Ghost Installation Manual
Contents
1. id ghost Acousti phonic pre amp board dimensions 1 1 8 x 1 5 8 x 1 2 black The harness for the Stereo Switched Jack has a second black ground wire that can be used as a bridge ground If unused solder itto the same place as the first one on the Stereo Switched Jack 65 Piggyback Hexpander Acousti Phonic When installing both boards connect them together with the Hexpander on top and Acousti Phonic on the bottom Plug the row of pins on the Acousti Phonic into the matching receptacle on the bottom of the Hexpander The boards will align and the blue and white screwdriver adjustment on the Acousti Phonic will be accessible through the hole in the Hexpander board Other Possible Installations The ghost system is quite versatile and the installation described in this manual is by no means the only possibility Included below are a few of the most popular alternatives to the standard installation Dual output jacks You can have two 1 4 output jacks on your guitar with magnetic on one and acoustic on the other The Acousti Phonics mono blended mode does not function in this configuration as the magnetic pickups do not go through the Acousti Phonic Visit www graphtech com for wiring diagrams 66 Tone control on acoustic You can add a tone control to the Acousti Phonic volume circuit to attenuate the high frequencies the same as you would on your magnetic circuit Be forewarned that2. mid dark toggle SS the pot A E switch n Bk mid dark Mags Order acoustic E volume pot with mid dark complete Switch with harness 23 Strats and Teles Strats have the electronics on a front mounted plastic pick guard which is easily removed drilled notched and reinstalled The control cavity is also fairly large and can often fit the ghost components without routing The Strat has two tone controls and either one is well suited for conversion to a ghost volume Tele controls are also front mounted but the cover plate is metal and the cavity is quite small consider adding a 9v battery box or locating the ghost boards in a cavity routed beneath the pick guard or metal bridge plate Les Pauls and Hollow Bodies Les Paul style guitars have rear mounted controls with cover plate and roomy control cavities Routing is seldom required for the Acousti Phonic Note that the Les Paul toggle switch cannot be used as a substitute for the ghost QuickSwitch because they make connections differently inside Hollow bodies have plenty of room to add the ghost system but it can be difficult to work inside them you may feel like you re making a ship in a bottle Few of them have convenient access hatches 24 If installing the Acousti Phonic the board and 9v battery can be located beneath the magnetic bridge pickup On some hollow bodies you may need to rout this cavity deeper to make room If instal
3. attached to the tone pot Solder the purple yellow and black wires to the pot according to the diagram Plug the acoustic volume harness into the Acousti Phonic so that it spans the pin rows labeled GST VOL MAG G V M when the Hexpander is piggybacked on the Acousti Phonic with the purple yellow and green wires nearest the labels and the ground wire furthest from the labels The green wire is the input from your magnetic pickups solder it to the middle lug of your magnetic volume pot Remove the wire that runs from your 1 4 jack to the magnetic pickup system 57 Acoustic volume with Mid Dark switch optional This switch selects either the EQ d ghost acoustic sound or a second EQ curve with a boost in the mid range It can be installed either as a mini toggle switch or as a switch incorporated in a pot A push on push off pot is available as part of the ghost system which controls acoustic volume and the Mid Dark switching or we can provide the harness with a mini toggle switch for you to convert one of your tone pots The green wire is the input from your magnetic pickups solder it to the middle lug of your magnetic volume pot Unsolder the wire that runs from your 1 4 jack to the magnetic pickup system mid dark 58 Stereo Switched Output Jack Solder the Output Jack Harness red white blue two blacks to the supplied Stereo Switched Output Jack cutting the wires to a reasonabl
4. the base plate of the bridge is an alternative to notching the pick guard or pickup ring It will make the Ghost wires practically invisible by running them into the guitar body through slots cut in the bridge The bridge will have to be removed from the guitar and taken to a machine shop that can cut the slots precisely in the steel The diagram below shows the slot dimensions equal to your string spacing D TN 0 240 XJ D 7 XI KA 0 160 0 080 L 30 Drilling between control cavities In some installations you may have to drill a hole to route the wires between cavities in the instrument to pass the pickup wires through This hole will have to be large enough that the connectors on the pickups can be passed through easily We recommend 5 16 diameter Be careful that the drill chuck does not scrape the finish of the guitar while you are drilling this hole Do not scratch guitar with chuck Drill between cavities E 31 Hexpander 13 pin jack For mounting the Hexpander output on the edge of the instrument the small PC board with the 13 pin jack requires a rectangular mounting hole in the body Choose a location for this hole checking that there is room for a 1 1 8 30mm deep cavity and that the ribbon cable will reach from here to the main Hexpander board The size and placement of this hole can be
