Acoustic sound achievable with DeArmond FHC?
 

I should first clarify by saying that I'm not expecting to hear a realistic acoustic tone coming out of my amp using a "monkey on a stick". I'm looking for a way to use the DeArmond without it stifling the acoustic properties of my guitar.

Jonathan Stout, on his Swing Guitar Blog (https://www.campusfive.com/swingguitarblog) mentions that he sometimes uses a DeArmond along with a DPA 4099 mic: "Thankfully, the positioning of the DeArmond and it’s “monkey-on-a-stick” mount, allows the guitar top to vibrate freely, so the guitar is still performs acoustically".

It appears that Jonathan uses virtually the same DeArmond that I have, but it seems that by design, the pickup and volume control contact the top, and therefore it does NOT allow the guitar top to vibrate freely - at least not on my guitar ('39 Epiphone Triumph). When the pickup is mounted, the acoustic volume diminishes significantly and low frequency response disappears.

Am I missing something? Perhaps the loss in acoustic volume and diminished bass response is less significant in a stage scenario? Could it be that Jonathan's DeArmond is somehow floating? (doesn't appear to be). Any input will be appreciated.

I wouldn't say that it has "no effect", but my guitar is still acoustically viable.
How a DeArmond fits on a particular guitar is a matter of specific geometry, and some guitars "fit" differently. So it's possible that mine "floats" more than yours. Some rods are bent more than others....

But to be honest with you, I'm currently looking for a "travel" guitar, i.e. one that I could mount the DeArmond with a neck rod, permanently, and try to make sure it floats as much as possible. I can't do that to either of my L-5s so I'm guessing a beat up, but loud triumph or spartan is in my future.

Kent Armstrong resin cased p90 sidemount. any love?
 

What say you?

I bought the reissue version, but I didn't like the monkey bar and didn't want to drill holes in the side of the neck. So I made a simple side mount from a thin piece of wood that's epoxied to the bottom of the pickup and the finger rest. You could probably make this work with double-stick tape under the pickup, if you didn't want it to be permanent.

https://jscarchtops.com/wp-content/u...6-1024x768.jpg
https://jscarchtops.com/wp-content/u...3-678x1024.jpg

I use a Johnny Smith floating pickup on my archtop, and I can hear a difference in its acoustic sound with the pickup removed. Not enough to make the guitar sound worse, but it does seem slightly muted. I believe this is caused by the magnetic field of the pickup acting as a damper upon the strings.

I play a lot of amplified gigs with this guitar and still enjoy it acoustically, so it's not a big deal for me.

Dear Coldfiners—Not to hijack this thread, but what kind of archtop do you have that pickup on? —R.

I made it.

jscarchtops.com