Preparing the saddle
You will need to compensate for the thickness of the pickup in the overall height of the saddle by removing approximately .032” of saddle material. We recommend
you do this from the bottom of the saddle. This will allow you to make sure the bottom of the saddle is absolutely fl at while maintaining intonation/compensation
on the topside.
Remove the majority of the material on a belt sander fi rst. Finish it off by hand sanding against a perfectly fl at surface with semi fi ne sandpaper; 180 to 220 grit paper
is good. Finally, check the fl atness of the saddle by shining a light behind it while it rests on the fl at surface.
5. TRU•MIC INSTALLATION
The
TRU•MIC
is designed to adhere directly to the guitar’s soundboard or bridge plate using the included peel-and-stick VHB adhesive. For optimum results, place
the mic directly under the bridge or as close as feasible
(
see fi gures 4a & 4b for placement recommendations
)
. Unlike most soundboard transducers or internal
microphones, the
TRU•MIC
’s position is not critical. As such, repositioning the
TRU•MIC
to fi nd the optimal location should not be necessary.
Prior to attaching the
TRU•MIC
, be sure to clean the intended mounting surface to remove dust, oil or any other debris. Remove the backing from the adhesive pads
on the
TRU•MIC
and carefully place it in the desired location on the soundboard or bridge plate. Press fi rmly on the
TRU•MIC
while applying equal counter-pressure on
the guitar top from the outside of the guitar to prevent damaging the soundboard.
Now secure the wire with the provided self-stick wire clips. It is helpful to secure the leads from both the Element and
TRU•MIC
with the same wire clip at the point
where they come together beneath the bridge
(
fi gures 4a & 4b
)
.
Installing the pickup
Once you have the saddle prepared, feed the pickup into the slot from inside of the guitar. Tip: insert a tooth pick, small Allen wrench or similar object through the
hole from outside the guitar to aid you in locating the hole inside the guitar. As you lay the pickup in the slot, make sure the black dot at the end of the pickup is facing
up. This will insure proper pickup phase orientation. Place the saddle in the slot over the pickup and temporarily secure it with a piece of tape. Secure the wire with a
wire clip as close to the exit hole as practical (see fi gures 4a & 4b). Failure to secure the pickup may produce excess boominess and feedback.
A saddle that fi ts too tight won’t be able to seat fi rmly on the pickup and thus will not function properly. The most common results of this are very poor string balance,
low output, low frequency microphonic response, boominess and bad tonality.
A loose fi tting saddle will result in saddle tilt or lean while under
pressure. This will cause poor contact in a diff erent way. When
the strings are at full tension, the saddle will pull forward and
distribute pressure solely on the front edge of the pickup. This
will result in poor tonality and possible string balance problems.
One way to compensate for a loose fi tting saddle is to sand an
intentional angle on the bottom surface of the saddle so that it
will make even contact under full string tension
(see fi gures 3a
& 3b)
. This is not an easy task to accomplish accurately, so we
recommend that only the most experienced installers attempt
this. The best option is to create a new saddle.
Special considerations
Saddle material:
Undersaddle pickups respond diff erently to various saddle materials and sometimes the diff erences can be startling. Variations in the saddle
material eff ect everything from output to string balance and tone. It’s sometimes a good idea to experiment with a couple diff erent types of saddles to get the best
results.
Saddle fit
Another very important consideration is the fi t of the saddle. The saddle should fi t loosely enough that you could remove it from the slot using only your fi nger tips,
but not so loose that it will fall out if you were to turn the guitar over.
6. TRU•MIC REMOVAL
If, at some point, you wish to remove the Tru-Mic or want to experiment with placement, here is the recommended method of removal. The VHB adhesive is very
strong and increases its bond with age so it’s important to proceed with caution. To remove, get a fi rm grasp on the Tru-Mic from the sides and gradually twist back
and forth as you pull it away from the soundboard or bridge plate surface. Don’t try to pull too quickly or with too much force as you may inadvertently damage the
soundboard. Maintain fi rm and steady tension as you pull and twist and it will come free after a few moments. If there is any adhesive remaining on the mounting
surface, it should be easily removed by your thumb or fi ngertip.
Ideal Saddle Fit.
Loose saddle
Proper saddle-pickup contact
(saddle lean exaggerated)
fi g. 3a
fi g. 3b
