I recently found a beautiful Kay archtop online and am considering purchasing it. I was wondering though, if I were to put a neck mounted pickup on it, how would she sound? I've never attempted anything like this before. I love the sound of the old Kay guitars acoustically, but I would also want an electric feature. Do the neck mounted pickups sound good for blues?

When I say neck mounted, I mean something like this http://www.wdmusic.com/HJGN_2.html


Thanks

Hi FatNWeak: purely a personal opinion, but I think it's a nice way to go. I love that kind of warm, fat, jazzy sound - assuming the jazzy end of the blues spectrum is what you're aiming for.

But before you buy, just check out the distance between the mounting arms to be sure it's going to fit your guitar - 2 3/8" / 60mm, on the one you linked to. Will that fit the end of the fingerboard comfortably?

Also, I'd try sitting it in place and playing a bit to make sure you like what it does before drilling mounting holes and such. Some other Forum users will probably be better than me at suggesting wiring harnesses for you: there's a few possibilities. Care to post a link to the Kay archtop for us, so's we have a better idea what we're talking about?

Cheers - C

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I agree with Ceri 100%
If you like the sound of your archtop, I would go a bit of a different route and not drill holes in the neck. That makes me nervous on an old instrument.
I'd try this from Fishman. Fishman's been around for a long time and supplies the acoustic pickup systems for Martin Guitar and others. The pickup is built into the bridge.
http://www.fishman.com/product/archtop-guitar-pickup
It just depends on the tone you're looking for.

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I agree with you 100% 63 that drilling holes in an older instrument gives me the willies but at the same time I'm sure a piezo system won't be anywhere near as warm and woody as a magnetic pickup. For this reason I think I would suggest one of the many "in-hole" magnetic pickups available if the OP really is going for a jazz-box sound and would like to avoid drilling.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

I don't know Fishman makes some pretty nice sounding stuff. But in hole magnetic is another great and probably better option. My Martin has some kind of Fishman system in it and it sounds incredible. I just think about drilling that beautiful guitar and cringe especially when there's many other non destructive options available that won't hurt the value of the instrument.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

Hi guys: I'm completely on the same page regarding drilling into an old guitar, or even a new one. So I also was about to suggest a nice in-hole magnetic humbucker, of which there are many available and which can do great things for an acoustic.

...Till I noticed the word "archtop" in FatNWeak's post. Ah. Problem.

Still. Be good to see a link/photo, just so's we're sure.

Cheers - C

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Yep. My Taylor has a Fishman Blender (piezo and mic) in it and I think it's the best sounding system I've ever tried. The great thing about a Fishman system? It sounds like the guitar.

Ceri, my first guitar as a kid was a Framus archtop and it didn't have F-holes, it had a sound hole. There may yet be hope for FatNWeak.

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Ah-ha. Well if FatNWeak's guitar is like that then we're all agreed, an in-hole pickup would definitely be excellent. I love the sound you get from a hollow body going into a magnetic pickup. Very cool.

Cheers - C

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Thanks for for all the info guys!

Here's a pic of the guitar:

I cannot give you a link to the website where it is being sold because the seller has taken it down. He's on vacation until late August, and when he gets home I will buy it.

I've been talking to my luthier and he seems to think that a neck mounted pickup is the best way to do it. I will definitely check out the Fishman system that you've linked though.
Also, I don't really care what happens to the value of the guitar, I won't be re-selling it any time soon. You guys might not like what else I'm having done...

I was about to suggest an alternative but now see you don't have a pick guard.

Anyways, there are side mounted / floating jazz pickups that mount directly to the pick guard.

I hope it doesn't need a neck reset, those are known to have issues with that at this age.

but I vaguely remember back in the day someone made a pickup for arch tops that attached with foam sticky pads. they seemed to work well maybe you can try that option.

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+1 I bought a Fishman Loudbox Mini for some coffee house gigs and it sounds great. Just an amplified acoustic. In most placed I just leave the controls flat.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

I was worried about that as well, although the seller assured me that it was perfect.
"Many of these older Kays were notorious for having bad necks but this is the exception, its perfect" are his exact words.
He also sent me a photo of the neck, and it seems like it is straight as an arrow! I can't post the picture right now though, photobucket doesn't seem to be working.

As for the pickup, I've looked into the Fishman products, and they seem good. Right now though, I think I'm gonna go with some kind of "electric" pickup. However, a Fishman pickup might just find it's way into my acoustic.

Hi FatNWeak. Thanks for the photo! Hey, when you get your hands on the guitar I'd love to see a close-up pic of the edge binding. That's an unusual layer of inner purfling it has on there. I'm very curious to see how they constructed that.

Anyway. Very pretty colour scheme on that guitar, with the fingerboard and matching bridge. Nice find!



That's a good option on the right sort of guitar. If anyone doesn't know what inbalance99 is talking about, this:



It so happens there are also floating pickguard assemblies available that work with those sort of pickups, like this:



Might be a nice way to go, if you wanted to keep the guitar unaltered underneath?

Cheers - C

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Yes sir.

The wiring can be run under the pick guard and through the f hole and out the end pin, for a stealthy, non invasive mounting. Volume / tone controls can also be mounted on the pick guard.

Google turns up a few alternatives but this has wide selection, http://www.wdmusic.com/kent_armstrong_j ... ckups.html.

Nice looking arch top.