Advice on installing a pickup in an FS?

[jackdonley]

Do you have  any recommendations on what kind of pickup to install in a Fingerstyle model, and how to make sure this is done properly? I just bought this guitar, I love everything about it, and I don’t want to do anything that could damage it or negatively affect the tone. I would have chosen the pickup as an option had I gone through SC, but I bought it as-is through a dealer.

[indexless]

Welcome jackdonley,

Thanks for checking into this forum. We have a podcast with James May in the podcast section, that’s a KILLER acoustic pickup and James is a true believer in pure acoustic tone.

Thanks again for checking in, I’m sure you’ll get some opinions.

[jackdonley]

Thanks!

 

[tadol]

I’d second looking into the UltraTonic – it’s a really great pickup – still my first choice for a new pickup –

BUT – what really matters, is how you intend to use the guitar – are you plugging in just to annoy your spouse or room-mate in the other room? Are you wanting to plug in just to record? Do you play every week at your local bar or church soloing, or are you part of a larger band? Do you need to play at substantial volume in large halls or arenas?  And, what are you sending your signal through and to?

Santa Cruz offers a pickup “factory-installed” that is very, very good. But – I’ve had issues with feedback, so, it’s not my “ideal” choice – it does sound really good though. The Barbera Soloist is really good too – but trickier for a self-install. K&K is cheap and lots of people know how to install and use it. There are some really nice internal mics – if you can go that route.

Congrats on the FS! Really wonderful guitar that you just can’t find as easily as you should –

[jackdonley]

Thanks, Tadol. I mostly play for myself, so I do NOT need to play at a high volume. And in terms of self-install, I wouldn’t attempt that myself anyway. This guitar is the third most valuable thing I own next to my house and my car, and at this point it might be a toss-up with the car.  So I’m not about to take any chances of messing up the installation.

[Old 97]

https://kksound.com/products/meridian.php

[tadol]

You don’t say why you want a pickup, so it’s hard to make a good suggestion. If you’re going to have your tech do the installation, then another good starting place is to ask them what they like, are comfortable installing, and maybe even have a guitar with one installed so you can give it a listen. That’s the best I can suggest –

[Author]

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