Thanks guys. An important question...how does it sound? I decided to go with three pickups and Rosebud style wiring to test some tonal possibilities with an electric mandolin. I thought three pickups may be overkill, but I'm real happy with the results.
On the 4 vs 8 string, I decided to go with 4 strings to get a more deliberate sound with each note. I'd like to do a 5, 8, and 10 string down the line...
Here's a video. I was using mostly the middle or neck pickup. I couldn't resist using some effects at times. At 3:40 you can hear the middle pickup with the coil tapped.
EDIT: I can't figure out how to embed a video! What's the secret? I put the URL between the youtube brackets...
Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUKEO0H3rM4