Archtop pickup installation

[blackalex1952]

I have been looking at a vintage archtop on behalf of a friend. It has been modified post manufacture with the installation of a neck pickup. The pickup kas been mounted by cutting a hole in the soundboard just below the end of the fingerboard. To my mind it seems a bad idea! I assume that the archtops that are manufactured this way have laminated tops. My question relates to solid tops and to the effect on tone and soundboard integrity?

[rocket]

IMHO, it is a bad idea to add a pup to an instrument in this manner by the sounds of it the instrument was built as an acoustic and therefore wasn't designed to have a pup mounted on the belly let alone having a hole cut in it, the integrity of the sound board if it is solid carved would be compromised if some extra support hasn't been added around the penetration.This addition would also have an impact on the tone of the guitar but the purchaser is never going to be able to tell what that is!!. Most instruments built in this design are laminated but some are built in the conventional way and make appropriate allowance for a top mounted pup instead of a suspended one, the problem with an acoustic archtop that has a pup fitted is that when played in a gig situation with drums,bass and volume, feedback can be a real problem, so a reduction in acoustic responsiveness here can be a blessing, thing is the player has to decide what they want in an instrument it's difficult to get the best of both worlds without having a purpose built instrument .

_B5A8170.jpg (42.26 KiB) Viewed 4421 times

IMG_8930_full guitar-2.jpg (45.3 KiB) Viewed 4421 times

Cheers

Rod.

[rocket]

Just a bit of a post script, the full body with the oval sound hole is designed as being purely an acoustic instrument the cutaway model has solid carved plates but has been designed to be played on stage having slightly longer bracing, slightly thicker soundboard and top mounted pup and controls but still enjoys the resonance, flavours and tones of the carved Blackwood and Engleman Spruce.
Rod.

[Nick]

Rod's advice is sage indeed. I wouldn't go cutting holes in the top of a solid carved top unless, as Rod said, it has been taken into account at the initial stage & designed to have a hole in it in that area and re-enforced or braced accordingly. There isn't alot of movement in the soundboard at this point but to me, any break in the continuity of that central top grain area must have some sort of effect on tone....but then if the person mounted a magnetic pickup in it I guess the acoustic tone wasn't going to be a concern for them, it's a pity though because, depending on who manufactured it, being vintage could affect it's value as well as the tone.