Nice review! And your right on the sound, it sounds like a Piezo pickup, not a mic'd up acoustic. But to anyone listening, it sounds like a plugged in acoustic guitar. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for posting this. For me it has been the best demo in helping me to make the best assessment on the system. I'm definitely sold on it now and will be picking up the same system asap. Very nice playing a very nice tune. Thanks again!
Thanks for the kind words! Just want to add that if you run it through an acoustic IR or some other type of acoustic modeling (like from a Zoom A3 or similar), it sounds miles better than what is in this video. This demo was just to show what it sounds like pretty raw/direct.
@@jbealsmusic Yes..thank you for the good will to help...i am aware of teh IR magic for a long time now... i use it the same...and makes things miles better...actually took a cheap HB with piezo just to test it with some acoustic IRs... results are, much more useful than most other options!
Awesome video! Thank you so much for making this. I’m having the piezo system installed into my PRS SE Custom 24 as well and I wanted to see how the graphtech sounded in a PRS. I’m impressed with the sound and your explanations were on point. Great job, man!
Very interesting demo, I'm having a PRS Custom 22 style guitar built and I was looking for a piezo that we could use, your review is quite helpful to me !
@David F: UA-cam won't let me reply to your comment so I hope you see this. Yes, they make the LB63 which is a licensed Floyd Rose bridge with ghost-loaded saddles. My current Warmoth build uses a Wilkinson bridge and I have added the ghost saddles and acoustiphonic preamp to it as well. It actually sounds a little better to me because the rear cavity for the trem adds a little more resonance (almost like an acoustic chamber). You'll see it when I get around to finishing the project.
Very nice demo. I have a Variax and I'm thinking of replacing the LR Baggs piezos with a ghost system. It sounds a lot more smoother and doesn't seem to sound too bad when playing hard.
Thanks! I do feel that the ghost system is less "plinky" than the Baggs. I've read that you can replace the Baggs piezos with the Graph Tech ones. Just know that they are "hotter" than the Baggs, so you'll need to lower the volume in workbench to prevent clipping.
I've seen people replace it on old Variax guitars. It solves a lot of problems, the plinkiness, as well as grounding going out, which is because the LR Bagg piezos ground via contact of the saddle, and they rust really bad from hand sweat over time.
Jonathan thanks again for the great video, this system is so underrated and funny enough is one of the best out there, there aren’t many videos about this system, the question is can you mix the magnetic with the piezo to create that hybrid sound??
Sorry for the late reply. Don't know why I never saw this comment until now. Anyways, I liked it at the time. Compared to other piezo solutions, I found it sounded very natural and wasn't "plinky" like some others. However, I didn't like the impact the string saver saddles had on my electric tone. They soften the attack. Not sure there's a "perfect" option out there, but this is good one.
***** I've heard the same, but haven't tried one. I was debating between Graph Tech and LR Baggs on my Carvin/Warmoth build, but I ended up sticking with the Graph Tech.
Hello and thank you for the clear demo. Very nice playing! I have a question for you: I have heard conflicting reports that the Graph Tech Ghost Piezo is known for being noisy and having a hiss that cannot be corrected. I wanted to check with you about that and see if you might be able to share candidly whether you have experienced any of these noise or hiss issues. Thank you so much
That's a standard sized guitar cavity. The 6 wires from the piezo go into a modular pin and only 2 wires come out. You could have roped that off better.
Hi Jonathan - great review here. It was very helpful. I have a PRS McCarty that I am absolutely attached to but I need to add a piezo system for an upcoming gig in which I can only bring one guitar. I have three questions: 1 - Did you find that changing the bridge from the stock one to this one changed the tone of the guitar at all? 2 - My guitar only has two volume controls and a pickup selector. I will probably drill a new hole for the piezo switch but I am wondering if there is a way to route the volume control for the piezo to my existing master volume? 3 - How does the piezo pickup sound coming through a regular electric guitar amp? Thanks in advance for the help!
