L.R. Baggs Ctrl-X: Installation Manual & User's Guide
Contents
1. CTRL X INSTALLATION MANUAL amp USER S GUIDE CR agen 483 N FRONTAGE RD NiIPOMO CA 93444 1 PACKAGE CONTENTS WWW LRBAGGS COM One 1 nine pin output jack One 1 battery clip with foam pad One 1 cable tie One 1 470 pf capacitor One 1 black switch button One 1 white switch button Mounting hardware 2 0OVERVIEW AND CAUTIONS The following instructions are for a traditional Strat with three knobs and a 5 way switch It is recommended that installers perform a dry run through the entire procedure before cutting or drilling We recommend that this system be installed by a professional dealer installer We do not provide installation advice or support for home or hobbyist installations Installers please read the instructions carefully before proceeding We will not be responsible for any damage to the guitar or personal injury resulting from installation use or misuse of the product 3 INSTALLATION 1 If you do not already have an X Bridge in your guitar install one according to the installation instructions that come with the bridge Remove the middle tone pot and its wire to the 5 way switch as stated in the instructions but do not install the 5 meg volume pot or stereo jack The only soldering connection to make at this time is to put a jumper between the two lugs on the 5 way switch that go to the tone pots also stated in the instructions 2 If you already have an X Bridge with passive wiring unhook the connections2. and pull the braid through the circuit board hole as far as it will go before soldering it Clip any long wire ends after soldering and make sure the clippings don t end up in the cavity to short things out later 13 After you ve completed the soldering bundle the three wires together with the cable tie provided in the kit Tighten the cable tie around the three wires about one inch away from the circuit board This ensures that the insulation for the X Bridge coax will not slip back and expose the bare braid and helps to keep the wires under control Caution finger tighten only Using pliers to tighten the cable may cut the insulation causing a short Clip off the excess cable tie see figure 6 14 Solder the black wire from the output jack to the volume pot ground and the red wire from the jack to the volume pot wiper middle lug Resolder the wire from the lower tone pot to the 5 way switch If there is enough length run it behind the Ctrl X circuit fig 2 step 5 Modification to the jack cavity va fig 3 outside view toggle switch centered on 5 position switch push button switch fig 4 inside view 5 way switch tone pot 1 5 way switch 2 Sway toggle switch 5 Vol pot 4 Push button switch 5 Circuit board 6 Ctrl X pot 7 Tone pot amp Mag hot wires 9 Mag ground wires 2 10 Orange wires to CW lug on Vol pot 11 Red wires from circuit board to toggle
3. from the 5 meg volume pot and remove the pot Unsolder the wires that come from the output jack into the control cavity in a regular Strat there will be two On the passive X Bridge hookup there will be three 3 Unscrew the jack plate and remove the jack from the plate Unsolder the ground wire from the bridge it usually goes from the volume pot case through the hole to the spring cavity so the pickguard will come completely off the guitar 4 Completely remove the wire that runs from the 5 way switch to the CW clockwise lug of the Volume control You should also temporarily unsolder one end of the wire that goes from the lower tone pot to the 5 way switch to give yourself more room to work Figure 1 shows all the wiring you will need to remove 5 Now replace the old output jack with the one that comes in the Ctrl X kit You will most likely need to do some woodworking in the jack cavity to make room for the new jack see figure 2 which is slightly larger than the original jack Use a Dremel router or chisel to extend the inside of the cavity toward the bridge by about 1 2 Make sure the large nut on the jack bushing is tight feed the jack wires through the hole into the control cavity and replace the jack plate screws wire from pot case fig 1 steps 1 4 6 Drill a 1 4 hole in the pickguard for the toggle switch The correct position for this hole is between the 5 way switch and volume knob centered on the 5 way switc
4. replace the rest of the pickguard screws and you re done see following page for more figures and user s guide 1 Ground wire to spring cavity 2 Yellow wire from output jack 3 White wire from output jack 4 Coax wire from X Bridge with insulator 5 Black wire from jack to vol pot case Red wire from jack to vol pot wiper 7 Re connected tone pot wire bend up the center lug of the tone pot to avoid shorting out the circuit board fig 9 final adjustments Trim pot adjuster is shaped like an arrow to indicate position fig 8 step 15 Pickguard 1 Phase switch 2 Volume level trim pot 5 USER S GUIDE Advantages of Ctrl X Magnetic pickups remain passive at all times Even when mixed with the active X Bridge signal your stock magnetics are unchanged Onboard massive mixing A stereo Y cable and two amps are no longer necessary in order to mix the magnetic and X Bridge pickups together Simply use the pan pot in mono mode to determine how much of each signal is in the mix Two guitars in one A stereo mode is available at the push of a button for sonic adventurers Send your X Bridge and magnetic signals to two different channels or amps for the ultimate in control and sound shaping possibilities for instance add distortion to your magnetics while keeping the X Bridge signal clean for a more acoustic sound Onboard phase control The phase Trim pot adjuster is relationship o
