LR Baggs iBeam Onboard-Sm - Manual (Page 2)

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We recommend that this system be installed by a professional dealer/installer.
We do not provide installation advice or support for home or hobbyist
installations. Installers: please read the instructions carefully before
proceeding. We will not be responsible for any damage to the guitar or
personal injury resulting from installation, improper installation, use or misuse
of the product.
Before beginning, be sure that the screw holes in the iBeam preamp bezel
(mounting flange) line up with the “Brand X” preamp screw holes on the
guitar.
There are two versions of this system (steel string and classical), each with its
own pickup installation procedure. Before beginning, confirm that there is
enough room between the bracing to install the pickup. The steel string iBeam
fits x-braced guitars with at least 3 inches of flat open space directly under the
saddle (see figure 1). The classical iBeam fits most Torres-fan-braced guitars
with at least 3 inches of clean, flat area between the two braces on either side
of the center brace under the bridge (see figure 2).
The preamp will only fit in guitars with a clearance of at least 2 3/16” between
the top and back braces, at the point where the preamp chassis hangs inside
the instrument.
Again, verify that these requirements are met before making any
alterations to the guitar.
If the space is too small to accommodate the iBeam, do not cut the iBeam
to fit a tighter space.
The steel and nylon string preamps are voiced for their respective pickups, and
each will only work in the type of guitar for which it is intended. The mounting
fixture included in the steel string system will work with pin bridge guitars
only. If you have a non-pin bridge steel string guitar, see the non-pin bridge installation section (section 7).
The preamp requires a 9V battery, which is not included in this package.
There is a small slit under the iBeam cap about 1/2" from each end of the pickup. Do not poke anything into the slit.
The peel-and-stick adhesive is the best way to adhere the iBeam. It will hold the iBeam quite firmly, yet it is possible to remove it at a later time.
The use of any adhesive other than the provided self-stick pads is not recommended and will void the warranty.
3 . R E M O V A L O F P R E V I O U S S Y S T E M (retrofit installations only)
Remove the entire preamp, output harness and pickup. Two precision mahogany wood shims have been provided to replace the installed
undersaddle pickup. Choose the correct one to fit your saddle width, and trim to length. You will also need to remove the old strapjack.
Most guitar manufacturers include cross-grain reinforcement panels on solid wood guitars beneath the preamp mounting screw holes. If, upon
removing the old preamp from a solid wood guitar, you discover that there are no reinforcement strips, we recommend installing cross-grain
reinforcement shims underneath the screw holes to prevent chipping the wood on the guitar body.
Once the previous system is removed, proceed to the strapjack installation instructions in section 5.
4 . N E W I N S T A L L A T I O N W O O D W O R K I N G
4.1 Routing the Preamp Hole: The preamp will only fit in guitars with a clearance of at least 2 3/16” (61.9mm) between the top and back braces,
at the point where the preamp chassis hangs inside the instrument.
For solid wood guitars (especially maple), we recommend gluing two 2.5” (63.5 mm) x .5” (12.7 mm) plywood cross-grain reinforcement panels on
the inside of the guitar body where each screw hole will be drilled. This prevents the wood from splitting during the drilling process.
If you are uncomfortable freehand-cutting this area using the enclosed paper template (as described below), we recommend that you use the
paper template to fashion a hard template out of masonite or Plexiglas or other suitable material.
1. Choose a location on the side of the instrument to mount the preamp. The flattest possible area just above the waist on the upper bout and
below the shoulder is recommended. Double-check to make sure the preamp will clear all internal braces and other obstacles when installed.
2. Lay the enclosed paper template on the chosen location and secure it with masking tape on all four edges. With a sharp scribe put a dimple in
the center of each of the screw holes and then drill out the holes using a #45 drill bit (.082”/2.08 mm). Cut out the area for the preamp carefully
and slowly using a rotary cutter with a sharp 1/8” cutting bit. We recommend cutting just inside the lines for the initial cut and then cleaning up
the edges with a file. Remove the template and clean up any excess tape residue with a soft cloth and naphtha.
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