Bridge repair and pickup installation
The instrument arrived to the Stageshop workbench for the installation of a new pickup. The old electronics suffered from a not so minor issue, two of the eight strings simply didn’t make a sound. I recommended a K&K Pure Classic system, though it quickly became clear that prior modifications to the bridge will call for some restoration and also a new bone saddle.
Since the saddle slot was quite crooked, I replaced the entire area with a rosewood block that I carved to match the aesthetics of the original bridge. Then I cut an even slot for the new saddle.
The K&K pickup consists of four transducer plates that are glued under the bridge. Each plate is attached under the top for each string pair. Since it is a passive system, there is no need for a battery immediately ruling out an error source. In line with expectations, after the installation, all of the eight strings produced a balanced, even tone when plugged into an amp.