5. towards the yellow wire scrolls down Plug the connector into the Hexpander on the rows marked S1 and S2 with only the black wire on the ground row Down Up Program Up Down Switch Yellow Violet Hexpander 1 52 52 QuickSwitch for MIDI both guitar optional Drill a 1 4 hole in the pick guard or guitar top and mount the QuickSwitch using the nuts and washers supplied Orient the Switch according to your preference using the colors of the wires soldered onto the switch to indicate which direction is which Plug the QuickSwitch into the second row of the Hexpander on the pins marked MM and AM to select MIDI both guitar both What s on the other j MIDI QuickSwitch Quick Switch Blue Red Hexpander MM AM 53 MIDI volume pot optional Use an existing hole or drill a new 9 32 hole in the pick guard or guitar top and mount the pot using the nuts and washers supplied Plug the MIDI volume pot connector red white and black wires into the Hexpander on the rows marked VO and VI MIDI Volume Bk 4 AC Hexpander 250K 9 WL Wh vo linear s R Note a 250k linear taper pot is preferred but it will work with a 250K audio taper pot too regular guitar pots are audio taper You will still be able to control MIDI volume if you use an audio taper pot but mid volume will not be at mid scale 54 Mag to pin 7 Harness optional Plug the Mag to pin 7 harness into the first row of the Hexpande
6. Be the band lt modular pickup systems Hexpander MIDI Interface Acousti Phonic Pre amp User Guide OVERVIEW OF THE GHOST SYSTEM Will it work with my guitar Introducing modular components Output options Mono and Stereo Modes QuickSwitch functions Hexpander only and mag to pin 7 Sample Control Layouts PLANNING Your GHosT INSTALLATION Locating Ghost Components Pots and QuickSwitches Extension Harness optional Hexpander and 13 pin Jack 2 Acousti phonic amp 9v 20 Acoustic volume convert stack or drill Convert Mag Tone Pot to Acoustic Volume 21 Replace a Pot with a Stacked Pot Drill a Hole and Add a Pot Strats and Teles Les Pauls and Hollow Bodies RouriNc DRILLING AND NorcHING Tools required Optional Tools Reversible installation Saddles Notching the pick guard or pickup ring 29 Slotting the base plate optional Drilling between control cavities Hexpander 13 pin jack Enlarging the control cavity Curving the Jack Plate Acousti Phonic Stereo switched Jack no routing required 40 Ov b ltety teet t a ier 40 Installing Ghost Modular Components Saddles Pickup wires Color code 42 Signal ground color code Summing board Extension harness optional Seating and setup
7. Hexpander 13 pin jack Connecting the 13 pin jack Traktion switch m Connecting Pickups to the Hexpandev 49 3 Program Up Down orientation optional 52 QuickSwitch for MIDI both guitar opt 53 MIDI volume optional e Mag to pin 7 Harness optional Acousti Phonic Acoustic volume and magnetic input 56 Acoustic volume with Mid Dark switch opt 58 Stereo switched output jack pp 59 QuickSwitch for mag both acoustic opt 60 Connecting Pickups to the Acousti phonic 61 Gain Adjustment esee Battery Power Connecting the Battery Piggyback Hexpander Acousti Phonic 66 Other Possible Installations 66 Dual output jacks 66 Tone control on piezo 67 Passive volume kit TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS Bridge radius Do not file saddles Missing Pins keyed connections String ground to prevent hum Ground Loops Pot amp switch mounting hole diameters Shielded cavity caveat sss OVERVIEW OF THE GHOST SYSTEM The ghost systemisaset ofmodularcomponents thatadds acoustic or MIDI capability to your guitar without altering your magnetic pickup tone Ghost pickups encapsulated in bridge saddles provide the input signal for the ghost system leaving your magnetic pickups unchanged You can add either acoustic or MIDI capability or both and choose one a f
8. a lot of players think they will need this but discover they never use it because they prefer the EQd acoustic sound the way it is Try your ghost system first without the added tone pot and install it if you really need it Gay lt 925 Y 22K Vi Gn Bk Mags 22K Tone Volume GHST violet 250K 4 VOL 022uF yellow 22nF 67 Passive volume kit This kit is for connecting the ghost pickups to an output jack without the Acousti Phonic It provides an on board acoustic volume control and prevents loss of high frequencies at lower volumes The 2M volume pot included in the kit helps match the resistance of the ghost pickups to a standard amp input Without the Acousti Phonic the output of the pickups is rather harsh and does not sound like an acoustic guitar so we recommend that you process the passive signal external to the guitar using a preamp or active EQ SIGNAL 68 Technical Considerations Bridge radius Do not file saddles The bridge radius should match the fingerboard radius in order to prevent fretting out fret buzz or wrong notes sounding when you play high up the neck The ResoMax bridge assembly is manufactured with a fixed radius of 12 Do not file ghost pickup saddles to adjust the radius asthiswill change theoutputlevels unpredictably The LB63 hasa radius of 20 andthis can be adjusted by inserting shims under saddles that are too low 12
