mounting a magnetic pickup in soundhole

[murrayatuptown]

I am going to mount a 4-pole-piece single coil pickup (neck pickup portion of a Chinese P-Bass 5-string set) inside the sound hole of a baritone uke that has acoustic steel strings on it.

Just ignore all that sounds abominable to you, and please consider the question as if I were inquiring about a 6-string single coil in an acoustic guitar. Due consideration was given to the tension so I'd like to address just this question.

I've looked at online pics of some of the 'woody' pickups that have notched ends with what look like perhaps rubber pads on I think one side, with the notches or slots 'wedging' the top of the guitar into the slots.

I will only remove it if it has a bad effect on the instrument, so even a compression clamp may work. Maybe two thin strips of wood and two screws and height adjustment springs. If it works out, one pair of screws for both functions.

I thought I'd ask here instead of blindly trying to reinvent the wheel.

Thanks

Murray

[Brhibler1]

Make a custom sound hole plug out of spruce or maple and mount the pickup in that with height adjustment screw.

It'll look very nice and control the feedback.

[murrayatuptown]

Thank you.

I hadn't thought about a full hole plug.

I have small hands, but it sure is a pain to do anything in and around the sound hole...2.93" diameter! I was focusing on the surgical process.

I got a webcam AND a flashlight inside today...not easy to do, then position them so I could hold them with one hand and tape webcam snapshots with the other hand. Pretty frustrating...there's a reason people work on instruments BEFORE gluing them together!

I was a bit concerned closing the sound hole would lower whatever resonance(s) are affected by that. I can hear some effect sliding a sheet of paper over the hole while tapping the top...pitch lowers...I just didn't know if it was air or a body resonance or both that were changing.

[murrayatuptown]

I made a couple cardboard models to mount the pickup in.

First was an ellipse inside a circle, partly cosmetic, partly to use the thickness of the sides on the 'insert' for mounting the ears of the pickup case. That was pretty flimsy in cardboard...

Next was kind of what you suggested, a circular one with a rectangular cutout...

I was trying to make something that could drop in, and be pushed back up to the desired height...mounting method TBD.

I may have to try the 'plug' concept that drops in from the exterior with a lip to keep it from falling in, and height adjustment means attached to the plug, in whatever form that ends up taking. Two wooden rings glued together maybe, or one that fits the hole and a veneer layer 'shoulder' to keep it from falling in.

2.93" or 74.4 mm is an unlikely size to find as an acoustic guitar sound hole cover, I guess.

I just requested samples of a two sizes of a black plastic cap/plug....from a manufacturer - TBD.