Fishman VMV User Manual

TM

Bridge / Pickup System

TM

Intonation

Screws

Saddle Height

Adjustment Screws

Tremolo Bar

Tension Adjust

Stereo Output Jack

(Tip/Ring/Sleeve)

Stereo "Y" Cable

Powerbridge™

Signal
(Ring)

Pure

Magnetic

Signal

(Tip)

Vintage Mount Vibrato Style

M

VMV

ODEL

PICKUP

POWERBRIDGE

™

I

G

UIDE

L

IMITED

INSTALLATION BY A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL REPAIRMAN IS STRONGLY

RECOMMENDED. FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

ANY DAMAGES THAT MAY RESULT FROM IMPROPER INSTALLATION.

The Fishman Powerbridge™ Pickup is warranted to function for a per iod of One (1) Year
from the date of purchase. If the unit fails to function properly within the warranty period,
free repair and the option of replacement or refund in the event that Fishman is unable
to make repair are Fishman’s only obligations. This warranty does not cover any conse­quential damages or damage to the unit due to misuse, accident, or neglect. Fishman
retains the right to make such determination on the basis of factory inspection. Products
returned to Fishman for repair or replacement must be shipped in accordance with the
Return Policy, as follows. This warranty remains valid only if repairs are performed by
Fishman. This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other
rights which may vary from state to state.

RETURN POLICY

To retur n products to FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS, you must follow these steps...

1. Call FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS at 978-988-9199 for a Return Authorization Number
(“RAN”).

2. Enclose a copy of the original Bill of Sale as evidence of the date of purchase, with
the product in its original packaging and a protective carton or mailer.

3. FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS’ technicians will determine whether the item is covered
by warranty or if it instead has been damaged by improper customer installation or
other causes not related to defects in material or workmanship.

4. Warranty repairs or replacements will be sent automatically free of charge.

5. If FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS determines the item is not covered by warranty, we

will notify you of the repair or replacement cost and wait for your authorization to
proceed.

FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS, INC.

340-D Fordham Road Wilmington MA 01887 USA

Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]

Fishman's bridge system fits on the Fender Stratocaster® guitar or Fender Telecaster® guitar and other similar and comparable guitars. • FENDER,
STRATOCASTER, STRAT, AMERICAN STANDARD STRAT, AMERICAN STANDARD TELE, TELE are registered trademarks of Fender Musical
Instruments Corp. with which Fishman Transducers Inc. is not affiliated.

www.fishman.com

W

ARRANTY

009-075-005 • Rev 3 • 4-18-02

NSTALLATION

ICKUP

POWERBRIDGE

PICKUP

M

Vintage Mount Vibrato Style
Bridge / Pickup System

for “six-screw” bridge Stratocaster-style guitars

specifications.

®

have a

®

®

™ P

NSTALLATION

I

ODEL

VMV

Ω

resistor

•

Routing Template

•

5 M

•

Shielding foil

•

Stereo output jack

-Style guitar, please read the Powerbridge™ Users

®

P

OWERBRIDGE

G

UIDE

™

2 Vibrato Mounting Screws
Vibrato arm
Vibrato claw & springs

1.5 mm hex wrench
6 Pivot screws
VMV Powerbridge™ Pickup

978-988-9665 or [e-mail]
assistance, contact Fishman Customer Suppor t at
Please read these instructions carefully. For technical

re-drilling these holes to "vintage" Fender
smaller pivot screw spacing and will require plugging and
screw spacing. Note that some non-USA Strats
Stratocasters®with a 2.22" (E to E, center to center) pivot
The VMV Powerbridge™ is a direct replacement for Fender

installation.
responsible for any damages that may result from improper
qualified repairman only. Fishman Transducers will not be
Powerbridge™ installation should be performed by a

result from handling these wires.
saddles.They are extremely delicate. Pickup failure may
Do not disturb the black signal wires located under the

Important!

F

ISHMAN

F

•

System Components

ISHMAN

P

OWERBRIDGE

•

• Stereo Jack

•

A 1/4" stereo output jack is provided with your Powerbridge™ Pickup. It is an

•

essential component to the Powerbridge™ System.
It can send piezo and magnetic pickup signals to separate amplifiers. The

•

•

Parts List

Guide that accompanies these instructions.
to integrate it with your Strat
several wiring options available for the Powerbridge™. To help you decide how
Thank you for choosing the Powerbridge™ pickup. You will find that there are

system, you can use one of the following three instrument cables (available from
your Fishman dealer).