5. sw 2 12 White wire to 5 way from toggle sw fig 5 steps 9 10 amp 11 15 Ground wire from circuit board to pot case 14 Pot case ground wire bend up the center lug of the tone pot to avoid shorting out the circuit board fig 6 steps 12 13 amp 14 Slate a gE Hiner coax wire sleeve insulator wire tie X Bridge braided wire X Bridge hot wire wire wire tie board so it will not be in the way of the little trim pot and switch that are from output jack on the board you will be adjusting these soon eee yellow wire tie from output jack 15 To install the battery clip in the cavity first make sure the surface of the oe cavity is clean of oil dust or solder flux Then place the battery in the clip remove the backing from the adhesive pad and press them down into the cavity with the battery connectors facing away from the bridge as shown in figure 8 Attach the battery snap the wires coming off the battery should exit upward phase switch volume level trim pot 16 Fold the wire harnesses into the cavity as you close the pickguard assembly like the cover of a book You may need to open it and close it a push button few times to tuck the wires into their places switch plunger Trim pot adjuster is shaped like an arrow to indicate position 17 At this time screw the pickguard down with only a couple of the screws leaving all of the screws surrounding the control cavity off There is a phase switc
6. d is replaced TO conserve battery life unplug the guitar when it is not in use Remember if the guitar is plugged in Ctrl X is on whether you re playing it or not
7. f the X Bridge and the i l magnetic pickups is an important shaped like an arrow to factor in the quality of the mixed indicate position sound Under your pickguard on the Ctrl X circuit board is a tiny switch that controls the phase of the X Bridge pickup This should have been set by the professional who installed your Ctrl X but feel free to experiment Pickguard Ctrl X provides an all discrete class A preamp for the X Bridge signal Feel free to send this noiseless user friendly signal directly to a PA or amp without losing the rich tonal qualities of the X Bridge C1 Phase switch 2 Volume level trim pot Mono and stereo modes There are two ways to use Ctrl X by selecting mono or stereo mode This function is controlled by the new push button switch located next to the five way switch on the face of the guitar When the button is pushed in mono mode is activated when the button is out you are in stereo mode The five way switch is not affected by the Ctrl X in any way it will continue to function with the magnetic pickups as it always has It will also have no effect when you are using the X Bridge alone Mono mode Use this mode when you just want to plug in and go Use a standard 1 4 guitar cable with the push button switch in the in position The new three position toggle switch determines whether you hear magnetics only a blend of magnetics and X Bridge or the X Bridge only With the to
8. ggle switch in the magnetics only position up and towards the neck the volume knob functions as usual but all magnetic tone functions are combined on the bottom tone knob The center knob will have no function with the toggle switch in this position With the exception of this center knob your guitar should sound and function as it always has before the X Bridge was installed With the toggle switch in the down position the magnetics are shut off and the volume knob now controls the X Bridge volume The two tone knobs have no function You will hear only the X Bridge with the toggle switch in the down position With the toggle switch in the center position you can mix the X Bridge with the passive magnetic pickups The volume knob becomes a master volume and will now control the output of the blend The center tone knob becomes a pan or mix pot Rotating this knob completely clockwise will isolate the active X Bridge pickup rotating the knob completely counterclockwise will isolate the passive magnetics Use this control to determine the ratio of X Bridge to magnetics in the overall sound The bottom tone knob controls the tone for the magnetic pickups only Stereo mode In stereo mode with the push button in the out position the magnetics and X Bridge signals are completely separated from each other You ll need to use a stereo Y cable to access them The magnetic pickup signal is on the tip channel of the stereo jack and the X Bridge s
