Battery replacement?

[Kasey Beck]

Hello - I purchased the very nice Guild D-20E yesterday. Great guitar, and I love how the Element VTC only amplifies the true sound and feel of the guitar rather than kinda sorta replicating it electronically. One thing concerns me about the VTC and I wonder if it will be an issue down the road... I've looked throughout this forum for an answer to my question, without any luck (so maybe it's not a problem, but just needs an answer for me to take away the worry?)

How the heck am I supposed to change out the pickup's battery without removing the guitar's strings? I didn't even think about it to ask when I was in the store, but after bringing it home and plugging it in, I went to look for where the battery compartment was and found myself surprised it was buried so deep within the guitar's body without what appears to be simple, easy access.

Any help will be appreciated - thanks!

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey Kasey,
Thanks for posting.

You should be able to access the battery by simply loosening the strings and reaching into the guitar. The Element VTC gets around 500 hours of plugged-in playing time, so you should also be able to check up on the battery any time you change the strings.

When the battery starts to die, the signal will begin to lightly distort and the output level will slowly drop (over the course of 3-4 hours). So it's usually easy enough to tell when you're getting low, well before the audience hears anything.

If you keep up with regular checks when you change your strings, you should always be able to stay out of trouble.