measures more than 50% of the total height of the saddle,
balance and/or output level of the pickup may suffer. In these
cases, add a hardwood shim under the pickup. To determine the
shim's thickness, subtract 1/2 of the total saddle height from the
slot depth. Then remove an equal amount of material from the
bottom of the saddle.
Exception to the 50/50 Rule:
Many Martin guitars will have adequate down-bearing on the
saddle, even when there is less than 50% of the saddle height
appearing above the slot. This is due to the close proximity of the
bridge pins to the saddle slot. These guitars will generally perform
very well and you may disregard the 50/50 rule.
Prepare the Saddle Slot
A large percentage of string balance problems
with undersaddle pickups can be traced to an
unevenly cut or warped saddle slot. Irregularities
on the bottom or sides of the slot can often
prevent the saddle from uniformly pressurizing the pickup. For this
reason, we strongly recommend that before you install any
undersaddle pickup, re-mill an existing slot with a plunge router,
jigged up in an appropriate slot cutting fixture.
1. Rout a .094" (2.38 mm) wide slot.
2. Be certain that the bottom of the slot is flat. Deepen an existing
slot only enough to obtain a clean, flat surface.
Locate the Wire Hole
1. Locate the center of the wire hole no less
than .100" (2.54 mm) from the closest string.
2. Mark the location where the wire will
enter the saddle slot. Center the mark
between the walls (width) of the slot.
4
Installation Instructions
Gold+Plus
®
Fasten the Jack in the Endpin Hole
Follow the above sequence when installing the endpin jack:
The jack should protrude at least
5
/
16
" (7.9 mm) and no more than
11
/
32
" (8.7mm) outside the guitar's body for proper fit.
Fit the small dress washer and nut over the end of the jack, then
insert a
3
/
32
" Allen wrench through the small hole on the end of
the jack. Tighten the nut with a
1
/
2
" open-end wrench while
holding the jack in place with the Allen wrench. Thread and hand
tighten the strap button.
Note: With the strap button in place, the end of
the jack should protrude slightly, so that when a
plug is inserted, it will snap securely in place.
Attach the Battery Clip
We recommend that you attach the battery clip to a small piece of
hardwood approximately 1
1
/
2
" x 1
1
/
2
" x
1
/
2
" (4cm x 4cm x
1.1cm) thick. Mark the screw hole locations on the block using
the battery holder as a template. Drill the screw holes using the
5
/
64
" (2mm) drill. Attach the battery holder using the two supplied
1
/
4
" screws. Attach this assembly to the inside front block (neck
block) using either wood glue or a gap filling cyanoacrylate such
as Loctite
®
Black Max™.
1 - Preamp/Shielding Cap
2 - 1st Large Hex Nut
3 - 2nd Large Hex Nut
4 - Large Dress Washer
5 - Star Washer
6 - Guitar End Block
7 - Small Dress Washer
8 - Small Dress Nut
9 - Strap Button
1
9
Important! Although the supplied battery holder should provide
adequate capacity to grip the battery at all times, we strongly
recommend that you remove the battery when shipping your
instrument. FAILURE TO REMOVE BATTERY COULD RESULT IN
DAMAGE TO YOUR INSTRUMENT. C. F. Martin & Co., Inc. will
not be held responsible for any damage incurred to instruments
from a loose battery. A set of adhesive backed clips has been
provided to secure the pickup cable and battery leads inside the
guitar once the endpin jack has been installed. Remove the plastic
film from the back of each clip to expose the adhesive. Secure the
cable/clips to the kerfed lining of the guitar.
10
Specifications
Power Supply:
9 Volt Alkaline battery
Battery Life:
Natural I - 6,000 hours
Natural II - 6,000 hours
Maximum Output Voltage: 4V peak to peak
Output Impedance:
Less than 5k Ohm
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
94 dB
Discrete Component Design: FET
low noise class A
input stage, bipolar class
AB output stage
All specifications subject to change without notice.
Troubleshooting
Symptom
Cause
Solution
Weak string or strings
Saddle is not completely seated.
Push the saddle down over the weak strings.
Bottom of saddle is uneven or out of square with its sides.
Check bottom of saddle for flatness and squareness.
Debris in the saddle slot.
Remove debris from saddle slot
Improper saddle fit (too tight or loose).
Make sure that the saddle has a sliding fit in the slot
Not enough downbearing pressure on saddle.
Follow the 50/50 rule.
Uneven or belly up saddle slot.
Sculpt the bottom of the saddle to compensate for
depth differences in the saddle slot or re-rout the saddle slot.
Wire hole too tight.
The wire hole must be .094" diameter.
Pickup binding in saddle slot. The saddle slot must be .094” .
Rout the slot to the correct width.
Thin or weak signal
Weak downbearing pressure due to low string break angle.
Observe the 50/50 rule. Ramp the string slots if necessary.
Hum
Improper saddle fit (too tight, resulting in poor s/n ratio).
Check saddle for sliding fit in the slot.
Torn pickup shield. Examine the pickup.
Replace pickup if the material is torn.
Unshielded jack.
Fasten the Shielding Cap to the jack.
Pickup intermittent or dead Pickup binding in wire hole (wire hole too small or misaligned). Align or widen pickup wire hole.
Pickup binding in saddle slot.
Widen or lengthen pickup saddle slot to accommodate the pickup.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Installation Instructions