FISHMAN MATRIX INFINITY -- NARROW SADDLE
Click on the photos for a larger image.
The photo and drawing above are credited to Fishman.
Pull the saddle out and FIT the transducer (red) in the slot. The slot must be clean and flat. You may want to sand the saddle down to make up for the thickness of the transducer or pickup. Sand on a flat surface. This is the key to the whole thing working. The vibration of the strings on the transducer must be even and flat. My setup was so low that I didn't mind the increase in height.
Use a mechanics mirror to check the brace position under the bridge before you drill. It should be clear.
My Martin guitar had a start drill already for proper position of feeding the transducer wire inside the guitar body. There are specs for where the hole goes. Notice it is away from the string! I put the hole on the Low E string side.
I drilled a hole through the bridge. I use a hand held shop vac periodically as I'm working. Just me.
Feed the wire down inside the guitar body. That loose end is from inside the guitar body. Remove the tape. It will ruin the finish. I left it on long enough to get the work done.
If you are interested in sanding the saddle down a bit, measure twice, sand once. My guitar had very low action so I kept the saddle the same. I play with a capo often so I don't like fret buzz. Each guitar company and individuals have a string height tolerance. I don't want to go there with the measurements. (
String height is defined by the gap between the top of the 12th fret and the bottom of the string.)
Make sure the saddle transducer sits flat in the bridge and place the saddle piece on top of it. Don't tape it like this. I had a camera in the other hand so I put a piece of tape on it to keep it flat.
Pull the end pin out. Slowly start drilling the hole bigger to receive the end pin jack. This method is terrible because it is a tapered hole. Gee, the jack is straight! I had to file the rest of the hole. I wasn't happy with this part. But I didn't want to destroy my guitar with an electric drill.
Keep measuring the end pin jack and hole clearance.
I made a small modification to the battery holder that I like because it stays put and doesn't buzz. The Matrix kit comes with battery bag with Velcro to attach it to the guitar. I don't trust it and I don't want a battery banging around inside.
I cut the battery connector from the kit wiring. Then soldered my battery holder wiring to the kit wiring.
I started getting a picture of where everything would go. Stay with me on the steps here. There is a method to my madness. Notice the preamp (black case) with end pin housing is removed.
Open the preamp body by unscrewing the single
screw on the side opposite the Matrix Infinty logo.
Flip the preamp over so the circuit board remains in
the plastic housing (I took both halves off.)
NOTE: Fasten the transducer pickup wires to the terminal block on
the preamp module. The signal wire goes to the terminal
marked “IN” and the shield wire goes to the
“GND” terminal. Tighten the screws on the terminal
block to secure the wires. Do not shorten the pickup
wire.
The insulated wire is the signal wire where the screw driver is turning the screw. The exposed braid is the ground.
I got a telescopic screwdriver to put in the end pin hole and I taped the end pin jack inside the sound hole. Made feeding it through the guitar easier.
I just taped the two pieces together while I fed it through the end pin.
It worked well.
Before I got too far. I installed the battery.
Install the cord jack into the end pin jack.
You should get a blinking red light. Good to go.
These little brackets have adhesive backing on them. You have to bend the little clip to your liking. It will be applied to the inside side wall of the guitar. Not on the top or bottom of the body.
NOTE: Do not braid or twist all the wires together before putting them into the clips. Just gather them together and put the wires in the clips. This is especially true for the transducer wire that's under the saddle!
Make sure to sand and clean the area and let it dry before applying the clips. There are four clips in the kit. See the photo near the beginning of this process to see where I laid the clip out on the top of the guitar. They didn't exactly end up there but close enough to where the wires were out of the way and secure.
Back to the battery holder. I'm glad you stayed with me here! There is method to the madness. I decided to use 3M adhesive tape and one screw to attach the battery holder to the neck block. I left the paper on the tape which would be the bottom. I didn't want it sticking to the body bottom.
I poked a hole in the neck block by hand with an awl for the screw placement.
The batter holder was placed in position on a very small part of the neck block as to not interfere with the Martin crest/label.
This is the Volume
& Tone control module. Move the switch (seen on the top left) toward the inside of the sound hole if you're playing with a band. Move the switch toward the outside of the sound hole for solo work. That's the long and short of it!
Look closely for the position of the Volume & Tone control module in this photo. The adhesive sticks to the guitar top according to Fishman Co. Don't forget the sandpaper, alcohol wipe, and let it dry.
I like the end pin jack. It's well made.
Put the strings back on and I'm ready to plug in! It worked like a champ. If I had a suggestion, it would be to spend time on the saddle transducer. I hope this helps. It took me an evening of listening to the radio and shewing the cat away from all the components!