Thanks! To answer your questions: 1) Yes. The graph-tech system uses string saver saddles (TUSQ material) which will have a softer attack. 2) That would require a dual-gang or stacked potentiometer. Another option would be to just remove the volume control entirely and balance it with your magnetic output using the trim-pot on the circuit board. I found I never touched the piezo volume knob so that's what I would do if I were to do another build or mod with the graph tech system in it. 3) It would sound like an acoustic-electric guitar being played through a regular electric guitar amp. Acoustics generally require at least up to 10kHz to sound good and regular electric guitar amps usually only output up to 5-6kHz. So, better than magnetics, but not at all like a good acoustic tone. Hope that helps!
Okay, this thing sounds sick. I think I'd rather just do this than buy an acoustic, and I prefer electric strings and necks anyways. The only problem I am seeing is I have a custom built Ibanez Floral JEM and I currently have the Mad Hatter Terminator EVO electronics kit- my electronics cavity is completely packed and there is definitely not going to be enough room for this. Only solutions I can think of would be to either route another cavity and place the knobs in a different section of the guitar, OR switch to just a single volume Mad Hatter kit and load one of the Ghost kits in the rest of the cavity. I don't ever really use my tone knob much anyways, except for the purpose of trying to emulate an acoustic sound, so I guess it would be a good replacement anyways. What do you think?
Hi Jonathan, great video! How would I go about splitting the signal in a live scenario where i wanted to use an amp as well as a DI into the PA? Would I use an A/B box? Thanks
You added the acoustiphonic. Did you ever add the midi hexpander (or whatever they call it) in addittion to this acoustiphonic? I wonder how difficult that would be in a Les Paul type guitar and if they fit together in the same cavity or would you have to reroute a new cavity for the midi board? I know you have to reroute a cavity for the midi plug jack plate. Just curious. Nice video.
I've never used the hexpander. That's a lot of extra switches and stuff to add to an existing cavity. I imagine you'd have to rout a new control cavity or expand your current one for everything to fit. Best of luck!
Hey, Jonathan Beals great demo and info. given on the video. I have a question to ask. If I installed the piezo (with quick switch) would it sound like an acoustic through a normal amp?
Thanks! Like I said in the video, it sounds pretty close to an acoustic-electric with a passive pickup. Not great, but good enough for most tasks. I'd prefer using it with some sort of preamp.
Do you know if you got the bridge in metric measurements or in imperial measurements? I also have a PRS SE and I was really hoping the metric model could just be a drop in replacement for the bridge, or at least I could swap out the PRS posts but keep the studs.
drkwrld15 Unfortunately, the difference was big enough that metric vs imperial wouldn't fix the issue. The threading is totally different between the two so you can't just swap the posts either. You'll have to replace the entire assembly.
When you tap on the acoustic piezo, does it simulate an acoustic guitar body. For example the sound of a kick drum emulated through tapping an acoustic guitar body near the piezo? The reason for my question is i would like to tap beats into a loop pedal. Thank-you
There is a version of this for the tremolo equipped PRS I'm seriously considering getting it, but I really don't want to drill a ton of holes in my brand new PRS to do it. Now that you've had this for almost 6 years, how do you like it, do you even still have it?
Check the spec sheets Graph Tech provides and compare then with your guitar. I really liked the acoustic sounds I was getting from the Ghost system (especially when combined with an acoustic IR). I actually installed it on 2 of my guitars. A trem-equipped guitar, and the PRS in this video. The only drawback I found was a very slight loss in pick attack when playing through the magnetic pickups due to the softer saddle material (TUSQ). I've since gotten a Variax and use it for my acoustic sounds.
I have installed it on my Epiphone Les paul and I think that it's not bad at all. I actually use it by connecting the piezo signal to an audio board (connected to the PC). I'm actually looking to buy new decent monitor (like yamaha hs50m) for the piezo but I have the doubt about what could cames out if I plug the piezo in a proper acustic amp (like marshall as50d). Don't know if it's better to utilize audio board+ monitor or an acoustic amplifier...have you tried both?
I always prefer direct as opposed to an amp. I think to get the most out of it, I'd play it through an acoustic DI/preamp with imaging/modeling like a Fishman Aura. I'd say the same for playing an acoustic guitar live. Direct doesn't sound nearly as good as mic'd, but miking an acoustic is not always possible (nor is it preferable), so modeling is the next best thing.
