Stereo/Mono Jack Question

[RockYoWorld]

I have an electrical question that stems from a bridge issue I have on my LTD EC-1000 Deluxe. The saddles on the TOM bridge are worn out, especially on the 6th string, where there's basically 2 notches. I looked into replacement saddles such as these from graphtech: https://graphtech.com/products/ss-saddl ... 4980546593, but I'm also considering replacing the bridge for either a roller saddle bridge or a piezo acoustic pickup bridge.

I've been wanting to have an electric guitar with a piezo pickup for a while, but the main options are almost $200 and I never pulled the trigger. Looking at replacement bridges, I found this one for $37, which is low enough to make me want to try it: https://www.amazon.com/KAISH-Matic-Guit ... B1XW6&th=1

If I get this bridge, I want to wire it to a stereo jack so I can use a splitter to utilize 2 different wireless transmitters: one for the passive humbuckers, and one for the piezo pickup so that my Axe FX can process them separately. My electrical question is this: If I wire the humbuckers' hot lead to the tip and the piezo's hot lead to the ring of the stereo jack, if I use a mono jack when I only want electric guitar, would I be grounding out the piezo, effectively muting it? I believe that is how it would work, but I want some confirmation from you guys. See the picture of a mono input into a stereo jack below for reference.

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[RockYoWorld]

My 100th post on this new site will be a pic of the guitar this is for...

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[mickey]

Your thinking is correct in that a mono plug would ground out the piezo output, not that you need to ground it.
I guess my question is do you have a wireless transmitter with a stereo plug that understands there are different pickups connected to the tip and to the ring?

[Chocol8]

You are correct. I would probably lean towards a switch rather than a stereo jack unless you think you will use the piezo and regular pickup simultaneously to different amps/devices.

[RockYoWorld]

Your thinking is correct in that a mono plug would ground out the piezo output, not that you need to ground it.
I guess my question is do you have a wireless transmitter with a stereo plug that understands there are different pickups connected to the tip and to the ring?

I guess I worried that you'd somehow get the sum of both the piezo and humbuckers, which would be undesirable. I like the idea of having the ability to do a complicated dual setup while still having the ability to just plug in a mono cable and it working like normal.

I would plan on using something like this for starters: https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-YPP-117-Ste ... 162&sr=8-4

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Once the concept is proven, I'd take two mono cables that came with the wireless units that I never use because they're straight plugs instead of right angle, chopping off the plugs, and combining the two onto a single right angle.

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I would use 2 different wireless body packs on different channels. One would go into Input 1 on my Axe FX II XL+ like it does normally. The 2nd wireless system would go into Input 2. I'd make a patch that has Input 1 going through a typical electric signal chain that I use and have Input 2 go through the IR and blocks I use with my acoustic patch. I'd then use one of my 2 expression pedals on my board to either seamlessly switch between the two or even blend the two together.

Having a switch on the guitar would require switching on the guitar AND on my Axe FX, either require drilling into the guitar for micro switch or adding a 3rd DPDT pot, AND I wouldn't be able to blend the two, or if I did have a blend pot, both signals would have to get processed the same.

I have 4 transmitters and only use 3 guitars per show. I also have an extra receiver since I could get a opened box bundle for the same price as a new transmitter by itself when I was buying an extra body pack.

If I do get this bridge and it works well, I might take out the tone knob and make it a volume pot for the piezo. I rarely use the tone pot, but I never like the idea of having a guitar without having one.

[mickey]

Ok, I'm with you now. We are on the same page in the Hymnal.

Tip-RingBreakout.jpg

That will do what you are looking for.

With it you are only connecting to the tip or the ring of the plug & do not need to be concerned with the pickups you are not connected to.

[RockYoWorld]

Ok, I'm with you now. We are on the same page in the Hymnal.

Tip-RingBreakout.jpg

That will do what you are looking for.

With it you are only connecting to the tip or the ring of the plug & do not need to be concerned with the pickups you are not connected to.

Exactly! I know it's a little complicated, but my digital setup makes it pretty easy once I do the initial work. And the beauty of it is that you can still plug it into a normal rig and it should work like a normal electric guitar like it does today.

Now, I have to make sure the bridge will actually fit...

[RockYoWorld]

Thanks for the help! Just to be sure I have the bridge measured correctly, this is close enough, right? I put my calipers to the measurements called out on the listed bridge and put them up to the current bridge. The bridge on Amazon says 74mm post distance center-to-center with a string spacing of 10.4mm. This looks right, right? If it was different, it would be pretty noticeable, right?

https://www.amazon.com/KAISH-Matic-Guit ... B1XW6&th=1

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[RockYoWorld]

Also, I'm realizing that I'm going to have to drill a hole into the guitar below the bridge and into the bridge pickup cavity. If anyone has advice on that, I would appreciate that.

[mickey]

Also, I'm realizing that I'm going to have to drill a hole into the guitar below the bridge and into the bridge pickup cavity. If anyone has advice on that, I would appreciate that.

Don't you already have one (with a ground wire running thru it?)

[RockYoWorld]

Also, I'm realizing that I'm going to have to drill a hole into the guitar below the bridge and into the bridge pickup cavity. If anyone has advice on that, I would appreciate that.

Don't you already have one (with a ground wire running thru it?)

It gets shoved into the post hole from the underside, bare wire shown. I can't put the pickup lead through there, can I?

[mickey]

Also, I'm realizing that I'm going to have to drill a hole into the guitar below the bridge and into the bridge pickup cavity. If anyone has advice on that, I would appreciate that.

Don't you already have one (with a ground wire running thru it?)

It gets shoved into the post hole from the underside, bare wire shown. I can't put the pickup lead through there, can I?

It doesn't sound like a good idea.

[mkgearhead]

I’d cut a small notch in the pickup ring and run the piezo lead into the bridge pickup cavity and into the control cavity.