TheEclectic
4th March 2007, 12.46 pm
I Midi’ed my Megatar a few weekends ago by adding two Ghost Hexpander systems. I arranged the below by subject matter, which does not follow the actual process.
The photos are all at the end, due in part to my laziness to integrate them into the text. The photos are chronological.
Planning
I spent much time contemplating the best way to install the system. I thought about the forces that would be acting on the cord and connectors (as the force of gravity and the inevitable forces involved in stepping on the cord while moving about). I thought about the placement of the switches and what works best for me ergonomically. I thought about how I was going to modify the instrument to accept the parts without damaging it structurally so that it would not fold in two or otherwise self destruct.
I decided that the cavity on the bottom of the Megatar was the ideal location for the Hexpander output jacks. This allows the cords to hang almost straight down, thus relieving most of the bending forces acting on the connection.
I wanted to add the switches to the location of the current volume/tone controls and move everything down accordingly. I spent a good deal of time pretending I was switching patches with the imaginary switches located at different locations on the instrument and this location was by far the best. However, when I removed the pickguard I discovered that this was not to happen.
Parts and Pieces
The total cost for the two systems was about $600 and it took me about one year of vigilantly scouring E-bay for bargains to collect the parts. (It started off as a project for my electric guitar, but I decided the Megatar would be better for my purposes.)
For those not familiar with the Ghost system, it is a modular system that can have a few parts or a great many parts. The more parts, the more functionality and the more cost. I already have a synth access Godin guitar and a collection of Roland midi gear, so I was able to distill my needs from my wants. (yes, midi is a need ;-)
In my case the bare essentials are: (2) sets of Ghost Import Strat Saddles, (2) Hexpander kits and (2) Momentary Up-Down switches (for changing patches).
I did not get the following options: Acoustic Pre-amps, Pick-up selection controls (which require the Acoustic pre-amps) or Volume Controls for either the midi or the pre-amps (I use volume pedals for everything). These would have easily added another $300 to $400 to the price of the upfit.
The downside to my choice is that I can not mix the signal from the magnetic pick-ups with that of the Hexpander system. Not a big deal for me as I can still run the sound of the magnetic pickups into an amp. However, for some people this is a big deal and it would require nearly all of the Ghost components I did not include to get this mix.
Saddle installation
Before beginning, I took careful measurements of the saddle locations. Using cheap calipers I measured from the back of the bridge to the front of the saddles. I know that I lost my “Buzz Fieton” tuning, but as this is a used instrument and more than one of the saddles had an uneven height adjustment, I am not sure that the Fieton tuning was in place when I got it.
The screws for the OEM saddles and those for the Ghost system were not the same, so I went to the hardware store and bought a bunch of 1” long #4-40 stainless steel screws.
When I removed the saddles I numbered them and kept all of the parts together. The screws and springs for the saddles are of varying length and I needed to make sure that I used the proper length screw and the proper spring for each saddle. As I added the ghost saddles I cut the new screws to match the length of the OEM screws. I used my handy Dermal type tool with the cut-off bit and then filed the ends. Note that I screwed two nuts on prior to cutting the screws so that they could be used to help clean the threads. In all cases I had no problems with threading the modified screws onto the Ghost saddles. However, I opted to use pairs of Ghost springs instead of the OEM springs in some locations as I did not feel that they had enough spring to keep the saddles properly extended (in some cases the OEM springs were not even in compression). Once installed, I adjusted the saddle offsets to match the OEM measurements.
Prior to removing the strings I had marked the string locations on the pick guard. I used these to file grooves into the underside of the pickguard to make channels for the wires coming from the Ghost saddles. However, when I went to put strings on the instrument I discovered that the wires need free and unrestricted movement. This is because one has retract the saddles (push them to the back of the bridge) in order to get the strings to go thru the eye of the saddles – the string slot and the saddle openings do not line up. Therefore, I ended up routing groves in the body and filing them smooth so that there was nothing to restrict the movement of the wires. In the process I had to remove the small piece of metal shielding as I was afraid that it would eventually cut a wire.
