HFN-C Active - Pickup For Nylon String Guitars - Installation Instructions
To Install the HFN-C Active you will need the following tools:
Electric drill, ½"spade or forstner bit, assorted drill bits to ½", x-acto, side cutters , needle nose pliers,
small flat head jewellers driver.
Important: Please read these instructions before installing the pickup system
Installing the Endpin Jack Preamp
1) Slack off all six strings and remove them or tape them out of the way. Remove any end pin at the
butt.
2) If the instrument had a strap button attached with a small screw, use either the spade or forstner
bit to drill a pilot hole through the end block.
3) If the instrument had a strap button press fitted or glued into a tapered hole in the end block, you
will need to gradually and carefully increase the diameter of the hole to ½" using either a tapered
reamer or a succession of different drill bits concluding with a ½" size.
4) Remove the outer strap button, and the small nut and washer from the endpin jack. 5) Reach inside
the sound hole and poke the endpin jack through the drilled hole in the end block. The jack should
protrude approximately 5/16" outside the guitar. Reinstall the flat washer and small nut.6) Insert a
small allen wrench or other small round (a drill bit) through the 2 holes in the end of the endpin jack to keep the jack assembly from
rotating; tighten the small nut.
Setting the preamp gain
1) The Player endpin jack preamp is a single channel preamp. On the preamp circuit board there is a trim pot for for setting the input
gain. As supplied with our HFN-C pickup, the preamp comes from the factory with the trim pot gain set at approximately 20 percent of
maximum gain. A small jewellers screw driver may be use to rotate the trim pot. Rotating it fully counterclockwise will turn the input
gain to fully off.
2) It may be necessary to adjust the input gain on the preamp circuit board. If the input gain is set too low the amplifier or mixer may
not process the signal properly. If the input gain is set too high then distortion may occur.
Installing the Pickup
Ideally, the under the bridge area where the pickup is to be mounted should be almost perfectly flat. However in most cases there is
some curvature to that area caused by the pulling tension of the strings on the top. For most installations this minor curvature won’t
affect pickup performance. But, in some cases one has to adjust pickup fit. Please read section on String Balance and Troubleshooting
for more information.
1) The pickup is meant to go as directly under the bridge and saddle as possible (and in line with it). The center arch of the pickup
should span the center brace of the instrument. It is suggested that you take a measurement from the edge of the sound hole to the
center of the saddle and cut a thin piece of scrap wood to the same length. When you have your hand inside the instrument you can
use this ‘stick’ to help locate where the pickup should go.
2) Remove the backing from one side of the foam tape. With the foam tape sticky side up on a flat surface, place the feet of the pickup
over the tape and press down to make the tape adhere to the feet.
3) Cut away the tape that now covers the center arch of the pickup, leaving the rest of the tape in place including the tape that spans
the arches of the outer feet of the pickup.
4) Remove the remaining backing from the foam tape.
5) The black rectangle shown in
Fig 2
indicates the pickup placement. For instruments that do not have a bridge plate you may
ascertain the correct position for the pickup by tapping on the saddle with your finger and feeling inside next to the center brace in the
bridge area to find the spot with the most vibration.6) Press the pickup firmly into place.
Mounting Materials:
Each pickup comes supplied with a quantity of 2 different thicknesses of double sided foam tape for mounting the pickup to the
underside of the bridge plate or soundboard. Make sure that area that you’re putting the pickup in is clean and dust free. If in doubt,
wipe the underside area with a clean cloth or paper towel moistened with a little rubbing alcohol to clean off any grime.
1) The thicker mounting tape should be used in almost all installations. It provides the best balance and relative output for most
instruments.
2) If your instrument is relatively stiff or not high in acoustic output, then the thinner tape may be used to boost output and response.
The thinner tape will also bring in more top end to the pickup.
Important: VHB tape may not be reused, it will only stick properly one time.