9. add as many or as few of the optional controls as your instrument will accommodate i Output options Replacing the 1 4 output jack with the Stereo Switched Jack supplied with the Acousti Phonic permits the output of two Signals magnetic and acoustic through one jack The 13 pin jack installed with the Hexpander carries the hexaphonic signals for MIDI conversion and can also carry the magnetic and acoustic signals so that a 1 4 patch cord is unnecessary Electric Guitar Amp Acoustic Amp Magnetic Piezo Stereo Cable or D Electric Guitar Cable Blended eme Mag and Piezo MIDI Converter Acoustic Amp MIDI Mono and Stereo Modes The Acousti Phonic detects whether you ve inserted a stereo or mono plug into the 1 4 jack and automatically switches to Stereo separate or Mono blended mode In Mono mode the acoustic and magnetic signals are blended together in the Acousti Phonic and delivered together on the Tip contact You can plug into one guitar amp and switch between sounds or enhance your unaltered magnetic tone by dialing in a little of the acoustic sound Electric Guitar Amp Magnetic Acoustic Magnetic t Acoustic MONO MODE In Stereo mode the acoustic signal is on the Ring contact and the magnetic signal appears on the Tip contact so that you can process these signal
10. ck washers Be careful to align the Traktion switch with the slot in the 13 pin jack plate tightening the bolts with this slot misaligned will damage the Traktion switch and may make the Hexpander unusable When tightening the bolts make an effort to center the 13 pin jack in the round hole in the 13 pin jack plate Perfect centering is not necessary but severe misalignment will prevent the 13 pin plug from seating properly and making a good connection Align the 13 pin jack plate with the four screw holes drilled in the guitar body Make sure thatthe 13 pin jack is oriented the same way as planned when making the mounting hole as itis notsymmetrical and cannot be reversed 180 degrees Attach the 13 pin jack plate to the guitar body using the four small wood screws supplied 46 Connecting Hexpander to 13 pin jack Plug the Interface Wiring Harness ribbon cable into the header pins on 13 pin jack this connection is keyed one pin missing one hole blocked so that it can only be plugged in correctly Feed the harness through the mounting hole and into the control cavity where the Hexpander will be located Traktion Switch The Traktion Switch optimizes the output of the Hexpander for use with either Roland or Axon MIDI converters Reach into the slot on the 13 pin jack plate with a toothpick to slide this tiny switch to match the converter you re using If your converter is a Yamaha or another brand try both positions and u
11. ctrician tape to insulate the board from the cavity shielding In some instances the cavity shielding can ironically cause the ghost system to pick up buzz or hum sometimes even radio stations Because it is a modular system each ghost component comes with a ground wire This abundance of ground wires combined with the pots and switches being grounded through the shielding where they are mounted increases the likelihood of creating a ground loop 74 INSTALLATION NOTES 75 www graphtech com GUITAR LABS hange the way you play we l sales graphtech com
12. determined using the template in this guide Cutoutthistemplateandtapeittoyourguitarwhereyou want the jack Follow the 13 pin jack installation instructions to scribe marks through the template to locate the hole 32 34 This space intentionally left blank for reverse of template Tape the template to the edge of the instrument and mark the center of the circles onto the guitar by tapping through the template into the paint using a center punch and a small hammer Using an Olfa or X Acto knife slice through the template along the edges ofthe inner rectangle etching lines in the paint to mark the edges of the mounting hole Remove the template and make sure these lines connect in the corners this prevents your paint from chipping beyond the scratched lines when you begin drilling 35 Using a 1 16 bit drill the four holes for the mounting screws in the outer most marks to a depth of 1 4 Make these holes perpendicular to the surface Using a 1 8 bit drill the inner four marks to a depth of 1 1 8 defining the four corners of the mounting hole Drill these holes parallel to each other in other words don t drill them perpendicular to the surface as this will make the cavity narrower towards the bottom preventing the 13 pin board from fitting properly Using 3 8 bit drill holes within the inner rectangle to remove most of the wood in the cavity 37 Using a router a Dremel rotary tool or a chisel
