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How to Measure your Saddle Length:

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How to Measure your Saddle Width:

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Installation Instructions
GFP (click link to view or download)
GFP-EZ (click link to view or download)

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The GFP Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I install the GFP myself?
A: We recommend that you have the GFP installed by a Luthier or a skilled repair center that specializes in pickup installations for acoustic guitars.

Q: Why is an acoustic guitar so different than an electric guitar?
A: An acoustic guitar, gets it’s signature tone from the interaction between the strings, the body and the type of woods used to make the guitar. It naturally produces a richer overtone, and, with most picking styles, also produces enormous bursts of sounds when the pick hits the strings. To accurately amplify this unique sound, the equipment must also be compatible. Most guitar equipment is optimized to amplify an electric guitar, which does not have these characteristics.

Q: Will the GFP work with my 12-string?
A: The GFP and the GFP-EZ work especially well in 12-string guitars.

Q: My very expensive Flatus Eruptus has 2.35” string spacing. Will the GFP work with my guitar?
A: Yes! We now have GFP and GFP-EZ models for string spacing ranging from 2.0” to 2.4”.

Q: Other companies have pickups that use a continuous strip of sensing material and they claim that string spacing doesn’t matter. Why should I consider the GFP?
A: Because we don’t use that technology, we have 8 to 14db less feedback and a 20db wider dynamic range. This is a profound difference that you can really hear as long as you have an amplifier and speakers capable of reproducing these sounds.

Q: I'm not happy with the sound of the pickup that came with my guitar. It doesn't sound like my guitar.
A: The GFP and GFP-EZ are ideal replacement pickups. For many of these situations installation is easy and often does not involve drilling.

Q: I have an inexpensive plastic guitar. Will the GFP make it sound better?
A: Sorry, it won’t make it sound better, it will only make it sound louder, so if it you have a bad sounding guitar, we can’t help you. Besides, cheap flimsy guitars are often very difficult or impossible to set up.

Q: Why do you provide paper shims to install the GFP?
A: Sometimes the saddle or the saddle slot are not completely flat so to help balance the sensors, we provide .002”, .004”, .006” and .008” thick paper shims with the GFP and GFP-EZ because many people do not have access to a micrometer or calipers. If you have one of these tools and don’t want to use paper, you can substitute your favorite material and make your own.

Q: Other companies offer pickup systems with built-in equalizers, why don’t you?
A: The built-in equalizer is an attempt to patch up their poor sound. We have flat response and the sound coming from the GFP is very accurate, so an equalizer is not necessary. Besides, did you really want to cut a big rectangular opening in the side of your Martin D-45?

Q: What kind of amplifier should I use?
A: The GFP is a premium pickup with a 100dB dynamic range and exceptionally wide frequency response. If you want to hear all of that dynamic range, you need an amplifier capable of amplifying all of it and you need speakers capable of reproducing all of it without coloring the sound. If you do not have a high-end audio system, use one of the models from our GFP-EZ series.

Q: I use a 100-watt acoustic amp with a 12-inch woofer and a Piezo tweeter. Will it work with the GFP?
A: The woofer will commonly reproduce sounds out to around 2000Hz before rolling off and the tweeter will begin reproducing sounds starting at 4000 Hz, so you will be missing a significant part of your midrange. No amount of equalization is able to properly correct this shortcoming. While we recognize that your amp may have cost you $600, that $1.25 Piezo tweeter inside is going to overload on the peaks and give your audience a very shrill plastic sound. Some amplifiers have a switch on back to turn off the tweeter. That is a good way to take care of this problem. Some amplifiers, like the SWR Strawberry Blonde have a jack on back so you can connect an external speaker cabinet. That’s even better and when you plug a good sounding bookshelf speaker system into it you can hear an incredible difference. If you are using an acoustic amplifier, the GFP-EZ will give you the most pleasing sound.

Q: I use a 100-watt acoustic amp with four 5-inch speakers. Will it work with the GFP?
A: Technically yes, in the sense that sound will come out of the speakers, but since those 5-inch marvels can’t properly reproduce the fundamentals and overtones of your lower strings, it will always have a thin indistinct sound, like a clock radio. The GFP was designed to faithfully reproduce the natural sound of an acoustic guitar, and, for the same reason, the sound of your guitar coming from a 5 inch speaker is never going to sound right.

Q: Do PA systems sound better than acoustic amps?
A: If it is a good PA, it will. Look for something with good quality JBL speakers, a crossover and horns inside and you will hear a dramatic difference. But keep in mind, the GFP and GFP-EZ will accurately reproduce the full harmonics and dynamic range of an acoustic guitar so we’d recommend setting the levels carefully to avoid clipping of your system.

Q: I can’t afford an expensive PA. Is there any way I can construct a good budget system myself?
A: Sure, its actually quite easy to do and does not always require expensive equipment. Get a good quality power amp by Hafler, Alesis or Crown and a good quality speaker system like Klipsch or JBL’s.

Q: What is “Great Sound?”
A: “Great sound” is sound that you perceive as something wonderful, just like your first girlfriend. My first acoustic guitar was a 1973 Epiphone, I learned to play it in my living room and for a year or so, it sounded wonderful – until my friend brought over a Guild D25. Then I bought a Guild D25, and, to me, it had the greatest sound, until I heard a Martin D28. Your sound is the same. If you have never heard great sound, you can’t possibly know what it sounds like until you experience it, recognize it and your standards advance to the next level.
If your amp and speakers are fairly flat and do not color the sound, it will take minimal adjustments to get that “Great Sound,” if not, you may be trying to compensate because of the deficiencies in the setup. As a note, a lot of acoustic recordings don’t sound “right” after 5 minutes of listening. The heavy use of studio effects to “dress up” the poor guitar sound sometimes turns out badly. The GFP and GFP-EZ will accurately reproduce the entire sound spectrum of your guitar and require much less “sweetening” in post-production.

Q: Can you take this “Great Sound” thing too far?
A: Ask our Chief Engineer, who has a pair of $14,000 Martin Logans as reference monitors.



Revised May 14, 2004