LR Baggs Micro EQ - Manual

I N S T A L L A T I O N M A N U A L & U S E R ' S G U I D E
L . R . B A G G S P I C K U P S
M I C R O E . Q .
4 8 3 N . F R O N T A G E R D .
N I P O M O , C A 9 3 4 4 4
W W W . L R B A G G S . C O M
1 . P A C K A G E C O N T E N T S
One (1) Micro EQ preamp
One (1) Ribbon Transducer
One (1) prewired strapjack assembly
One (1) faceplate
Three (3) screws
Two (2) self-stick wire clips
2 . O V E R V I E W A N D C A U T I O N S
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.
Use of this product requires that permanent modifications be made to the instrument; namely, drilling the side of the guitar to accommodate the
preamp/faceplate, drilling the tailblock for the strapjack, and drilling the saddle slot for the Ribbon Transducer. Verify that this system will work
with your guitar and that everything will fit properly in their intended locations before making any modifications!
The Micro EQ preamp is designed for use with the L.R. Baggs Ribbon Transducer pickups. We do not warranty or guarantee performance of the
Micro EQ system when used with another type of pickup.
3 . P R E A M P I N S T A L L A T I O N
1. The Micro EQ preamp does not have a pickup input jack. It will be necessary to solder the output of the pickup to the circuit board near the
output harness. Solder the braid ground wire to the rectangular pad; the signal wire inside the coax is soldered into the hole next to it. Now peel
the white backing from the copper shielding tape on the circuit board and fold it securely around the pickup input connection.
2. Locate a suitable place on the side of the guitar for the control plate -- the area on either side of the upper waist is usually a good choice. Once
you have located a spot, cover that general area with masking tape. The straight long side of the plate should be parallel with the back of the
guitar. Before finalizing the location, be sure to inspect the inside of the guitar for any obstructions (bracing, lining, etc).
3. Replace the plate on the guitar in your desired spot and mark the center of all the holes and remove the plate. There are two options you can
choose from to drill the holes for the face plate:
A) Drill the small screw holes 1/8" and the knob holes 3/8" using a brad point or Forstner bit
or
B) Drill 1/16" pilot holes for all of the holes to be drilled, then, using a step drill bit, enlarge the screw holes to 1/8" and the knob holes to 3/8".
4. We strongly recommend that two cross-grained reinforcing braces be added to the inside of any solid wood guitar. Scrap spruce or mahogany
approximately 3/16" thick by 3/8" wide will do nicely. These braces should be glued inside the guitar on either side of the preamp and should
extend across the entire side.
5. Prepare the guitar for the strapjack by drilling a clean 1/2" hole in the tailblock of the guitar using a step drill. It's a good idea to mask off the
area you are drilling to avoid chipping the finish.
6. Fit the control plate to the curvature (if any) of the sides. The plate may be bent to fit any curvature with the fabrication of a simple jig. If the
side has a 1/16" curve over 3", try cutting a 3/8" curve in a 2" x 3" scrap of wood with a bandsaw. Use this jig (with a piece of paper between the
face plate and jig) in a vice to bend the plate. Do not try to bend this plate by hand as this will cause uneven curvature. This step requires some
judgment because the plate ins springy and must be over-bent to set it in the right curvature. It is unlikely that your first attempt will be perfect,
but modifying the jig is the key.
7. Remove the tape on the side of the guitar. Position the preamp on the inside of the guitar with the knobs through the holes. Place the plate on
the outside of the guitar over the preamp and attach the two using the black flathead machine screws provided. This will sandwich the side of the
guitar between the preamp the the plate. Do not over-tighten as this can crack the side.
4 . P I C K U P I N S T A L L A T I O N
1. For optimum performance of this pickup, the bridge slot must have a clean, flat surface free of any debris or over-spray from the finish. The slot
must be a minimum of .125" (1/8") deep but we suggest a depth of .187" (3/16") to avoid excessive saddle tilt (see figure 4).