RG1527 Project - Edge Pro 7 Piezo Mod

[Webmaestro]

Inspired by THIS THREAD, I set about creating my own piezo-modded Ibby. I'd already procured a RG1527 body and RG1527M neck, so all that was left was to order a new Edge Pro 7 trem and pickups. Then, I contacted ss.org member shotgunn about the piezo mod.

Side Note: Serious props to shotgunn for doing the piezo install, electronics, and corresponding woodwork. The guy is a mad genius at this stuff, and he can do A LOT more complex work than just piezo installs.

Once finished, the guitar will be:

- 2006 RG1527 Prestige body (blue)
- 2011 RG1527M Prestige neck
- Edge Pro 7
- Crunch Lab 7 (bridge) and Liquifire 7 (neck)
- LR Baggs Piezo system
- Remove tone knob (never use it)
- Move volume knob to the spot where tone was
- Install single pushbutton/toggle switch in old volume spot. Push once for piezo-only, push again for magnetic pickups.

When I contacted shotgunn, I stressed that I wanted a super-basic, SIMPLE control mechanism for the piezo vs. mag selection. I love the old 2027's, but I didn't need/want controls anywhere near that complex:

Since I already had a body and neck, I procured a minty Edge Pro 7 (and locking stud mod):

Next task was to install everything, string it up, and make sure all the parts played nicely together. They did. Everything set-up like a dream:

I shipped the above parts, along with the new DiMarzios to shotgunn, and he went to work...

First, he drilled-out the old volume hole to accommodate the piezo/mag switch:

Here's the new push/toggle switch installed:
Note... I never adjust tone, and hate.. HATE having the volume knob right under my fingers. So, this gets all that crap out of my way.

^ The way this works is it's either all piezo, or all mag pickups. I didn't want any crazy blending, stereo outputs, etc. It's all mono. Very simple. Push once to engage the piezos, push again to go back to mags.

Next, the LR Baggs piezo system was installed. Apparently, the EP7's are already set up to accept this system. I don't think much machine work was needed at all:

Here's a closeup of the new LR Baggs piezo saddles:

More pics to come, as this is still an ongoing project. Shotgunn still has to install my DiMarzios and a 3-way toggle, then put the whole enchalada back together into a playable guitar.

Stay tuned...

 

[AngstRiddenDreams]

I'm digging this man.

 

[simonXsludge]

Cool project!

 

[Webmaestro]

All we're waiting on right now is for DiMarzio to ship the 3-way switch for the magnetic pups. They (DiMarzio) messed up the initial order and sent the wrong type of switch, so we're waiting for the correct one to arrive.

I can't stress how glad I'll be to get the damn volume knob out from under my fingers. That's one of my major gripes about most guitars: knobs right under the playing hand/fingers. Also, I never... NEVER adjust the tone knob, so I'm glad to just be rid of that altogether.

 

[skisgaar]

Dude....Dat neck....Dat royal blue....PIEZO. FUCK YES.

 

[EarlWellington]

This is really cool... I'd love a piezo on one of mine

 

[Leuchty]

Looking good so far!

 

[Webmaestro]

Dude....Dat neck....Dat royal blue....PIEZO. FUCK YES.

Yeah, the 1527M neck has been my prize possession, and I've been anxious to get it paired with a body. It's mint. I lurked on the 'bay for months before a body finally came along that was in acceptable condition. It's a used '06, but only a couple very minor chips. Trem stud inserts seem to still be solid too.

This is really cool... I'd love a piezo on one of mine

Yeah, ever since I saw that other thread I've had piezo on the brain (having missed the boat on getting a 2027 years ago). My only concern was trem mobility (namely, up-pull), but apparently it's a non issue for "normal" trem use. If you plan to do huge Vai-style pull-ups, the wires may contact the body route sooner than you'd like, but that's not an issue for me.

 

[Alex_IBZ]

Wow! I wasn't aware of the mod thread, really cool idea!
Is it going to be a 3-way switch with piezo/both/mag or a simple 2-way with piezo/mag?

 

[Webmaestro]

Wow! I wasn't aware of the mod thread, really cool idea!
Is it going to be a 3-way switch with piezo/both/mag or a simple 2-way with piezo/mag?

Simple 2-way. Push the button once to engage piezos 100%, push again to go back to mags 100%. I opted not to have any type of blending, stereo outputs, etc... although shotgunn can do all that stuff.

This works for me because I'm no longer a gigging musician who plays live. If you are though, you'd definitely want to opt for some more robust controls, dual output jacks, etc. And you can get some amazing sounds with blend, stereo output, etc.

Nowadays, I just record and play for my own enjoyment, so simple on/off works well for me. If I ever decide to join another band though I may have to revisit this setup

 

[shotgunn]

Sup guys?!?

