Under Saddle Pickup For Gibson J-45 - Any Suggestions Please- created 11-18-2009

Meharg, David - 11/18/2009.19:44:33

Looking for advise on installing an under saddle pickup on a Gibson J-45 with an adjustable saddle....this is the one that has the two ugly silver adjustment screws on either side on the saddle. That means the bridge slot is 1/4" wide and cut through to the sound board. Does any company make a 1/4" wide pickup? Like to hear different suggestions if possible. Thanks, dav

I'd say you're out of luck with an undersaddle type transducer as they are dependent on even contact between the "sandwich" of saddle/transducer/bottom of saddle slot [or soundboard on some adjustables]. You should probably look into some of the soundboard or bridge plate transducers like the KK or "Ibeam" types that mount directly to the soundboard or bridge plate. Have to say I prefer them anyway, the god ones at least. No Quack and for my money a more natural tone

The best thing you could do for that guitar would be to make a new bridge for it and get rid of the adjustable "feature". This is a common thing to do that helps these Gibsons out tremendously and does not bring down its vintage value. Then you could use any standard under saddle pickup. But if you stay with that bridge your tone will not be as good as it could be, and your pickup choices are more limited

I wonder if perhaps individual saddles like RMC or Graphtech would work.

I'll clarify my original post a bit. Unless your "adjustable saddle" is "adjusted" so that it firmly and evenly contacts the base of the saddle slot [or the soundboard on those bridges that are routed all the way through] an undersaddle transducer won't work for you.

So if to get the proper action on your particular guitar the bridge saddle is adjusted up at all you have a problem. Also those saddles ride in a "slot" on the adjusting screws that has a "bottom flange" so even in the full down position the saddle area between the screws may not be in contact.

Replacing the bridge is a good option even for the pure acoustic [unamplified] sound quality of the guitar. I would still personally [opinion only]prefer the quality of a GOOD "soundboard transducer" to the qualities of most undersaddles that i have tried or owned.

Another option is to remove the adjustable saddle and screws and "inlay" a solid piece of RW carefully into the existing slot, taking care to releive the ends where they go over the bushings in the top which many times are proud of the surface of the soundboard. The important thing is to make sure that the inlay fits and contacts the top evenly along its length. Then you can cut a saddle slot for a 3/32 or 1/8 saddle in the new inlaid piece and go from there.

Just depends on how much you want to modify from the original.

Mike

The inlay idea would work unless this is one of those horrible Gibson plastic bridges, which are hard to identify until you take them off. One sign of the plastic bridge is a number of screws that are only visible on the inside of the guitar

Did they use those horrible plastic things on J45's or just the lower models? And you are spot on if it's plastic take it off and install a real bridge but Look for the Extra Screws before you start "prying"