Removing LR Baggs VTC from a Gibson

adam_farmer

Hi all,

I have a 2025 Gibson L-00 with the VTC system installed. I really like the guitar but I'm never likely to use it plugged in. I also wondered if the strip under the saddle was having an effect on the sound of the guitar. 

A couple of days ago I loosened and removed the strings, slid the piezo strip into the body cavity and restrung with the same strings. The difference was surprising. The volume increased and the wound strings sound sweeter and more open. Usually guitar tweaks are more subtle than this!

So I've decided to remove it all as I can occasionally hear wires vibrating at certain frequencies too. Has anyone done this? Does anyone have recommendations. I do not want to tear any wood out of the guitar removing the various clips holding the cables in place. The Vol/Tone unit looks the most challenging - it feels stuck solid with no wiggle at all. I'm guessing it's glued in place.

Any help would be gratefully received.

If it all comes out cleanly I may try and sell it and use any earnings for a temporary system that could work on this and maybe my classical guitar. But that's for another time...

Thanks. Adam.

adam_farmer

ICBM

The control unit is stuck on with double-sided foam tape. It will come off if you apply firm consistent force at one end and allow it to peel off - I can’t remember if I used a flat tool under it or just fingers. Some small fibres of wood might come with it, but not enough to matter.

I’ve taken a couple of these out, including from my Gibson - I just don’t want preamp systems in my guitars. I replaced both with a plain Fishman piezo pickup - which is a much harder material than the Baggs strip - and an endpin jack, and the acoustic sound of both guitars improved too.

If you don’t want to refit any kind of pickup, you can get replacement endpins which are designed to fit the 1/2” jack hole… but surprisingly expensive!

https://ebay.us/m/v53M2P

https://ebay.us/m/erCcLU

Personally, I'd use the ebony one - it's not only cheaper, I don't really like the idea of the NoJak because it puts an expanding force on the endblock of the guitar, which could make it more likely to crack if the guitar is dropped on the pin - this is even possible with a traditional tapered endpin. If the ebony one isn't a tight enough fit to be secure with a strap, you could wrap it with a turn of paper masking tape, or glue it in with something that won't really bond properly to the wood, like rubber-solution craft glue.

MartinB

I removed a Fishman Sonitone with similar clips and soundhole mounted controls from my Gibson G45, and found it fairly straightforward. All the adhesive parts should just prise off - go slowly and carefully, and a thin flexible pick can help get it started. The cable clips aren't essential to remove, you can unclip the cable easy enough and they might be useful to leave in if you ever want to reinstate the Baggs. 

Also note that the location hole in the bridgeplate on modern Gibsons can make things tricky if you ever want to install a bridgeplate transducer like a K&K. 

adam_farmer

Thanks both for the advice it's much appreciated. I read last night of someone using a little lighter fluid or alcohol to soften the glue - but I'll just try going lightly first as you both recommended.

I've ordered some new strings which are due in a few days so will then carry out the operation.

Thanks for the endpin advice too, I might be happy enough with a hole there but will see how it looks. Ebony pin noted.

Will look into the other pickup options soon. It might be something I need at some point. I'm thinking of a Tonex 1 or similar as an amp backup as I'll have some (electric guitar) gigs this year so something simple that could work with something like that is on my list.

Thanks again both for your help.

BigLicks67

I took the vtc out of my j45. I don’t remember any problems getting the parts out in one piece. The volume control came off with very little effort. I think I got around £75.00 for it when I sold it but they might be worth a little bit more now.

adam_farmer

Many thanks for further confirmation that it shouldn't be too much trouble, and that's a decent amount to get for it. 

adam_farmer

Thanks again all. I was overly slow and careful but it didn't take too long at all. The tone/vol was very stubborn so I did use a little lighter fluid a couple of times and it definitely helped along with a pointy thin guitar pick. My fingers did the others along with the velcro for the battery pack.  

The guitar is noticeably lighter now. More resonant, along with the big wound string improvement I noticed a few days ago. Although I do now have Thomastik Plectrum strings on which are sounding very new and zingy. 

I will probably try and sell what I've removed and then start a new thread on emergency options once I have some money back. But I'm really pleased for now.

Thanks!





Me playing Gymnopedie 1 post surgery.

downbytheriver

Braced for the selling ad

adam_farmer

After being somewhat critical here of it's tonal effect on the guitar I decided to put it on eBay and Reverb instead. I have some respect for the Fretboard Forum!

