LR Baggs iBeam Onboard-Sm - Manual (Page 5)

to act as a reference when locating
the iBeam. The hole locations will
correspond to the small slots in the
bottom of each end of the iBeam
(see figure 9). A good starting place
is to drill the holes so that the
iBeam will be centered under the E
strings. You will need an inspection
light, inspection mirror, drill, 1/16"
drill bit, wooden matchsticks or
toothpicks, and a short pencil.
1. Drill a 1/16" hole through the
bridge at both ends of the saddle
slot. If the guitar already has a hole
in the saddle slot for a pickup, you
may be able to use this as one of the holes. The minimum distance between the holes should allow the notches in each end of the iBeam's base to
nest over the protruding matches or toothpicks that you will insert as a reference to place the iBeam.
2. Press the matchsticks or toothpicks into the holes until they just protrude (1/16" to 1/8") into the guitar. These will act as locating pins for
determining the iBeam's placement.
3. Remove the adhesive backing from the iBeam and, holding the iBeam upright between your thumb and two middle fingers, use your index and
little fingers to locate the matches.
4. Hold the iBeam at a slight angle away from the inside of the guitar top, and, using the slot in one end of the bottom of the iBeam, locate one of
the protruding matches. Rotate the other end of the pickup until you find the other protruding match with the slot in the other end of the iBeam.
Then very lightly press the adhesive against the bridge plate with just enough pressure to hold it in place.
5. Once you have tacked the pickup into place, insert an inspection mirror into the body to check the placement of the pickup. After confirming
that it is located correctly, remove the guide pins and press firmly with a little rocking motion over the surface of the top of the pickup to secure
it to the bridge plate. Be sure to apply an equal downward force to the top of the bridge when pressing up from the inside to prevent damage to
the guitar.
6. Plug in and test the pickup placement. If the sound is satisfactory (see 7.1: general positioning guidelines for a rough definition of this),
proceed to the preamp installation instructions (section 10). However, with non-pin bridge guitars, it is likely that the results will be less than
optimum at this position. If this is the case, we encourage you to experiment with alternative placements (see section 9).
8 . i B E A M I N S T A L L A T I O N : C L A S S I C A L G U I T A R S
8.1 General positioning guidelines: The iBeam is a highly sensitive pickup; therefore, placement is a critical factor in producing the outstanding
results of which the iBeam is capable. A few millimeters in any direction can have profound effects on the quality of the sound. In short, because
each guitar is different, we can tell you approximately where the pickup should be placed, but we can not provide an exact specification. With
classical guitars, it is also unlikely that the first selected spot will be ideal.
The classical iBeam has a tunnel in the center of the pickup designed to clear the middle fan brace. The tunnel is wide enough to allow for some
lateral movement of the pickup.
We suggest that you initially position the pickup so it is laterally centered over the brace and that the entire pickup is offset towards (and parallel
to) the tie block by 2 to 5 mm. The idea is to blend the direct string sound with the sound of the body. The more centered the pickup is under the
saddle, the more string drive and "snap" the sound will have. Offsetting the pickup towards the tie block or even towards the sound hole by a few
millimeters will allow more body sound to mix with the string sound. If you desire more presence from the bass strings and wish to mellow out
the high strings, center the pickup under the bass strings and angle it so the center of the pickup's high string end is either in front or behind the
saddle line by some amount. The reverse angle will have more presence for the high strings and less for bass. If you find that the small E string
does not have enough level, offsetting the pickup laterally towards it will increase its volume (see figure 9).
The optimum location will deliver a sound that is focused and tight, with proper string balance and good presence. It will capture enough of the
string resonance to be articulate, but will be mellowed by a full and strong body resonance. Ultimately, it will accurately capture the distinct tone
of the instrument. An unsatisfactory location will often be characterized by a woofy or nasal tone, poor string balance and a high sensitivity to
feedback.
Do not test the pickup placement without firmly securing the adhesive. Without completely securing the pickup, the sound test will produce
unreliable results.
8.2 Classical installation (initial placement): Most classical guitars are fan braced. The most common pattern is the Torres pattern with 5
longitudinal braces. The iBeam is notched in the middle of the pickup to straddle the middle fan brace and will fit most Torres-pattern-braced
guitars. Classical bracing patterns vary, so before you proceed, check to ensure that there is a total of 3" of clean, flat area between the two
braces on either side of the center brace under the bridge (see figure 10).
tie block
saddle slot
bridge
iBeam
drill pin hole here
bridge
fig. 9
This top-down view depicts the bridge with
the saddle removed. These pin hole locations
apply to all steel and nylon string non-pin
bridges.