Barcus Berry 1460-N12 User Manual

~1460, 1460-N12~

Acoustic Thinline

Transducers

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PURCHASE OF A NEW BARCUS­BERRY 1460 ACOUSTIC THINLINE TRANSDUCER

At Barcus Berry, we value your trust in us to provide your guitar
with the most natural amplified sound available today. As the
inventor of the Piezo transducer, we have over 30 years of expe­rience in the field of acoustic instrument amplification. Since our
first under-saddle transducer over 20 years ago, our experience
assures you that your new 1460 transducer will give outstanding
performance and dependability.

BEFORE INSTALLATION

The Barcus Berry 1460 is designed for acoustic guitars that
have standard 2 1/8” bridge pin hole spacing, which is the
measurement between the center of the bridge pin holes of the
high and low E strings.
Please remember that accurate installation is critical for opti­mum performance of the 1460 in your guitar. Please give spe­cial attention to the flatness of the inside of the saddle route
and the bottom of the saddle itself. This is critical to achieve a
balanced string response.

BARCUS BERRY 1460 INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

The 1460 transducer has been engineered and manufactured to
exacting tolerances, and designed from the beginning to be the
most dependable under saddle transducer. Once your 1460 is
correctly installed, it is not directly exposed to physical harm. But
please be aware that before and during installation, great care
must be taken to avoid bending or twisting the transducer.
For best performance and to avoid instrument damage during
installation, Barcus Berry recommends that the 1460 transducer
be installed by your dealer, or by a qualified guitar repair special­ist. Barcus Berry is not responsible for any damages resulting
from improper installation. Please read and carefully follow the
installation instructions.

TOOLS NECESSARY FOR INSTALLATION OF 1460 TRANS­DUCER

• Variable speed electric drill

• 3/32” drill bit

• 15/32”(11.9mm) drill bit

• Tapered reamer with 1/2” maximum diameter

• Soldering iron (25 watt preferred)

• 60-40 rosin core solder (60-40 alloy multi-flux type is ok)

• Cardboard piece or similar material approx. 1.5’ (45cm) square

• Straight edge (minimum of 4” or 10cm in length)

• Flat type file (fine texture optimum)

• Adjustable crescent wrench or 1/2” open ended wrench

INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Use a sharp pencil to make temporary positioning marks on the bridge
at the high and low E locations. Remove strings and bridge saddle. The
saddle slot or route must be a minimum of 1/8”(3.2mm) deep its entire

or 6.7mm) from the high E string to the nearest end of the saddle slot (for
6 string guitars). For 12 string guitars, drill the hole 17/64” (6.7mm) from the

length. If the saddle slot must be
made deeper, only an experienced
guitar technician should make this
adjustment. Improper deepening of
the saddle slot or route may severe­ly damage string action of the guitar,
as well as uneven string response.

2) Drill a 3/32”(2.3mm) hole in the
saddle slot, centered 17/64”(.266”

drill the hole 17/64” (6.7mm) from
the midpoint between the two high
E strings to the nearest end of the
saddle slot. Be careful to locate
this hole accurately, because hole
placement determines positioning
of piezo elements relative to the
strings.

3) Use a tapered reamer to
enlarge the end pin hole to accept
a 15/32”(11.9mm) drill bit.

On 6 string
guitars drill

2.3mm hole

6.7mm from
High E

Figure 2 (six string bridge diagram)

On 12 string guitars
drill 2.3mm hole

6.7mm from
the midpoint
of the two
High E strings

Figure 3 (twelve string bridge diagram)

4) Use variable speed drill with 15/32”(11.9mm) to drill through enlarged
end pin hole.

5) Remove all wood debris from saddle slot, then feed transducer cable
through hole in saddle slot. Carefully place transducer into saddle slot with­out bending or twisting. Be sure transducer rests flat in the bridge slot and
that the transducer cable is not binding in its hole.

6)Prepare the Barcus Berry Fas-Jac™ endpin jack for installation by plac­ing the lock washer onto the electrical contact end of the jack. Then place
the hex nut over the lock washer and screw it on about 5 to 8 turns.

