Fishman PRO-FCL-002 Installation Guide

FULL CIRCLE
INSTALLATION GUIDE

www.fishman.com

Read Me First!

Installation of this product is a simple procedure,
but we recommend this job only if you are an
experienced repair technician.

Requirements

The Full Circle is available in either ¼-20 or 6mm

thread format. Before you install the pickup,
confi rm that the threads in the bridge will match
those on the Full Circle.

Installation

Observe the following
precautions!

• Before you install the Full Circle, confi rm
that the wheels you are about to replace are
lined up well in the legs. The wheels must
be parallel and the posts perpendicular to
the cuts in the legs or the Full Circle may
become mechanically unstable on the
instrument (fi gure 1).

Hot Side

Setup

Once the wheels are mounted and the bass is tuned
up, thread the white wire through one of the wing
holes in the bridge and hold it in place with one of
the neoprene plugs from the kit (fi gure 2).

Gap

Figure 2

Fasten the output jack behind the bridge and
between two adjacent pairs of strings. Then fasten
the RCA plug into the back of the output jack.

Mind the gap!

For good pickup performance, leave a slight gap
between the threaded side of the wheel and the
wood. If you close the gap, the amplifi ed sound will
become choked and muted (fi gure 2).

Height adjustment

Remove the RCA plug from the back of the output
jack so the white wire does not wrap around the
leg as you turn the wheel. Turn both wheels equal
amounts for good contact with the pickup. To pro­long the life of the pickup, do not pinch the white
wire where it joins the wheel.

Good Bad

Figure 1

• Fishman Transducers will not be responsible
for damages to the pickup or the instrument
due to improperly installed wheels!

Retro-fi t the Full Circle to a bridge with
installed wheels

The pickup is “hot” on the fl at face of the wheel:

on the side with the non-threaded post. For good
performance it is crucial that the hot side of the
pickup lies absolutely fl at with no gaps or voids
where it contacts the bridge. If necessary, sand the
wood fl at where it contacts the wheel before you
install bridge on the bass (fi gure 1).

When you install the pickup, remove the RCA plug
from the back side of the output jack. Replace the
plug after the pickup is in place.

Tonal adjustments (fi gure 3)

Turn the wheel so the wire is perpendicular to the

leg and the pickup will have an open, resonant
response.

Turn the wheel 45 degrees so the wire faces one of

the corners and the tone will be somewhat drier and
more focused, with less output.

Fit the Full Circle to a bridge without
wheels

For maximum reliability and performance, the
wheels should be centered precisely within the
taper of the bridge.

Fit the bridge to the bass before you install the
wheels. Note that the wheel with the white wire
belongs under the E string.

There is a subtle tonal difference between “threads

up” and “threads down” position for the pickup.

1

Open, resonant response.

Drier, more focused response.

Figure 3

When you mount the Full Circle “threads down,” the
hot side of the pickup faces the strings. This trans­lates to more defi ned articulation and attack, with a
slight emphasis on the “string” sound (fi gure 4).

Threads Down Threads Up

Figure 4

When you mount the Full Circle “threads up,” the
hot side of the pickup faces the body of the bass.

You’ll get a bit more woody acoustic tone this way,

with a rounded attack and less “edge” (fi gure 4).

Lay out the bridge (fi gure 5)

The pickup will work best when the wheel is precisely

centered in the leg. To do this, carefully lay out the
appropriate lines ahead of time. You will be drawing
lines on the side of the bridge that faces the
fi ngerboard.

1. Use the line implied by the outside of each leg to
make parallel vertical lines down to each foot (line A

Option 1: threads down into the feet:

Make a mark on each leg no less than 1 ¼”
(31.75mm) from the bottom of line A.

Line up a straight edge on the marks and pencil in a
horizontal line on each leg (line B).

To accommodate the thickness of the wheel, make a

parallel set of lines (line C) 3⁄8” (9.5mm) below line B.

Option 2: threads up into the legs

Make a mark on each leg no less than 21⁄32”
(16.66mm) from the bottom of line A. Use a straight
edge on the marks and pencil in a horizontal line on
each leg (line B).

To accommodate the thickness of the wheel, make

a parallel set of lines (line C) 3⁄8” (9.5mm) above
line B.

2. Find the center of line B on the face of each leg.
From these points make perpendicular lines down
to the foot (D). Continue across the bottom of the
foot (E).

3. Turn the bridge sideways and make a vertical line,
centered through the taper of the bridge (line F). Go
back to line B and continue it across the thickness of
the bridge, perpendicular to line F (both legs).

4. Finally, center a line (G) across the bottom length
of each foot.

Drill the legs and cut off the feet

Precision is crucial here. Use a drill press and a band
saw or table saw for these procedures.

Make a jig that will allow you to clamp the bridge
and align your layout marks for the drill. Two pieces
of ¾” Plywood or MDF fastened at 90° will do the
job. You will use a countersink, a #9 (5mm) drill bit
and the appropriate tap for this procedure (¼-20 or
6mm). To simplify the job, we recommend that you
use a so-called “extension” tap with a long reduced
diameter shank.

Your drill jig should hold the bridge fi rmly. Line

up the bridge (and shim if necessary) so that lines
D and F are centered with and parallel to the drill
bit. Double sided carpet tape makes an excellent
temporary clamp for the bridge while you drill.

).

2