Well the Fishman Aura is actually a preamplifier and I was thinking that the preamplification part was dealed by the graph tech board itself. This is the main reason why I have always attached it directly to the audio board+ speaker (also because I don't have an acoustic amplifiers!). The Marshal As50D it's a complete acoustic amplifier I suppose ( preamp + power amp) so I'm wondering how it could sound with the signal of the graph tech ghost which is alread treated (preamplified) by the graph tech board.
The acoustiphonic preamp doesn't really do much. Going direct, it sounds pretty close to what an acoustic guitar sounds like going direct. For that reason, I imagine it would work equally well through an acoustic amplifier. I'm just not a fan of acoustic amplifiers and would rather play direct through an acoustic DI/preamp to take advantage of the added features the DI has to offer.
GretschGod In my RP1000 review, I demo the looper with the ghost bridge into the acoustic sim (which is an acoustic IR). It worked great for acoustic tones for me.
+metaljames Yes and yes... In fact, I've installed it in my main guitar and use it quite frequently. It doesn't sound spectacular by itself (though still much better than your typical direct acoustic sound), but it does sound excellent when run through an acoustic simulator.
A snippet from Classical Gas. Originally by Mason Williams, but covered by a whole heap of well known guitarists like Tommy Emmanuel, Eric Clapton, and others.
Hi Jonathan, I know you made this video a while ago but I'm hoping you could help me. I just got an Acoustiphonic kit w/ preamp installed on my LP by a guitar tech, but I can't seem to achieve the same 'acoustic' quality sound that you are getting raw/direct. It's sounding like a very slightly cleaner/compressed version of the bridge mags, but not nearly like the sound you are achieving. I've tried plugging a mono cable > M-audio fast track to iMac via USB > Garageband (testing with headphones and with built-in speakers, I don't have any extra speakers/monitors to test it with). I have also tried using a stereo cable instead of the mono cable. I'm wondering if there's something I may be doing wrong or if my Kit might have an issue. Can you tell me how you are plugging direct to your computer for the raw/direct sound? Are you using an interface like the m-audio in between, or are you plugging your cable straight to your computer with an adapter? Are you using Garageband or another program, if so can you tell me what project/instrument setting you are choosing?
Justin Woods Hi Justin. In the segment starting around 4:55 I was plugged in direct. Guitar>Interface>DAW. Just the raw signal with nothing added in post. I don't know anything about Garageband, so I'm not sure what you mean by project/instrument. A quick google search leads me to believe you should select "Real Instrument" and turn off any presets/VST/effects. Not sure what else to tell you. If it still sounds bad you might have a defective unit. Good luck! Come back if you have any more questions.
Interface = The thing that connects your guitar to your computer. DAW = Digital Audio Workstation; The software you use to record. I used an RP1000 bypassed and connected to my PC via USB as my interface, and Adobe Audition as my recording software. Your setup is the same as mine. Either Garageband is adding amp/cab sims, there is something wrong with the way your tech installed the Graphtech parts, or your Acoustiphonic preamp is defective.
The saddles have the piezo pickups built-in, so you'll need the saddles. They're made of the same material as their "string saver" saddles. They have a softer attack than steel saddles but they're still very stable.
Israel F I'm in Canada, so I don't really know. I checked here www.graphtech.com/where-to-buy/distributor-locations www.s101guitars.com.mx - They are in Mexico and might be able to order them.
Yes. You can order it in a kit that includes a 13-pin connector. If memory serves, the GR-55 has an input setting for GraphTech Ghost as well so they play nicer together.
Nope. Unfortunately, regular guitar amps are very inefficient at generating frequencies above 5kHz. The only way to use a system like this is to go direct when using the piezo pickups. One thing I think I forgot to mention was the stereo jack, which can be used to send the magnetic pickup signal to your amp and the piezo signal to the PA/direct.
I don't have one so I can't say for sure. But, the ghost system really does come to life when I run it through an acoustic simulator (which the THR5a has).
Cool idea drilling the holes for the wires into the humbucker mounting bracket. Perfect solution without hard modding a sig model guitar.
