Fishman RESOPHONIC AND NATIONAL BISCUIT INSTALLATION GUIDE

RESOPHONIC AND NATIONAL® BISCUIT
INSTALLATION GUIDE

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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 Resophonic guitar pickup is suitable for

installation on most single cone resonator guitars
with biscuit or spider cones.

The National® Style Resophonic guitar pickup is

suitable for single cone National® brand biscuit
bridge assemblies only.

Installation

Observe the following
precaution!

• Handle the pickup carefully! Mishandling
may damage the pickup, producing ground
hum or intermittent signal.

Resophonic pickup installation

Installation for biscuit style instruments

The pickup is held against the center of the cone

with the wood screw that normally holds the biscuit
to the cone.

1. Remove the original screw from the biscuit and
swap it with the longer wood screw that is supplied
with the kit.

2. Notice that the heat-shrink tubing on the end of
the pickup is bent to one side. Do not attempt to
unbend it! If you do so you may damage the pickup.
Position the pickup so the bend in the heat-shrink
tubing faces away from the cone.

3. Place the shoulder washer into the pickup and the
screw into the shoulder washer.

4. Fasten the pickup assembly to the cone / biscuit.

Tighten the screw until snug and then another 1⁄8

turn tighter.

Biscuit Bridge

Installation for spider style instruments

For the pickup to operate properly it is critical that
the spider and cone are preloaded with the correct
pressure.

1. Remove the strings and the plate that protects the
cone assembly. Calibrate the spider / cone pressure
by loosening the screw that holds the cone to the
spider until the screw head no longer touches the
spider frame. Tighten the screw until the head just
touches the spider and then tighten one full turn
more. The spider/cone is now preloaded for
optimum bass response without buzzes or rattles.

2. If the end of the screw is long enough to accept
the pickup and locknut, go on to the next step. If it
is not long enough you will need to replace it with a
longer screw and go back to step 1. We include
replacements for both SAE 4-40 and 3mm screws
plus matching locknuts in the hardware kit. Choose
the screw that matches the threaded slug in the
center of the cone assembly.

3. Notice that the heat-shrink tubing on the end of
the pickup is bent to one side. Do not attempt to
unbend it! If you do so you may damage the pickup.
Position the pickup so the bend in the heat-shrink
tubing faces away from the cone.

4. Place the pickup, then the shoulder washer on the
screw and start to thread the locknut. You must hold
the head of the screw stationary (with the screw­driver) as you tighten the locknut or you will change
the crucial preloaded pressure on the spider and
cone. If the screw accidentally turns as you tighten
the locknut, then you must go back to step #1 and
re-calibrate the cone and spider.

5. Tighten the nut until it is snug against the pickup
and then 1⁄8 turn tighter.

6. When the installation is completed, plug the in­strument into an amplifi er and slowly turn the screw
counter-clockwise until you hear the strongest signal.

Cone

Machine

Screw

Pickup

Shoulder Washer

Screw

Cone

Pickup

Shoulder Washer

Locknut

1

National® Style Resophonic pickup
installation

1. Remove the strings and the cover plate. Unscrew
the biscuit from the cone.

2. Drill a .094” (2.4mm) hole in the cupped side of
the cone, about 3⁄8” (9.5mm) below the rim. Remove
any burrs from the hole.

3. Examine the bottom surface of the biscuit with a
straightedge. If the biscuit is warped sand it fl at.

4. Clean off any dust or debris from the bottom of
the biscuit and apply a thin bead of woodworking
glue around the edge.

7. Thread the pickup wire through the hole you
drilled earlier.

5. Line up the ends of the saddle with the notches in
the brass disc, on the side of the disc opposite the
pickup element.

6. Affi x the biscuit to the disc and wipe off any
excess glue. Double-check the alignment between
the notches in the disc and the ends of the saddle.
Clamp for several minutes.

8. Fasten the biscuit/pickup assembly to the cone.

Tighten this screw just enough to prevent the biscuit

assembly from freely rotating on top of the cone. Do
not over tighten the screw or you may short out the
pickup!

9. Remove the barrel from the jack and thread the
pickup wire through it.

2