Transducer Pickup Shrink Wrap Damage?

Hi there,

I recently got my 3rd ukulele with a pickup, but unfortunately I didn't study how pickups worked before purchasing it...

As I was doing some adjustments with my saddle setup, I got lazy and tried to wiggle it in without removing the strings. I did not actually know the piezo piece was right underneath the saddle slot, and upon removing the saddle I noticed a black rubbery tape peeling off. With my itchy hands I pulled it off to reveal the copper piece beneath with a minor scratch.

After further prodding I noticed the pickup seems to look exactly the same as this:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...-Under-Saddle-Pickup/2023001_32599999084.html

Anyway, my question is. What is the purpose of the shrink wrap, other than protection? Is it vital to cushioning the piezo or something? Does it help in the conduction of the sound vibrations etc?

Can I just remove the entire shrink wrap and place it back in, or should I get wrap it up and place it back?

Will the scratch on the copper affect the sound quality by a lot?


Thanks and curse my clumsy lazy fingers.

I don't have the answers to your questions, by if it were me I would do all those things that you asked about and see for myself what happens. At this point you got nothing to lose.

I would think the heat shrink would deaden the sound somewhat so you're better off without it. Heat shrink tube isn't expensive so you could always replace it if you think it would sound better with it on.

Thanks for the replies.

As of now what I did was remove the entire shrink wrap and replaced the saddle. At the moment I'm away from my home and have no access to an amp to test it out so unfortunately I don't know how it'll work yet.

I'll probably update in a couple weeks from now if I remember to, when I get back from being away for work.