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M80 Installation in 1964 Guild F-20
Hi all,
This is my first post, and I thought it would be good to impart a little knowledge to those that may encounter a similar situation.
Although the instructions are quite clear about the minimum diameter for installing an M80 pickup (3.55"), it's quite clear that is not the case for a straight forward installation as per the instructions.
The guitar I installed the M80 in, a 1964 Guild F-20, has a 3 & 5/8" diameter soundhole, which translates to 3.63", clearly larger than the minimum, but only slightly.
After a little head scratching I figured out that the clamp on the bass end of the pickup needed to be removed, and the other clamp needed to be opened as wide as possible. The pickup wire mini TRS plug needed to be inserted as well.
This allows the pickup to be put in place via angling the unit into position.
The next issue is reinstalling the second clamp. Thankfully the clamps are fashioned to slide in a 'track' or 'raceway'. Once there they stay be themselves without falling out. So how to get the second one back in?
Using a 5" piece of a wound guitar string (with the ball end), I put the cut end through the underside of the loose clamp piece, and then directed the cut end up through the bass side screw hole of the pickup. After that it was simply a matter of bending the string so that the clamp piece was tight against the body of the pickup, and aligning it to slip into the grooves.
After pulling it up snugly, it stayed in place, and I let go of the string section, and it dropped into the guitar. The screw was then reinstalled, and the pickup was clamped in place.
I'll have to go through this routine again when my friend needs the battery changed, unless he's satisfied with using the M80 in passive mode. Of course switching to passive mode will require removing the strings, loosening the clamps quite a bit, and then feeling underneath for the small slide switch.
I hope this information is helpful to any other users of this very nicely made pickup!
Best regards,
Howard Emerson
howardemerson.com
This is my first post, and I thought it would be good to impart a little knowledge to those that may encounter a similar situation.
Although the instructions are quite clear about the minimum diameter for installing an M80 pickup (3.55"), it's quite clear that is not the case for a straight forward installation as per the instructions.
The guitar I installed the M80 in, a 1964 Guild F-20, has a 3 & 5/8" diameter soundhole, which translates to 3.63", clearly larger than the minimum, but only slightly.
After a little head scratching I figured out that the clamp on the bass end of the pickup needed to be removed, and the other clamp needed to be opened as wide as possible. The pickup wire mini TRS plug needed to be inserted as well.
This allows the pickup to be put in place via angling the unit into position.
The next issue is reinstalling the second clamp. Thankfully the clamps are fashioned to slide in a 'track' or 'raceway'. Once there they stay be themselves without falling out. So how to get the second one back in?
Using a 5" piece of a wound guitar string (with the ball end), I put the cut end through the underside of the loose clamp piece, and then directed the cut end up through the bass side screw hole of the pickup. After that it was simply a matter of bending the string so that the clamp piece was tight against the body of the pickup, and aligning it to slip into the grooves.
After pulling it up snugly, it stayed in place, and I let go of the string section, and it dropped into the guitar. The screw was then reinstalled, and the pickup was clamped in place.
I'll have to go through this routine again when my friend needs the battery changed, unless he's satisfied with using the M80 in passive mode. Of course switching to passive mode will require removing the strings, loosening the clamps quite a bit, and then feeling underneath for the small slide switch.
I hope this information is helpful to any other users of this very nicely made pickup!
Best regards,
Howard Emerson
howardemerson.com
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