I wanted to make my electric guitar into an acoustic electric guitar. Is it possible?

An electric guitar can be equipped with a piezo pickup. There are varying success rates. It involves replacing the guitar’s bridge, drilling holes, and adding electronics to the guitar. This is not an inexpensive process that will permanently alter the instrument.

Solid-body guitars won’t have the same resonance as acoustic ones. A piezo pickup’s amplified sound will be very thin so a pre-amplifier will be required. It can either be mounted inside the guitar or used as an additional box between the guitar amplifier. This pickup will require a separate output for the guitar. You might not get the sound you want.

This is more common with hollow-body and semi-hollow-body electric guitars. A fully hollow-body guitar will produce more resonance and sound more like an electro-acoustic instrument. It’s not always possible to match the exact model, but the pre-amplifier may be able to help. You can still perform the same actions, including replacing the bridge, drilling holes and adding electronics and a box.

Semi-hollow guitars have a block of sold wood running down its center. Some guitars have only one chamber, such as the Telecaster thinline. Their acoustic properties are similar to solid-body guitars.

Many electric guitars have piezo pickups installed in the bridge. These guitars already have electronics mounted on the board. Some of these are extremely expensive. One example is the Music Man John Petrucci Guitars. Other options are cheaper. Godin, a Canadian manufacturer, has been doing this for many years. Many of their guitars can drive a synthesizer, and have the electronics required to drive an amplifier. Brian Moore is another brand that offers this feature, but they are more expensive.

You can find many more examples by doing some online research.

Line 6 is another option. The line 6 series includes several good acoustic guitar models. They are available in a variety of price points. External synthesizers and pre-amp boxes do not need to be used.

Used instruments are often cheaper than new instruments. The used market often has a wider range of options. When buying used, you will need to be extra careful. It is important to be patient, and make frequent visits.

This is why I do not recommend that you modify your electric guitar. This will result in permanent damage to your guitar and a higher resale price. The results may not be what you expected.

It is better to look at what is already in stock. You can explore both formerly and newly manufactured instruments. There are many more.

I came across a Les Paul Junior double-cut that had been modified by someone else in a used guitar shop. It features a piezo pickup on the bridge, coil-tapped and humbuckers, as well as an electronic cavity that houses a battery and some extra micro-switches. It took me a while to figure out what the switches did, even though I was there. The guitar was not understood by anyone in the store. Customers would often spend very little time playing with the guitar and get confused by the buttons. This is how I search for guitars. I spent less to modify the guitar than it did to me. It was rare. It was probably worth half the price that I paid. A word of wisdom

It is common to combine a piezo and magnetic pickups when an electric guitar is equipped with one. This will give the instrument a richer sound. The neck pickup adds low end to the piezo pickup. This feature is already available on many guitars. Godin is just one brand.

This is a great area to explore. You can do what you like. These are just my words of caution. These modded guitars are often found on the used market for a variety of reasons. After all the work, the owners decided to sell them. They didn’t receive the money they desired. These instruments are not in the mainstream market. Be aware of the potential consequences of your actions.

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