Diy optical pickup for guitar -- is it possible?

[Boop]

The analog sound synth-y distortion is neat (IMO)!  I hope you do get a chance to check out the links I posted, as in addition to the cool sound you got, I also enjoy the “natural sound” and other options this technology could offer (Along the lines of Hoag, Opik, optical microphones, etc.).

That said, I still dig my Unifuzz that plugs two prongs directly to mains voltage!

https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Reflective-Optical-Pickup-For-Violin-Leroy-Fléty/fc7eb46e3be1ccc9a2f62ce9710cfa14f4b5dad6

https://d-nb.info/1020135263/34

https://spie.org/Images/Graphics/Newsroom/Imported-2016/006681/006681_10_fig1.jpg

https://www.optoacoustics.com/industrial/optimic-microphones