Vintage: 1956 Retro-fitting Pickups

[kiwijohn]

I've just got hold of a 1956 Maton 45A Premier (its an accoustic jazz f holed axe from maton in australia http://www.maton.com.au/mainpage.asp?modelcode=45A (59)).

There was a rather cheap and antiquated pickup system on it hat someone had added sometime in the past. It was dead on arrival and I am looking at what to do.

Has anyone any experiences they can share on options pros and cons of added pickups to old guitars?

I would love to hear from anyone with good or bad experiences including what model pickups they used.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Vintage: 1956 Retro-fitting Pickups

Is it a PUP thats mounted on the Pickguard and floats off the top or does in mount in a cavity on the top?

It it mounts on the Pickguard meaning it is a true acoustic Archtop and the Pup floats over the top. I like the Kent Armstrong single coil or if you don't mind spending the money a real vintage D'Armond style PUP like a Rythum Chief I think is the model.
Here is a link where you can get some info for Archtop Acoustic amplification systems!!

http://www.archtop.com/ac_access.html
If there is a PUP hole cut into the top I would probably look to use a Alnico 2 Pro PUP. I like the warmth that these offer for an Archtop!

 

[ES350]

Re: Vintage: 1956 Retro-fitting Pickups

Um...was it a Dearmond type? Those old 'Guitar Mikes' sound really good for a classic archtop tone and are going for many many $$$ now. I mean, if you have an old archtop, it's gonna sound like an archtop, so why put a JB or some ceramic magnet beast in it? Best pickups for a legit 50's archtop tone (ala Kessel, Farlow, Raney, Hall, Ellis) would be:

1. a real 50's/60's P90 (expensive and a little unlikely, perhaps)
2. Antiquity P90/Lollar/Fralin/etc repro
3. a clean, moderate output HB (Seth Lover, an old Guild or Hagstrom HB, etc)
4. a nice Dearmond Rhythm Chief, etc.

BTW---all P90 types will probably have to be dogear type mounts...not commonly available in cheaper aftermarket stuff.