7) Prepare to solder cable elements to Fas-Jac. Place cardboard square or
similar material on top of (above) guitar, to protect guitar while soldering
connections. Place Fas-Jac on cardboard, then bring transducer cable up
through the soundhole. Separate about 1”(26mm) of the braided wire shield
at the end of the cable, exposing the center plastic shielded wire.

Remove approximately 1/4”(7mm) or the plastic shield, allowing enough
bare wire to solder it to the jack.

8) Solder center wire to one of the short terminals (“tip” terminals) near the
center of the jack, then solder ground wire (braided outside shield) to the
outside leg of the jack. Leave the least amount of exposed wire possible in
order to keep transducer noise to a minimum.

9) Install Fas-Jac following instructions in FAS-JAC INSTALLATION sec­tion.

10) Adjust saddle depth to maintain current action (string height) by using
a smooth flat file or belt sander with fine grit to remove .085”(2.16mm) from
the bottom of the saddle. To be sure the saddle bottom is perfectly straight
after modification, place saddle bottom against a straightedge or machin­ist’s rule. Perfect straightness is critical to balanced output of each string.
Re-install saddle into bridge slot, and be sure saddle is resting evenly on
the top of the transducer. If necessary, gently tap the saddle down with a

down with a non-marring tool (e.g. a plastic screwdriver handle) to make
sure it is well seated. Re-string guitar.
NOTE: Before evaluating the amplified sound of the guitar, allow the instru­ment to stand (with all strings tuned at a normal pitch) for a minimum of 24
hours. During the first day or two after the installation of any under-saddle
transducer, the output level can vary from one string to another until stress­es in the saddle and bridge have equalized. Only then will the output of all
strings be properly balanced. If one or more of the strings delivers a weak­er signal than the rest (after the min. 24 hour waiting period), the problem
is most likely an indication that the bottom of the saddle slot is uneven.
When replacing strings in the future, remove and replace only one string at
a time to assure maintenance of pressure on the bridge saddle.

BARCUS BERRY FAS-JAC ENDPIN JACK INSTALLATION:
TOOLS RECOMMENDED FOR FAS-JAC INSTALLATION

• One 16” to 18” (40cm-46cm) length of 1/4”(6.4mm) diameter
rod (e.g. wooden dowel)

• One 5/16”(8mm) screwdriver

• One 9/16” open end wrench or adjustable crescent wrench

PROCEDURE

1) Remove label, if any, from body of Fas-Jac

2) Unscrew and remove end cap from Fas-Jac

3) Remove end pin from guitar and drill 1/2”(12.7mm) through
end block where Fas-Jac is to be installed

4) Insert the 1/4”(6.4mm) diameter rod into the guitar through the
hole in the end block until visible through the soundhole

5) Push the rod into the Fas-Jac and gently pull

the Fas-Jac through the end block until it is stopped by the nut
threaded onto the body of the Fas-Jac.

6) Measure the length of the exposed Fas-Jac threads visible on
the outside of the guitar; length of exposed threads must meas­ure at least 1/8”(3.2mm) but not more than 5/32”(4mm). If the
length isn’t correct, push the Fas-Jac back into the guitar until it’s
accessible through the soundhole and adjust the position of the
hex nut on the body of the Fas-Jac. Pull the Fas-Jac back
through the end block and re-measure the length of the exposed
threads. If necessary, repeat this procedure until the proper
length of the threads is exposed through the hole in the end of
the block.

7) Slip the end cap over the rod and screw onto the Fas-Jac until

Wire to

Transducer

Shielded
End Cap

Large

Hex
Nut

Lock

Washer

Conductor
Wire (Tip)

Unused

Terminal

(Ring)

Guitar

Body

Dress

Washer

Small

Hex
Nut

finger tight.

Dress

Washer

Ground

Wire

Guitar

Body

Threaded

Attachment

8) Remove the rod from the Fas-Jac

9) Place a 1/2” open end wrench or adjustable crescent wrench
over the end cap and tighten the cap while holding the body of
the Fas-Jac with a screw driver inserted into the slot end of the
Fas-Jac.

Limited Warranty

This Barcus-Berry product is warranted for a
period of one (1) year from the date of purchase
against defects in workmanship and parts.

For complete warranty information or more information
on Barcus-Berry, visit

www.barcusberry.com.