transducer problems

[Ryan Mazzocco]

I recently installed a Shatten piezo soundboard transducer with a fishman jack (from stewmac) and I'm having trouble getting it to work right. I made the connections, installed the jack and attached the transducer to the inside of the soundboard, behind the bridge plate and a bit to the bass side. Plugged it in and turned on am... I got nothin'. I removed the jack through the soundhole with the pickup still attached inside. I found the problem. I was just shorting out. So I pulled it a little further to have to work on it and the pickup came off the soundboard. It was mounted with the sticky putty that is supplied.
So, I repaired the connection and tested it on the outside of the body. Sounded great! Then I put it inside the body and it's horrible. Extreme highs and almost non-existent lows. If I reach inside and put pressure against it just right it sounds good, but as soon as I let go it sounds terrible again. I tried changing the putty and reinstalling, I tried taping it in place but nothing seems to hold right.
Did I break it? is it a bad pickup? Am I not holding my mouth right? Am I just an idiot?

[David King]

I'd call Stewmac and see if someone there has more experience or they may offer to exchange it right away.

I had some trouble with piezos on a bass banjo where the sound wouldn't really kick in until you pressed lightly on the transducer. I built a contraption to do just that that clamps to the rods under the head. That ended up working out perfectly. You need to be able to adjust the pressure and find a material that has some give to it to do the pressing.

[Mario Proulx]

The putty should only be used(if at all...) to temporarily test the pickup in various locations. Once you find where you want to mount it, glue it permanently with super glue. Use a slower-setting gel, and press it hard against the surface and hold for at least a ten count, but as long as you can is best. Where a latex or nitrile glove in case some super glue gets on your fingers. It's easier to peel the glove's remains than your finger's remains... <lol>

The tone you're hearing(extreme highs and no bottom) is because some of the piezo isn't solidly affixed to the soundboard.

[Ryan Mazzocco]

Well I definitely broke it now. Thanks Mario for your advice. I put #30 CA on it and held it firmly in place using a latex glove. I kept the high and low e strings tuned so I could make sure I was getting the right sound. After the glue set up and my gloves were firmly adhered to the pickup I let the pressure off and it immediately went back to sounding terrible again. In attempting to remove the pickup so I could try yet again I damaged the connection and ruined it. Even If it was defective in the first place I can't in good conscience send it back now. And if I'm the defect I'm not sure I want to try again. I may just look into a different system.

[Mario Proulx]

I love the K&K systems. Never had a bad one...

[David King]

Resoldering the connection at the disc should be possible if you can get it out of there.