Lightwave Atlantis User manual

LIGHTWAVE ATLANTIS
ELECTROACOUSTIC GUITAR
Featuring the Optical Pickup System
USER MANUAL

LIGHTWAVE ATLANTIS
ELECTROACOUSTIC GUITAR
FOREWORD
Thank you and congratulations for your purchase of a
LightWave Atlantis. We would also like to welcome you as
a member of the growing number of LightWave enthusiasts.
Your Atlantis couples decades of master luthiery and in-
strument design with the cutting-edge of modern pickup
technology—the LightWave Optical Pickup System—
LightWave’s exclusive, patented infrared pickup technolo-
gy. Featuring extraordinary playability and exquisite tone,
your Atlantis is a ne musical instrument that will provide
many years of enjoyment and musical performance. En-
gineered for the rigors of the road, the demands of the
modern recording studio, and long, comfortable hours of
playing, your Atlantis is designed to become a direct ex-
tension of your creativity.
Please follow these simple guidelines for usage and care,
and you will enjoy your Atlantis for years to come.
We are always interested in your thoughts about your
LightWave guitar and about your music. We encourage
you to contact us with your comments and suggestions on
how we can continue to serve you in the future.
Please visit our website at www.lightwave-systems.com
for product update information and other news about
LightWave Systems and our growing line of products.

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
1. D E S I G N C O N C E P T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
LightWave Optical Pickup System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Voice of the String. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Natural Acoustic Guitar Sounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. Q U I C K S T A R T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
3. S E T U P . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.1 Truss Rod Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.2 Saddle Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.3 Optics Alignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4. P O W E R A N D C O N T R O L S . . . . . . . . . . . 10
4.1 Controls and Jacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
4.2 Power and Charging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.3 Battery Pack Advisory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.4 Instrument Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
5. H e x F X E D I T I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
6. A P P E N D I X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
7. T I P S A N D T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G . . 18
8. W A R R A N T Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

2
1. DESIGN CONCEPTS
LightWave Optical Pickup System
Atlantis is the rst guitar ever offered with LightWave’s
exclusive pickup technology, the LightWave Optical Pick-
up System, that uses infrared light technology to sense
string vibration for a rich, natural, amplied acoustic guitar
sound without the feedback of mics or the harshness of
piezos.
Unlike piezo pickups that sense the vibration of the bridge
rather than the strings, which produces that strident,
quacky sound, the Atlantis LightWave Optical Pickup liter-
ally ‘sees’ the string, delivering a smooth, natural acoustic
sound, rich in harmonic content. Piezos also have very
poor attack characteristics, while the LightWave Optical
Pickup has extreme sensitivity and wide dynamic range,
capable of detecting all of the subtle nuance and articula-
tion of the player’s style.
The Voice of the StringTM
What you will hear is extraordinary: the sound of the
strings, the sound of the instrument, and most impor-
tantly, the sound of your playing. You will notice a whole
new sensitivity in the interaction between your ngers, the
strings and the instrument, that will create a new palette
of subtle nuances and unique tonalities. Playing big, open
chords, close intervals, complex voicings, and harmonics
on your Atlantis will be a revelation. You will hear an open-
ness, transparency and dimensionality unlike anything
you have previously experienced.

3
Natural Acoustic Guitar Sounds
Since the output of the LightWave Optical Pickup is pure
and transparent, you will be hearing the natural sound of
the guitar, as opposed to the inherent sonic anomalies of
conventional pickups.
Atlantis’ controls are simple. One volume knob with a pull-
up tone switch is all that is needed. The LightWave Opti-
cal Pickup does the rest, delivering true acoustic sound
at any volume level. At last, acoustic guitar players can
effortlessly compete with drums, bass and electric guitars
and t comfortably into any live mix.
For demos and studio recording, there is no better pickup
technology than the LightWave Optical Pickup. Noise-
free and natural sounding, simply plug in for the ultimate
acoustic guitar tracks with no need for noise reduction or
excessive equalization.
Constructed of premium tonewoods with a chambered
body and soundhole, the excellent natural acoustic res-
onance of Atlantis makes it ideal for unamplied casual
playing or serious practicing and composition.
Simple, elegant, groundbreaking. Designed for all guitar
players, regardless of musical style, Atlantis is the next
generation ‘go-to’ guitar and the guitar industry’s most
signicant breakthrough in many years.

