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The independent volume controls for the two pickups, magnetic and piezo,
are located at the tailpiece. The master volume, which allows you to set the
volume of both pickups at the same time, is located below the pickguard,
just as the tone control for the magnetic pickup. These two mimic
somehow the ones that you find in many single-pickup archtops, with some
subtleties:
The output of the guitar, controlled by the master volume, will have a
fixed blend of piezo and magnetic, adjusted by means of the two
independent volume controls at the tailpiece. However, please notice
that
the guitar always keeps the piezo and magnetic outputs
separate.
The tone control will affect just the magnetic pickup. I put it there
because all players expect to have it. However, the piezo does not
have a tone control. More on this below.
Most archtops with controls below the pickguard place the tone pot
closer to the end of the pickguard. Here it is just the opposite; I think
that the pot in that position is easier to find by touch, so it’s the
volume that goes there.
Deciding on the Amplifier
The recommended way to connect this guitar is to use either a single
amplifier with two independent channels or two separate amplifiers. If you
like the first option better, there are some great amps from AER or
Henriksen, for example. Separate amps can have the obvious advantage of
their physical separation.
No matter what amp you use, piezos need some hard processing to sound
natural. Keep in mind that the preamp in this guitar is in reality a simple
buffer, designed just for overcoming the problems that a passive piezo
circuit would have with cables and potentiometers. If you want to get the
best of it, you’ll have to use a modern preamp, such as the ToneDexter, by
Audio Sprockets, between the piezo output and the amplifier.
