ANTHEM-SL
T R U • M I C T E C H N O L O G Y
I N S T A L L A T I O N M A N U A L
TM
1. PACK AGE CON TENT S
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One Anthem-SL with Tru • Mic, Element pickup, endpin preamp, volume control and battery lead
One battery bag
Six self-stick wire clips
Two adhesive pads for volume control
One extra adhesive set for Tru • Mic
2. O VE RVIE W AN D CAU TION S
The Anthem-SL features our patent pending Tru • Mic microphone technology. The mic is designed to capture the majority of your guitar’s true voice in a way
that only a microphone is capable of - plus it is amazingly feedback resistant. Our Element under saddle pickup carries only the lowest frequencies for punch and
authority. The Tru • Mic and Element pickup are preset for optimum performance and the soundhole mounted controller has volume and mic gain trim controls.
This system must 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, pickup system or personal injury resulting from installation.
3. S TR APJA CK I NS TALLATI ON
Drilling the strapjack hole
For proper installation, this jack requires a clean 1/2” hole in the tail block of the
instrument. If the guitar lacks this hole, start by placing a piece of masking tape on
the outside of the instrument over the drilling area (to avoid chipping the nish),
drill a small pilot hole in the tail block and then follow with a step drill bit.
Installing the strapjack
Remove the strap ring, retaining nut and one washer from the smaller threaded
section of the jack. There should still be one star locking washer, one at washer
and a nut remaining on the larger threaded section of the jack. Bring the jack down
through the soundhole into the body and insert it into the pre-drilled hole in the
tail block. Using the internal nut (be sure to include the at and star washers), set
the proper depth that will allow the entire smaller threaded section to protrude
from the instrument (see gure 1). With the jack in place, lay the remaining washer
over the threads and attach the external retaining nut until it’s tight. Finish by
attaching the strap ring (it should cover the retaining nut and washer). Asserting
too much pressure may crack the nish.
pre-assembeled
g. 1
Tail Block
4. E LE ME NT P IC KU P IN STAL LATIO N
For o pt im um p er form ance
The bridge slot must have a clean, at surface free of debris and excess over-spray from lacquer, (sometimes left from guitar manufacturers). String balance problems
are often the result of an uneven interface between the bottom of the saddle and the saddle slot oor. Both surfaces must be completely at to give you the best
chance at a successful installation.
The depth of the saddle slot is an important factor. A tip to help determine if your
slot depth is adequate is the 50/50 rule which basically says: The amount of saddle
visible above the bridge surface (with pickup installed) should be equal to or less
than the amount of saddle in the slot beneath the bridge surface. An installation in
which you have a tall saddle in a very shallow slot could be the cause of problems
ranging from string to string imbalance, excess feedback, and poor tone quality.
Drilling the hole
Use a drill bit with a diameter that is large enough for the pickup to t through but
no larger than the width of the slot, usually between 3/32” and 1/8”. Just before
you begin, inspect the inside of the guitar and note the position of the braces in
relation to the saddle slot. Drill the hole in the extreme end of the slot at a slight
angle being careful to avoid all braces as the drill bit penetrates the top (see gure
2). Using an exacto blade or a small jeweler’s screwdriver, round o the sharp edge
of the hole where the pickup bends to protect the pickup from being kinked or
pinched. Clean all loose debris from the slot.
g. 2
This view depicts the bridge at an angle that is level with the guitar top and
perpendicular to the saddle slot. Note the rounded edge where the hole has
been drilled.
drill bit
slot
bridge
guitar top
Pre pari ng t he s ad dl e
You will need to compensate for the thickness of the pickup in the overall height of the saddle by removing approximately .032” of saddle material. We recommend
you do this from the bottom of the saddle. This will allow you to make sure the bottom of the saddle is absolutely at while maintaining intonation/compensation
on the topside.
Remove the majority of the material on a belt sander rst. Finish it o by hand sanding against a perfectly at surface with semi ne sandpaper; 180 to 220 grit paper
is good. Finally, check the atness of the saddle by shining a light behind it while it rests on the at surface.
Saddle fit
Another very important consideration is the t of the saddle. This is the single most important factor in this installation! The saddle should t loosely enough that
you could remove it using only your ngertips, but not so loose that it will fall out when turned over.
