Installing my new LR Baggs Anthem

[forhim]

Got my Anthem in the mail today and began installation.

Started with the removal of the ES system completely.  Some would be uneasy about such a removal but it was quite liberating!!  No longer am I bound by the ES!!

I removed the preamp and harness and popped out the end pin from the battery compartment piece...I needed to slightly widen the hole to accommodate the strap jack housing of the Anthem...no problem.  Installed the jack...lemmie tell you, it's super nice to basically be able to hold both sides of the nut during install...no more allen wretch.

Drilled the hole for the Element...oddly Taylor has always (as far as I've seen) placed a small dimple indention on the bass corner of the saddle slot...drilled the relief hole on the other side.

Removed the the metal plate that serves as the ground shock preventer thingy...hopefully I'll be ok!!

Began install of the anthem.  Pulled the element through.  I marked how much the saddle rose...removed the element...replaced saddle and made another mark.

Took saddle to sand paper and shaved off material until the saddle sat at correct height in slot with element in place.

Placed anthem Tru mic on the cleaned bridge plate.

Still a little unsure about where I want to stick the battery bag...their is a Taylor sticker on the neck that covers two bolts...maybe there??  That's really not a vibrating part of the guitar...yeah...probably there!

Will install the the leads onto the preamp and then stick the preamp into place...restring...tune and try her out...oh yeah...I won't forget to put a battery in there (perhaps the only thing I'm not thrilled about)...but the anthem has a battery tester and is rated, according the manual at 170 hours per 9V (significantly higher than the ES).

Will try it out at church tonight and then in our band practice room.  Church is solo tonight...band is full drum kit in front of me...Fender Showman head with 4x12 mesa cab on right...Ampeg head and 8x10 cab on left and my Fishman Pro 600w behind me...the anthem will be tested.  This though is a very less than ideal situation for any pickup.

I'll report my findings. 

[michaelw]

looking forward to the update, eliel -
i hope everything goes as you would like it to

i was wondering what the procedure was to remove the ES knobs & pre-amp -
there is another forum member here comtemplating polishing the back & sides on an ES guitar &
it would be helpful to know how to remove the pre-amp to allow that area to be polished

please let us know

also, if you get a chance to post a pic or 2 of the install, that 'd be great

thanks

[forhim]

Removing that is pretty simple actually...

1. Pull off the knobs
2. The bushings must be removed.  I'm sure taylor has a special tool.  Sometimes they are loose...sometimes tight.
3. The preamp should be loose at this point..for the polish work, I'd probably remove it...so
4. Find the wire organizer clip inside of the guitar (the one closest to the preamp and remove the wires from it
5. pull the preamp out of the soundhole and remove the leads...you should probably mark what goes where
6. reverse when you want to put it back in...just remember the orientation of the preamp (on a right handed guitar the white sensor switches should be facing the cutaway

Hope this helps...

[forhim]

First impressions of the anthem are excellent.

Most importantly...noise is very low.  There is always some noise, but the line level to signal ratio is consideray tipped in favor of the anthem.

Butch Boswell of Butchs Guitar and Repair has a Tru Plug system he designed specifically for those of us who seem liberation from the ES system.

www.truplugusa.com

More to come...