Alex Lifeson Live Acoustic Piezo Tones...WOW! How?

I was on 1.81. newest is 1.82. I'll check out the tone tonight as it took me 2 HOURS to locate and install the new firmware on the Line 6 site. Talk about an impossible to find and confusing way of updating they have...terrible! No easy to find links to download the update and their image of the screenshots that show what buttons to click in no way correspond to what was on my screen. The total opposite of what the Fractal experience is. I wish I did not ever have to deal with Line 6 again, but I do love that Variax.

MesaGuitarGuy said:
I don't remember what the new Variax FW is, but it's probably newer than what you have, if it's been that long. Check it out!
I've noticed that I tend to roll off the volume knob on the Variax to be able to get some good dynamics from it. I also roll off the tone.
On the Variax acoustics, the volume and tone controls don't actually control those functions, but DO change the timbre.
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I really want to install a piezo on my les Paul traditional pro. Can anyone recommend a good bridge piezo that I can install.
This guitar also has two coil taps so is there a way I can add a push pull to the tone knobs?

Also, I use an akg wireless unit, how will this work with a piezo? Don't I need a stereo guitar connection?

Any guidance with this project would be helpful
Thanks
 
Warrior said:
Maybe a dumb question but is it feasible to achieve a decent/usable acoustic tone without peizo's?
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I'm pretty happy with the results I get with a Mama Bear IR and some PEQ. using an in-between pickup position yields a more convincing attack.

 
boltrecords said:
I really want to install a piezo on my les Paul traditional pro. Can anyone recommend a good bridge piezo that I can install.
This guitar also has two coil taps so is there a way I can add a push pull to the tone knobs?

Also, I use an akg wireless unit, how will this work with a piezo? Don't I need a stereo guitar connection?

Any guidance with this project would be helpful
Thanks
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you need 2 wireless'.. look at alex's rack (lots of receivers) or his strap when he has the piezo's on, he has 2 beltpacks.
 
I use piezo a lot and only use a single beltpack, switching from piezo to mag on my guitar at the same time as I change preset. If I had two beltpacks I could run two signal chains in my Axe FX at the same time and blend the signals, but practically, I don't find myself needing to do this in 99.99% of situations, so one signal pack is enough.

You can find a very good acoustic patch I made on Axe Change called Tommy Acoustic. You'll need the IR Tommy to go with it.

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Tommy Acoustic - by Patzag
Axe-Change - Download 1x8 - Tommy - by Patzag
 
dpeterson said:
you need 2 wireless'.. look at alex's rack (lots of receivers) or his strap when he has the piezo's on, he has 2 beltpacks.
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Do you really though if you're using the Axe? Unless you're going for simultaneous acoustic and electric mixed together, I'd think you can just use a single wireless, switch the guitar to the Piezo, and switch the Axe to the acoustic patch.
 
bkrodgers said:
Do you really though if you're using the Axe? Unless you're going for simultaneous acoustic and electric mixed together, I'd think you can just use a single wireless, switch the guitar to the Piezo, and switch the Axe to the acoustic patch.
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With the MusicMan JP's, despite the 3-way toggle switch being able to blend the PU only / PU & Piezo / Piezo only, you still need a stereo / TRS jack plugged in to access both the standard pickups and the piezo outputs (yes, there's a designated piezo out too, but I'm leaving that aside for the moment). With a mono jack, you only get the PUs no matter what you do with the switching

So, perhaps Alex's guitar has a similar arrangement? Therefore, seeing as a standard radio system can't transmit a 'stereo signal' as it were, maybe two transmitter packs are needed purely for this reason..?
thinking.gif




Your consideration about running the resultant signal through an Axe-FX with specific patch (if DI'd into PA), rather than needing a separate FOH feed is valid though
thumbsup.gif
Most tend to do the split if they're running through a normal guitar amp & cab (ie, not full range)



(I don't have an EBMM JP by the way, I'm just suffering from terrible GAS and have been watching anything and everything I can find out about them!)
 
That is incorrect.

