Skylark and Skylark Spirit guitars are designed to produce the best possible acoustic sound. Nevertheless, most players need to be able to amplify their instrument. All Skylarks are pickup ready, that is, they come with an end pin jack already installed, and the finger rest bracket will accommodate mounting a floating pickup to the finger rest. I have experimented with quite a variety of pickups; I am currently using a Bartolini 5J-NB, as shown below on the prototype Skylark, my main playing instrument. Virtually any floating pickup designed to be mounted to a finger rest can be used on a Skylark or Skylark Spirit.



I have been somewhat frustrated by the scarcity of floating pickup options. With this in mind, I designed Pannonica, a guitar which makes some acoustic compromises to provide more options for amplification. Pannonica guitars have a pickup cavity in the top which will accommodate any pickup with the same physical configuration as a Gibson Humbucker. This makes the broadest range of pickup options available. Pannonica tops are about 0.5 mm thicker than Skylark, and the body depth is slightly less, about 1/8” shallower. This helps increase the feedback threshold. The first Pannonica has a Q-Tuner GL-6 installed. There is a neodymium magnet in each coil with north poles energizing the center row of pole pieces, and south poles energizing the two outer rows of pole pieces. This configuration allows not only volume adjustments, but the tonal character of the pickup can be adjusted string by string, darker or brighter, by adjusting the relative height of the inside and outside rows of pole pieces. I intend to experiment with other pickups. I have a Bartolini 1C and a Lace Alumitone that I will try in the near future (July 2010).