CS Sensor sweet spot

Tomas

Hello. I bought a Carlos J. CS sensor and I simply don't know where to put it. I followed the manual and tried to find sweet spot on the top outside. But I want it inside and when I tried it in the same places there were brances or the sound was different...much worst. Lot of hights no bass or boxy sound. So I tried different places and I'm desperate. In every try I have to loosen the strings and tune it again and find somebody with small hand. Feel pain for strings and neck. And M3 sticker doesn't work after few try. So my question is: Is there any safe place, some tip? Is it that big difference between putting it outside or inside? I have typical selmer oval with brancing similar to the picture. Thanks a lot for all your advice!

b99db0e0ed9a0d6449fca319a845cbfb--gypsy-guitar-guitar-building.jpg

Lango-Django

Tomas,

Sorry, but I am not familiar with your CS sensor. But my Ischell pickup sounds great inside the instrument, attached directly beneath the bridge with double-sided tape, right between the A and D strings.

With luck, perhaps a similar placement may work for you.

I was fortunate enough to be able to record the sound of my pickup in a couple different locations before deciding on the best location to mount it permanently. I would suggest you try the same thing.

Good luck!

Will

Tomas

Thanks Lango-Django. I didn't try that. Is any difference between contact-mic and piezo in placement? Or there is the same rule?

Lango-Django

My Ischell is a contact mic and not a piezzo...

... therefore, my opinion about where to place a piezzo is totally evidence-free conjecture...

...however...

...that said, if I were trying to mount a piezzo inside a guitar, that would be the first place I would try, because...

... WTF? Why not?

Buco

I don't have a CS sensor but this is where Manouche Mic on my guitar is mounted internally. The black dot towards the top of the picture is it. Just above is the end of the soundhole.

crookedpinky

Hi there. I recently installed a CS sensor onto my Alex Bishop. I had to mount it externally as the braces didn't allow me to fit it internally. My guitar is a Dhole so access to inside is easy but I have very small hands and can even fit my hand inside a smaller oval hole model. Anyway, I found the sweet spot relatively easily but I found the black dots or squares included didn't stick that well however it was good enough to locate the sweet spot then I marked off the edges of the cs sensor with some masking tape so when I removed the protective cover from the sensor it would be placed just where it needed to be. Here's a picture of where I placed it on my Alex Bishop.

Tomas

I have super traditional selmer style guitar and I don't like modern carbon fiber pickup on it. I love this clean guitar design. But brancing is really everywhere. I experimented with positions for hours and let it little bit behind bridge under low E string. I will see how it will work in real world later. It's not perfect, and I need set eq a little bit, but it's listenable....I hope. Maybe after hours of tragic sounds I take everything. :D But thanks a lot for your tips. In the same time I waiting for magnetic pickup kleio 47 and that will be really peace of cake compare to this. :)

jonpowl

Here is a link for a popular pickup test. The Carlos CS sounds great, but so does the Schaller Oyster Single. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3LpUsJvq_w&feature=emb_title

BillDaCostaWilliams

Video is really well made.

On this showing, it's striking how much variation there appears to be between pickups all designed for the same purpose.

Lango-Django

Fascinating video. Thanks Jon P!

In the video, I was disappointed at the sound of my own pickup, the Ischell (it seemed to be mounted in an odd place...?)

at first it sounded really weird and unnatural... but then after hearing it for just a few seconds, my ear got used to the sound and it actually seemed just fine...? Isn't that strange?

In fact, it seemed that with ALL the pickups, I got used to the sound each one so quickly that I quickly forgot the difference from the one before it.

I have to say that the one that had the biggest impact upon first hearing was the Stimer... a big, bold sound and with not too much of that slightly fuzzy distorted sound which I somehow expect from a Stimer.

But hey! Here's a question for all you pickup users...

...my Ischell has never fed back on me even though I run it through the band PA system... however...

...there IS that slight feeling in my fingertips that tells me that the strings are more sensitive, or just have more power than when I play unamplified... it just feels somehow slightly different than the way it does unamplified...

For example, while soloing, I suddenly become aware that I must be careful to mute the strings adjacent to the one I am actually playing, because they seem all ready to ring out unsummoned with the slightest accidental touch...

... so my question is, do you feel a slight difference in your playing when you are playing with/without amplification?

I'm asking this because for me, the ideal pickup would be the one that never fed back, and when using it, I wouldn't even notice... is such a thing even possible?

Thanks!

Will

Tomas

That's nice video from gypsyguitar.de and little bit frustrating, because it's sound much better than my setting. And it's direct to mix. Maybe contact mic sounds just better outside. Don't know.