LR Baggs Micro EQ - Manual (Page 2)

2. Installing a .090" pickup in a .120" slot is not recommended.
3. Do not remove the black material that is affixed to the bottom of the pickup.
4. Avoid unnecessary hard bending of the pickup. Repeated removal and
replacement of the pickup during the course of the installation is not advised.
5. Do not use shims under the saddle or pickup as a remedy for string balance
problems or to adjust the action.
6. Failure to secure the loose end of the pickup under the bridge will produce
bizarre audio consequences and eventually ruin the pickup.
7. The quality of sound, output level, balance and feedback resistance are all
determined by how well the pickup mates with the saddle and the bridge.
Uneven or partial contact between the saddle and the pickup will cause a
boomy sound with low output, excessive body sensitivity and poor string
balance.
Installation:
1. Remove the strings from the guitar. If you wish to duplicate the string
height exactly, scribe a line along the front edge of the saddle where it
extends above the bridge. The line will later be used as a guide when
removing material from the bottom of the saddle to compensate for the
thickness of the pickup (.025" total).
2. Remove the saddle to drill the hole for the pickup. The drill bit needs to be
as large as the saddle slot will allow. 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 figures 1 and 2.
3. Feed the pickup into the slot from inside the guitar with the yellow 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. Sand the
bottom surface of the saddle on a belt sander until the scribe line (from step
1) lines up with the bridge top. Leave the saddle just a hair tall and finish
sanding the bottom by hand. It is best to do this against a machined flat
surface with fine sand paper. Use a straight edge with a strong light source to
inspect the flatness of your saddle.
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 in the slot loose enough to be able to be just pulled out with your
fingertips. If it is too tight or binds at all, this will have a negative effect on the
string balance. Likewise, if the saddle is too loose, it will have a substantial
forward tilt when under string pressure, causing it to make poor contact with
the pickup (see figure 4).
A saddle that fits correctly in the slot will have a slight forward tilt under
string pressure (see figure 3). It is necessary to compensate for this angle by
intentionally sanding a slight tilt in the bottom of the saddle so that when it
leans forward it sits flat on the pickup (see figure 3). The saddle material can
be a key element in curing string balance problems. This pickup responds
most favorably to a rigid saddle material such as bone. Using softer, more
flexible materials may cause the outside strings to be lower in volume than
the other strings.
If you are replacing the saddle, prepare the bottom of the new one as
explained above (see step 3). Place it in the slot and scribe the same line on
the front of it like the original saddle. To duplicate the action, lay the old
saddle on the new one, match up the scribe lines, and trace the shape of the
old saddle onto the new one. We recommend either bone or Micarta for your
saddle. Softer materials tend to sound overly boomy.
4. Insert the pickup all the way into the slot, lay the saddle on top of it and
temporarily secure it with a piece of tape. Remove the backing from the
adhesive on the end of the pickup hanging inside the guitar and attach it to
the bridge plate or the underside of the top as shown in figures 5 or 6. Be
careful not to place the adhesive over the bridge pin holes.
5. Choose a location for the wire clip between the pickup and preamp several
inches away from the pickup. If there is a brace that the wire will cross, make a
little slack in the wire so it does not touch the brace. Secure the pickup wire in
the wire clip.
fig. 1
fig. 2
proper saddle-pickup contact
(saddle lean exaggerated)
fig. 3
improper saddle-pickup contact
(saddle lean exaggerated)
fig. 4
fig. 5
fig. 6