Guitar advice: Piezo candidates besides JP6

CodePoet

CodePoet

Fractal Fanatic
I'm looking for options for a nice piezo-equipped humbucker guitar in the $2k range. The Music Man Petrucci JP6 would seem to have what I'm looking for, although I don't need the Petrucci name on it and also wish there were some more wood-grain type of finish choices (although the stealth black looks pretty cool). A Suhr Modern would be an ultimate choice but by the time I put a piezo in there it's probably twice the price of the JP6. Same probably with a PRS or a LP (and the LP scale length is different than I'm used to). I'm not a Parker Fly or a Variax guy. Any other options out there I should look into?
 
Lifeson LP, or a cheaper deal-That Nickelsack sig-around 2K
PRS P22 is pretty cool, saw one used that wasnt too bad.
Carvin in many flavors. Some more acoustic, some more rock with peizo.
There are some wood grain petrucci's, finding one used to get it into your price range is the key. The new honey whatever it was-dealer special is an amazing guitar.
Musicman John Petrucci Limited "Honey Roasted" Package for Premier Dealer Network only! | The Music Gallery
Hell, there was even a schecter and ibanez.

Cheater time-go to GC or some other site, search on piezo, sort on price.
Piezo at Guitar Center | Search Results
 
Brian Moore is an excellent choice as well. I have one and a few friends have them and love em. U can get
as many options as the other brands for most part. Any finish u desire and if u use the tremolo models they dont require a locking nut to stay
in tune. My particular model even has a USB port. Guitars are well balanced and really light and resonate well. Sometimes some nice ones go on ebay.
Hope this helps.
 
Take a look at the Parker DF series. Not the same body as the Fly at all, Seymour Duncan pickups, Ghost piezo system, SS frets. Ultra playable and very high quality in your price range. They range from 2000 to 2500 new. If you've never played one, you might be very surprised.
 
I would suggest going with the guitar you really like then adding an aftermarket piezo. Buying and and having it installed would probably run about $300. I have a Fishman bridge in both an Anderson and a LP Custom. I also have a Brian Moore with an RMC bridge and a EBMM Silhouette with an LR Baggs bridge. I prefer the Fishman over the others.
 
To get a fishman put in my LP standard, a luthier had to extract the bridge pole pieces, fill in the holes and then drill and install the new fishman polepieces. I can't put my finger on it, but something just isn't the same anymore in terms of stability. Sometimes the strings in chords sound out of tune relative to one another, but when I check the tuning and intonation, its OK. Maybe there is less sustain too. I suspect that these new poles might have some wiggle room? dunno.

All I can say is that its not the same as it used to be and it makes me sad

Also check my avatar.. You can see where the extra knob to control piezo volume is. Not a very practical spot, but the only one available to me without going down the path of putting in another cavity in the guitar
 
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I would say don't dismiss the JP-6 just because it has a JP signature, it has never bothered me and it is a fantastic guitar in it's own right. The EB Musicman Axis Super Sport with piezo option is also well worth considering, physically different to the JP but great sound and feel.
 
Graphtech FAAS stuff is great! I have one on a strat with Gilmour EMG's and it's piezos are awesome. Preamp is nice, really evens out the "quack". I haven't had much experience with the Fishman and RMC stuff, but the Graphtech is easy to install on most guitars.

For LP guitars, it just needs a change in saddles. As far as the "loss" in sustain, it is possible depending on the saddles. The graphtech does have an effect on the tone, as much as changing to graphite saddles does, but its not unplayable.

For strat guitars, it just needs some room for the piezo wires under the pickguard, and room for the preamp/battery.

Godin would be my choice if you didn't want to add piezos to a guitar.
 
Thanks for the good ideas - I'll be sure to check into everything. I wasn't saying I necessarily hate a guitar with "Petrucci" on it - in fact, it's probably the top choice at the moment - it's just that it's not why I'd buy the guitar. I like JP just fine, but don't need to pay extra for a nameplate. It is a nice guitar however, especially the Ball Family Reserve line with the woods.
 
JJunkie said:
To get a fishman put in my LP standard, a luthier had to extract the bridge pole pieces, fill in the holes and then drill and install the new fishman polepieces. I can't put my finger on it, but something just isn't the same anymore in terms of stability. Sometimes the strings in chords sound out of tune relative to one another, but when I check the tuning and intonation, its OK. Maybe there is less sustain too. I suspect that these new poles might have some wiggle room? dunno.

All I can say is that its not the same as it used to be and it makes me sad

Also check my avatar.. You can see where the extra knob to control piezo volume is. Not a very practical spot, but the only one available to me without going down the path of putting in another cavity in the guitar
Click to expand...

Wow... that makes me sad too! I'm really surprised at the amount of work required to install the Fishman on your LP.

I installed mine on a '79 LP Custom. The bridge was an exact replacement so I did not have to install new pole pieces. The only mod I had to do was add a ground wire connection to the pole piece. This required a small hole from the electronics cavity to the pole insert. It was heartbreaking for me to do this even if is completely invisible from the outside. I also had to remove the shielding cup from the output jack since it wouldn't work with a stereo jack.
 
CodePoet said:
I wasn't saying I necessarily hate a guitar with "Petrucci" on it - in fact, it's probably the top choice at the moment - it's just that it's not why I'd buy the guitar. I like JP just fine, but don't need to pay extra for a nameplate. It is a nice guitar however, especially the Ball Family Reserve line with the woods.
Click to expand...

I am suffering serious GAS for one of these right now - proper lust!
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I had a JP6 BFR for a while and the Piezo is excellent in it. I have moved over to PRS P24 and the piezo is nice in it too. Both over $2K though.
 
FWIW I luv the Piezo on my Lifeson LP Axcess. The Life-o-Sound graphtech is Awesome,never heard one better. IMHO..... I know that doesnt fit ur discript. but if u like LP's u might consider one, u wont b disapointed..............................
 
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