Schaller Oyster D/S - balanced new sound in modern design

The Schaller Oyster has been a classic contact pickup for decades. With its compact size and low weight, it can be easily mounted on guitar tops for spontaneous gigs or permanently installed in the body of acoustic instruments.
The new oyster has become a little bit slimmer and achievesa more balanced sound thanks to the new piezo technology. This makes it the perfect pickup system for guitars, basses, ukuleles, mandolins and other acoustic stringed instruments.
The Oyster is available in different cable lengths with a 6.35 mm (1/4″) jack socket or plug, as a single or double pickup, classic nickel-plated or in pure sound brass.

Unique features of the Schaller Oyster Piezo-Pickup

• Piezo contact pickup: A sensor pickup for retrofitting or easy installation on and in an acoustic stringed instrument.
• New balanced piezo sound design, with lifelike and powerful reproduction of the instrument sound, without active circuitry or preamplifiers. 
• The excellent sound result is achieved by a perfect interaction of membrane and piezo element.

Technical details

• Oyster shell material: brass
• Weight: 12 grams per Oyster shell
• Nickel finish but also available in pure brass
• Passive circuitry: no power supply like battery needed
• Resonance frequency: 6.0kHz ±0.5kHz
• Max. Resistance (Zr): 500 Ω
• Capacitance: 14000 nF ± 30% nF
• Special feature: also suitable for percussive playing

Scope of supply

• Oyster Model D/S: with 2 x Oyster shells as shown in the PDF
• 8 x adhesive foils

Schaller Oyster in three different versions

The Schaller Oyster is available in three different versions: as single (S/S or S/P) or double (D/S), whereby the two Oyster piezos of the D/S allow a wider frequency spectrum. It can be easily mounted with the included jack sockets or plugs of 6.35 mm (1/4″) diameter.

See also the other Oyster models:

» Oyster S/S (single/socket)

• 1 x Oyster piezo
• for internal mounting
• cable length 45 cm
• with high-quality 1/4″ (6.35 mm) jack socket incl. strain relief, screw grommet and strap receptacle

» Oyster S/P (single/plug)

• 1 x Oyster piezo
• external attachment to instrument top
• Cable length: 320 cm 
• High quality 1/4″ (6.35 mm) jack plug

Mounting instructions

The Oyster shells can be mounted using the included double-sided adhesive pads. Therefore, for proper mounting/dismounting of the Oyster shell using foil in the body, and for mounting the end jack in the frame, we always recommend consulting your local guitar builder or dealer for advice.

These options are often used in practice

• Under the strings, in front of the bridge, between the 2nd and 3rd treble strings.
• Directly next to the bridge on the treble side
• Behind the bridge, towards the end of the body in the area of the treble strings
• On the D/S model with two Oyster shells, the second capsule is placed accordingly in the area of the bass strings.

The Oyster shell should always be fixed in an easily accessible place with the foil already glued on. 

About piezo systems for stringed acoustic musical instruments

Piezo pickups are in principle suitable for all types of musical instruments. The sound depends very much on the mounting position. Patience is required in finding the right mounting position for a piezo pickup. Each player prefers his or her own "sweet spot". Even the slightest change in the piezo's position on the top or in the body will produce different sound results in bass, midrange, treble and volume levels. 

Piezo transducers are not powerful signal sources due to their physical design, so they are usually sold in guitars with integrated preamps (preamp with equalizer) to compensate the signal loss due to long cable runs and to shape the sound. An additional preamp for acoustic instruments as a floor pedal or a powerful acoustic amplifier, are therefore preferable for optimal signal reproduction