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Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Acoustic Guitar Pickup

Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup with Pre-soldered Endpin Jack

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Item ID: RCGFP1

Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Acoustic Guitar Pickup

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Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Acoustic Guitar Pickup

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Q: What kind of sound does the Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup offer?

The Recording King Gold Foil pickup delivers a unique, vintage-inspired tone that harks back to the early acoustic-electric era. It offers a raw, biting, and powerful sound with a crisp bite and gritty feel, reminiscent of classic mail-order gold foil pickups from the '50s and '60s. This gives your acoustic guitar a more electric guitar-like character, perfect for unrefined blues picking and old-school country applications. Being passive, it provides a direct, uncolored signal, ideal for players seeking a distinctive, vintage acoustic-electric sound.

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Q: Who is the Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup designed for?

This pickup is ideal for acoustic guitarists looking to easily amplify their instrument without permanent modifications. It suits players who appreciate a vintage-flavored tone, particularly those seeking the raw, gritty sound of early acoustic-electric amplification for unrefined blues picking and old-school country applications. It's a straightforward, plug-and-play solution for live performances, recording, or practice. Its passive design appeals to those who prefer not to deal with batteries or active electronics.

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Q: How do I install the Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup?

Installation is quick and easy. The Gold Foil pickup is designed to clip securely into your acoustic guitar's soundhole, typically without needing any tools or modifications. Simply position it in the soundhole, connect the output cable to your amplifier or PA system, and you're ready to play. It's a non-invasive way to amplify your acoustic.

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Q: Is this pickup active or passive, and does it require batteries?

The Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup is a passive design, meaning it does not require any batteries or external power to operate. It generates its signal directly from the vibrations of your guitar strings, offering a direct signal uncolored by active electronics. This makes it very convenient for players who prefer a simple, maintenance-free setup.

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Q: What acoustic guitars are compatible with this soundhole pickup?

The Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup is compatible with most standard acoustic guitars that have a round soundhole. It's designed to fit securely in soundholes ranging from 3 to 4 inches in diameter. If you're unsure about your guitar's fit, a Sweetwater Sales Engineer can help ensure it's the right choice for your instrument.

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The Sound of the Early Acoustic-electric Era

Capture the warm, gritty acoustic-electric vibe of the past with the Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole pickup! This pickup produces an unabashedly raw and biting tone that harkens back to the earliest years of acoustic-electric amplification, sporting a design inspired by the classic mail-order gold foil pickups of the ’50s and ’60s. It provides a powerful, punchy, and idiosyncratic sound that Sweetwater guitarists find perfect for unrefined blues picking and old-school country applications. Moreover, it’s a breeze to install — the Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole pickup requires no modification and can be slipped onto your soundhole whenever needed. If you’re after a vibe-filled, vintage-inspired acoustic-electric tone that will stand out from the pack, the Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup is the gold standard.

Recording King Gold Foil Soundhole Pickup Features:

Magnetic soundhole pickup inspired by the vibey gold foil pickups of the early acoustic-electric era
Provides you with a far more electric guitar-like tone than your typical acoustic-electric pickup, with a crisp bite and gritty feel
Requires no modification: simply slide it onto your soundhole and plug it into the pre-soldered end pin jack
Fits soundhole diameters ranging from 3–4 inches

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Tech Specs

Instrument: Acoustic Guitar
Type: Gold Foil Ceramic Magnet
Position: Soundhole
Active/Passive: Passive
Built-in Preamp: No
Manufacturer Part Number: RC-GFP-1

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Reviews

3.7

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I got one of these as a standalone order and put it in my Gibson J-45 and modded my guitar with a second input jack(the original strap button input jack goes to my K&K mini passive acoustic pick up). This gives me two output signals with one being purely acoustic guitar and the other being this Goldfoil pick up which, from the guitar, goes into my pedal board and then from there into my 1948 Gretsch tube amp. This blending of the tones sound incredible. Really fat incredible tone. Simple install of the gold foil. Very reasonable pricing Has dramatically revolutionized my life sound and guitar tone beyond what I had envisioned when first getting the idea and I can't sing this product's praises enough. Nice pickup, Recording King.

My philosophy when it comes to amplifying an acoustic is this; normal acoustic pickups (ie. soundhole mag, transducers, piezos) either sound mediocre, not actually like an acoustic, or are very expensive and a pain to install.

That's where the RK goldfoil came into play. It has some weight to it and feels sturdy. Yes, you can do the lofi electric-blues thing with it, but it also provides a lot of clarity / headroom in my opinion. It can still give you a pretty convincing acoustic-ish tone that just sounds really really good. The volume of each string feels relatively balanced. Installed on my beat up 71' Yamaha FG-140, playing thru a SF fender amp for solo & band gigs.

I believe the instructions called for 15/32" hole to be drilled in the end block for the jack. I wouldn't have minded more thorough instructions/an instructional video, but there are plenty of videos online for input jack installation. I appreciate not having a 15 ft cable coming out the soundhole. My main critique is that having a permanent modification / install of the endpin jack, I wish the pickup itself had a more permanent mounting system/clamp, rather than just the spring clips. That being said, it has stayed in place solid so far.

Pickup came out of the box with cosmetic issues (scratches on the painted sides), Clip that secures the pickup to the sound hole snapped off when moving it to the position the instructions said to move it to. Sweetwater was great and went above and beyond to make it right.

See also: Acoustic Pickups, Recording King, Recording King Acoustic Guitar Pickups