Nice review! And your right on the sound, it sounds like a Piezo pickup, not a mic'd up acoustic. But to anyone listening, it sounds like a plugged in acoustic guitar. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent work!! That’s how you should demo any audio product, clean sound! I’m sold on this system, it will go on my prs se custom 24-08
Thanks so much for posting this. For me it has been the best demo in helping me to make the best assessment on the system. I'm definitely sold on it now and will be picking up the same system asap. Very nice playing a very nice tune. Thanks again!
great demo...gives a superb representation of what kind of the sound to expect from the system...! thank you!
Thanks for the kind words! Just want to add that if you run it through an acoustic IR or some other type of acoustic modeling (like from a Zoom A3 or similar), it sounds miles better than what is in this video. This demo was just to show what it sounds like pretty raw/direct.
@@jbealsmusic Yes..thank you for the good will to help...i am aware of teh IR magic for a long time now... i use it the same...and makes things miles better...actually took a cheap HB with piezo just to test it with some acoustic IRs... results are, much more useful than most other options!
great demo well worth watching ..detailed and to the point
Thanks Jonathan! Good job on the demo.
Nice demo & great playing. Sad it took this long to find your video after years of researching this system.
Awesome video! Thank you so much for making this. I’m having the piezo system installed into my PRS SE Custom 24 as well and I wanted to see how the graphtech sounded in a PRS. I’m impressed with the sound and your explanations were on point. Great job, man!
great demo and playing, thank you! I am buying this plus the hexpander board so this is very very useful.
Thanks! Hope it works out well for your needs.
Very interesting demo, I'm having a PRS Custom 22 style guitar built and I was looking for a piezo that we could use, your review is quite helpful to me !
Thanks! Glad the video was helpful. If you think of any questions I didn't answer in the video, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer.
Thank you for showing the wiring. Great video
GREAT DEMO, MAN!
Great sound demo! I want to get one now!
@David F: UA-cam won't let me reply to your comment so I hope you see this. Yes, they make the LB63 which is a licensed Floyd Rose bridge with ghost-loaded saddles. My current Warmoth build uses a Wilkinson bridge and I have added the ghost saddles and acoustiphonic preamp to it as well. It actually sounds a little better to me because the rear cavity for the trem adds a little more resonance (almost like an acoustic chamber). You'll see it when I get around to finishing the project.
Great review! Sold me on the GraphTech!
Very nice demo. I have a Variax and I'm thinking of replacing the LR Baggs piezos with a ghost system. It sounds a lot more smoother and doesn't seem to sound too bad when playing hard.
Thanks! I do feel that the ghost system is less "plinky" than the Baggs. I've read that you can replace the Baggs piezos with the Graph Tech ones. Just know that they are "hotter" than the Baggs, so you'll need to lower the volume in workbench to prevent clipping.
I've seen people replace it on old Variax guitars. It solves a lot of problems, the plinkiness, as well as grounding going out, which is because the LR Bagg piezos ground via contact of the saddle, and they rust really bad from hand sweat over time.
wow it actually does sound like an acoustic
Jonathan thanks again for the great video, this system is so underrated and funny enough is one of the best out there, there aren’t many videos about this system, the question is can you mix the magnetic with the piezo to create that hybrid sound??
With the acoustiphonic preamp installed to help balance the two outputs, yes. The kit comes with the necessary stereo jack and mini switch. 👍
Would you buy this again, or do you have a different piezo system you could recommend for me? Thx, David
Sorry for the late reply. Don't know why I never saw this comment until now. Anyways, I liked it at the time. Compared to other piezo solutions, I found it sounded very natural and wasn't "plinky" like some others. However, I didn't like the impact the string saver saddles had on my electric tone. They soften the attack. Not sure there's a "perfect" option out there, but this is good one.
Sounds really good!
I closed my eyes and was really amazed! I also heard that LR Baggs makes good piezo bridges.
Thanks! Video games and music? It's like your channel was meant just for me.
*****
I've heard the same, but haven't tried one. I was debating between Graph Tech and LR Baggs on my Carvin/Warmoth build, but I ended up sticking with the Graph Tech.
