PSG understanding and development overview:
Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:17 pm
There are a plethora of “opinions” and street wisdom re PSGs available on various Forums and platforms like You Tube and “news letters”. These all serve the good purpose of keeping the PSG pot boiling, and also the less good purpose of adding to mythology re the instrument.
Nostalgia, tradition, and love of the “good old days” tend to heap accolades upon certain instruments and players of the past….some deserved, and some not as much. PSG players, like all humans have their better and worse sides, and PSGs have their good and not so good physical and tonal attributes.
Leaving the psycho and social characterization of players to others, I will cast a vote for the use of modern instrumentation techniques and equipments to define the performance attributes of old and new models of the PSG. We started down this path in 2006 at Jim Palenscar’s shop where we analyzed the sonic performance of 30+ PSGs using the Frequency Spectrum Analysis software to profile and quantify the produced spectrum and its change with time (decay/sustain) for certain methods of string excitation. The physicals and dimensions/materials were also recorded. You can see some of the results at this link. XXX to be added later.
To address the hand waving arguments re what is good for sustain and tone, an “breadboard” instrument was fabricated the had a 30” scale length, no neck block, two tapped interchangeable pickups, integrated keyless tuner and changer, the changer placed on the players left, a simple interchangeable bridge, a different string attachment/anchoring system, and so forth. These changes/differences attacked the issues of string length vs. sustain and tone, variations in pickup characteristics and location, on sonic parameters, and so forth…including some material issues like brass vs. aluminum, vs. Zirconia for bridges etc.. An extruded aluminum body was chosen because it is more sonically consistent than the various woods, and has a thermal coefficient of expansion more closely matched to that of the string material. This “thing‘ has become known as the BEAST, and is included in the 30+ PSG analysis. You decide what effect if any all or any these differences had upon the “sacred cows” of construction.
The limitation of the methodology used in the analysis of the 30+ was that the data was in the form of a series of sonic “snapshots”. This meant that the info available for analysis was limited. What is needed is a sonic “movies” (calibrated recordings) which can be used to analyze things thought of later and with the flexibility of local looping of signals etc. while subjected to FSA and similar. To this end, I have added the Zoom R24, and Sonar X1 to the analysis arsenal = record the results of PSG excitation into a Hi Z channel (minimize pickup loading), and analyze as convenient. Eventually the sonics may be heard at the same time the visuals are presented. The existing equipment is shown at the following link: YYY to be added later.
With these capabilities in hand, we are equipped to analyze the PSGs of the past and present…this coupled with the ability to apply Finite Element Analysis (FEA) type modeling of structures and magnetics give us powerful tools for the development of future generations of the PSG.
Areas for development are:
Alternative pickup types.
Pickup signal processing methods.
Alternative changer methods…electronic changers (with and without mechanics).
Pedal and Lever electronic position sensors.
Alternative volume control methods.
uC on board signal processing.
Wireless from PSG to Amp/Preamp etc.
LCD fret board, computer controlled.
Tablet/tablet PC as PSG dashboard for touch control of PSG related apps etc.
Pick your project!!!
Nostalgia, tradition, and love of the “good old days” tend to heap accolades upon certain instruments and players of the past….some deserved, and some not as much. PSG players, like all humans have their better and worse sides, and PSGs have their good and not so good physical and tonal attributes.
Leaving the psycho and social characterization of players to others, I will cast a vote for the use of modern instrumentation techniques and equipments to define the performance attributes of old and new models of the PSG. We started down this path in 2006 at Jim Palenscar’s shop where we analyzed the sonic performance of 30+ PSGs using the Frequency Spectrum Analysis software to profile and quantify the produced spectrum and its change with time (decay/sustain) for certain methods of string excitation. The physicals and dimensions/materials were also recorded. You can see some of the results at this link. XXX to be added later.
To address the hand waving arguments re what is good for sustain and tone, an “breadboard” instrument was fabricated the had a 30” scale length, no neck block, two tapped interchangeable pickups, integrated keyless tuner and changer, the changer placed on the players left, a simple interchangeable bridge, a different string attachment/anchoring system, and so forth. These changes/differences attacked the issues of string length vs. sustain and tone, variations in pickup characteristics and location, on sonic parameters, and so forth…including some material issues like brass vs. aluminum, vs. Zirconia for bridges etc.. An extruded aluminum body was chosen because it is more sonically consistent than the various woods, and has a thermal coefficient of expansion more closely matched to that of the string material. This “thing‘ has become known as the BEAST, and is included in the 30+ PSG analysis. You decide what effect if any all or any these differences had upon the “sacred cows” of construction.
The limitation of the methodology used in the analysis of the 30+ was that the data was in the form of a series of sonic “snapshots”. This meant that the info available for analysis was limited. What is needed is a sonic “movies” (calibrated recordings) which can be used to analyze things thought of later and with the flexibility of local looping of signals etc. while subjected to FSA and similar. To this end, I have added the Zoom R24, and Sonar X1 to the analysis arsenal = record the results of PSG excitation into a Hi Z channel (minimize pickup loading), and analyze as convenient. Eventually the sonics may be heard at the same time the visuals are presented. The existing equipment is shown at the following link: YYY to be added later.
With these capabilities in hand, we are equipped to analyze the PSGs of the past and present…this coupled with the ability to apply Finite Element Analysis (FEA) type modeling of structures and magnetics give us powerful tools for the development of future generations of the PSG.
Areas for development are:
Alternative pickup types.
Pickup signal processing methods.
Alternative changer methods…electronic changers (with and without mechanics).
Pedal and Lever electronic position sensors.
Alternative volume control methods.
uC on board signal processing.
Wireless from PSG to Amp/Preamp etc.
LCD fret board, computer controlled.
Tablet/tablet PC as PSG dashboard for touch control of PSG related apps etc.
Pick your project!!!