9. h and volume knob centered on the 5 way Both tone pot output wires switch about 5 8 away from it ea Ss measured from center to center see figure 3 Before you drill hold the toggle switch up to the inside of the pickguard 5 8 away from the 5 way to make sure the bodies of the two switches will clear each other The toggle switch should not be any farther than 3 4 away from the 5 way slot or it may hit the battery when the whole thing is assembled Start with a 1 16 pilot hole and recheck the location before drilling the real hole CW lug vol pot from volume pot wiper Tone pot output wire wire from pot case round wires de soldered from tone pot case de solder spring cavity ground Remove output jack hot wire Remove output jack ground 7 To position the hole for the push button switch temporarily in stall the Ctrl X pot and circuit board in the hole where the middle tone pot used to be Center the pot in the hole with the circuit board parts facing the outside edge of the pickguard as shown in figure 4 Be sure that the edges of the circuit board aren t touching the 5 way switch or the bottom of the tone pot With the push button switch in the out position it will almost touch the pickguard Trace around the switch plunger remove the Ctrl X assembly and drill a 1 16 pilot hole where the center of the plunger will be Hold the Ctrl X assembly in place and make sure the switch can still be centered on the p
10. h and a level control on the circuit board that you need to access by lifting up the lower corner of the pickguard before the job is complete If this is a new X Bridge installation go back to the X Bridge installation instructions and finish setting up your bridge then come back to this manual for the final adjustment of the Ctrl X 4 FINAL ADJUSTMENTS Lift up the pickguard until you can see the Ctrl X circuit board as shown in figure 9 In the upper left corner of the board there is a small trim pot Make sure the white arrow is set to about the 2 00 position a small Phillips screwdriver works well Set the push button switch to the in position mono mode and the toggle switch to the middle mix position Plug into an amp using a regular guitar cord Turn the volume pot and lower tone pot to 10 and play Turn the mix pot middle pot from 1 to 10 while playing You should hear the magnetic pickups when the mix is on 1 and the X Bridge when it is on 10 If you hear a drop in volume in the middle of the mix pot s range the X Bridge and magnetic pickups are out of phase Lift the pickguard and flip the little phase switch You may wish to flip this switch a couple of times to make sure you have it in the best position Finally adjust the X Bridge volume with the trim pot on the circuit board With this adjustment you can make the overall output level of the X Bridge either quieter louder or the same as the magnetic pickups Set it to your liking
11. hase relationship between the two is not important When playing in Mono mode where the two signals are mixed together on the guitar phase may have a big effect in the quality of the mixed sound The optimum phase for the X Bridge may be readily confirmed by experimenting with the two positions of the tiny slide switch on the Ctrl X circuit board under your pickguard To change the phase of the X Bridge simply remove the pickguard screws around the control cavity and life the pickguard up enough to have access to the Ctrl X circuit board You ll see the tiny slide switch next to where the battery snap is soldered This is the phase switch In stereo mode when using two separate amps there should be no phase conflicts but be sure to place the speakers as far apart as the Y cable will allow for the best performance However if you plan to send the two signals into two channels of the same amp please read on The only outboard phase conflict you may face is when you are playing in stereo mode using two channels of the same amp Surprisingly there is no set standard for phase relationship between adjacent channels in the same amp In this situation the magnetic and X Bridge signals may be competing with each other for the same speakers If the two channels are out of phase with each other this may result in a weak blended sound If this happens you will need to change the phase of the X Bridge when playing with this setup Now if you find yourself us
12. ignal is on the ring channel The X Bridge signal from Ctrl X is active and can be sent directly to a PA without losing the lows and richness the X Bridge provides You can send the two signals to separate amp channels volume pedals effects EQs or even two different amps This setup will give you the most control and flexibility to customize your sound We recommend that you do not plug both signals into a single channel of a combo amp If you happen to bump the push button switch while playing in stereo mode accidentally switching the guitar to mono mode you may be in for a surprise depending on where the controls are set Remember the controls are different in mono and stereo modes With the toggle switch in the up or magnetics only position the volume knob controls the volume and the lower tone knob controls the magnetic tone The center knob has no function With the toggle switch in the down or X Bridge position the center knob becomes the volume control for the X Bridge and the other two knobs have no function With the toggle switch in the center position the volume pot controls the magnetic pickup volume the center knob becomes the X Bridge volume and the lower tone knob controls the tone for the magnetics As you may have noticed there is no EQ control for the X Bridge any EQ you want to add should be done outboard of the guitar Phase If you intend to play using only the X Bridge or the magnetics at any given time the p