Hello and thank you for the clear demo. Very nice playing! I have a question for you: I have heard conflicting reports that the Graph Tech Ghost Piezo is known for being noisy and having a hiss that cannot be corrected. I wanted to check with you about that and see if you might be able to share candidly whether you have experienced any of these noise or hiss issues. Thank you so much
I did not experience any unexpected hiss or noise issues.
@@jbealsmusic Thank you very much for the response.
I had the same question. Thank you!
Killer man!
Nice review man.
Do Graph Tech make something like this for a floyd rose system ? If they do would you install it on your custom Warmoth build ?
That's a standard sized guitar cavity. The 6 wires from the piezo go into a modular pin and only 2 wires come out. You could have roped that off better.
Indeed. If it isn't obvious, I put no effort into keeping it clean. It would have looked much nicer with the use of just a few zip ties.
Great demo, and flawless setup. Is it possible to tweak each of the piezo's two EQ modes?
I don't think so. I'm pretty sure the two EQ modes are not configurable.
Hi Jonathan - great review here. It was very helpful. I have a PRS McCarty that I am absolutely attached to but I need to add a piezo system for an upcoming gig in which I can only bring one guitar. I have three questions:
1 - Did you find that changing the bridge from the stock one to this one changed the tone of the guitar at all?
2 - My guitar only has two volume controls and a pickup selector. I will probably drill a new hole for the piezo switch but I am wondering if there is a way to route the volume control for the piezo to my existing master volume?
3 - How does the piezo pickup sound coming through a regular electric guitar amp?
Thanks in advance for the help!
Thanks! To answer your questions:
1) Yes. The graph-tech system uses string saver saddles (TUSQ material) which will have a softer attack.
2) That would require a dual-gang or stacked potentiometer. Another option would be to just remove the volume control entirely and balance it with your magnetic output using the trim-pot on the circuit board. I found I never touched the piezo volume knob so that's what I would do if I were to do another build or mod with the graph tech system in it.
3) It would sound like an acoustic-electric guitar being played through a regular electric guitar amp. Acoustics generally require at least up to 10kHz to sound good and regular electric guitar amps usually only output up to 5-6kHz. So, better than magnetics, but not at all like a good acoustic tone.
Hope that helps!
Very informative! Thank you! Are there any other similar products I should look into?
Fishman Powerbridge maybe. Not sure of any others. Sorry. Best of luck!
Okay, this thing sounds sick. I think I'd rather just do this than buy an acoustic, and I prefer electric strings and necks anyways. The only problem I am seeing is I have a custom built Ibanez Floral JEM and I currently have the Mad Hatter Terminator EVO electronics kit- my electronics cavity is completely packed and there is definitely not going to be enough room for this. Only solutions I can think of would be to either route another cavity and place the knobs in a different section of the guitar, OR switch to just a single volume Mad Hatter kit and load one of the Ghost kits in the rest of the cavity. I don't ever really use my tone knob much anyways, except for the purpose of trying to emulate an acoustic sound, so I guess it would be a good replacement anyways. What do you think?
That's a tough one. It's a lot of work to install, but sounds great when you have it. Combine it with an acoustic IR and it's magic!
I really want to try this with a Zoom A3 processor. You could get some killer acoustic guitar emulations that way.
MeTuLHeD I bet you're right!
Hi Jonathan, great video! How would I go about splitting the signal in a live scenario where i wanted to use an amp as well as a DI into the PA? Would I use an A/B box? Thanks
try bodyrez from tc elec on that thing man... you won't believe the results...
You added the acoustiphonic. Did you ever add the midi hexpander (or whatever they call it) in addittion to this acoustiphonic? I wonder how difficult that would be in a Les Paul type guitar and if they fit together in the same cavity or would you have to reroute a new cavity for the midi board? I know you have to reroute a cavity for the midi plug jack plate. Just curious. Nice video.
I've never used the hexpander. That's a lot of extra switches and stuff to add to an existing cavity. I imagine you'd have to rout a new control cavity or expand your current one for everything to fit. Best of luck!
How can I wire the ghost saddles (no summing board) directly to guitar jack?