Holes for the saddle wires
In contemplating where to place the Hexpander boards, a determining factor was creating the opening from the front cavity (the pick-up cavity) to the rear cavity (the label cavity) which would be large enough to pass the ribbon cable that connects the Hexpander to the GK. Once I realized that an opening large enough to accommodate the ribbon cable was going to be tough and that the cable would always be in the way when changing strings, I decided to put the Hexpander board in the same cavity as the GK board and to then run the individual saddle wires thru drilled openings. So that is what I did. I drilled two holes on either side of the bridge big enough to run the wires.
To help route the wires and keep them nice and tidy, I used round toothpicks to create little posts. These worked well.
Receivers for the GK connectors.
First I located the mounting positions so that there would be enough space between the two GK boards to maintain structural integrity of the center piece, as this piece has to resist the forces applied to the GK connector. Once established, I used a saw to define the area to be removed. I then drilled a hole into which I inserted a 5-in-1 key-hole saw cut the area flat with the existing void.
The depth of the cavity was not deep enough to accommodate the GK board, so I marked the limits to be removed and using my Dermal tool outfitted with a small router bit I set about routing the excess. Unfortunately I could not tighten the bit enough to keep it stable and it eventually came out. (Note the “deviations” on the left side cut-out) Since this did not work, I broke out the trusty Sandvik chisels and created the necessary void the old fashioned way.
Once I was satisfied with the cut-outs I coated all exposed raw wood with polyurethane.
Slots for the Saddle wires
As mentioned in the Saddle section, this was not planed. However, it works well and is not that noticeable. I also had to get out the rasp and rasp away part of the pickguard so that the wires had room to move. The OEM pickguard position was to close to the bridge and was binding the wires. Now the wires move freely in and out while remaining confined to their little tracks.
Momentary Switch Installation
When I removed the pickguard I realized that my idea of relocating the volume controls was not practical without a lot of work that I did not want to do. Lucky for my Megatar provided a void area deep enough to accept the momentary switches. So I measured and drilled some holes. Pretty straight forward. Turns out that it is not a bad location – in fact it was my second choice when I was doing visualizations.
Final Mounting of the components
Due to the position of the Momentary switches, I had to splice in some extra wire to make them long enough. I made them a little longer than necessary so that when I remove the pickguard and I can lay it down when I need to do work on the interior.
The Hexpander board took some experimentation as the ribbon cable that connects it to the GK connector was a bit to long. I settled on the arrangement pictured as this allowed the best connection of all the wires that needed to attach to the Hexpander board.
The photos are all at the end, due in part to my laziness to integrate them into the text. The photos are chronological.
Planning
I spent much time contemplating the best way to install the system. I thought about the forces that would be acting on the cord and connectors (as the force of gravity and the inevitable forces involved in stepping on the cord while moving about). I thought about the placement of the switches and what works best for me ergonomically. I thought about how I was going to modify the instrument to accept the parts without damaging it structurally so that it would not fold in two or otherwise self destruct.
I decided that the cavity on the bottom of the Megatar was the ideal location for the Hexpander output jacks. This allows the cords to hang almost straight down, thus relieving most of the bending forces acting on the connection.
I wanted to add the switches to the location of the current volume/tone controls and move everything down accordingly. I spent a good deal of time pretending I was switching patches with the imaginary switches located at different locations on the instrument and this location was by far the best. However, when I removed the pickguard I discovered that this was not to happen.
Parts and Pieces
The total cost for the two systems was about $600 and it took me about one year of vigilantly scouring E-bay for bargains to collect the parts. (It started off as a project for my electric guitar, but I decided the Megatar would be better for my purposes.)
For those not familiar with the Ghost system, it is a modular system that can have a few parts or a great many parts. The more parts, the more functionality and the more cost. I already have a synth access Godin guitar and a collection of Roland midi gear, so I was able to distill my needs from my wants. (yes, midi is a need ;-)
In my case the bare essentials are: (2) sets of Ghost Import Strat Saddles, (2) Hexpander kits and (2) Momentary Up-Down switches (for changing patches).
I did not get the following options: Acoustic Pre-amps, Pick-up selection controls (which require the Acoustic pre-amps) or Volume Controls for either the midi or the pre-amps (I use volume pedals for everything). These would have easily added another $300 to $400 to the price of the upfit.
The downside to my choice is that I can not mix the signal from the magnetic pick-ups with that of the Hexpander system. Not a big deal for me as I can still run the sound of the magnetic pickups into an amp. However, for some people this is a big deal and it would require nearly all of the Ghost components I did not include to get this mix.
