Fitting a P90 on acoustic - electrics advice please?

[thepicnicband]

Acoustic purists move on - nothing to see here  

I've decided to make a grunge acoustic guitar. It's gotta be cheap which is why I've decided to use the cheapest new guitar I can find. This is a Stagg SW201 see http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/43832-stagg-sw201-dreadnought-acoustic-guitar-redburst.html#sterling_uk (If I'd bought it yesterday it would have been £40. Arrr... I just hate bookmarking stuff and then going back a few days later to find they've hiked up the price, don't you)

Anyhow... a P90 pick-up is what I want on it - see http://thumbs2.ebaystatic.com/m/mHdnmyJwzbV04R2-ISm3uIw/140.jpg (It really is a P90 - a Kent Armstrong P90 in what they call a "retrofit" casing - makes it easier to mount.
This seems to have a one core wire with shield coming out from it.
To any of you with electronic pick-up knowledge... am I right in thinking that I just need to take the shield to the collar of a jack socket and the core to the centre? I know that this is obviously a passive set up and plan to use an ART preamp with it.

Am I also right in thinking that the distance that the pick-up is mounted from the strings is important? I plan to just experiment with the sound at different distances and positions and then screw in a piece of 1/2" thick plank to the inside of the guitar on which to mount the pick-up with shimmys to bring it to the best sounding level.

Is this insane?

[Bootstrap]

Not completely insane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_ES-125

[thepicnicband]

Not completely insane

Insane prices on eBay though! Average 2 grand. It certainly is a nice looking guitar but I ask... what's the point? With just one P90 you're not going to pick up the tone resonating from the wood but just the resonance of the metal strings surely? Still - people will pay for something that looks good I suppose. 

[Cue Zephyr]

It's a magnetic pick-up, it won't pick up anything else than the movement of the strings. To improve response from the pick-up, be sure to use nickel-wound strings.
Good luck with your project!

[TB-AV]

To any of you with electronic pick-up knowledge... am I right in thinking that I just need to take the shield to the collar of a jack socket and the core to the centre? I know that this is obviously a passive set up and plan to use an ART preamp with it.

Am I also right in thinking that the distance that the pick-up is mounted from the strings is important?

Yes on the wires and jack.


Not only is distance to strings but also position along the length of the string with respect to the poles. The proximity of poles to harmonic nodes.

[thepicnicband]

@Cue... Thanks for confirming that the pick-up will only pick up the magnetic "vibe" and not any of the body resonance and
@TB... Thanks for confirming the wiring. I'll just wing it as far as the positioning goes but I was unsure about exactly how to wire it up to the jack socket. You've put my mind at rest. 

[TB-AV]

@Cue... Thanks for confirming that the pick-up will only pick up the magnetic "vibe" and not any of the body resonance and

There are people that will dis-agree with that. Ted Nugent comes to mind. Each guitar will have a "vibe" and thus it will get transferred to the strings.

If I put a single coil pickup on a cigar box guitar is it going to sound like a Strat? How about if I put a pickup on an acoustic and then fill the body of the acoustic with foam? Is it going to sound the same?

Why don't we make all guitars out of plywood? It would be a lot cheaper.