GK install on Martin HD28

Started by Smash, February 04, 2015, 12:42:38 PM

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Smash

Well I did it – went out, bought a new GK3 and stuck it (no drilling – are you kidding!!) onto my beloved Martin HD28.

Actually a very straight forward procedure and apart from regular wiping of beads of sweat, took about 15 minutes to mount from opening the GK3 box.

The GK unit is on it's steel base with the felt pad protecting the front of the Martin. But unfortunately as an acoustic has a lot more girth than an electric the mounting slot on the side doesn't reach the strap pin. My solution was to strip of the protective felt on that side of the metal bracket and use double sided foam tape to mount onto the bottom of the guitar.

Now yes, I thought what you're thinking now – that ain't gonna hold it but the stuff I used is for holding number plates (license plates) on cars and the real trick is to warm it up with a hairdryer and leave it be for a good while before moving or using the guitar.
It feels really solid and not like it's going anywhere – I wouldn't recommend a lot of live abuse but I treat my Martin like a baby and so, as long as you're careful not snag the GK cable I can't see any problems.

My guitar is strung with Elixir lights and I did wonder what would happen with the GK performance on the wound strings  - that's virtually all of them, lol!

The only issue in the end was I had to crank the sensitivity to the max for the low E and A I guess largely due to the insulation of the bronze around the steel core. It actually tracks nicely BUT there is some crosstalk between strings due to the max'd out sensitivities.
I'm not sure whether I'll try Zebra's or similar as to be honest I'm pretty happy.

In use OMFGG!! Load up any one of Aliensporebombs ambient patches and let it sit behind the natural acoustic sound and it's frankly magical.
Currently I'm using Todd's Ethereal patch slightly customed – COSM A is set to standard tune and I've stuck a JB bass on Cosm B for the bottom two strings. Seriously I could play this thing all day if my fingers would let me – it's just such a beautiful, organic sounding combo.

Would I recommend anyone thinking of doing similar to go ahead? Just get it done - seriously!!

I'll try and get some audio with my Fostex H4 – just an in room sound to show well it all sits together.

So i find I have just found a little extra love for my VG99!

The Martin is now 13 years old and is ageing beautifully – stunning sound that gives more the more you put in

Smash

Forgot to say - it wasn't all plain sailing as I discovered when I went to put the Martin back in it's case.....it wouldn't shut!

DOH!

Cue removal/reshaping of expanded polystyrene and all is now well with the world.

As I get more time with the set up I should point out to any potential acoustic GK convertors that because of an acoustics sustain and resonance this can cause issues with undamped strings. I suppose it's the same old probs as when you're amplifying an acoustic in terms of feedback loops etc.

I wonder whether attempting to isolate the pup from the body might help - anyone got any experience?

Majiken

This is very interesting for me, as I am seriously looking at testing a GK-3 on my unique hybrid-reso and am planning on suspending it from the reso cover. The more expensive cover plates have metal going over the bridge in one piece, which I hate since right-hand damping is an integral part of my technique. So, I got the cheaper cover, which has a bridge cover that can be unscrewed- off it went, and look there: one set of screw holes appears to line uo with the GK-3 mounting holes! If that proves as feasible as it looks, I should be able to both adjust the pup pretty exactly and isolate it from the body frequencies; I can also run the wire through the underside of the reso cover. Stay tuned.... another alternative would be pretty much like what you've done on my "9215", a '92 Taylor 810 with a brand new, wider neck and Tronical tuners- that would give me the advantage of playing acoustic with modeled instruments in the tuning dictated by the guitar itself. Deterrents to this are that I don't visually like the wire running over the body (sometimes I get a bit ecstatic while playing, to some it might look like flailing, haha, and I worry about getting hung into that somehow), and I would also like to isolate the pup from the body top. Considering hex piezos, but I am spot-on happy with the amplified tone of my Stoll McLoud installed piezo as it is.  Will keep my eyes open for pup isolation wisdom :-)

Question: when you mention double-sided tape on the "bottom", you mean what I would call the "side" close to the endpin, right? That would make it sort of a semi-permanent installation with potential paint issues on removal, eh? Is the GK-3 touching the top at all?  Pretty guitar, btw :-)
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks

Smash

Only the felt on the bottom of the metal GK3 mounting plate is touching the face of the guitar - yes bottom = side lol!

Here's a demo:


Majiken

Lovely, thank you! Gotta hear it on something other than my Ipad so I get the bass response, but nice playing with feeling and the "ambience" from the 99 is a nice addition without drowning out the acoustic.  Bravo!
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks

Smash

I think that's the trick - sitting it back so it just gives a wider panorama, slightly "out of focus" rather than adding extra detail centre stage and competing. I kept sitting it back and sitting it back until it just felt like it was all "one", if that makes sense

Majiken

That it does, much like the way I do vocal harmonies on my TC, or the way I like to use reverb about 80% of the time. I find the line between magic and overpowering to often be very thin, and I can't claim to always get it right...
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks