[tbirdman]

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

Pre Covid, I ran FOH at the busiest open mic in LA, and for efficiency's sake they didn't allow amps (other than the house backline) stomp boxes, preamps -- nothing but either a straight wire to the DI or a mic.

When open mics resume in earnest, I bet they'll be swamped and lots of them will adopt a similar policy. Better forewarned, as they say.

Also, I don't think anyone these days considers the installation of a strap-button output jack to be an "intrusion" into a good guitar. Value-added, if anything. But have a luthier do it, it's an easy thing to screw up if you try to DIY.

Yes the strap button output jack isn't that much of an extrusion and they make strap buttons large enough for the enlarge hole. I wouldn't try to drill the end hole myself. What I would consider is just placing the pickups inside the guitar without the preamp inside.