4
2 . Q U I C K S T A R T
Plug In and Play
• The red Status LED on the bridge acts as a power-on
indicator, and as a fuel gauge for the battery charge.
Plug in a standard 1/4” guitar cable to the 1/4” Output
Jack of Atlantis. This will turn on the circuit and activate
the Status LED. When the LED is brightly lit it indicates
that there is a sufcient charge to play the instrument.
• In the event that the battery pack has not been charged
sufciently prior to playing, the instrument can be played
while plugged into the charger unit, without sonic pen-
alty. The battery pack will continue to charge while you
are playing.
• If you are plugging into an amplier, use the Active input
if there is a choice between Passive and Active. When
plugging into a recording or mixing console, use the
console’s 1/4” Line Input jack, or split off the instrument
output from your monitor amp rig with a D.I. box.
• The Atlantis has natural, acoustic sound characteristics,
so it is suggested that you begin with all of your exter-
nal EQ controls in a neutral, at position. This will allow
you to hear the actual sound of the instrument prior to
making any tonal adjustments. The Atlantis is compat-
ible with all typical guitar preamp, amplier, and signal
processing gear.
• The Atlantis electronics are powered by a recharge-
able12-volt NiMH Battery Pack. (Please read section

5
4.3, the Battery Pack Advisory). The battery pack must
have at least a partial charge to begin playing. This bat-
tery pack is specically designed for the Atlantis, and
cannot be substituted. Spare or replacement battery
packs may be obtained from your Authorized LightWave
Dealer, or directly from LightWave Systems.

6
3. SETUP
3.1 Neck Adjustment
Atlantis is equipped with a truss rod for neck relief adjust-
ments. Always perform this adjustment before proceeding
to set up the playing action and the LightWave Pickup
System. It is not recommended that you adjust the truss
rod if you do not have prior experience adjusting truss rods
on other instruments. Improper adjustment of the truss
rod can make the instrument difcult to play or cause the
strings to buzz. Improper adjustment, or overtightening,
can even break the truss rod. If you are unfamiliar with
truss rods and instrument setup, please consult a repu-
table guitar tech. Tightening the truss rod adjuster (clock-
wise) will atten the ngerboard, and loosening the truss
rod (counterclockwise) adds relief to the ngerboard.
Truss rod for
neck adjustment
4mm Hex
(with cover in place)
Headstock

7
3.2 Action Adjustment
Atlantis comes from the factory with the action set at an
average height that is typical and comfortable for most
players. Lowering, or raising the action height requires
careful shaping of the saddle. It is not recommended that
you perform this work unless you are completely familiar
with this kind of procedure. Please consult a reputable
guitar tech.
Re-adjusting the saddle height, or changing string gaug-
es, will require realigning the optics (see section 3.3, Op-
tics Alignment). Merely exchanging a fresh set of identi-
cal strings (the same gauge and brand) usually will not
require realigning the optics.
3.3 Optics Alignment
The following setup procedure is performed in order to
align the centerline of the optics with the center of the
Electronics in Rear Cavity (cover removed)
Power
Management
Board
Battery
Charge
Indicator
L.E.D.
(Red: Charging;
Green: Charged)
Motherboard
Rechargeable
Battery Pak

8
strings. This will provide maximum output, as well as
accommodate string bending and related playing tech-
niques. This operation can be done by ear, or electroni-
cally. In either case, remove the bridge cover, turn on the
guitar, and adjust the position of the optics by turning the
9/64” hex adjustment screw on the two ends of the pickup
baseplate. It is a three-step process:
First, adjust the highest string; then the lowest; and then
go back and re-trim the highest string. This can be done
by ear, or using the visual indication of the centering LED
on the Motherboard in the electronics cavity.
Adjusting by ear: with the instrument plugged into an
amplier, raise and lower the pickup baseplate, listening
for the “sweet spot”, where the sound output is loudest.
Do this three times, alternating between the high-string
and low-string ends of the baseplate, in the order above
(string 1; then string 6; then string 1 again).
Adjusting electronically: select the string to be cali-
brated, by turning the miniature rotary selector switch on
the Motherboard (use a ~2mm at screwdriver). If your
guitar has the HexFX option, the rotary switch will be hid-
den under the HexFX daughterboard. Lift straight up on
the daughterboard to temporarily move it out of the way.
The switch positions are numbered to correspond with the
strings, with position 1 being the highest string. When the
correct string is selected, the red/green LED on the Moth-
erboard indicates the position of the optics. LED ‘green’
indicates that the optics are below the string, and must be
raised (counterclockwise turn of the adjustment screw).
LED ‘red’ indicates that the optics are above the string,
and must be lowered (clockwise turn of the adjustment