Acoustic Guitar Pickup Installation in Manhattan
Plugging in an acoustic without a pickup means a mic and a prayer. We install the three families of acoustic pickups and tell you which one fits how you play: soundhole magnetics for strumming loud on a stage, undersaddle piezos for feedback resistance, bridge-plate transducers like the K&K Pure Mini for the most natural sound.
Soundhole pickups
$125 installed. Fishman Rare Earth, LR Baggs M1 and M80, Seymour Duncan Woody and similar. The pickup clips into the soundhole and we run the cable to a strapjack endpin so there's no dangling cord. Loud, feedback resistant, and reversible if you sell the guitar.
Undersaddle transducers
$185 with the endpin jack. LR Baggs Element, Fishman Matrix, Sonitone and the like. The saddle slot gets a small hole drilled to the inside, the saddle is leveled flat so the transducer reads every string evenly, and the endpin is reamed for the jack. Uneven string balance on an undersaddle is nearly always a saddle fit problem, which is why we do the saddle work as part of the install.
K&K and bridge-plate pickups
$175. The K&K Pure Mini and other transducers glue to the bridge plate inside the guitar and need careful placement to sound right. No saddle work, no battery, and the warmest sound of the three. We can pair it with a preamp or a blend system if you want to mix in a mic.
Jacks and systems
A loose or crackling endpin jack is $60 to replace or repair. Active systems with onboard preamps and battery boxes are quoted after inspection since the cutting depends on the guitar.
Prices
| Soundhole Pickup InstallWith strapjack endpin | $125 |
|---|---|
| Undersaddle Transducer + EndpinIncludes saddle fit | $185 |
| K&K or Bridge-plate Pickup Install | $175 |
| Endpin Jack Replacement or Repair | $60 |
| Full Acoustic SetupIf the saddle needs compensating | $185 |
See the full repair and setup menu for everything else we do.
Bring the pickup or we'll order it; we stock LR Baggs, Fishman and K&K. Most installs are done within the week. Prices are labor; pickups are extra.
Get a free quote
Common questions
- How much does it cost to put a pickup in an acoustic guitar in NYC?
- $125 for a soundhole pickup, $185 for an undersaddle transducer with endpin jack, and $175 for a K&K or other bridge-plate pickup at Brothers Guitar Shop.
- Which acoustic pickup sounds the most natural?
- Bridge-plate transducers like the K&K Pure Mini are the usual answer. Undersaddle piezos are the most feedback resistant on a loud stage. Soundhole magnetics are the loudest and the easiest to remove later.
- Do you install LR Baggs and Fishman?
- Yes, and K&K. Bring your own or we order it.
- Will installing a pickup hurt my guitar's value?
- A soundhole pickup is fully reversible. An undersaddle or K&K needs a hole for the endpin jack, which almost every acoustic already has or accepts without affecting value.
- Why is my undersaddle pickup quiet on one string?
- The saddle isn't sitting flat on the transducer. Our install includes leveling the saddle; if it's an existing pickup, a full acoustic setup at $185 fixes it.