Precision Bass pickup issue, Help!

[Jazzjames]

Hello all,

I've just acquired a Japanese Fender P-Bass (70s re-issue) and I've just finished setting it up and sounds mega on the G,D,& A strings, but the E seems a little dead in comparison.

I'm going for a punchy round sound and therefore have set the truss rod & bridge for a moderately high action but still easy to play. I have got the pickup heights spot on relative to the string heights but the E does not respond with the same readiness as the others.

Strangely, when I pluck the E downward with my thumb, it "barks" like I want it to, with a front to the note like I want it to sound, and indeed like the other strings.

I've tried to persuade the saddle of the E string to hold the string dead over the centre of the poles of the pickup, but it doesn't make much difference.

I think the pickup is a vintage style US pickup (standard fit for this bass).

Playing it with DR high-beams and through Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0 with 2 1x10" cabs...

Thanks for reading this and any help would be greatly appreciated!

James

[dave_bass5]

Can you try another string? It sounds like it might just be a duff string, it happens.

[hillbilly deluxe]

I have had this exact same problem.For some reason when picked downwards,the sound was fine.When played finger style or picked upwards it was thin dull and lifeless (a bit like my first wife..lol)
One half of the P pickup had packed in,try swaping the positions of the two halves of the pickup to dee if it makes a difference.If the symptom moves to another string then one half of the pickup has gone down.
Alternatively you could have the pickup too high on the E string side.

Edited July 13, 2011 by hillbilly deluxe

[Jazzjames]

Thanks for the help guys. It wasn't the string because as I said it speaks well when I pluck the string downwards. I took the pickup apart and raised one of the magnets in the E string pickup and that seems to have evened out the sound.