13. e length for your installation The second black wire can go to the same lug as the first or be used as a bridge ground if necessary Remove the guitar s 1 4 jack and replace it with the Stereo Switched Jack using the nuts and washers supplied Ring Sleeve Acousti phonic RING TIP Sw w7 Wh Spare Ground Switch Rice Black goes to the sleeve contact Red to the Ring Blue to the Tip and White to the Switch contact which shorts to the Tip contact when the plug is withdrawn from the 1 4 jack When the plug is inserted in the jack these contacts separate and power is supplied to the Acousti Phonic and any other device powered by the red Auxiliary Power lead 59 QuickSwitch for mag both acoustic optional Drill a 1 4 hole in the pick guard or guitar top and mount the QuickSwitch using the nuts and washers supplied Orient the switch according to your preference using the colors of the wires soldered onto the switch to indicate which direction is which Plug the QuickSwitch into the Acousti Phonic or on the pass through pins marked Q Q in the piggyback configuration to select mag both acoustic both magnetic acoustic Quick Switch Blue Red Acousti phonic 60 Connecting Pickups to Acousti Phonic Plug the six blue and silver wires from the pickups into the Summing Board with all the blue wires on the same side and all the silver wires on the other Plug the dual connector into the Acoust
14. ew or all of the optional controls both piezo Quick Switch 13 pin Output Jack Will it work with my guitar The ghost system is designed to fit most guitars and basses Installing it requires replacing the saddles on your bridge with compatible ghost pickup saddles Graph Tech makes these for Strat and Tele style guitars guitars with Tune O matic style bridges like Gibson and Epiphone Wilkinson PRS P bass Jazz bass and any menaa bass that can accept o PE a Hipshot A style Eu uA ee bridge or ABM saddles Floyd Rose Original and Licensed bridges can be replaced with our pickup loaded ghost LB63 bridge Some installations can be done without altering the instrument at all while others will require drilling notching or routing This depends on the components you choose and the design of your particular instrument 6 Introducing modular components Modular means that the ghost system s components can be plugged into each other in different combinations to create different systems Once you ve selected pickup saddles to fit your guitar these can be connected to the Acousti Phonic for authentic acoustic sound from your electric guitar or to the Hexpander to interface with MIDI and virtual instruments Or both the Acousti Phonic and Hexpander can be piggybacked together You can
15. g the components into each other and lay them out on top of the guitar to decide the location of each component Look for space conflicts with adjacent components especially the parts of the magnetic pickup system already in your guitar Make sure that the harness wires are long enough to reach the location of each component Remember that any of A the optional controls can be added to the system later if you ve left space for it but drilling a hole in the wrong place can be hard to hide Some routing may be required to fit the components in your particular instrument Locating Ghost Components The ghost boards are small about the size of a match box so they will fit inside the control cavity of most guitars without any routing You must decide which arrangement is best for your particular instrument Pots and QuickSwitches To locate pots and switches lay out their flat washers on the top of the guitar and arrange them until they look right then trace the center of each washer to mark where to drill the hole Before you drill make sure there is room for the component inside the cavity behind the mark 17 Extension harness optional Like an extension cord it allows you to locate the pickups further away from the ghost boards For some installations this may be necessary while for others it may make the installation neater or more convenient It can be used with both the Hexpander and the Acoust
16. h When plugging into the Summing Board for Acousti phonic only installations the pickups can go in any order Signal ground color code The silver wire is signal the blue wire is ground If you can t tell which is which try holding the wire at a different angle or in a different light Summing Board Connects all the saddle pickup signal wires together and all the ground wires together then the Dual Connector Cable a small wire with a plug on each end connects the Summing Board to the Acousti Phonic Note the Summing Board and Dual Connector Cable are not used when installing the Hexpander or when the Hexpander is piggybacked on the Acousti phonic Extension harness optional Use the colored wire on the Extension Harness to make sure it is oriented properly extending the pickup wires without reversing them The blue wires of the pickups must be connected to the ground side on the ghost boards 43 Seating and setup Ghost saddles are designed to be set up just like the regular saddles they replaced For optimum performance make sure that both height adjustment screws are set so that the saddle pickup is level Strat Tele and PRS and that the string is not obstructed in any way as it passes over or through the saddle Mechanical interference near the saddle can cause string balance problems or false MIDI triggering On ResoMax bridge installations adjust the height of the tail piece so that the strings do not con
