Pickup Height

[bassballsdohert]

Hi

I just bought a Musicman SUB - Great bass played it last night, sound was great except for one thing...the E+A strings where very powerful but the D+G weren't coming across well at all.

The Pickup height looks ok (but what do I know - LOL). This is the first time I used a Musicman, normally I used my Fender Precision Lyte or Hohner Jack, so I'm not sure if is just a matter of time getting used to setting up the amp and getting used to the controls on the bass..... or if the pickup would need to be adjusted.

I play it through a Trace 1210HSMX combo (300W, 4X10).

Any Ideas on what I could do or what the problem is?

I hope this makes sense

 

[Mantaray]

Perhaps you should elevate the pickup a bit. Also check the bridge if it is set up correctly.

 

[bassballsdohert]

Hi

I tried that last night and it seemed to help it abit....so I'm just gonna go and put a new set of strings on it and get it properly set up with the guy that usually sets my guitars up - I don't think the guy in the shop new what he was talking about when he said that it was already set up.

Keith.

 

[midopa]

You don't need to do that. SRs are known to be a little brittle when it comes to the D and G strings. As Mantaray suggested, raise the pickup underneath the G string. There. Problem solved.

 

[MrDigory]

Sounds like the intonation might be something to look at too.

 

[bovinehost]

Okay, you guys move away from the computer!

Brittle? Intonation?

You guys okay?

Neither of those have anything to do with balancing output from string to string.

 

[midopa]

Hehe. I guess "brittle" wasn't a good word to use. How's "weak" or "quiet"? But you just have to raise the pickup, no? I remember this was talked about quite a bit in the past.

 

[bovinehost]

Pickup height is both a simple concept and a tricky fix.

If you get the pickups too close to the strings, the magnets can interfere with the vibration of the string, leading to no sustain and a really dead sound.

So sometimes LOWERING the pickup can improve string response.

I never make raising one side of the pickup the first thing I try. First thing I do is LOWER the other side to see if that works.

See what I mean?

 

[bassballsdohert]

Sustain and Action adjustment

Hi

Bovine I know what you mean....I actually raised the treble side last night but found that I wasn't getting alot of sustain while playing.....that is probably the cause.......

I have the pickup height specifications now from the FAQ section. So I'm gonna set it to that and take it from there.

BTW - TO lower the action slightly - Do I need to adjust the neck or saddles?

Keith

 

[bovinehost]

TO lower the action slightly - Do I need to adjust the neck or saddles?

Keith:

It depends. IF you have your neck relief set properly, then the proper way to lower the action would be to lower the saddles incrementally.

If you're not comfortable with making these adjustments, Rod Trussbroken has a easy-to-understand lesson on doing your own setups.

I firmly believe everyone should learn to do this, because not only does it help you to understand how your bass works, it also helps you to fit your bass to YOUR style, to your technique.

There are some good techs out there.....but there are many more of the other variety.

Anyone know where RT's tutorial is?

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

here 'tis:

General setup including pickup adjustment:

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3339&highlight=truss

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