Thanks!
rz-
Shaller offers another size bushings
Hey, Jonathan Beals great demo and info. given on the video. I have a question to ask. If I installed the piezo (with quick switch) would it sound like an acoustic through a normal amp?
Thanks! Like I said in the video, it sounds pretty close to an acoustic-electric with a passive pickup. Not great, but good enough for most tasks. I'd prefer using it with some sort of preamp.
Do you know if you got the bridge in metric measurements or in imperial measurements? I also have a PRS SE and I was really hoping the metric model could just be a drop in replacement for the bridge, or at least I could swap out the PRS posts but keep the studs.
drkwrld15 Unfortunately, the difference was big enough that metric vs imperial wouldn't fix the issue. The threading is totally different between the two so you can't just swap the posts either. You'll have to replace the entire assembly.
When you tap on the acoustic piezo, does it simulate an acoustic guitar body. For example the sound of a kick drum emulated through tapping an acoustic guitar body near the piezo? The reason for my question is i would like to tap beats into a loop pedal. Thank-you
I have no idea, but I doubt it. The density of an electric guitar body wouldn't make it very well suited for that.
Definitely heard a few seconds of bards song...
Cool song. Never heard it before... The piece I played was from a song I wrote in high school some 20 years ago. Blind Guardian did it better! lol
There is a version of this for the tremolo equipped PRS I'm seriously considering getting it, but I really don't want to drill a ton of holes in my brand new PRS to do it. Now that you've had this for almost 6 years, how do you like it, do you even still have it?
Check the spec sheets Graph Tech provides and compare then with your guitar.
I really liked the acoustic sounds I was getting from the Ghost system (especially when combined with an acoustic IR). I actually installed it on 2 of my guitars. A trem-equipped guitar, and the PRS in this video. The only drawback I found was a very slight loss in pick attack when playing through the magnetic pickups due to the softer saddle material (TUSQ).
I've since gotten a Variax and use it for my acoustic sounds.
I have installed it on my Epiphone Les paul and I think that it's not bad at all. I actually use it by connecting the piezo signal to an audio board (connected to the PC). I'm actually looking to buy new decent monitor (like yamaha hs50m) for the piezo but I have the doubt about what could cames out if I plug the piezo in a proper acustic amp (like marshall as50d). Don't know if it's better to utilize audio board+ monitor or an acoustic amplifier...have you tried both?
I always prefer direct as opposed to an amp. I think to get the most out of it, I'd play it through an acoustic DI/preamp with imaging/modeling like a Fishman Aura. I'd say the same for playing an acoustic guitar live. Direct doesn't sound nearly as good as mic'd, but miking an acoustic is not always possible (nor is it preferable), so modeling is the next best thing.
Well the Fishman Aura is actually a preamplifier and I was thinking that the preamplification part was dealed by the graph tech board itself. This is the main reason why I have always attached it directly to the audio board+ speaker (also because I don't have an acoustic amplifiers!). The Marshal As50D it's a complete acoustic amplifier I suppose ( preamp + power amp) so I'm wondering how it could sound with the signal of the graph tech ghost which is alread treated (preamplified) by the graph tech board.
The acoustiphonic preamp doesn't really do much. Going direct, it sounds pretty close to what an acoustic guitar sounds like going direct. For that reason, I imagine it would work equally well through an acoustic amplifier.
I'm just not a fan of acoustic amplifiers and would rather play direct through an acoustic DI/preamp to take advantage of the added features the DI has to offer.
Put this though an acoustic guitar IR.. THEN it'll be perfect!
GretschGod In my RP1000 review, I demo the looper with the ghost bridge into the acoustic sim (which is an acoustic IR). It worked great for acoustic tones for me.
Hey, Jonathan! Nice video... I've been looking at the Ghost system since I sold my PRS P22. Do you still use it and do you still like it?
+metaljames Yes and yes... In fact, I've installed it in my main guitar and use it quite frequently. It doesn't sound spectacular by itself (though still much better than your typical direct acoustic sound), but it does sound excellent when run through an acoustic simulator.
What simulator are you using the video?
None. This video is just the guitar going direct.
@@jbealsmusic what simulator do you use now?