1 - Stereo "Y" Cable

This will split the
Powerbridge™ and magnetic
pickup signals and send them
to separate amplifiers or other
destinations (PA, recording
devices, etc.).

2 - Stereo Instrument
Cable

Both magnetic and piezo
signals can be sent through a
single stereo instrument cable
to one of our outboard
Powertronics™ preamps. From there, magnetic and piezo signals can be either
combined to a single mono output or split to separate stereo outputs.

NOTE: For best results, use a "2 Pair" premium stereo cable (available through
your Fishman dealer) with separate shielding for both the Powerbridge™ and
magnetic signals.

Powerbridge™

Magnetic

(included)

magnetic pickups are wired to
Tip, and the Powerbridge™
Pickup is wired to Ring.

• Instrument
Cable

included)

Depending on how you want to
set up your Powerbridge™

Stereo

Instrument Cable

to Stereo Input

™ P

(not

ICKUP

I

NSTALLATION

G

UIDE

3 - Mono Instrument Cable

With a Fishman Powerchip™:

with a Fishman Powerchip™ will provide a combined Powerbridge™ / magnetic
pickup signal.

Without a Fishman Powerchip™:

the Powerbridge™ Pickup, but your magnetics will function
before you installed the Powerbridge™.

Mono Instrument Cable

A standard mono instrument cable used

A mono instrument cable will short out

Powerchip™

exactly

Powerbridge™

Magnetic

as they did

• Basic Passive Setup

Stereo Output Jack

(Tip/Ring/Sleeve)

Optional Passive

Volume Pot

Powerbridge™

Mono Instrument Cable

Stereo Outputs

The simplest way to get the Powerbridge™ Pickup up and running is to simply wire it
and the magnetic pickups to Tip/Ring outputs of the supplied stereo jack. A stereo
"Y" cable or a standard stereo cable can then carry the two signals. From there, all
mixing and blending functions will be performed offboard the instrument. A Fishman
Powerblend™ Pedal is especially suited for offboard blending/mixing with this passive
setup.

For a passive setup, you don't want to tie the Powerbridge™ and magnetic pickup
wires together at the guitar's mono output jack. This may seem like a good idea, but
it won't work. If you connect the piezo and magnetic outputs, you will experience a
loss of tone and a very bizarre and un-musical interaction between the Powerbridge™
and magnetic pickups.

Magnetic and piezo pickups operate on different electrical platforms. Magnetics are
"inductors" and piezos are "capacitive" devices. The solution is to electronically
isolate or "buffer" the two signals with an active mixing circuit like the Fishman
Powerchip™.

Magnetic

250K - 300K

Audio Taper Pot

Sleeve

Ring

Tip

1500 pF1500 pF

330 K820 pF

Magnetic Signal

Optional 3-W
Selector Swit

Mag

Both

Piezo

O
N

O
F
F

O
N

Stereo
Output
Jack

F

TM

2.220"

(56.38 mm)

.444"

(11.29 mm)

3.085"

(78.35 mm)

1"

(25.4 mm)

.705"

(17.9 mm)

.535" (13.58 mm)

7/64" (2.75 mm)

Diameter Holes

Center Line of Guitar

Drill 3/32"

(2.4 mm) Hole

from Vibrato Cavity

to Control Cavity

Stereo Output Jack

(Tip/Ring/Sleeve)

Electric Guitar Amp

Active

D.I.

PA / Recording Console

Pure Magnetic Signal

(Tip)

Powerbridge™ Signal

(Ring)

Powerchip™

Mono Instrument Cable

Magnetic

Volume

Sleeve

Ring

Tip

Magnetic

Signal

Stereo Jack

Optional 3-Way
Selector Switch

Mag

Both

Piezo

ON ONOFF

ISHMAN

P

OWERBRIDGE

™ P

ICKUP

I

NSTALLATION

G

UIDE

Wiring Instructions

Passive Setup

Bridge Installation

• Strat®Style Guitars

The VMV Powerbridge™ is a direct replacement for Fender
Stratocasters®with a 2.22" (E to E, center to center) pivot screw
spacing. Note that some non-USA Strats®have a smaller pivot screw
spacing and will require plugging and re-drilling these holes to
"vintage" Fender

®

specifications. See Fig 1

• Instrument Builders

Refer to the enclosed drilling template to locate the six (6) pivot screw
holes.