17. i Phonic Dual Connector Extension Cable Harness p ES Acousti Phonic 28 cy Hexpander Summing Board Hexpander and 13 pin Jack The 13 pin jack that comes with the Hexpander can be mounted on the edge on the front or on the back of the instrument Edge mounting requires a rectangular hole and the included 13 pin jack plate while front and rear mounting can either use the jack plate or a round hole The Hexpander board can be located in the control cavity but it must not touch any electrical components or shielding HK 7 8 1 16 0 uL B 68888888 ns Output Jack Hole Size Rear Mount lt 1 E Output Jack Cavity Size Edge or Front Mount with jack plate 19 Acousti Phonic amp 9v battery The 9v battery that powers the Acousti Phonic may require some routing to fit it inside your guitar Consider these possible locations for the battery the side wall of the cavity the back wall behind the pots or stuck to the control cavity cover plate The Hexpander does not require a 9v battery because it will get power from the MIDI converter through the 13 pin jack Front Wall Side Wall Cover Plate 20 Acoustic volume convert stack or drill The Acousti Phonic requires a pot to control the level of the acoustic sound but none is included Choose one of these three methods to add an acoustic volume to your guitar f
18. i phonic on the pins marked PIN pickup in with the dark blue wire on the ground away from the label Plug the other end of the Dual Connector Cable into the Summing Board with the dark blue wire on the same side as the blue pickup wires and the grey wire on the same side as the silver wires Gain Adjustment The Acousti Phonic has a blue and white trim pot that can be adjusted with a small screw driver to match the level of the as COUSTIC GAIN acoustic output to the level of the magnetic pickups Clockwise increases the gain Turning it all the way counter dockwise does not turn the acoustic signal to zero PIGGYBACK CONNECTOR 61 Battery Power A battery is required to power the Acousti Phonic The magnetic signal has to go through the Acousti Phonic for blending purposes so if the battery is removed or dead there will be no output from the 1 4 jack not even magnetic pickups In normal use this battery lasts 500 hours which means changing it twice a year will ensure that it never goes dead Always unplug the cable from the 1 4 jack to conserve battery life when not using the guitar Connect the Battery Clip Harness red black a short red to the battery and insert the battery into the metal holder Locate the battery along the side or back wall of the control cavity or on the cavity cover plate Make sure the wiring harness will reach the Acousti Phonic then peel and stick the Battery Holder to the chosen l
19. ling the Hexpander the board can be inserted through the hole you make in the edge of the guitar for the 13 pin jack RouriNc DRILLING AND NoTCHING Some modification of the guitar body may be required to install the ghost system in your instrument The modification required depends on the design of your instrument and the ghost components you ve chosen to install 25 Required Tools Electric drill and 5 16 bit 12 long recommended for drilling hole between cavities and starting 13 pin jack hole 9 32 bit for adding optional pots 5 64 bit for 13 pin jack mounting plate holes and 1 4 bit for installing optional QuickSwitches Small round needle file for pick guard notches Screw driver for changing saddles and setting intonation Phillips screw driver for removing pick guard or cavity cover Soldering iron 25W for Acousti Phonic 1 4 jack and acoustic volume pot harnesses Wire stripper cutter 3 8 chisel for shaping 13 pin jack hole Olfa or X Acto knife Masking tape Optional Tools Dremel and 1 8 cutting bit for pick guard notches Router and 3 8 bit for shaping 13 pin jack hole 26 Required Tools EA Optional Tools Reversible installation If you have a vintage instrument and its value may be affected by modifications or if you want to try the ghost system before committing to the modifications required you can do a reversible installation A ghost system installed this
20. ment with the 1 4 Stereo Switched Jack that comes with the Acousti Phonic In some instances the jack is recessed in a hole that is too small In this case enlarge the recessed hole to 7 8 diameter The mounting hole for the Stereo Switched Jack is 3 8 diameter 9v battery Usually you can find room for the 9v battery in the existing control cavity If your instrument s cavity is too small too full of other electronics you can either enlarge the cavity or create a cavity the size and shape of the battery underneath the pick guard 40 INSTALLING GHosT MopuLAR COMPONENTS Saddles Ghost saddles are made of our patented String Saver composite material which is rugged and durable The pickup wires however are delicate and must be handled gently during installation Pickup Wires Route the wires so that they are not flexed sharply or excessively andare not abraded by the edges of holes they must pass through When setting the saddle height avoid lowering it so much that it crushes the wire or bends it sharply On some guitars a neck pocket shim must be added to maintain sufficient saddle height Correct Wrong d Neck Pocket Shim 41 Color code The ghost saddle pickups are all identical and can be installed in any string position If you are installing the Hexpander and you must feed the wires through a hole from one cavity to another you may need to mark the wire ends to be able to tell which is whic
