Converting an acoustic to an electro-acoustic

[dftaylor]

How would I do this?

I have a Blueridge acoustic that I really like, and a Fishman passive pick up that I use with it (lovely, woody and natural). However, I always find it looks a little untidy and haven't found a solution for simplicity.

Recently, I got promoted at work and fancy buying a better quality acoustic to say: well done me! So, while I eye up Martins, Guilds, etc, I'm thinking about getting the most out of my current set up.

So, considering I like my basic gear, how would I go about getting the Fishman installed into the guitar permanently, say so the cable comes out the end pin?

Would it be worth getting an active pickup so I've a little more tonal control?

What are my options and will it break the bank?

(also, the reason I want to do this is I dislike electro-acoustics with cutaways and I want a really good pure acoustic too)

[ICBM]

So, considering I like my basic gear, how would I go about getting the Fishman installed into the guitar permanently, say so the cable comes out the end pin?

Extremely simple - ream out the end of the guitar for an endpin jack, cut the pickup cable to the right length, solder it to the jack, and fit the assembly back in again. If you don't have the right tools or experience - making a 1/2" diameter hole in the end of your favourite guitar is possibly not for the fainthearted! - it's about a half hour job for a professional, plus the cost of the endpin jack if the pickup doesn't already come with one on the cable (the Rare Earth does, inside a piece of sleeving, but I don't know about any of the other models). The jack is quite expensive, typically £10-£12.

Would it be worth getting an active pickup so I've a little more tonal control?

An active soundhole pickup doesn't give more tonal control, but it does produce a "better" (more hi-fi) sound and is capable of driving longer cables and lower-impedance amplifiers without tone loss; but, if you like the sound of your passive pickup it's not essential to upgrade, and you get much more flexibility and tone-shaping power with an external preamp driven from the passive, without the hassle of batteries anywhere in the guitar.

What are my options and will it break the bank?

If it was me I would actually just get the pickup fitted properly, and spend whatever you want to on an external preamp. This can be anything from about £100 (a simple analogue preamp with volume and tone controls) to £500 (a full-blown acoustic processing and modelling system like the Fishman Aura), depending on how much actual change you want. (I personally don't like the Aura, that's just an example of how much you can spend!)

(also, the reason I want to do this is I dislike electro-acoustics with cutaways and I want a really good pure acoustic too)

I dislike electro-acoustics too. In my opinion it's much better to keep just the pickup in the guitar and do all the rest outboard. That way you don't compromise the guitar in any way, and you can replace/upgrade the preamp at any time, or even for something simple like if the battery dies, bypass it. You can't do that if there's a preamp in the guitar, and they're all destined to fail or become obsolete long before any decent guitar does.

[dftaylor]

Thanks for the advice. All sensible stuff. Now I just need to find a repairer!

[evilmags]

Do not hack a hole in it and stick an onboard preamp in. It ruin's accoustic tone.

[danomess]

I fitted a passive fishman to my old acoustic a while back. Dead easy, tho a helping hand is advised.The most difficult thing was reaching inside the body to hold the jack when tightening the strap button. Luckily I'm dead skinny. Had occasional problem with strap button loosing and crossing the wires inside when tightening it.