LR Baggs X-Bridge: US Standard - Manual (Page 2)

fig. 2
2. It is common to set the spring tension so the bridge plate is pulled just flush onto the body when it is at rest. This greatly minimizes tuning
inconsistencies and eliminates the "warble" sound that full-floating bridges are noted for. This is the setup we recommend.
The X-Bridge pickups are pressure sensitive and depend on string tension to make sound, so there will be a limit to the amount of usable
downward pitch bend that is available before the pickups start to cut out. The limit of downward pitch bend is approximately two and one half
whole tones when the bridge is set up parallel to the body.
You may want to set your bridge up in the full-floating mode to enable an upward pitch bend. This is usually accomplished by loosening the
tension of the springs and jacking the rear end of the bridge up off of the body a small distance. If this is the case, please note that the amount of
upward pitch bend desired will be subtracted from the total downward pitch bend available. For example: If you jack the end of the bridge up
enough to get one whole tone of upward pitch bend then you will be left with 1 1/2 tones of usable downward bend.
3. We have included a selection of self-stick neoprene rubber bumper pads that are to be used as shock absorbers to limit the rebound of the
bridge when the tremolo arm is accidentally struck or released. Once you have arrived at the desired setup, turn the guitar around and see how
much distance is between the front (spring table) of the bridge block and the cavity wall adjacent to it. Use one or more of the bumper pads to fill
this gap so that the pad is slightly compressed between the bridge block and the cavity wall when the bridge is at rest. You may adhere the pads
to the front of the bridge block, cavity wall or to both surfaces to achieve proper spacing. The use of these pads is optional but we feel that the
bumper pads improve the manners of the bridge.
5 . A L T E R N A T E I N S T A L L A T I O N S
1. (Replaces installation step 5) If you wish to retain the stock controls
and do not want a volume control for the X-Bridge, replace the existing
jack with the pre-wired stereo jack provided. Solder the red wire from
the pre-wired harness to the middle pin of the volume pot and the
shield wire to a pot case. Next, solder the hot (center) wire from the coax
to the white wire from the pre-wired jack cable inside of the control
cavity. Insulate these joints with some heat shrink or electrical tape. Then
solder the braided jacket of the coax to a convenient ground location.
2. If you wish to retain the stock controls and you want to add a volume
control for the X-Bridge, it will be necessary to drill a new hole in the
pickguard to add the X-Bridge volume pot. You may also need to enlarge
the control cavity on the guitar. Connect everything to the new jack as
shown.
Note: There are other Strat models that have different tone control
hook-ups. If you have one of these, just leave the tone knobs the way
they are and solder the volume pots as shown. Do not combine the X-
Bridge and the magnetic pickups together into the same volume pot.
6 . U S E R ' S G U I D E
A guitar equipped with an X-Bridge requires the use of a stereo 'Y' cable to access both the X-Bridge and magnetic pickups. This is a cable that
has a stereo plug on one end and splits off into two mono plugs at the other end, one for each signal. The magnetic pickups will be on the 'tip'
and the X-Bridge will be on the 'ring.' Each signal will require its own individual channel, even in a combo amp. Do not plug them into the same
channel.
For best low end response, the X-Bridge should be plugged into amplifiers, effects or D.I.s that have a one megohm or higher input impedance.
This is standard, but if the X-Bridge's low end sounds wimpy, look into this. Do not plug the X-Bridge into passive D.I.s,
For optimum results, the X-Bridge and the magnetic pickups should be in phase with each other when they are mixed together. If they are in
phase, the mixed sound will have a full, rich tone quality. If they are out of phase, the mixed sound may be thin through the low mids and bass
range. Since there is no phase standard for magnetic pickups, there is a significant chance that the magnetics will be out of phase with the X-
Bridge. To further complicate matters, there is no phase standard even between the adjacent channels in dual-channel amps. The two channels of
dual-channel amps are sometimes out of phase with each other. Since it is likely that the most common usage for the X-Bridge will be into these
amps, we encourage you to experiment with phase to achieve the best results.
To change the pickup phase relationship with the passive kit, you must invert the phase of one of the signals outboard of the guitar. Our Para
Acoustic D.I. box works wonderfully with the X-Bridge and provides instant phase control and E.Q., and acts as a direct input to the P.A. for it. If
you do not have a Para Acoustic D.I., the simplest solution is to try another amp.
Another option is to run the two signals through separate amplifiers that are spaced as far apart from each other as the 'Y' cable will allow. The
phase relationship is not important when the X-Bridge is routed to the P.A. amp. If you plan to only use the X-Bridge alone (for its acoustic sound),
then phase in relation to the magnetics does not matter at all.