Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Submarines work on my guitar?

You can use the Submarine and Submarine Pro with most acoustic and electric guitars, but there are a few exceptions. It won’t work on nylon string guitars and it won’t fit on instruments with a very small gap between the string and body.

Some guitars with very arched tops or with scratch plate steps mean the microsuction pad may not work as desired. In these instances two (acid free, 3M) adhesive disc magnets are supplied. These can be stuck to your guitar to help overcome these difficult profiles. 

 

How big a gap do i need under the strings?

The Submarine is 5.6mm thick at the E and A strings. The Submarine Pro is 5.8mm thick at both E strings. If you can fit the combinations of coins shown below under the strings without any buzz, you should be fine. 

In the UK, try a £1 coin on a £2 coin = 5.65mm

Or if you're using Euros, a 5 cent on two 10 cents = 5.53mm

In the USA, two nickels and a quarter = 5.65mm 

In Australia, try $1 on a 50 cent piece.

In Canada 2 x 10¢ on 2 x 25¢ = 5.6mm

Links to other coin thicknesses can be found on this Wikipedia page. Just find a combination that adds up to 5.6mm

For the Submarine and Sub Pro the maximum distance from body to strings is 16mm. Any more than that and you would need a shim of some sort. 

How sticky is that micro suction pad?

This depends on a few factors. If your guitar is shiny and clean it will work fine. If the guitar is dusty or greasy, you're going to have some trouble. We recommend removing grease and dust with a polishing cloth before attaching the Submarine. 

If you want less hassle, and a more robust solution, the Submarine comes with two adhesive magnets that can stay on your guitar. 

 

How long does the suction pad last?

As the pad picks up fluff and dust it will begin to lose its stick. Simply clean it with sticky tape or pvc tape using an on off motion, tapping the pad repeatedly with the tape until it’s clean. Do not use masking tape.

 

What does the switch do?

The new edition of the Submarine now has three switch positions.

With the switch in the 'back' position both strings are sent to the first output. With the switch in the middle position, only one string is heard. Push the switch forward and the Submarine is turned off.

For those wishing to take things one step further, switch to the middle position, plug in a stereo cable, and hear one string down the left channel and another down the right.

Can i use it on a bass guitar or a violin?

Nope, sorry. We hope to develop products for other instruments in the future.

I would like to use is to add bass to my guitar what guitar pedals would you recommend?

It really depends on your style of playing. If you are a strummer I would recommend starting with a polyphonic octaver like the EHX Pitchfork or TC Electronic Sub'n'Up. (I prefer the pitchfork over the POG). If you are a fingerpicker then I would highly recommend the analogue EBS Octabass or the MXR Bass Octave Deluxe.

A compressor is not necessary but is a nice touch to give you extra sustain. Doesn't need to be anything fancy. If price and size are considerations I would recommend the Mooer Spark Compressor. Otherwise MXR are well designed and reliable and have a few different compressor options.

I am getting some glitchiness with my octave pedals.

Could be down to a few things. First check that the pedal is getting enough signal. Is the Sub close enough to the strings? Use the supplied hex key to raise it closer to the strings. 

On acoustic guitars and some semi acoustics each note you play will have more upper harmonics. These are what make them sound good/interesting. However they can play havoc with monophonic octave pedals like the MXR bass octave deluxe or the EHX Multiplexer. If you have an EQ pedal or pre-amp try putting this in your pedal chain before the octave pedal. Roll off the treble and maybe some of the mid. Play with the shape of the sound until your octave pedal starts working properly. Whilst this is more involved than using a digital octave I find the results to be more rewarding.

If you are after a 7 string version, or one built in to your fretboard by all means get in touch but bear in mind that due to the nature of the design of these pickups they require an enormous amount of custom tooling and design work. It is going to take many months and will be very very expensive.

 

My Submarine Pro does not fit under the strings.

Please remove the baseplate using the hex/allen key. On the base of the main body there is another micro-suction pad. This will remove a few mm from the pickup. If it still doesn't fit try further towards the bridge.