GK pickup installation on ZT3

[tom2p7]

Hello everyone! I am new to Steinberger -- just bought a ZT3. I've been playing since 1970, had a variety of guitars over the years, and I have been happy with most of them. But this ZT3 is a new experience! A great innovation, a new dimension, I'm sure it's all been said before. Anyway I really love this instrument and must applaud the guts of Mr. Steinberger for addressing so many of the design issues (of traditional guitars) that no one else wanted to deal with. The TT alone is a major breakthrough that seems largely unappreciated amongst other guitarists (public and those I know personally). But my question is:

 

Does anyone know of a good way to install a GK (or other hex if there is one) pickup in the ZT3?

 

I have a GK-3 kit (the one intended for amateur installation), but there is precious little surface area for the control unit. The pickup itself is no problem, but where to put the controls? The internal installation kit "GK-KIT-GT3" looks more promising, but I was wondering if anyone had ever done this? Maybe put the connector where the allen wrench holder is? I would like to minimize the mods to the instrument, and make the installation as unobtrusive as possible. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thank you for your time.

-tom2p7

[Micah]

Okay, this response is really late, since I just joined this forum. Anyway...

 

I have installed the internal GK3 on my ZT3, and it works great. The string-spacing is almost perfect, so you get good string separation (I use a VG-99 for alternate tunings, so this is a concern). They used a mini switch for the pickup selector, so the controller board nestles right in between the pots. There really isn't room for the 13-pin jack on the side of the guitar, so I just ended up widening the hole in the existing jack-plate, and mounting it there. I had to route out a bit of wood in the cavity to get the jack to fit. I also started to route a channel for the pickup wire, but then ended up running it through the bridge pickup's existing route. I think I may have had to widen that hole a bit. I installed a new 1/4" jack on the side of the guitar just below the allen wrench holder. Besides that, I left all the original electronics intact, and didn't instal any of the Roland controls. There really isn't much room to spare for more controls, and I don't use them anyway. I suppose you could do some serious sideways routing and get some of that stuff in there. Or you could sacrifice the tone control for MIDI volume.

 

Good luck to anyone else who tries this. It's made the guitar much more useful for me. It's my favorite now.