21. ocation The Acousti Phonic is designed to operate on 9v or 18v and the same batteries that power it can also power active pickups or another on board device by using the short red Auxiliary Power Lead Ground the active magnetic pickups using any of 62 the black ground wires on the harnesses These ground wires will all be lifted from the battery negative when the 1 4 plug is removed from the Stereo Switched Jack powering off both the Acousti Phonic and the active pickups or other accessory Connecting battery to Acousti Phonic Plug in the battery harness last and make absolutely certain that the black wire is alone on the ground row of pins and the two red wires are on the row with the other colored wires Plugging this in incorrectly may damage the ghost boards The battery harness connector spans the two pin rows labeled PWR power and BAT battery 63 Acousri PHONIC CONNECTION DIAGRAM Piezo Saddles Summing Board Vue Silvey yellow purple MAG VOLUME VOLUME green a M WES Switched Jack SW white red power for GND active pickups only unused red wire if no active mag pickups 9v Battery Clip both mag piezo Quick Switch HEADER PINS TRIM POT blue red GROUND ROW all black wires to adjust ro ROW all colored wires piezo gain Dual Connector 0
22. or the ghost system Convert Mag Tone Pot to Acoustic Volume For the basic installation convert one of your tone pots into the acoustic volume using the supplied wiring harness This avoids drilling a hole in your guitar to add an acoustic volume pot Before installing ghost Eu After installing ghost 21 Replace a Pot with a Stacked Pot If you prefer to keep your tone control you can also avoid drilling a hole for the acoustic volume pot by replacing one of your pots with a stacked or concentric pot You may choose to group the magnetic and acoustic volume pots together on the concentric pot or group your magnetic volume and tone on the concentric and convert one of the single pots into the acoustic volume using the supplied wiring harness Outer shaft controls top pot GQ CS A Center shaft controls bottom pot notsold by Graph Tech available from most guitar parts suppliers 22 Drill a Hole and Add a Pot If you have room to add another pot to your guitar you can drill a hole and add a pot for the acoustic volume You can purchase a 250K or 500K audio taper potentiometer or you can get the ghost Acoustic Volume with Mid Dark Switch from Graph Tech either as a push on push off pot or as a toggle switch You supply ay Bk Harness supplied the pot with Acousti phonic Vi 250k or 500k mid h dark audio taper LJ vi Bu i ak Order harness with You supply
23. or this pin 7 signal so you can still run your mags to your electric guitar amp Electric Guitar Amp Blended Mag and Piezo T 13 pin MIDI Cable MIDI Converter When the Hexpander is piggybacked on the Acousti Phonic the mag to pin 7 harness is not necessary because Acousti phonic passes the acoustic and or magnetic signals to the Hexpander But when you install the Hexpander only adding the mag to pin 7 harness and an acoustic volume control 250K or 500K audio pot provides this feature in the absence of the Acousti Phonic Note that the acoustic sound with the mag to pin 7 harness is the raw acoustic sound and not the true acoustic sound that the Acousti Phonic creates If you want pin 7 to carry just the mag or just the raw piezo signal you can leave the unused wires disconnected and coiled up Sample Control Layout s Here are examples of possible control layouts on Strat style and Les Paul style guitars The ghost system is not just for Strats and Les Pauls and other layouts are possible as are custom controls and output options Visit www graphtech com for more possibilities ia S dem a requires rewiring 3 way switch for master volume and tone PLANNING Your GHosT INSTALLATION Adding a ghost system to your instrument begins with careful planning Decide which optional controls suit the music you make and choose locations that are convenient for you To begin plu
24. r nearest the edge of the board It will span the pins labeled PMGVM with the colored wires nearest the labels and the black wires on the ground row Piezo Volume MM Bk A Hexpander y A Y G P Og Mag Volume ak Mag pickups m P nn e Gn E eeeee e 55 Acousti Phonic Locate the Acousti Phonic where it can accept plug in connections from the 1 4 jack the saddle pickups the battery and options if applicable Attachit usingtheselfadhesivefoamtapeon the back to the side orback of the control cavity orto the inside of the cover plate Acoustic volume and magnetic input The Basic Acousti Phonic does not include a volume pot but instead a wiring harness is provided to convert one of your tone controls into the Acoustic Volume Pot The Advanced Kit includes the Acoustic Volume with Mid Dark Switch complete with harness or you can order it as a separate item The pot you convert should be either 250k or 500k to work properly with the Acousti Phonic If you would like to operate the Acousti Phonic without a volume pot you can install the wiring harness only and get acoustic output always at full volume Solder the purple and yellow wires together and coil up the black wire and leave it unused 56 Piezo Volume M Bk Acousti phonic 250k or 500k audio taper Mag Volume To convert your tone control to an acoustic volume control begin by unsoldering and removing any wires or components
