Taking Your Acoustic “Live on Stage”!
Q: I have a Gibson acoustic that I love. I’ve used it miked in the studio, but now my band is playing more live gigs. I’d prefer to stay with the Gibson onstage. Is there any way to install a piezo system? If not, what are my other options?
A: Yes, it is possible to install an undersaddle pickup system and we’ve seen a few “do-it-yourself” articles in various guitar magazines, but we have reservations: If you make a mistake, it may not be reversible, which would be bad enough. But if the guitar has any potential as a collectible instrument somewhere down the road, any modifications will likely lessen its value. That said, if you really want an undersaddle pickup system, let a professional do it (and make sure they have done this modification before).
You could also use a non-invasive system, such as the Fishman Rare Earth Blend acoustic pickup system. This consists of a humbucking pickup with onboard preamp combined with a high quality internally mounted microphone. The beauty of this system is that the pre-wired output jack can be endpin mounted, so you won’t have to drill out a separate output jack (though a small amount of drilling may be required if the strap button is mounted on a solid wood end block). Naturally, we must warn you that any modification of this sort will almost certainly void your warranty.