MSedg

Can I ask what strings you put on? Always looking out for new things to try on my slope shoulder.

adam_farmer

I went for Thomastik Infeld 11-50 Plectrum strings. 

Removing the piezo lowered the action a touch which was great. I don't have strong fingers and some wrist issues and apparently these have less tension - which I can confirm - easier to play than the Gibson 11s that were on it. My initial reaction was I probably preferred the sound of the Gibson wound strings, but after a few days I don't know because I'm very happy with the sound now. 

MSedg

Good to know - cheers

BillDL

adam_farmer said:

I went for Thomastik Infeld 11-50 Plectrum strings. .......

I use the Spectrum strings on my acoustics rather than the Plectrum ones, but I see that the Plectrum strings also incorporate the fabric wound ends and presumably also some fabric winding down at the ball end.  I found that the fabric winding at the ball end on 12s made them a very tight fit in the bridge pin holes.  I ended up opting for 11s anyway, and the reduced diameters allows them to fit much better in the holes than the 12s.  Did you find the fabric binding at the ball end to be a problem on your guitar?

adam_farmer

I'll have to try Spectrum next time, although it could be a lifelong pursuit trying all the strings out there.

Mine had no fabric at the ball ends so there was no issue at all. The fabric at the other end went through the tuning pegs no trouble and it's staying in tune really well. 

I have some Thomastik electric flatwounds with fabric at the ball end, but that wasn't the case here.

BillDL

Thanks @adam_farmer.   From having only tried Plectrum 11 guage strings on somebody else's guitar it's hard to draw a direct comparison, but to me the Spectrum strings feel and sound "softer".  It's hard to describe the difference, but that's how they feel to me.

sev112

i wanted to put some 11s on my L00 this Xmas, but the delivery times were ages!
I had  set of Martin 10s which i thought would be terrible, but i put them on and they have been excellent. The High E is a little bit too light for fingerstyle solos up the neck, but a pleasant surprise

adam_farmer

I've been ignoring conventional wisdom on strings for a while now. Whatever feels and sounds nice is what is right. Glad you're enjoying the 10s. I agree that a thin E string can sound thin at times. I've been messing around with hand placement and finger angle whilst playing and it makes a huge difference. I'm new to acoustic guitar but really enjoying it after ignoring them for years. 

ICBM

adam_farmer said:

I've been ignoring conventional wisdom on strings for a while now. Whatever feels and sounds nice is what is right. Glad you're enjoying the 10s. I agree that a thin E string can sound thin at times. I've been messing around with hand placement and finger angle whilst playing and it makes a huge difference. I'm new to acoustic guitar but really enjoying it after ignoring them for years. 

Contrary to what you will often read that nothing thinner than ship mooring cables can possibly sound good on an acoustic guitar, 10s are often fine on lighter-built, smaller guitars - and 11s almost always are. If anything, they can often sound more lively and responsive than over-stringing it.

Looking at the photos of the inside of the guitar, you should be able to get that glue residue off the heel block and the underside of the top with some solvent. It makes no practical difference, but it just looks nicer with it clean, how it should be .

adam_farmer

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! I don't change strings as often as I should so it may take a while but I'm sure I'll get around to trying 10s at some point.

I agree regarding the innards. It troubles me that that goo is in there. Next time the strings are off I'll get it all back to wood, as it indeed should be!

I've made a couple of fuzzdog pedals recently and they're fun to do and sound good. They have an acoustic preamp so I'll bear that in mind should I get something else - I'm thinking a soundhole pickup that I can slide in temporarily if ever required. But for now I'm happy.

MartinB

adam_farmer said:

I've made a couple of fuzzdog pedals recently and they're fun to do and sound good. They have an acoustic preamp so I'll bear that in mind should I get something else - I'm thinking a soundhole pickup that I can slide in temporarily if ever required. But for now I'm happy.

I hadn't spotted that they were making that. The circuit is functionally identical to the K&K Pure Preamp - I know because I'd traced out my K&K with a view to DIYing a more floor-friendly version, which I still hadn't got around to building. But a neat PCB makes things a lot easier. I'd leave off R1 if you're building it as a preamp with no bypass switch - it's a pulldown resistor to reduce switching clicks, but it also reduces the input impedance and isn't present in the K&K.