CRAZY Idea

[Fender_Punk]

Ok, so being the insane person I am, I was reading a Guitar Player review of the Takamine Cool Tube pre-amp and got the idea, "why not put my extrat Strat pup in my POS $150 lmainate acoustic, which doesn't have electronics?"

I'm seriously considering this. I would be able to find a way using something like popsicle sticks to make the pup mountable (not a real word I'm sure) in the sound hole, or, using long screws to make the pup flush with the wood, route a hole to put it in near the bridge. (btw I figure I'd need long screws even if I were to put it in the soundhole)

As for electronics, I'm thinking rather than buying an acoustic preamp I'd simple drill 2 holes in the side, one for a volume pot and one for a TBX tone pot. I KNOW it WILL be tricky to install all this in an acoustic (though maybe not, as the strings will be off when I do this) but I think it's time I try to do something with this POS acoustic... like make it an acoustic-electric.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestion?

[LunaticFringe]

I would do it but not expect it to turn out all that good. I don't know too much about acoustic-electrics but I'd be willing to bet that a normal fender single coil pickup would sound like ass. Probably alot of feedback.

[LesStrat]

[Fender_Punk]

Yeah I'm expecting there to be a lot of feedback, but it could be cool to do anyway, and I could always think of a way to get rid of the hum (or build a pup myself for it). Keep the thoughts coming.

[Kindred_Spirits]

Its been done before, by John Lennon and Kurt Cobain:





But it won't hurt to try I guess.

[Fender_Punk]

yeah, but I always thought those were somewhat designed for the acoustic guitar. Either way, are you trying to say it's worth a go?

Also, where does everyone reccomend? The fretboard goes right up to the sound hole, so it's either soundhole or near the bridge. It being a bridge pup from a Strat I'm thinking soundhole? Which will give less feedback?

[mixedmedia]

Couldn't you just use double stick tape or velcro to attach the pup to the top away from the soundhole?

[sosomething]

Couldn't you just use double stick tape or velcro to attach the pup to the top away from the soundhole?

I highly doubt there's enough clearance for a magnetic pickup between the top of the guitar and the strings, but of course without looking at it I could be wrong.

[Fender_Punk]

Couldn't you just use double stick tape or velcro to attach the pup to the top away from the soundhole?

unfortunately not. There isn't nearly enough clearance, otherwise I would.

I'm having mixed feelings where I want to put it. In the soundhole flush with the wood would catch a lot of the resonace, but in the bridge near the strings would catch more of the strings, which it will catch less of in the frist place seeing as I use 80/20 bronze strings and will also give a tighter brighter sound. But seeing as it's a bridge pup from a strat in an acoustic, it'll be plenty bright already wont it?

[sgman]

I would just get one of those Duncan acoustic pickups.....Using a strat pup for that I do know, but if you do let us know what it sounded like........

[Fender_Punk]

I would just get one of those Duncan acoustic pickups.....Using a strat pup for that I do know, but if you do let us know what it sounded like........

Umm, this is a POS "New York Pro" $150 acoustic I bought new from a pawn shop. I've heard of acoustic being cheap because "they fell off the back of a truck" but this whole company probably fell off the back of a truck!! The strat pup I have handy and can install whenever I get bold enough to drill holes in the acoustic. I'm already starting to think of wiring diagrams. How about a 3-way DPDT switch so that in the middle it's nothing added, one side there's a resistor wired and a capacitor on the other side, so I get furhter tone modding in positions 1 and 3.

[rashayritto]

wouldnt the phosphor bronze strings of an acoustic also not cooperate with a magnetic pickup? maybe i'm lying

[scottish]

wouldnt the phosphor bronze strings of an acoustic also not cooperate with a magnetic pickup? maybe i'm lying

you might be right....im not sure that phosphor bronze strings have any magnetic qualities...however i am basing that off of gut feeling and no real information

[lex666]

Sounds like a fun project, but I think you'd be much happier using a SD acoustic pup.

[flank]

I've already done this using a variety of pickups, and to be honest, nothing sounded very good. By the way, i found the easiest way to mount it is to get a humbucker pickup ring, slice off once side of the square, and screw in two of the corners to the top of the body. This has to be done on the side where the fretboard ends, and you have to slice off one side of the pickup ring so that it does not get pinned against the end of the fretboard.

[baritone]

You should definitely do it. A 59 would be cool, but there wouldn't be much use in buying a new pickup for this project. Yesterday, when I was installing my new Jazz pickup into my Epiphone, I held the stock pickup up to the soundhole of my cheap acoustic and was thinking something similar.

[Fender_Punk]

wouldnt the phosphor bronze strings of an acoustic also not cooperate with a magnetic pickup? maybe i'm lying

Yeah, I think maybe the 80/20 would be magnetic, and I was confusing it with the phosphor bronze.

use some duct tape or electrical tape. Wire the hot of the strat pickup to the output of a jack, and the ground of the strat pickup to the ground of the jack. See if you like the sound before you drill or do anything permanent

Good idea. BTW, anyone know where to get those imput jacks that double as a strap button? That would save me even more drilling while also providing convenience.

Sounds like a fun project, but I think you'd be much happier using a SD acoustic pup.

Like I said earlier, it's a $150 POS. It would be a waste of money to by an SD acoustic pup only to put into a POS. However, if I already have a pup, which currently is not being used, whu not?

Thanks for all the comments so far. Oh, also kind of like the mounting ring idea!

[Fender_Punk]

bump.