@@petlover155 Currently, I use a Variax for acoustic sounds.
is it possible to combine both electric pickup and piezo sound?
That sounded like a tommy emmanuel song at 7:31
A snippet from Classical Gas. Originally by Mason Williams, but covered by a whole heap of well known guitarists like Tommy Emmanuel, Eric Clapton, and others.
Hi Jonathan, I know you made this video a while ago but I'm hoping you could help me. I just got an Acoustiphonic kit w/ preamp installed on my LP by a guitar tech, but I can't seem to achieve the same 'acoustic' quality sound that you are getting raw/direct. It's sounding like a very slightly cleaner/compressed version of the bridge mags, but not nearly like the sound you are achieving. I've tried plugging a mono cable > M-audio fast track to iMac via USB > Garageband (testing with headphones and with built-in speakers, I don't have any extra speakers/monitors to test it with). I have also tried using a stereo cable instead of the mono cable. I'm wondering if there's something I may be doing wrong or if my Kit might have an issue. Can you tell me how you are plugging direct to your computer for the raw/direct sound? Are you using an interface like the m-audio in between, or are you plugging your cable straight to your computer with an adapter? Are you using Garageband or another program, if so can you tell me what project/instrument setting you are choosing?
Justin Woods Hi Justin. In the segment starting around 4:55 I was plugged in direct. Guitar>Interface>DAW. Just the raw signal with nothing added in post. I don't know anything about Garageband, so I'm not sure what you mean by project/instrument. A quick google search leads me to believe you should select "Real Instrument" and turn off any presets/VST/effects. Not sure what else to tell you. If it still sounds bad you might have a defective unit. Good luck! Come back if you have any more questions.
Jonathan Beals
Can you explain what you mean by Interface>DAW? Thanks!
Interface = The thing that connects your guitar to your computer.
DAW = Digital Audio Workstation; The software you use to record.
I used an RP1000 bypassed and connected to my PC via USB as my interface, and Adobe Audition as my recording software. Your setup is the same as mine.
Either Garageband is adding amp/cab sims, there is something wrong with the way your tech installed the Graphtech parts, or your Acoustiphonic preamp is defective.
Jonathan Beals
Thanks!
Hi Jonathan, i hope you can help me ..... ¿I need the saddles too? Or with the acoustic phonic its enogh to sounds like a acoustic guitar? Cheers!!
The saddles have the piezo pickups built-in, so you'll need the saddles. They're made of the same material as their "string saver" saddles. They have a softer attack than steel saddles but they're still very stable.
ok, thanks for answer... do you know were i can buy all the piezo system on internet? i´from México
Israel F I'm in Canada, so I don't really know. I checked here
www.graphtech.com/where-to-buy/distributor-locations
www.s101guitars.com.mx - They are in Mexico and might be able to order them.
Does GraphTech have a kit like this that also makes your guitar Roland ready for GR 55?
Yes. You can order it in a kit that includes a 13-pin connector. If memory serves, the GR-55 has an input setting for GraphTech Ghost as well so they play nicer together.
I have wanted to upgrade one on my guitars with this system but I only have one amp, does it sound realistic going thru a regular guitar amp?
Nope. Unfortunately, regular guitar amps are very inefficient at generating frequencies above 5kHz. The only way to use a system like this is to go direct when using the piezo pickups. One thing I think I forgot to mention was the stereo jack, which can be used to send the magnetic pickup signal to your amp and the piezo signal to the PA/direct.
What was the last song you played?
A piece of an original I wrote 20 years ago.
Do you think this would pair well with a Yamaha thr5a?
I don't have one so I can't say for sure. But, the ghost system really does come to life when I run it through an acoustic simulator (which the THR5a has).
Concealed Carry Prohibited Area Sign
is it difficult to install?
so it is not a direct fit to Prs guitar?
Not a direct replacement, no. Needed some minor modification to fit properly.
How much did it cost in total?
7 years ago, it cost $290 all in (bridge, pre-amp kit, and shipping). I have no idea what it costs now.
any chance I could get the wireing specs ?
I just used the diagram that came in the box with the system. Don't have a digital copy. It's probably available on Graph Tech's site.