In a stroke of amazing luck, FedEx took the blame for this one and paid to have the problem fixed. The guitar went back to the tech (Michael)... who fixed the issue. I got the guitar back (for a 2nd time) and it worked like a charm.

That was so long ago, so I can't remember what the problem turned out to be. Whatever the case, I still have the guitar and play it daily. The piezo sounds fantastic. My only complaint is that routing the single stereo output into my Axe-Fx II is a bit of a pain, and this is my fault--because I got exactly what I asked for.

Unlike the stock Double Edge trems, it's not as simple as just using a single standard guitar cable and flicking the mags/peizo switch. I actually have to use a Y-split cable (TRS on the guitar end and dual TS on the other) which goes into 2 different inputs on my Axe-Fx. That requires some fancy programming to route the signals, not to mention the annoying necessity of running one of the splits around to the back of the Axe-Fx.

 

[Takin' a Ride]

Hey thanks for bringing this back up. It gives me some ideas I have a brand new Edge Pro and also a trashed Double Edge Pro. I'm going to have to contact them to see about getting the piezos moved over to the other saddles.

 

[D.M.RG7620]

NOTE: Not posting about the Piezo.

Love the neck swap with the RG1527M. I've always wanted to tryn it but have never had the chance to see it for myself. Love it!

 

[webmaestro]

NOTE: Not posting about the Piezo.

Love the neck swap with the RG1527M. I've always wanted to tryn it but have never had the chance to see it for myself. Love it!

I was so thrilled when it fit the pocket. I think, on paper, there's about a 1-2mm difference between that neck and body, but it fit great. Maybe a tad on the loose side... e.g. it'll lift right out of the pocket without bolts. However, bolted-up I've never had problems with it slipping during play, whammy use, etc.