Saddle installation
Before beginning, I took careful measurements of the saddle locations. Using cheap calipers I measured from the back of the bridge to the front of the saddles. I know that I lost my “Buzz Fieton” tuning, but as this is a used instrument and more than one of the saddles had an uneven height adjustment, I am not sure that the Fieton tuning was in place when I got it.
The screws for the OEM saddles and those for the Ghost system were not the same, so I went to the hardware store and bought a bunch of 1” long #4-40 stainless steel screws.
When I removed the saddles I numbered them and kept all of the parts together. The screws and springs for the saddles are of varying length and I needed to make sure that I used the proper length screw and the proper spring for each saddle. As I added the ghost saddles I cut the new screws to match the length of the OEM screws. I used my handy Dermal type tool with the cut-off bit and then filed the ends. Note that I screwed two nuts on prior to cutting the screws so that they could be used to help clean the threads. In all cases I had no problems with threading the modified screws onto the Ghost saddles. However, I opted to use pairs of Ghost springs instead of the OEM springs in some locations as I did not feel that they had enough spring to keep the saddles properly extended (in some cases the OEM springs were not even in compression). Once installed, I adjusted the saddle offsets to match the OEM measurements.
Prior to removing the strings I had marked the string locations on the pick guard. I used these to file grooves into the underside of the pickguard to make channels for the wires coming from the Ghost saddles. However, when I went to put strings on the instrument I discovered that the wires need free and unrestricted movement. This is because one has retract the saddles (push them to the back of the bridge) in order to get the strings to go thru the eye of the saddles – the string slot and the saddle openings do not line up. Therefore, I ended up routing groves in the body and filing them smooth so that there was nothing to restrict the movement of the wires. In the process I had to remove the small piece of metal shielding as I was afraid that it would eventually cut a wire.
Holes for the saddle wires
In contemplating where to place the Hexpander boards, a determining factor was creating the opening from the front cavity (the pick-up cavity) to the rear cavity (the label cavity) which would be large enough to pass the ribbon cable that connects the Hexpander to the GK. Once I realized that an opening large enough to accommodate the ribbon cable was going to be tough and that the cable would always be in the way when changing strings, I decided to put the Hexpander board in the same cavity as the GK board and to then run the individual saddle wires thru drilled openings. So that is what I did. I drilled two holes on either side of the bridge big enough to run the wires.
To help route the wires and keep them nice and tidy, I used round toothpicks to create little posts. These worked well.
Receivers for the GK connectors.
First I located the mounting positions so that there would be enough space between the two GK boards to maintain structural integrity of the center piece, as this piece has to resist the forces applied to the GK connector. Once established, I used a saw to define the area to be removed. I then drilled a hole into which I inserted a 5-in-1 key-hole saw cut the area flat with the existing void.
The depth of the cavity was not deep enough to accommodate the GK board, so I marked the limits to be removed and using my Dermal tool outfitted with a small router bit I set about routing the excess. Unfortunately I could not tighten the bit enough to keep it stable and it eventually came out. (Note the “deviations” on the left side cut-out) Since this did not work, I broke out the trusty Sandvik chisels and created the necessary void the old fashioned way.
Once I was satisfied with the cut-outs I coated all exposed raw wood with polyurethane.
Slots for the Saddle wires
As mentioned in the Saddle section, this was not planed. However, it works well and is not that noticeable. I also had to get out the rasp and rasp away part of the pickguard so that the wires had room to move. The OEM pickguard position was to close to the bridge and was binding the wires. Now the wires move freely in and out while remaining confined to their little tracks.
Momentary Switch Installation
When I removed the pickguard I realized that my idea of relocating the volume controls was not practical without a lot of work that I did not want to do. Lucky for my Megatar provided a void area deep enough to accept the momentary switches. So I measured and drilled some holes. Pretty straight forward. Turns out that it is not a bad location – in fact it was my second choice when I was doing visualizations.
Final Mounting of the components
Due to the position of the Momentary switches, I had to splice in some extra wire to make them long enough. I made them a little longer than necessary so that when I remove the pickguard and I can lay it down when I need to do work on the interior.
The Hexpander board took some experimentation as the ribbon cable that connects it to the GK connector was a bit to long. I settled on the arrangement pictured as this allowed the best connection of all the wires that needed to attach to the Hexpander board.