25. radius 60006600 DO NOT FILE GHOSTe SADDLES 2 not sold by Graph Tech available from most guitar parts suppliers 69 Missing Pins keyed connections To prevent critical connections from being plugged in the wrong way somepins have been clipped on the Hexpander the 13 pin Jack board and the Acousti Phonic Corresponding holes are blocked on the plug in connectors so that they can only go together correctly In this diagram the black squares indicate pins that are missing 3 a 15 v gt Note Died omami minas tem adis Hexpander Acousti phonic 70 String ground to prevent hum Because ghost saddles are non conductive on some guitars this can isolate the strings from the grounded bridge and cause them to pick up hum This often needs to be addressed on Les Pauls and other guitars with Tune O Matic style bridges induding ResoMax bridges To ground the strings run a ground wire to the post of the tail piece or other string anchor point On guitars where the strings are anchored in metal ferrules pressed into the wood each ferrule must be grounded individually This may take some creativity and skill to do invisibly Tune O Matic ground ResoMax ground 098 71 Ground Loops Ground loops cause your guitar to pick up annoying hum or buzz sometimes even radio stations and can be difficult to troubleshoot The best strategy is to choose a cent
26. ral ground point usually the back of one of the pots and make all other ground wires join here in a star pattern Avoid creating E E E EZ EZ CERO 00 GOOD loops in other words don t run a ground wire from the first component to the second to the third and back to the first 72 Sometimes a loop can be formed accidentally through cavity shielding or another conductive component If you re experiencing problems think like an electron and see if theres more than one way to get back to true ground If you find several paths eliminate them until there is only one wire to take you home Pot amp switch mounting hole diameters Pots 9 32 QuickSwitches 1 4 Stereo Switched Jack 3 8 recess in 7 8 hole if necessary Shielded cavity caveat To improve noise immunity the walls of the control cavity are sometimes shielded either with metal foil or conductive paint usually grey or black This conductive shielding can sometimes cause problems for the ghost system The ghost boards are not coated or insulated so they must not touch the cavity shielding Mounting the boards on the shielding is okay as long as the foam tape on the back of the Acousti phonic board keeps the board separated from the shielding If you find it difficult to install the ghost boards with space around them to prevent touching the shielding after you ve plugged in the pickups and all other connections wrap the board s in ele
27. remove the remaining wood to edges of the marked rectangle to a depth of 1 1 8 Be careful not to enlarge the mounting hole beyond the lines as the jack plate fits quite precisely to these dimensions Remember this cavity does not have to be neat and smooth as it will be hidden completely by the jack plate b Drill through the back of this cavity to join it to the main control cavity where the Hexpander will be located Two 5 16 holes side by side makes a slot wide enough for the ribbon cable to fit through 38 Enlarging the control cavity In most cases no enlargement of the cavity is required to install the main Hexpander board Guitars with small cavities like Telecasters or guitars with a lot of electronics already installed may require some routing to make room for the Hexpander Curving the Jack Plate The jack plate can easily be curved to conform to the surface of the edge of the instrument where the 13 pin jack is to be mounted An even curve can be achieved by placing the jack plate face up on hard surface with a sharp edge anvil or machinist s vice is ideal and moving the jack plate progressively over the edge while tapping the jack plate against the edge with a soft face mallet The edge will make lines on the back of the jack plate but the face will be smooth Acousti Phonic Stereo switched Jack no routing required Usually no routing is required to replace the 1 4 jack in your instru