13. ilot hole Then drill the real hole A 15 64 bit is preferred however you can use a 1 4 bit although this may look a bit large Gently de burr the outside of the hole using a countersink held in the hand 8 Now install the Ctrl X assembly The pot should go directly against the pickguard on the inside and the washer and nut on the outside Finger tighten the assembly Center the switch plunger over its hole and add the button we ve provided a choice of white or black Then tighten the nut making sure the button stays centered in its hole On some guitars the Ctrl X circuit board will come close to one lug of the lower tone pot If it does bend the lug a bit to make sure nothing will short out 9 Figure 5 shows the wiring for the following three steps Solder the black ground wire from the circuit board to the volume pot case Run the orange output wire to the CW lug of the volume pot but don t solder it yet 10 Install the toggle switch Remove the decorative nut from the threaded bushing and adjust the remaining nut and lock washer so that the bushing sticks out of the hole by about 2 or 3 threads this is enough for the decorative nut to catch the threads and tighten If the bushing sticks up too far the decorative nut will bottom out before the switch is tight in its hole Move the inside nut out a bit and try again Before you tighten the nut all the way position the switch on the underside of the pickguard so the side with
14. ing different outboard equipment and you prefer the one amp two channels setup the phase relationship will likely become chop suey and you ll probably never be able to detect phase conflicts However if you do want phase control each time you play through a different amp switching phase on the guitar will become a chore In these instances we highly recommend our Para D I outboard preamp which has a readily accessible phase switch and five band EQ Ground loopsif you are using two amps and hear a hum chances are you have a ground loop These should be handled by using standard studio ground loop elimination techniques Trim pot Next to the phase switch on the Ctrl X circuit board is a trim pot You can use this to control the output level of the magnetics This should be a control that only needs to be set once but feel free to experiment A small screwdriver works well for adjusting this Battery Ctrl X should provide approximately 1000 hours of play time per nine volt battery When you start to hear unwanted amounts of distortion on the X Bridge signal during hard strumming replace the battery Even if the battery is totally dead the stock guitar is always available by flipping the three way switch to magnetics only To change the battery simply remove the pickguard screws to gain access to the control cavity and replace the single 9V with a new none Be sure the new battery is secured in its clip and will not rattle around once the pickguar
15. three wires is closest to the 5 way switch This is necessary so that each position on the switch up middle and down functions the way it is explained in the owner s manual 11 Solder the white wire from the toggle switch to the 5 way switch output the same lug from which you removed the original wire to the volume control Solder the orange wire from the toggle switch to the CW lug of the volume control along with the orange wire from the PC board Both orange wires go to the same lug Solder the ground wire from the other two pot cases to the Ctrl X pot case It will be necessary to first scrape some of the yellow finish from the side of the pot for the solder to stick to it 12 The following three steps are shown in figures 6 and 7 Now with the guitar on its back lay the pickguard next to it open book fashion and resolder the main ground wire from the spring cavity to one of the pot cases You will need to solder three wires to the circuit board The solder pads are located in the upper right hand corner of the board away from the 5 way switch First solder the yellow wire from the output jack to the lowest of the three pads labeled Y then the white wire from the jack to the next one up labeled W and the X Bridge coax to the top connections with the box around them See figure 6 The braid of the coax goes to the largest hole and the inner hot wire to the small one next to it Be sure the sleeve insulator is on the coax
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