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My 1999 RainSong WS1000 shipped with a factory-installed LR Baggs OnBoard Element . It is a perfectly suitable pickup system, especially for high volume stage performance. However, a few years later, the "barn door" style preamp on this guitar suffered damage from an airline (mis-) handling encounter.
Factory-Installed LR Baggs OnBoard Element
I just happened to have a brand new LR Baggs Anthem StagePro available. In order to replace the Onboard Element with the Anthem Stage Pro preamp / pickup system, I had to modify the opening in the side of the guitar.
NOTE : This is a one-way trip - it is NOT reversible.
This article only applies to the older OnBoard Element which featured a larger form factor. When Baggs released the newer Stagepro Element, they unified the opening size requirement, making it possible to swap between the Stagepro Element and the Anthem StagePro without modifying the guitar. Prior to making any modifications to your own guitar, it would be advisable to verify which model of preamp(s) you have.
The additional internal near-field microphone included with the Anthem, along with the accompanying changes to the preamp provides for a more pleasing, more "acoustic" sound than I can get from the under saddle transducer alone. And yes, the very technology that provides for a more natural acoustic sound also makes the system more susceptible to feedback, especially at really high volumes. But I don't need to play that loud with this guitar.
Both the OnBoard Element and the StagePro Anthem are designed to mount from the inside of the guitar, protrude through and opening, and be held in place by a retainer ring, an escutcheon plate.
Preamps and their Retaining Rings
The section of the (factory-installed) OnBoard Element preamp designed to protrude through the side of the guitar is much larger than the corresponding protruding section of the Anthem StagePro. The retaining ring of the Anthem StagePro (the replacement pickup) is almost identical to the size of the opening alreay cut into the guitar for the OnBoard Element.
The Existing Opening
Existing Opening for OnBoard Element
I made an attempt to secure the Anthem's smaller retainer ring around the Element's larger opening. I didn't feel confident with the results.
Even if I was to successfully secure the retainer ring, such that the slightest impact didn't send the entire preamp crashing down into the guitar body, I cannot hide the four (4) screws holes.
I had a thought: What if I was to create a reducer plate that would rest on the exterior of the guitar, covering the existing opening as well as the screw holes, and cut an opening in that new plate to be just large enough to house the Anthem StagePro?
The Reducer
I could quickly mock up a reducing plate using thin craft plywood. The first step was to size the reducer appropriately.
In my example, it ended up being 3″ wide and 4.25″ long. Those dimensions were determined as an average of what was necessary to span the existing hole in the guitar, provide sufficient support for the new preamp, and look somewhat like it belonged. I gently contoured both ends of the wood following the contour of the stage pro housing ring for a pleasing appearance.
The Reducer
The flexible housing ring that is supplied with the Stage Pro must ride atop the reducer as opposed to mounting directly to the guitar, so the next step was to cut an opening in the reducer to fit that ring. This involved making a paper template to trace the opening, drilling a hole, fitting a coping saw blade through it and removing the interior wood.
The dimensions for the opening are 1-57/64″ (4.8 cm) wide by 2-3/4″ (7 cm) long.
The Reducer with Sized Opening
Resize the Opening
I had a problem!
As far as flush-mounted cutout requirements are concerned, the (replacement) StagePro Anthem has a smaller footprint than the (factory-installed) OnBoard Element. However, I had created a reducer plate to securely house the new (smaller) preamp, and that plate mounts to the exterior of the guitar. In order to have the Anthem sit flush against the new plate , it was actually necessary to enlarge the existing hole!
If I was installing the Anthem into a new guitar, the new preamp would sit flush against the inside of the side of the guitar and require a MUCH smaller opening. In my case, due to the fact that a hole is pre-existing (a "wrongly-sized" hole), the new preamp needs to sit flush against the inside of the back of the reducer. The reducer rides on top of the side of the guitar, and the Anthem housing ring is sized in depth to accommodate the thickness of a guitar side (effectually sandwiching the guitar side between the housing ring and the preamp), not a guitar side plus the thickness of a reducer.
I was careful to support the side material of the guitar while I used a file and some sandpaper to remove just enough material for the preamp to wedge into the opening. The entire housing of the Anthem StagePro preamp, not just the section designed to protrude through a small cutout, had to be able to fit inside that new opening.
The Enlarged Opening
If I juxtapose the two (2) openings side-by-side, you can get a better feel for the necessary modification. See the original bolt holes beneath both openings for perspective.
Before (left) and After (right)
Installation
I fit the Anthem housing ring onto the reducer and drilled four (4) holes to secure the preamp to the plywood reducer plate using a 1/8″ brad point drill. It was necessary to determine a functional and aesthetic placement for the four (4) additional holes that would hold the reducer plate to the guitar body, so I test fit the system and marked the installation position.
Reducer Plate with Holes Drilled
The next step involved drilling four (4) holes in the body of the guitar. I made sure to support the guitar sides while drilling, and used the same 1/8" brad point drill used previously. This allowed me to use #6-32 x 3/8″ long stainless steel bolts with lock nuts to hold the reducer in place. The stainless steel was purely an aesthetic choice; I thought it looked appropriate on this guitar.
Reducer Plate Mounted
The next step was to fit the preamp into place. I reached into the soundhole and pressed the preamp up against the reducer plate.
Fitting the New Preamp
From the outside of the guitar, I set the Anthem housing ring into place and secured it to the preamp with the four (4) provided screws passing through the housing ring, through the reducer, and into the preamp. Perhaps now you can better envision the function of the reducer, and understand why I opted to create it in the first place.
The New Preamp
The New Preamp (Side View)
