Lyric placement

[ralphhope]

Hi all,

I've got a Taylor Mini GS Koa which is the best sounding guitar I've ever owned unplugged and the worst plugged in.

I'm thinking about adding a Lyric, but looking at the bridge plate, the Taylor piezo system, which pokes through the bridge and i'll not be ripping out, even when I've disconnected it, takes up the front half and there is very little space behind the bridge pins.

Looks like I could have the Lyric hanging off the back a little, or attach it to the soundboard directly behind the bridge plate. Does either of those sound like particularly good / bad idea. I'd guess there is half an inch of space behind the pins at most. Probably more like 10mm.

Thanks in advance!

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey Ralph,
Having the Lyric mic sitting on an uneven surface tends to cause some odd overtones in the amplified sound. If you need to position the mic directly to the top, behind the bridgeplate, that is probably going to be your best starting place. On smaller guitars like the GS Mini, the Lyric can often sound better with an alternate mic placement anyway.

[ralphhope]

Cool, thanks very much for the reply. That confirms the way I was leaning; things that are designed to be in flat contact often dislike having half a contact, and there's also the possibility it'd drop off.

Given the not-easily-replaced taylor jack actually attaches to the pre-amp with a 3.5mm TRS jack, I'm considering mounting the Lyric preamp / jack inside the guitar and plugging the Taylor jack into it (through a 1/4 to 3.5mm jack adapter). It will mean not having to drill out the hole to a larger diameter, or trying to find a way to plug the 1" diameter cutout around it. Any thoughts on if that's a terrible idea? I understand that the Lyric will use a TRS jack to turn on and off by using the R & S to make / break the line to the negative terminal of the battery (I've wired up my own pedals before), but given it'll have a TRS plugged into it, it's really just a cable extension and I don't see it affecting anything.

The jack looks like this and is recessed into the body:

[Caleb_Elling]

The Lyric actually uses a TRSS jack. So even with a TRS cable plugged into it, it will still turn on.

I have a GS Mini that I've put a few pickups into. I made a plug to fit the existing hole, which I then routed out to fit the new jack.

IMG_20181106_084812.jpg
I know this option isn't ideal for everyone, but it is another thing to consider.

[ralphhope]

Great info, thanks! You guys have amazing customer support!

I'll see what I can do about a plug. Perhaps a 1" penny washer will fit neatly in the hole.

[ralphhope]

Just to satisfy my own curiosity, can I ask why it needs a TRRS jack? I can't think why it would need one unless it shares a basic design with something that needs a stereo output as well as an on/off. Does the Anthem SL have stereo out maybe?

I actually tried to buy 1/4 TRRS Jack for a project once and couldn't get one, but yours is obviously custom made as it's part if your preamp.

[Caleb_Elling]

I am happy to help, Ralph.

We use a TRSS jack because the Lyric has an optional contact point on the preamp for a second, passive pickup. The auxiliary pickup can be added to the Lyric for stereo output, like most of our single-source systems.

t does cost us a little more to make, but for the people that use it, it provides a ton of additional options for pairing other pickups without needing to add a second jack in the guitar.

[ralphhope]

Oh wow that's actually incredibly useful and good to know! Being able to run something like a sound hole pickup through the same jack would open up a lot of possibilities. Not only for rounding out the sound of the Lyric if needed but also for using a little extra gain on the pickup channel for a little crunch or whatever.

Many thanks for all the help. You have definitely converted me from potential customer to customer; I'm go to place an order for a Lyric!

[ralphhope]

Sorry, I have one more question.... how does the pickup attach? There doesn't look like there is room on the preamp for a mini jack, or even a solder point, but there doesn't seem to be a spare cable coming out of it either.

[Caleb_Elling]

On the end of the preamp, where the mic attaches, there is an additional ground pad and a through-hole for the hot wire.

Stereo Endpin Wiring.png