A saddle that ts too tight won’t be able to seat rmly on the pickup and thus will not
function properly. The most common results of this are very poor string balance, low
output, low frequency microphonic response, boominess and bad tonality.
g. 3
A loose tting saddle will result in saddle tilt or lean while under pressure. This will cause
poor contact in a di erent way. When the strings are at full tension, the saddle will pull
forward and distribute pressure solely on the front edge of the pickup. This will result in
poor tonality and possible string balance problems. One way to compensate for a loose
tting saddle is to sand an intentional angle on the bottom surface of the saddle so that
it will make even contact under full string tension (see gure 3). This is not an easy task
to accomplish accurately, so we recommend that only the most experienced installers
attempt this. Another option is to create a new saddle.
proper saddle-pickup contact
(saddle lean exaggerated)
Installing the pickup
Once you have the saddle prepared, feed the pickup into the slot from inside of the guitar. Tip: insert a tooth pick, small Allen wrench or similar object through the
hole from outside the guitar to aid you in locating the hole inside the guitar. As you lay the pickup in the slot, make sure the black dot at the end of the pickup is facing
up. This will insure proper pickup phase orientation. Place the saddle in the slot over the pickup and temporarily secure it with a piece of tape. Secure the wire with
a wire clip as close to the exit hole as practical (see gure 8). Failure to secure the pickup may produce excess boominess and feedback.
Special considera tion s
Saddle material: Undersaddle pickups respond di erently to various saddle materials
and sometimes the di erences can be startling. Variations in the saddle material e ect
everything from output to string balance and tone. It’s sometimes a good idea to
experiment with a couple di erent types of saddles to get the best results.
Short saddle: The last 1/8” of the Element is not active. If you do not have a minimum
of 3/16” of saddle beyond the high-E string, you may experience low output from that
string. To remedy this, you can drill a small horizontal hole into the wall of the bridge at
the end of the slot approximately 1/4” in length to extend the active area of the pickup
further under the saddle (see gure 4).
To drill this hole without disturbing the oor of the slot, place a small jeweler’s
screwdriver under the tip of the bit as you drill. We advise that you drill the pickup exit
hole at the opposite end of the slot through the wall of the bridge as well (see gures
5 & 6).
5. TR U • MI C IN STALL ATIO N
The Tru • Mic is designed to attach to the center of the guitar’s bridge plate with the
included peel-and-stick VHB adhesive. Best results should be consistently had by
attaching the mic as shown in ( gure 7). Unlike conventional soundboard transducers,
the Tru • Mic’s positioning is not highly critical, so repositioning the mic to nd its
optimum location will not be necessary. Reach inside the hole and clean around under
the bridge to be sure the bridge plate is free from oil, dust and other debris. Remove
the adhesive backing from the bottom surface of the Tru • Mic and attach to the bridge
plate. Be sure to attach the mic so that the wire is following the same direction as the
Element wire. Press up rmly along the top surface of the Tru • Mic, especially on the
ends to secure it. It’s usually a good idea to press down on the bridge from the outside
of the guitar as you press up on the Tru • Mic from the inside to equalize pressure and
avoid cracking the top. Gently wiggle the Tru • Mic front to back as you press. Lastly,
secure the wire with the same wire clip as the Element pickup (see gure 7).
g. 4
g. 5
g. 4
normal saddle:
drill oor
drill bit
g. 6
short saddle:
drill side wall
g. 7
extension
jeweler’s screwdriver
If you ever need to remove the Tru • Mic from the bridgeplate, place as many ngers as
you can t behind its side and pull towards the neck with slight downward pressure.
Before replacing the mic, make sure the adhesive pads are completely removed from
the bridgeplate.
This is an internal view with the Tru • Mic mounted on the center
of the bridge plate. The Tru • Mic and Element wires are secured
with one wire clip on the bass-side of the bridge plate near the
exit hole.
6. B ATTERY B AG PLAC EM EN T
Stick the double-sided adhesive to an easily accessible spot on the back, side or neck block. Insert the battery and battery snap into the bag. The battery can then be
changed by opening the ap on the bag and pulling out the battery.
7. M OU NT IN G T HE CO NTRO L
Attach the adhesive pad to the volume control. Remove the protective backing
from the adhesive pad and mount the control in a convenient place on the rim of
the soundhole. Make sure the mounting area is thoroughly cleaned to insure good
adhesion.
Secure all wires with the wire clips provided and re-string the guitar.
8. TE ST IN G & AD JU ST ME NT S
Plug into your acoustic amp or PA and con rm that the EQ controls are at their
default positions.
A. MIC LEVEL CO NTRO L (Adjusts the level of the Tru • Mic relative to the
level of the Element)
IMPORTANT: Setting this control correctly is vital to the sound of the Anthem
system.
Play through a P.A. or acoustic ampli er while you are making adjustments. A
small at-head jeweler’s screwdriver will be needed.
Your ampli ed tone should be well balanced and true to the acoustic sound
and feel of the guitar. If it lacks clarity and top-end, increase the mic’s level by
turning the control clockwise. Back it o slightly If you experience excessive
handling noise and/or brightness.
B. VOLUME CONTROL
Roll this wheel towards the neck to increase the volume or towards the bridge to
decrease the volume.
g. 8
B
A
4 83 N . F R O N T A G E R O A D • NI P O M O , C A • 9 3 44 4 • ( 8 0 5) 9 2 9 - 35 4 5 • W W W. L R B A G G S . C O M
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