Hello everyone from the UK

[Rasco]

Bonjour,

Hope everyone's got blisters on their fingers and smiles on their faces!

I signed up to the forum, hoping someone will be kind enough to help me make some informed decisions and solve a problem. Thank you so much in advance to anyone taking the time to read this. 

My guitar is a Gibson J-15. I really love it. Recently though a friend said that it should sound a lot better and that he has cheap guitars that sound nicer... which got me thinking - are there any adjustments I can make to the guitar to improve it's sound?

I recently bought a Marshall 30w amp but unfortunately the pickup is broken. I took it to a small guitar shop and he checked it and said it's probably the "Piezo (?) strip" that needs replacing. 

I read somewhere that the fitted pickups could be better, is this true? Would I be best fixing my existing one or installing a shiny new one? Any recommendations?

Please excuse my ignorance and thank you again for helping a brother out 🙂

Edited September 16, 2020 by Rasco

[merciful-evans]

Hi Rasco,

Welcome to the forum. 

Your friend sounds like he's into point scoring. Maybe he's right? There's also the possibility that he's jealous. Don't let anyone spoil your enjoyment of your guitar. You love it & thats what counts.

If this is bugging you, I suggest asking to hear your friends guitars so you can judge for yourself.

Piezo pickups> I've never had to fiddle with these, and am not knowledgeable about them. I suggest heading over to the acoustic forum and asking there.

However I found this instructional video which might give you some idea of whats involved.

 

[marpar]

Welcome Rasco!

[tx-ogre]

Welcome aboard Rasco.  Enjoy your stay.

[jdgm]

If the piezo strip is broken then a complete new pickup is probably the best option.  There are plenty of mfrs out there who want your business - as advised above, the experts on this are in the Acoustic section of the forum.

As to the tone of your guitar, it may need humidifying or possibly a change of string brand might work wonders. 

Good luck!