Help removing shadow preamp

oktorockto

Just got an old Fenix acoustic form a friend that IO actually bought a long while back and then he kept it for years. It has a Shadow preamp and pickup that doesn't work. I am attempting to remove the black box preamp from the side of the guitar and it is held in by two tongues of sprung steel - does anyone know the correct way to release these to remove the box? The guitar must be from about 1993/4. 

Winny_Pooh

Have you tried from inside the soundhole?

oktorockto

Yes.

ICBM

On some of these old preamps you need to peel off the panel with the lettering on it under the knobs/sliders, which will then reveal screws in the corners. I can't remember if any of the Shadows are like that, but you haven't much to lose by having a go even if you ruin it since they universally sound shit and you'll need to find a different preamp to replace it anyway.

oktorockto

Haha, good to know on both counts! Any recommendations fr  a half decent preamp to suit a half decent guitar? I presume I would need a half-decent transducer to match. my only experience on my decent guitar is with an LR Baggs Dual Source.

ICBM

One of the various Fishman models should be big enough to cover the hole, which you’ll need to enlarge since nothing else will be exactly the same size and shape. This is the usual problem with replacing old preamps...

SteveRobinson

Can you post a picture? Some preamps have a hole top and bottom, you insert a rod (Allen key) which pushes on the spring and releases it.

oktorockto

In the end I just had to push the middle part of the preamp out from inside the guitar and then that reveled the two metal clips holding the outer preamp surround into the body of the guitar. There were also two screws holding the middle part in but it still took a good old push from inside. I took the preamp apart and looked for any obvious faults but all surface mount. Put it all back together and it worked! It sounds good enough for what I want it for, a spare guitar I don't have to worry about getting nicked. Thanks for the help anyway chaps, always good on TF as usual.