LifesShort
Well-known member
I decided that I would install an under-saddle pickup in my KPK tenor uke. The ability to amplify the uke for performance was secondary. What I really wanted was a pickup with a preamp that had a built-in tuner. This way, I wouldn't need to carry a tuner with me. One less thing to keep up with. I found one on eBay that is used on many production ukes for $18 with free shipping. I didn't expect much, but was pleasantly surprised when it arrived.
Step 1: Remove the strings.
Step 2: install the preamp. I made a paper template of the preamp. This is the type of preamp that mounts in the side of the uke and has volume, bass, and treble controls, along with the display for the tuner. I was going to have to cut a rectangle in the side of the uke for installation.
I taped off the area where the preamp was going so as not to scratch the uke. The tape would also help prevent any splintering or cracking of the uke. I then taped the template into place. I used a small spiral drill bit and drilled a hole in the area for the preamp. I progressively enlarged the hole with bigger bits until the hole was large enought for the blade of my jigsaw. Following the template, I made the cutout for the preamp. I made the hole slightly smaller than needed and used sandpaper to enlarge it to the proper size. This was important because hole size had to be perfect. All went well. Step 1 successfully completed.
Step 2: install the pickup under the saddle. After making measurements, I determined that I couldn't just shave down the saddle as I had hoped. If I did, the saddle would no longer fit in the bridge properly. I went to Plan B which was to use a Radio Shack piezo transducer rather than the under-saddle pickup. Many people have installed these to use a passive pickups. The plan was to install a plug on it and plug it into the preamp. I would mount it to the underside of the soundboard using double-sided foam tape. I confirmed that this would work by hooking everything up and holding the RS piezo on top of the uke and found the spot that gave the best sound. I then mounted the piezo in that location, but on the bottom side of the soundboard.
Step 3: Here is where it all went to hell. This should have been the easiest step, but turned into a nightmare. All I had to do was drill a hole for the 1/4" jack for the cable. The hole would be a rather large 3/8" hole. I planned to use a spade type of wood bit to drill this hole. However, I couldn't find the bit that I needed. No problem. I would just use spiral bits.
I knew that I should start with a small bit and gradually enlarge the hole because the wood is so thin. Be an impatient moron, I decided that I could just start out with the 3/8" bit if I went really slow. So I started drilling and was going very slow. Suddenly, the bit punched through the wood. The sides of the bit grabbed and forcefully pulled the bit into the wood, tearing the wood rather than cutting it. The result was that my uke was split open on the side. The splt was about 8" long. I was mortified!
Looking on the bright side, I figured this would give me an opportunity to learn how to repair cracks. I searched YouTube and found instructional videos on how to repair cracks using cleats. Following this instructions, I glued up the crack and installed two cleats. It turned out fairly well and was not too difficult.
I waited a couple of days to make sure the glue was good and dry before restringing. This was very very nerve-racking. I fully expected the tension of the strings to rip the uke apart making it beyond repair. Much to my surprise, the repairs held and I was able to get it strung.
I went to test it and was disappointed when I couldn't get any sound out of the pickup. A little troubleshooting revealed that the piezo wasn't working. Apparently, I pulled a wire loose from the plug during installation. I removed the piezo and was getting ready to resolder the wire when I had an idea. I thought that rather than use this piezo, maybe I could tape the under-saddle pickup to the bottom of the soundboard instead. I gave it a try and was very pleased with the result. It is not nearly as quacky as the RS piezo. Running it through a Behringer preamp/direct box, it has a very nice, natural sound.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the results. Would I do it again? Not with a nice uke. I would practice on an inexpensive one first. Since this one is my beater anyway, I'm satisfied.
Step 1: Remove the strings.
Step 2: install the preamp. I made a paper template of the preamp. This is the type of preamp that mounts in the side of the uke and has volume, bass, and treble controls, along with the display for the tuner. I was going to have to cut a rectangle in the side of the uke for installation.
I taped off the area where the preamp was going so as not to scratch the uke. The tape would also help prevent any splintering or cracking of the uke. I then taped the template into place. I used a small spiral drill bit and drilled a hole in the area for the preamp. I progressively enlarged the hole with bigger bits until the hole was large enought for the blade of my jigsaw. Following the template, I made the cutout for the preamp. I made the hole slightly smaller than needed and used sandpaper to enlarge it to the proper size. This was important because hole size had to be perfect. All went well. Step 1 successfully completed.
Step 2: install the pickup under the saddle. After making measurements, I determined that I couldn't just shave down the saddle as I had hoped. If I did, the saddle would no longer fit in the bridge properly. I went to Plan B which was to use a Radio Shack piezo transducer rather than the under-saddle pickup. Many people have installed these to use a passive pickups. The plan was to install a plug on it and plug it into the preamp. I would mount it to the underside of the soundboard using double-sided foam tape. I confirmed that this would work by hooking everything up and holding the RS piezo on top of the uke and found the spot that gave the best sound. I then mounted the piezo in that location, but on the bottom side of the soundboard.
Step 3: Here is where it all went to hell. This should have been the easiest step, but turned into a nightmare. All I had to do was drill a hole for the 1/4" jack for the cable. The hole would be a rather large 3/8" hole. I planned to use a spade type of wood bit to drill this hole. However, I couldn't find the bit that I needed. No problem. I would just use spiral bits.
I knew that I should start with a small bit and gradually enlarge the hole because the wood is so thin. Be an impatient moron, I decided that I could just start out with the 3/8" bit if I went really slow. So I started drilling and was going very slow. Suddenly, the bit punched through the wood. The sides of the bit grabbed and forcefully pulled the bit into the wood, tearing the wood rather than cutting it. The result was that my uke was split open on the side. The splt was about 8" long. I was mortified!
Looking on the bright side, I figured this would give me an opportunity to learn how to repair cracks. I searched YouTube and found instructional videos on how to repair cracks using cleats. Following this instructions, I glued up the crack and installed two cleats. It turned out fairly well and was not too difficult.
I waited a couple of days to make sure the glue was good and dry before restringing. This was very very nerve-racking. I fully expected the tension of the strings to rip the uke apart making it beyond repair. Much to my surprise, the repairs held and I was able to get it strung.
I went to test it and was disappointed when I couldn't get any sound out of the pickup. A little troubleshooting revealed that the piezo wasn't working. Apparently, I pulled a wire loose from the plug during installation. I removed the piezo and was getting ready to resolder the wire when I had an idea. I thought that rather than use this piezo, maybe I could tape the under-saddle pickup to the bottom of the soundboard instead. I gave it a try and was very pleased with the result. It is not nearly as quacky as the RS piezo. Running it through a Behringer preamp/direct box, it has a very nice, natural sound.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the results. Would I do it again? Not with a nice uke. I would practice on an inexpensive one first. Since this one is my beater anyway, I'm satisfied.