Hey guys, in this video we’re going to install an under saddle pickup in an acoustic guitar.
I’m using an older acoustic guitar for this that doesn’t have a pickup, and this conversion
will make it an acoustic electric guitar for pretty cheap.
The pickup I’m using it a Neewer pickup and preamp set, and I’ve linked where you
can buy one for yourself in the video description down below.
The installation for this pickup does require some modification to the guitar body, so I
wouldn’t recommend doing this on an expensive guitar, especially if it’s your first time.
To do the installation, you’ll need the pickup, masking tape, a pencil, a ruler, a
drill with a 1/8” drill bit, a jigsaw or dremel, a small screwdriver, a file, and a
new set of acoustic guitar strings.
The first thing we need to do is cover the top side of the guitar with tape.
This will give us a way to mark the placement of the pickup, as well as to prevent too much
damage to the finish of the guitar.
I recommend taping off a large area here to be safe, but make sure whatever tape you use
won’t be too sticky or it will damage the guitar.
That’s why I’m using painter’s tape for this.
Now we need to figure out the position of the preamp along the side of the guitar.
The preamp housing is curved to match the curvature of the guitar.
Run the preamp along the edge of the guitar until you find the place where the curvature
matches the best.
Then use a pencil and ruler to mark the edges of the pickup housing on the tape.
This works best if you have a square, that way you can keep the lines at 90 degrees to
the side of the guitar.
It won’t work perfectly though, since the width of the guitar changes.
Next mark the position that actually needs to be cut, and this is based on the preamp
housing that actually sits inside the guitar.
We want this to fit snug inside the guitar, with the outer edge sitting on the top surface
so it doesn’t fall through and we have something to screw into.
Luckily, they’ve provided a sticky foam template that we can put on the guitar to
draw out the outline.
Place this center on the side of the guitar, within the lines where the curvature matches
the guitar, and trace it with a pencil.
At this point, we have the hole marked on the masking tape that we’ll cut out from
the side of the guitar.
I cut this out using a drill and a file, but it’s best to also use a jigsaw, or a dremel
if you have one.
I cut the hole slightly smaller than I needed and used the file to get the hole to the correct
size.
Be sure to keep checking the preamp fit as you do this.
The hole needs to be just big enough to slide it in, otherwise there won’t be enough wood
to screw into.
Our next step is to place the output jack and the battery pack unit.
Once again, we’ll be cutting a hole in the side of the guitar.
The best place for this is along the side of the guitar below the strap button.
We’ll repeat the same process with the masking tape and measuring to get the output where
we want it.
Once again, match the curvature of the unit with the guitar to find the best placement,
and don’t forget to center it.
Also, be careful that you don’t make the hole too big so it can be properly attached.
After the holes for the preamp and output are cut out, we need to install the pickup
under the saddle.
If you didn’t take the strings off yet, now’s the time to do so.
Then just remove the saddle.
This is pretty simple, but we do need to drill one more hole.
We’ll be drilling a small hole through the top of the bridge where the saddle sits.
This won’t be visible after the pickup and saddle are in place.
Make sure the hole is just big enough to fit the pickup wire, and not so pick that there’s
visible damage to the guitar bridge.
We can either drill this at the top or bottom of the saddle slot.
Just make sure you check the inside of the guitar first so you’re not drilling through
any bracing.
Just drill out a 1/8” hole through the bridge.
Now’s a good time to clean out the body of the guitar.
There’s probably sawdust and debris inside from all the cutting and we should get that
out.
Just use a small vacuum to do this.
Once that’s done, thread the wire through the hole and place the pickup in the saddle
slot.
Reach inside the guitar and feed the pickup wire out the first hole we made for the preamp
unit.
We’ll connect these later.
Since we’re adding this pickup underneath the saddle, we need to adjust the saddle height,
otherwise the strings will be too high.
When I’m doing this, I run the saddle back and forth on sandpaper to get it lower.
To check the string height, I’ll just put the low e string back on.
With just one string, I can easily loosen it off and adjust the saddle height again
if I need to.
It’s always better to take off a little less and go back and do it again than having
to replace the entire saddle if you take off too much off.
Keep in mind as you’re doing this that the neck relief might not be the same as when
all the strings are on the guitar.
Now that all the parts are in place and the cutting is done, we can assemble the pickup
and preamp assembly and screw all the parts into the guitar body.
First attach the pickup to the preamp using the small plug.
Then attach the cable from the preamp unit to the battery pack and output.
Once all the wires are connected, just use the included screws to attach the preamp and
output jack to the body.
Use a screwdriver to do this by hand.
Be careful, since the body of the guitar is very thin and can crack easily.
Do not overtighten or there’s a good chance that something will break.
To clean up the wiring, use the included sticky mount and cable tie to attach the wires to
the guitar body.
This will keep the whole thing looking clean with the wires out of the way of the sound
hole.
With our under saddle pickup and preamp completely installed, we can restring the guitar with
a new set of strings and check out the sound.
Thanks for checking out this video on how to install an under saddle pickup in an acoustic
guitar.
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