28. s separately using a stereo to two mono Y cable For example run your magnetic pickups through a crunchy guitar amp and your acoustic sound through a clean system Acoustic Amp Electric Guitar Amp Acoustic Magnetic Magnetic Acoustic Ground STEREO MODE 10 QuickSwitch functions Two three position switches provide fast intuitive switching between all possible sound combinations any one sound any combination of two or all three at the same time Without the switches you can mute any of the signals by turning the volume down but with a QuickSwitch you can instantly turn a sound off or on at the volume level you have chosen MIDI Acousti phonic both Hexpander QuickSwitch QuickSwitch acoustic both What s on the Acousti phonic magnetic QuickSwitch The QuickSwitches are SPDT on off on type switches They cannot be replaced with on on on type switches or Les Paul pickup selector switches QuickSwitches are available from Graph Tech only in silver color Note that the Hexpander QuickSwitch does not control the signals on the Stereo Switched jack but does control the three signals on the 13 pin jack 11 Hexpander only and mag to pin 7 This option lets you run your acoustic and or magnetic signals down pin number 7 of the 13 pin cable plugged into the Hexpander so you don t need a 1 4 cable attached to your guitar Most MIDI converters have two 1 4 outputs on the back one for MIDI and one f
29. se the one that works best ROLAND AXON 48 Connecting Pickups to the Hexpander Plug the six blue and silver wires from the pickups into the Hexpander on the pin pairs labeled 1 2 3 4 5 6 with the Silver wires nearest the labels and the blue wires on the ground row according to the order for your instrument 6 string guitar EBGDEA 123456 4 string bass GDEA 2345 5 string bass GDEAB 23456 6 string bass CGDEAB 123456 49 HEXPANDER CONNECTION DIAGRAM String Assignments for Guitar and Bass Piezo Number of Strings 4 5 6 Saddles silver 5 hE piue NA G G B o MAG D D G VOLUME yellow Quick Program GND 1 4 Stereo Switch Switch Jack Ted white black acoustic both up down 50 Summing Board and Dual Connector are not used for Hexpander only and Piggyback installations Hexpander MIDI interface board 13 pin Hexaphonic Output Jack dimensions 1 1 8 x 1 5 8 x 1 2 fits hole 1 x 1 1 4 x 1 1 4 deep L HEADER PINS SIGNAL ROW all colored wires Interface Wiring Harness GROUND ROW all black wires ribbon connector Piggyback connections Traktion to Acousti phonic Switch 51 Program Up Down Switch optional Drill a 1 4 hole in the pick guard or guitar top and mount the switch using the nuts and washers supplied Orient the Switch as desired pushing the toggle towards the violet wire scrolls up and
30. tact the bridge behind the saddles The ghost ResoMax bridge must be installed with the intonation screws facing away from the tail piece or string anchor points Reversing the bridge will reduce the string vibration sensed by the saddle pickups Strats Teles PRS ees quu EE Correct Wrong EE G43 aN Les Pauls Epiphones Hexpander Locate the Hexpander where it can accept plug in connections from the 13 pin jack the saddle pickups and the battery and options if applicable When piggybacking with the Acousti Phonic mountthe pair of boards on the cavity wall or rear cover plate using the self adhesive foam supplied with the Acousti Phonic For Hexpander only installations the Hexpander can be left suspended inside the control cavity as the rigidity of the ribbon cable and other wires will stabilize it sufficiently If there is any possibility of the Hexpander coming into contact with cavity shielding or other electrical components wrap the Hexpander in electrical tape to insulate it or add two layers of adhesive foam to the back of the Hexpander board and mountit to the cavity wall or rear cover plate 45 13 pin jack After the mounting hole has been routed and the 13 pin jack plate has been curved to conform to the edge of the guitar see instructions in the Routing Drilling and Notching section of this manual bolt the 13 pin jack plate to the 13 pin jack using the supplied nuts bolts and lo
31. way may not be as neat or as convenient but you can return the instrument to its original condition if you choose to remove the ghost system Strats and Teles Install the pickups without notching the pick guard The pick guard will remain slightly raised over the wires and the wires will not be evenly spaced Or you can order a replacement pick guard set your original pick guard aside and drill and notch the replacement Converting your tone control by soldering the supplied wiring harness is reversible 13 pin jack mountitin a replacement pick guard or rear cover plate Acoustic Volume You can omit the volume pot and connect the yellow and purple wires together and operate the Acousti Phonic at full volume 28 Saddles Notching the pick guard or pickup ring The wires on the ghost saddles must go into the control cavity to plug into the Hexpander or into the Acousti Phonic via the Summing Board and Dual Connector Cable Cutting six small notches beneath the bridge side of the pick guard or pickup ring letsthe wires enter an existing cavity neatly and without modifying the body Notches can be cut with a Dremel type rotary tool or by hand with a needle file Remove the pick guard or pickup ring from the instrument body for this operation We recommend removing the pickup from the pickup ring to prevent damaging the pickup Notched Pick Guard Notched Pickup Ring 2 9 Slotting the base plate optional Slotting
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