Radio Shack Piezo Transducer 273-073A
Build your own Contact Mic from a Piezo Transducer. Click on the "How to build a contact mic " link. Thanks to Erinys for allowing us to link his instructions.
Looking to buy the Radio Shack Piezo Transducer 273-073A? Check for availability.
User Reviews of the Radio Shack Piezo Transducer 273-073A
- Submitted by Corbin from Athens, OH (10 points) on Feb 16, 2012
- I like to play acoustic instruments with piezo pickups, and I wire my own circuits. My first pickup rig was built using a Fishman piezo transducer that cost me $80, including an endbutton jack which I ended up removing and using for something else. When I wanted to electrify another instrument, I did some thinking and realized that all I really needed was a piezo element with some wires attached, not necessarily some high-falutin' thing from Fishman. So I went down to Radio Shack, bought a piezo element (this one), puttied it inside my one of my guitars, and wired it through volume and tone knobs and to a 1/4" out. I was surprised to discover that the tone quality wasn't really that different from the "professional" pickup that cost me an extra $78. I've now used these to wire multiple guitars, banjos, and ukuleles and experienced no problems that aren't present with any piezo pickup.
- Good Points: I've never broken one (lots of people said they break easy... I just install them inside the instrument and they never really get touched)
- Bad Points: you gotta really carefully break the black plastic cover off before you can use the element for an effective piezo pickup
- Price Paid: US$2.00
- Purchased At: Radio Shack
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by tapesss from Brooksville, FL (344 points) on Oct 6, 2005
- i've got several of these, they're excellent for the price, but like other's have said..they do break easily. just put some tape over the back where the contacts are and you should be fine.
- Good Points: cheap!
- Bad Points: easily broken if you go apeshit with them.
- Price Paid: US$2.00
- Purchased At: radio shack
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by sclr from Portland, OR (220 points) on Jul 28, 2005
- this was my first homemade contact mic. sounds fine but i think the sound range is limited. it will get the job done but for 10 bucks more you could buy a great contact mic thats shielded sounds better and will last a whole lot longer in the form of a snare trigger.
- Good Points: it will get the job done.
- Bad Points: costs too much.
- Price Paid: US$3.00
- Purchased At: radio shack
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by travis from Vancouver, WA (36 points) on Apr 14, 2004
- this thing is a godsend. makes the perfect noisey contact microphone, and its so easy to do so. it is easily breakable, but it does the job.
- Good Points: harsh noisey feedback. easy to make. inexpensive. etc..
- Bad Points: breaks easily.
- Price Paid: US$2.00
- Purchased At: radio shlock
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by gr-eh? from Detroit, MI (402 points) on Feb 17, 2004
- YES! I've been living off these things (spitting out the little plastic nubs though) for years. Convenient enough to pick up when ya need one in a hurry.. Not too sturdy, light use works fine and can beat 'em up if dipped in rubber or smothered in duct tape.
- Good Points: Plentiful.. Inexpensive.. Sure you can order 'em cheaper, but then you don't get the killer Radio Shack dudes tryin' to sell you a new cell phone when you're buyin' piezos and photocells. The plastic case is good for a friend who tends to chew on his?!
- Bad Points: Flimsy..
- Price Paid: US$2.00
- Purchased At: Uh.. Radio shack?!
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by spit + smudge from Savannah, GA (214 points) on Feb 13, 2004
- Too expensive considering you can get them cheaper from electronic parts companies. Has a good frequency response, it's also very sensitive too! I used one to mic a pile of ants one time, the ants sounded like rain due to their feet walking over the contact mic. If you take it out of the plastic enclosure, it's much easier to snap the leads off, especially if you use the wires that are already on the piezo element. Since it's not made out of lead(like the piezo I like to use) if you use a leadless solder, you can put these in your mouth and use your voice as a sound source. If you want to save some money, try some places like goldmine-elec.com for your piezo needs, or even ebay!
- Good Points: Very small size although this can be a bad thing.
- Bad Points: Slightly flimsy, not too great if you are Guilty Connector and want to smash the hell out of something. If you are, I suggest a rubber sealant dip to somewhat secure the leads.
- Price Paid: US$2.00
- Purchased At: radio slack
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by K. from Sealy, TX (532 points) on Feb 10, 2004
- Inexpensive alternative to pro-made contact mics or quality drum triggers, just have to supply your own cord and connector (1/4", 1/8", RCA) and a bit of soldering ability. You can break open the casing and extract the element or just leave it intact and connect to the exposed wires, which would probably give a bit different sound than having an exposed element.
- Good Points: cheap
- Bad Points: obviously becoming rare and hard to find
- Price Paid: US$3.00
- Purchased At: Radio Shack
-
Was this review helpful to you?
- Submitted by nkondi from Portland, OR (610 points) on Feb 8, 2004
- do you like contact mics? do you not want to pay an arm an a leg for one...then this will get you there. fairly easy to crack open and wire to get what you need...the unfortunate thing is the ratshack just doesnt make them anymore...
- Good Points: cheap and easy contact mics to be had...
- Bad Points: not made anymore...ive found a few sellers on ebay that have this model or comparable, and if you shop right you can find a good deal...
- Price Paid: US$2.00
- Purchased At: 25 on ebay
-
Was this review helpful to you?