DIY Electric Xylophone

[timthetortoise]

Has anyone ever done this before? I know how I'm going to build the xylophone section, but am wondering what the best way to amplify would be. I don't want to use any open mics because it's going to be used with very loud music and it seems like non-resonant noise would be a big problem. Would doing something similar to a reverb tank setup possibly work (ie stretching taut a metal line across all keys and running into some sort of sealed microphone)? I'm still new to amplification concepts, so forgive me if this is a dumb way of thinking.

Edit: Or would winding a huge pickup and placing it underneath the keys work better? Now I'm full of ideas!