FIG 1 - Locate the 6 pivot screws

®

• Preliminary Notes

To prevent 60 Hz hum, the entire Powerbridge™ Pickup signal path should be fully shielded.The control cavity, jack cavity, and any non-conductive surface to which the controls
are mounted (such as a plastic pickguard) must be shielded with adhesive-backed foil or conductive paint. The shielded cavities should then be grounded.

For complete hum prevention, the included stereo jack must also be shielded. To do this, we’ve included a piece of shielding foil. Note that one side is insulated. After you have
soldered the wires to the jack, roll the foil into a tube so that the insulation is on the INSIDE and surround the stereo jack with the tube. Connect the foil side of the tube to ground
by soldering it to the shielding of the Powerbridge™ Pickup wire or to a jumper that is connected to any ground.

If your instrument has active magnetic pickups (requiring an onboard battery), you will need a special 9 Pin Switching Jack (Fishman Part Number ACC-PBR-9PJ), available
through your Fishman dealer.

• Install the Stereo Jack

The jack can fit into the jack cavity without removing wood ...

1 Bend the terminals of the included stereo jack toward its center. See Fig 3
2 Rotate the jack to locate the Tip terminal exactly at the upper left side of the jack plate recess.

See Fig 4

FIG 3 - Bend Jack Terminals

FIG 4 - Align Tip Terminal

• Wiring Options

There are several different ways to wire the Powerbridge™.
Choose the option that best suits your needs.

Active Setup

• Active Setup - Powerchip™

With our onboard Powerchip™, you can mix and combine both the Powerbridge™
and magnetic pickups (on the guitar) and plug right into a single channel guitar
amplifier. You can also instantly split signals by simply changing to a stereo cable or
stereo "Y" cable.

See the Powerbridge™ System Users Guide

for Powertronics™ descriptions.

• Routing the Powerbridge™

Pickup Wire

•

With a 3/32” (2.4 mm) aircraft bit, drill a hole from the vibrato cavity
to the control cavity.

•

Route the Powerbridge™ Pickup wire through this hole. See Fig 2
If you prefer, you may route the Powerbridge™ Pickup wire through

the guitar's ground wire channel. If you do so, secure the
Powerbridge™ Pickup wire so that it cannot be pinched by the
springs or the bridge block.

FIG 2 - Hole for Powerbridge™ Signal Wire

Powerbridge™ & Magnetic Pickups wired directly
to a Stereo Jack

1. Connect the Powerbridge™ signal wire directly to the Ring terminal on the supplied

stereo jack.

2. Connect the Powerbridge™ and magnetic grounds to the Sleeve terminal.

3. Connect the magnetic signal wire to the Tip terminal.

4. Connect the included 5 M

Ω

resistor between the ring and sleeve terminals.

Passive Volume for the Powerbridge™

This circuit that is easily assembled from "stock" guitar pots and components avail­able at any electronics parts retailer.

Y

ou will need:

• 250 k audio taper pot

• 330k resistor

• 820 pF capacitor

• 1500 pF capacitor
This network will attenuate the Powerbridge™ so that it better matches levels

between magnetic and piezo pickups. You can expect a 14 dB (nominal) decrease in
Powerbridge™ output with this circuit.

NOTE: Optional 3-Way Selector Switch -

throw (spdt) 3-way switch can also be added for piezo/magnetic pickup selection.
Use a switch with an ON-OFF-ON orientation (no, this is not a misprint)

NOTE: Active Onboard Blending

A Fishman Powerchip™ (not included) must be installed if you wish to blend/mix
piezo and magnetic signals onboard the instrument.

FISHMAN TRANSDUCERS

340-D Fordham Road Wilmington MA 01887 USA

Phone [phone] • Fax [phone]

www.fishman.com

If desired, a single pole, double

®

Direct Wiring

Passive Volume