It's been a while since I been active here at ss.org. An interesting note for this mod...

I suggested using the super cool, super lo profile push button switch to go between Mag and piezo because it looks pretty dang cool. I mostly do 3-ways as most people (including myself) like the mix option. I plan to use this type of switch (momentary version) for a kill switch on my custom guitar if I EVER get a chance to touch it again!!!

Anyhoo... Using this push button switch that is SPDT (Single Pole Single Throw) posed a minor problem. In order to properly select between Mags or Piezo I need an SPDT (Single Pole Double Throw). So I decided to use the switch to open/close the power to an opto isolated relay. This relay has two SPST switches inside. This can be converted into an SPDT type by wiring two terminals together and using them as the common terminal.

At first I thought the switch was momentary (until I verified with my DMM). That would have caused me to use a J-K flip flop to accept a momentary pulse and 'convert' that into a latching state to open/close the power to the relay for the actual function switching. I was kind of bummed when I found out that wouldn't be necessary. It's been a while since I fooled around with J-K flip flops.

Feel free to PM me if anyone is interested in this or ANY type of mod. If you can imagine it, I can (most likely) make it possible.

 

[Bouillestfu]

I love that button! Keep the pics comming!

 

[shotgunn]

Dude....Dat neck....Dat royal blue....PIEZO. FUCK YES.

I agree. I have an RG-1527RB myself and I'm thinking of eventually grabbing one of these 1527M's. It looks sweet and seems to play great.

 

[Webmaestro]

I agree. I have an RG-1527RB myself and I'm thinking of eventually grabbing one of these 1527M's. It looks sweet and seems to play great.

And that's with no fretwork. It's straight from the factory (took it off a 2011 "M" body because I hated the Edge Zero trem). Just imagine if I had the frets leveled or PLEK'd by a good tech. The frets are perfectly acceptable to me right now as-is, so I probably won't do that, but just imagine...

As far as the piezo sound goes, I'm looking forward to dialing-in a good acoustic-sounding patch on my HD Pro. I may explore some of the acoustic sim pedals out there too to try and get more acoustic-y realism.

Learning my way around Reaper right now, so perhaps I'll be able to upload some sound clips as well.

 

[JosephAOI]

This is sick! My only bit of critiscm though is that that button might be a little hard to get used to if you were switching from piezo to magnetic in a single beat or something in a song. I think you should've done a 3 way toggle where the tone knob is and left the volume and blade switch.

 

[Webmaestro]

This is sick! My only bit of critiscm though is that that button might be a little hard to get used to if you were switching from piezo to magnetic in a single beat or something in a song. I think you should've done a 3 way toggle where the tone knob is and left the volume and blade switch.

Thought about that. Our original idea was to put a 3-way mini toggle in that spot, but I nixed the idea for a couple reasons:

1. I don't want anything sticking up out of that spot... obstructing my playing hand.

2. Putting a toggle elsewhere would've meant drilling an extra hole, and leaving an empty hole in the old volume spot. I wanted neither.

3. I don't gig anymore. I only record and play for my own enjoyment. If I were a gigging musician, I definitely would need more options for live/fast switching.

If I ever join another band (highly unlikely at this stage in life), I may have to revisit that idea, and that's fine.

 

[Pikka Bird]

So that's what those tapped holes were for on the block!? It seems odd that there weren't an abundance of Double Edge Pro-equipped guitars if the block was specifically made to fit that little chip and has the wire channels.

 

[Webmaestro]

So that's what those tapped holes were for on the block!? It seems odd that there weren't an abundance of Double Edge Pro-equipped guitars if the block was specifically made to fit that little chip and has the wire channels.

Well, Ibanez has chosen to go after a certain market segment (lower-to-midrange price point) as its primary target. Though all those trems were made to accept the piezo system, it does add hundreds of $$ onto the price of the guitar. I'm sure Ibanez's marketing dept. has deemed this as detrimental to their bottom line. It's all based on market research, data, past lessons-learned, etc.

I don't like it, but that's business for ya.

 

[Webmaestro]

Okay, my DiMarzio 3-way switch finally came in, so Michael hopes to have the guitar finished and shipped out to me by Thursday.

Barring any unforeseen complications, all that's left now is to do the magnetic pickup wiring with the 3-way switch. The positions will be:

1 - Bridge (Crunch Lab) in series
2 - Neck (Liquifire) in parallel
3 - Neck (Liquifire) in series

I love the sound of the neck pup in parallel for my clean sounds, so the combinations above are all I'll ever use.

 

[Webmaestro]

Okay, Michael just notified me that this baby is done. He sent me one last pic of the final wiring:

Once I get the guitar back in my greedy little hands, I'll upload some full-body shots, and hopefully get some sound clips up on SoundCloud.