K&K Mandolin Pickup Installation

[urlkonig]

I have installed several K&K pickups in my guitars, using the superglue attachment method. Six weeks ago, I decided to install the K&K Mandolin system, and was surprised to find that they recommend using a double layer of their two-sided adhesive tape instead of the superglue to mount the pickup heads.

The initial installation went well, and the Mandolin sounded strong, and once I created a patch on my ToneDexter, I was quite happy with the results.

Then something curious happened -- the pickup heads detached from the top. The tape didn't pull away from the wood or the pickup; the two layers stopped adhering to one another.

My attempts to communicate with K&K's tech support received brief and brusque responses, with my questions only partially answered -- So I'm hoping that someone here may have tips for installing the K&K pickups.

Has anyone permanently glued the heads to the underside of the top? If so, were they too "hot"... do the K&Ks need the two-layer tape barrier to reduce the strength of the top vibrations? If you've successfully used the double-thickness Tape method, did you do anything in particular to prevent the layers from separating? Did you install wire-clips to reduce the weight of the pickup leads?

I need to remove the existing tape from the heads -- which K&K says can be done by gentle rubbing. Should Naphtha, alcohol, or some other solvent be used on the heads to prep them for a new layer of tape, or will that compromise them?

I also need to remove the single layer of tape from the top, which will be considerably more difficult. I'm going to try to remove that with the aid of an inspection mirror, some hemostats, and some small strips of gorilla tape. (The F-holes on my Phoenix are very narrow, and a finger isn't going to fit.)

Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

[jefflester]

Previous recent discussion here:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...ead.php?125019

[Verne Andru]

Yes, I've glued piezos to tops on guitars and mandos. You might want to reconsider leaving the tape in place. It provides a bit of a softening of the tone - piezos can get a bit harsh on the high end. Just glue the pickup to the tape with superglue.

[almeriastrings]

As you have noticed... they fall off if just using the tape. Common problem. I also use small spots of gel superglue. One either side of the tape. The tape itself does seem to act as a mechanical filter/attenuator, smoothing off the harshness a bit...

[Ray(T)]

I have a special tool - made by my (now retired) luthier - shaped a bit like a hockey stick, to hold the pickups in place whilst the glue set. He complained that he couldn't get a finger through the F holes - and it's a GBOM!

I would post a photo but it's somewhere upstairs (or would be upstairs if we currently had a staircase).