There are 2 physical output jacks on the JP guitars. One accepts a mono cable, the other accepts a mono or stereo/TRS cable.

The mono output can blend both the electric and piezo signal through the same mono cable. Use the 3-way toggle to select what you want. This is nice if you mainly use electric or acoustic sounds separately, though you can blend the 2. You need a 9V battery for this output to work, even just for electric sounds.

The stereo output, with a mono cable plugged in, will only output the electric signal. You do not need a battery for this electric signal to work.

With a stereo cable, however, both signals will be output and split to the proper tip/ring etc. With a Y-cable, like I use, you can blend the signals from different amps/tones, similar to how a keyboardist might blend piano and string sounds. 3-way toggle works the same as well.
 
i'll ammend what i said, you need 2 if you want to split it out to 2 different amps like Alex is doing. you can blend from one... parkers have had it for many years...
 
bkrodgers said:
Do you really though if you're using the Axe? Unless you're going for simultaneous acoustic and electric mixed together, I'd think you can just use a single wireless, switch the guitar to the Piezo, and switch the Axe to the acoustic patch.
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This is correct on most. On my Lifeson LP you can you use both jacks or one jack and and switch between the magnetic or piezo pickups.
 
Yes you can wire a blend or hard switch to use a single mono 1/4" out for magnetic and piezo outputs.

With the obvious limitation that you can't process both outputs discretely at the same time :)

But like mentioned above, you can switch presets and and switch the pickup selector or blend and it is usable.

Richard
 
Cover'd said:
With the MusicMan JP's, despite the 3-way toggle switch being able to blend the PU only / PU & Piezo / Piezo only, you still need a stereo / TRS jack plugged in to access both the standard pickups and the piezo outputs (yes, there's a designated piezo out too, but I'm leaving that aside for the moment). With a mono jack, you only get the PUs no matter what you do with the switching

So, perhaps Alex's guitar has a similar arrangement? Therefore, seeing as a standard radio system can't transmit a 'stereo signal' as it were, maybe two transmitter packs are needed purely for this reason..?
thinking.gif




Your consideration about running the resultant signal through an Axe-FX with specific patch (if DI'd into PA), rather than needing a separate FOH feed is valid though
thumbsup.gif
Most tend to do the split if they're running through a normal guitar amp & cab (ie, not full range)



(I don't have an EBMM JP by the way, I'm just suffering from terrible GAS and have been watching anything and everything I can find out about them!)
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I could be misunderstanding you but I plug into the magnetic output jack (top one) and can switch with one plug to magnetic, piezo or blend, with again one plug one cable, standard MONO. Yes I have one see the pic :)
 
Yep, fair comment symphx
thumbsup.gif


My initial understanding was based solely on the YouTube demo video some guy did above - I don't actually have a JP... well, not until tomorrow that is ;)
 
Strumzilla said:
Matt, not to be greedy because I'm sure we would all take anything we could get, but is there any chance to get more (all) of Alex's patches for the Axe? I would totally understand if Alex and/or his tech were unwilling, but that would be the holy grail for us Alex fans.

I have been trying for years to mimic some of his classic tones (Spirit, Limelight, YYZ, etc.). I know it's all possible through tone matching and I've been able to get a lot closer thanks to that, but man I would kill for his actual patches.

I personally would even be willing to pay something for artist patches (I think this has been brought up before, so don't shoot me).
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While I am not intersted in the patches I don't see anything wrong with "paying" for professional patches, but I do see a problem.
What would the price be? Does Alex need $50? $100? I would have to say no. So what would the price be? Please remember, I do agree with you about the premise itself.
 
Any updates on this process? I've been anxious to see what this patch is after trying to make my own 12 string acoustic patch. The effort has been far less successful than Alex's live sound.




Amazing tone. Thanks Matt! Now please get Alex to post his patch

Originally Posted by Admin M@
The acoustic tones are 100% Axe-Fx II. They are Tone matched direct from the original studio recordings.

Admin M@ said:
I am actually working on that.
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