4
Orient the angled corners away from the soundboard and use
3.
the spacer to position the bottom edge of the clip up off the
soundboard
(see figure 6).
Firmly press the clip into place over the ‘X’ on the sound-
4.
board lining, keeping it as square to the soundboard as pos-
sible.
Remove the spacer.
5.
Repeat for the remaining clips.
6.
Step 5: Attach Pickup Harness
Slide the pickup harness up through the bottom sound hole,
1.
being careful to avoid dragging or bumping the jack against
the harp.
Orient the harness so the pickup element lead wires point to-
2.
ward the string rib, away from the side of the harp
(see figure 7)
.
Adjust the rubber grommets on the harness so that they align
3.
with the clips while allowing the pickup elements to line up
with the marks on the soundboard.
Press the rubber grommets into the clips. It is not necessary to
4.
twist the clips’ “ears” together.
Model FH36S:
5.
since there are only three harness clips used for
this model, there will be an extra grommet on the harness. It
can be left in place or, if you prefer, carefully cut off.
Step 6: Glue Pickups in Place
Caution:
Once the elements are glued on, they are very difficult to
remove without damaging the pickup or the soundboard. Be sure to
practice using the tools as described in the sidebar at right.
Starting with the top pickup, follow this sequence:
1.
Apply the super glue to the pencil dot.
a.
Keeping the pickup element parallel to the soundboard (to
b.
ensure an even thickness of glue) press the pickup down
firmly and quickly onto the super glue and hold in place
with the provided pressure stick.
Hold firmly for two minutes, without moving the pickup
c.
element.
The lead wire should naturally curve away from the sound-
d.
board
(see figure 7).
If necessary, adjust the pickup harness
in the clips to ensure that the lead wires won’t touch the
soundboard and cause unwanted vibration.
For all harp models except the FH36S, the pickup element
e.
lead wire will bend upward, toward the top of the harp
(see
figure 7).
For the FH36S, because the harness clips attach to the
f.
finger braces instead of the soundboard lining, the pickup
element lead wires will bend downward, toward the bottom
of the harp
(see figure 8).
Proceed with the next pickup, and so on, until all are done.
2.
Practice manipulating and placing the
element
Hold a pickup element by its lead wire, and
1.
guide it into position in the air over the pen-
cil dot, parallel to the soundboard surface.
Position the element shiny side down, and
2.
practice using the pressure stick to press the
pickup element down onto the soundboard.
Work with this until you have a feel for
3.
manipulating and positioning the elements.
Practice controlling glue
Find the super glue practice dots located on
1.
the Pickup Locating Template.
Touch the tip of the tube to the paper and
2.
squeeze out just enough glue to fill the
circle. This should be less than a drop. This
is enough glue to bond the entire surface of
the pickup to the soundboard without excess
drips.
When you have a feel for the right amount of
3.
glue, begin gluing the pickups in place.
Pickup element lead wire
Top of harp
Figure 7 – Pickup Element Installation
String rib
String rib
Finger brace
Pickup element
Figure 8 – FH36S Pickup Element and Lead Wire
