Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin played acoustically

**jorgemg1984** · 05-02-2012, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by hollywood mark

I like it. Any idea how much these cost and whether you can get them in the States?

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/mai...=countrysearch

Several dealers in the US. I bet there are some US brands that also do it, it should be cheaper.

**jorgemg1984** · 05-02-2012, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by oldane

If cutting a hole in the top, be sure you don't cut the braces too. This would compromize the structural stability of the instrument. The top may sag and/or the neck may be pulled upwards by the string pressure.

30 years ago in a guitar shop I was shown an acoustic L5 destroyed this way. The owner had wanted a humbucker in it, but the guitar shop had refused to do the job, because the braces had to be cut. They had explained the difference in bracing and top carving between the acoustic and the CES L5s, but the owner considered it BS. He went home and made the hole himself, installed the pickup and strung up. Exactly as foreseen, the top sagged after a month and had developed a crack due to the added stress in it. The owner even had the nerve to make a warranty issue out of it, claiming that Gibson themselves made PU equipped L5CES guitars, so it ought also be OK to retrofit a PU in an acoustic model. That was of course rejected for very good reasons by the Gibson agent. Now the instrument was stading there in the shop, while the owner refused to pick it up before it was repaired at Gibsons expense. I don't know how the story ended, but it made everybodys heart bleed to see such a nice instrument mistreated in such a foolish way. I believe they showed that L5 to everyone to teach a lesson. Since then I have had a lot of respect for braces and the structural integrity of a guitar.

Take Oldane's advice and take the guitar to a good luthier. If he says don't it then don't!

**mr. beaumont** · 05-02-2012, 09:54 AM

You should be able to do a P90 without cutting the top...and the P90's a very vintage look, since you were thinking about that...I mean, P90's were THE archtop pickup until 1957 or so...

I haven't "popped the hood" on my Kingpin, but from what I hear it's just screwed into the braces and there's one hole to run the lead through cut...it does sit on a spacer though, to get it close enough to the strings...

**bborzell** · 05-02-2012, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by oldane

If cutting a hole in the top, be sure you don't cut the braces too. This would compromize the structural stability of the instrument. The top may sag and/or the neck may be pulled upwards by the string pressure.

I can tell a horror story about that. 30 years ago in a guitar shop I was shown an acoustic L5 destroyed this way. The owner had wanted a humbucker in it, but the guitar shop had refused to do the job, because the braces had to be cut away partly so only a shallow strip of brace would be left. They had explained the difference in bracing and top carving between the acoustic and the CES L5, but the owner considered it BS. He went home and made the hole himself, installed the pickup and strung up. Exactly as foreseen, the now very flimsy braces broke, the top sagged and developed a crack due to the added stress in it. The owner even had the nerve to make a warranty issue out of it, claiming that Gibson themselves made PU equipped L5CES guitars, so it ought also be OK to retrofit a PU in an acoustic model. That was of course rejected for very good reasons by the Gibson agent. Now the instrument was stading there in the shop, while the owner refused to pick it up before it was repaired at Gibsons expense. I don't know how the story ended, but it made everybodys heart bleed to see such a nice instrument mistreated in such a foolish way. I believe they showed that L5 to everyone to teach a lesson. Since then I have had a lot of respect for braces and the structural integrity of a guitar.

"Gulp!"

**hollywood mark** · 05-02-2012, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/mai...=countrysearch

Several dealers in the US. I bet there are some US brands that also do it, it should be cheaper.

If I could get a floating P-90 humbucker, that'd be better, as that's what's on there now. No drilling necessary. That would be my first choice.

**jorgemg1984** · 05-02-2012, 10:31 AM

I know Peter Bernstein's Zeidler has some original way of fitting a Classic 57 as a floating pickup... The regular sized P-90 should not be much larger than the mini-humbucker right? It could be a direct replacement.

**Little Jay** · 05-02-2012, 10:36 AM

Apparently you can install the right P90 on a HB15 without cutting! Look here: GFS P-90 for hollowbody - Telecaster Guitar Forum

**hollywood mark** · 05-02-2012, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by jorgemg1984

I know Peter Bernstein's Zeidler has some original way of fitting a Classic 57 as a floating pickup... The regular sized P-90 should not be much larger than the mini-humbucker right? It could be a direct replacement.

That would be ideal. Thanks. I'll look into it.