Belcat UK-500T pickup replacement on Snail SUC-M2

Hi all,

I recently bought a Snail SUC-M2 which has a Belcat pickup; this was faulty when I bought it and I thought I would have a go at replacing it. I have the replacement and have removed the old faulty one, but now find that the length of the pickup doesn't fit the channel - it's a tad too long. The old one appeared to be a flexible sort of metal braided cord and the long end of it just bent down into the second hole into the body of the uke; this one is solid like this:https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Belcat-UK-500T-Ukulele-Pick-Up/19Q7

I don't know a lot about these things so thought I would ask your Hive mind - what's the best thing to do here? Could I, for instance, somehow cut off the end of the pickup metal bit, or would that break it? Might it bend?

Many thanks!

Welcome, Graine.

Your post poses a few possibilities for a solution. If you are certain it is the pickup that is the problem, then the easiest solution is to replace ‘like for like’, that is, just get another flexible piezo. This way you avoid any reseating or re-adjustment of the saddle or saddle slot. It makes for a very quick fix.

My experience with these systems has led me to believe that any problems are rarely due to pickup failure. Once correctly installed, this type of pickup is usually pretty well trouble free.

Likewise, the electronics of the pre-amp/ tuner is of simple design and if no ‘dry’ solder joints are present, then they are usually fairly reliable.

The weakness of this system is usually the battery contacts or the output jack off/on switch. The give- away here is the failure of the tuner to light up when a lead is plugged into the jack and the tuner switch is operated. A faulty pickup will have no influence on this function.

Because the battery contacts are usually soldered to a piece of circuit board, they are prone to mechanical failure. The other main causes are incorrect polarity (typically they have no indication of correct battery polarity), dirty/corroded contacts (not common because the battery surfaces have a wiping motion when slid in/out), and premature battery failure from inadvertently leaving the amp lead plugged into the jack when not in use.

You will quickly be able to test for possible pickup failure of the old unit by plugging in the new unit and giving it tap with your fingernail. With a working pre-amp, and the power amp turned up a little, any signal should be audibly evident.