LR Baggs LB6 Series - Manual

L . R . B A G G S P I C K U P S
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
fig. 1
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.
Before beginning, check to make sure that the string spacing of the pickup
matches that of the guitar. String spacing specifications are available on the
back of the package and on our website -- www.lrbaggs.com.
In most cases it is necessary to re-rout the saddle slot to equal the length
and the width of the pickup.
Do not sand or file the sides, or shorten the length of the LB6, LB6X or LB12.
This will void the warranty.
Heat generated from a belt-sanding the top surface of the pickup may
damage it; if a belt sander is used to shape the top surface of the saddle,
proceed slowly and with caution.
Never grind any part of the pickup to make it fit.
I N S T A L L A T I O N I N S T R U C T I O N S
1. Position the pickup laterally for correct string balance by laying the pickup on its side on top of the string at the saddle. There should be an
equal amount of saddle outside each E-string. Mark the bridge where each end of the pickup falls.
Note: If the pickup is an LBC (classical), the rules are slightly different. The Length of the LBC is designed to be cut down to fit the bridge; you can
remove up to 1/4" (6.5 mm) from each end of the pickup. Center the pickup laterally over the strings as above and note how far it hangs over the
ends of the bridge. Use a jeweler's saw to remove the excess from each end of the pickup; make the initial cut through the bottom (brass) side of
the pickup and remove all burrs that are left from the cut. Even the smallest burr left on the bottom surface of the brass could have a negative
effect on the string balance. Finish the ends gently with a file. Not not grind or saw the ends off. See the LBC notice below for more information.
2. The existing saddle will be used as a guide to duplicate the action with the new saddle/pickup, so if any changes need to be made to the action
or the compensation, do that using the old saddle now. After you are satisfied with the action, scribe a line along the entire length of the saddle
(while it is still in the slot) along the top surface of the bridge (see figure 1). Remove the saddle and set it aside to be used later.
4. Re-rout the saddle slot to a width of 1/8" to the end marks on the bridge (from step 1) to a minimum depth of 3/16". This depth s necessary to
provide support for the saddle and to protect the bond between the brass chassis and the saddle. An absolutely flat surface on the floor of the
saddle slot is crucial to achieve the best results from the pickup, so be sure to use an adequate flat routing fixture and sharp cutter. The cutting
tips of a 1/8" Dremel router bits are soft, dull easily and will leave fillets in the slot. These fillets will keep the pickup from contacting the bottom
of the slot fully and cause sound and balance problems.
5. Gently press the pickup into the slot until it is firmly seated. Make sure the wire does not bind in any way. The pickup should be a loose press fit
(not sloppy). Do not wedge the pickup into the slot. If the pickup does bind on the sides, you may carefully hand-sand the sides of the pickup
against a hard, flat surface with 150 grit sandpaper. Sand gradually, checking your progress frequently and be careful to keep the pickup cool. Do
not attempt this on a belt sander.
6. With the pickup fully seated in the slot, scribe a line along the front surface of it as it exits the top surface of the bridge (the same as in step 2).
Remove the pickup from the slot by pulling straight up. Do not crimp the wire.
7. Place the old saddle next to the pickup, match the scribed lines from step 2, and trace the top contour from the old saddle onto the new
saddle/pickup. Re-coil the wire on the pickup and carefully belt-sand the shape into the new saddle (be careful not to overheat the pickup).
Intonate the new saddle and place it in the slot.
8. Run the lead wire to a fully shielded hack or a shielded internal buffer/preamp. You may connect the LB6 to most existing internal preamps.
This pickup needs no step-up or preamplification when used directly into most musical instrument amplifiers. By nature, however, it is an ultra-
high impedance device, and it will load some preamps, effects, equalizers, studio boards, stereos, tape recorders, wireless transmitters or any
device with less than a 2 meg input impedance. This will result in a hard, bright, nasal sound quality that is very unpleasant. We recommend the
use of a high-quality active direct box such as our Para D.I. into a full-range PA system with reverb for best results.
fig. 2