LR Baggs Element Onboard System - Manual (Page 3)

Inspect the inside of the guitar and note the position of the braces in relation
to the saddle slot. Drill at either end of the slot on the side that will enable
you to avoid all braces as you penetrate the top, as shown in figure 5. Blow out
the slot with compressed air and check for remaining debris.
Important: Round the inside of the hole where it meets the bottom of the slot
with a small, sharp knife or small file to avoid pinching the pickup as the
saddle lies on it.
Feed the pickup into the slot from inside the guitar with either side up.
Inserting a toothpick or similar object through the hole from the outside is
helpful in finding the location of the hole on the inside of the guitar.
Important: The fit of the saddle in the slot is the single most important factor
in this installation. It is crucial that the bottom of the slot and the lower
surface of the saddle be flat to make even contact with the pickup. The saddle
should fit loosely enough in the slot that it can be pulled out with your
fingertips. It will then have a slight forward lean when the strings are under
tension. It is absolutely necessary to compensate for this slight lean by
sanding a tilt in the bottom of the saddle so it still sits flat on the pickup when
the strings are at tension (see figure 6). If the saddle is too tight, binds at all or
is too loose, this will have a negative effect on the string balance and output.
Insert the saddle in the slot and note how much material must be removed to
compensate for the thickness of the pickup. Remove the saddle and sand its
bottom surface on a belt sander until the scribe line is just above the bridge
top. Finish sanding the bottom by hand. It is best to do this against a
machined flat surface with fine sandpaper. Use a straight edge with a strong
light source to inspect the flatness of your saddle.
Insert the pickup all the way into the slot, place the saddle on top of it, and
temporarily secure it with a piece of tape. Secure the wire with a wire clip as
close to the exit hole as is practical, with a one- to two-inch service loop.
Failure to secure the wire may produce boominess and feedback. Now restring
the guitar, plug the pickup wire into the preamp's left-hand socket, and plug
into your amp or PA. Confirm that the EQ controls are at their default positions
and test the Element, paying careful attention to string balance. If the sound is
satisfactory, the installation is complete. If not, read on.
String balance problems are almost always the result of an uneven interface
between the bottom of the saddle and the saddle slot. If the string balance is
uneven, check these surfaces to ensure that they are both completely flat.
Tip: A segmented packaging knife blade is a useful tool in determining the
flatness of the saddle slot. Break off only enough blade segments so as much
blade fits into the slot as possible. Briefly use a back-and-forth scraping
motion to see if the slot bottom scrapes evenly. Any high or low spots will be
readily apparent. A minor low spot in the slot may be compensated for by
shims under the pickup; however, for gaps over .005" or multiple gaps, we
recommend rerouting the slot.
Be sure to review the controls, which are explained in the following section.
8 . E X T E R N A L C O N T R O L S
Caution: Do not remove the battery from the preamp while plugged in.
1. Phase inversion: This inverts the signal phase. If you are experiencing
feedback, this is the first tool that should be used. However, depending on
your position in relation to the
speaker(s ), pressing this button may have no
effect or even make the problem worse. Also, phase inversion is of little use if
you are moving around the stage. There is no way to predict beforehand
whether or not you are in the correct phase setting without using this button.
2. Battery gauge light: When the battery light dims, it is time to replace the
battery. To change the battery, simply press the top of the preamp to
disengage the click-lock access. This will pop out the battery compartment.
3. Volume control: This adjusts the preamp volume.
4. Notch filter: This knob is used to cancel guitar body resonance feedback. If, after using the phase inversion, feedback persists, rotate this knob
(when the guitar is feeding back) until it cancels that frequency. This will be obvious when it happens; the filter will "grab" the problem frequency
and eliminate it. With this control properly set, you should discover that you can play significantly louder without feedback. When all else fails and
you are still not loud enough, you can turn down the bass and even increase the treble for more "cut."
5. Treble and bass controls: These controls adjust the level of high and low frequency output.
fig. 5
slot
bridge
drill bit
guitar top
brace
This view depicts the bridge at an angle that islevel with the
guitar top and perpendicular to the saddle slot. Note the rounded
edge where the hole has been drilled.
fig. 6
proper saddle-pickup contact
(saddle lean exaggerated)
fig. 7
1
5
2
3
4