deefer_dog Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Apologies if this has been covered, I couldn't find it. I have a Stellah SJB ( Jazz Copy ) and the ONLY fault I have with the bass is the fact that the low end is non existent. ( It doesn't seem to pick up the E string ) Every other string is boomy, and really does sound great, but the E is like a whisper, which is a shame as the bass otherwise sounds great. I have raised he PUPS, lowered the action and this didn't help. It makes no odds which pickup or both are turned up, or the tone shifted, the E still whispers. I'm guessing it's a pickup issue, and nothing else. If so, what budget Jazz Pickups are of decent quality? I'm thinking wilkinsons again. Any thoughts or opinions? Cheers BCers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Peculiar...what happens if you take a pickup out and replace it 180 degrees out, does the G now vanish? Seems unlikely to be a pickup fault as both have the same behaviour though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Just a thought, have you checked it's not the strings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deefer_dog Posted October 22, 2012 Author Share Posted October 22, 2012 (edited) Strings are brand new. Unplugged they sound bright, but the PUP just does't pick it up with any volume. It picks it up barely, but with no balls or volume. I'll try rotating them 180 during the week. EDIT - I'll try a different E string on it, just for the fact it could well be a dud. Brain Fart moment before I posted topic. Edited October 22, 2012 by deefer_dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Could be a phase issue. Try wiring one of the pickups 'back to front' and see what happens. Just swap the lead wires from the pickup around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 The pickup may have an open winding. When a pickup is open, the inductance can still give a weak signal. Unsolder the hot lead of the pickup from its volume control and see what the dc resistance is. I don't know what kind of pickup it has, but if the pickup is good, being a jazz bass-style instrument it should read something steady between 5kohms and 10kohms. If the needle or digital display of the ohmmeter won't give a stable reading, or rises towards infinity, then the coil is open, the pickup is bad and needs to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 [quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1350950128' post='1845586'] Could be a phase issue. Try wiring one of the pickups 'back to front' and see what happens. Just swap the lead wires from the pickup around. [/quote] nope: [quote] It makes no odds which pickup or both are turned up [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1350964651' post='1845604'] The pickup may have an open winding. When a pickup is open, the inductance can still give a weak signal. Unsolder the hot lead of the pickup from its volume control and see what the dc resistance is. I don't know what kind of pickup it has, but if the pickup is good, being a jazz bass-style instrument it should read something steady between 5kohms and 10kohms. If the needle or digital display of the ohmmeter won't give a stable reading, or rises towards infinity, then the coil is open, the pickup is bad and needs to be replaced. [/quote] nope: [quote] Every other string is boomy, and really does sound great, but the E is like a whisper [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 (edited) One last thought: does the pickup have alnico slugs or a ceramic bar and steel slugs? If the slugs under the e string have lost their magnetism, if alnico, or if they may not have good contact with the bar magnet underneath the pickup, then this will happen. I had a Pickup that had bar magnet and steel slugs in another guitar. The bar magnet cracked. The half that retained good contact with the steel poles sounded fine on half the strings, and the other half of the magnet that did not retain good contact with the steel poles sounded weak on the other half of the strings until I pulled the pickup apart and rebuilt the magnet. Edited October 23, 2012 by iiipopes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1350999910' post='1846026'] One last thought: does the pickup have alnico slugs or a ceramic bar and steel slugs? If the slugs under the e string have lost their magnetism, if alnico, or if they may not have good contact with the bar magnet underneath the pickup, then this will happen. I had a Pickup that had bar magnet and steel slugs in another guitar. The bar magnet cracked. The half that retained good contact with the steel poles sounded fine on half the strings, and the other half of the magnet that did not retain good contact with the steel poles sounded weak on the other half of the strings until I pulled the pickup apart and rebuilt the magnet. [/quote] I would guess that that was because the field was disrupted. The slugs dont actually need to contact the magnet or so I've been led to believe. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Well, to get the best magnetic field, the bar magnet does need to contact the steel poles. Any disconnect weakens the magnetic field. The problem is that if these pickups are bar magnet & slug, then the bar magnet will be glued to the bottom, and much care needs to be taken to separate it to see if the slugs are not contacting the magnet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 [quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1350999910' post='1846026'] One last thought: does the pickup have alnico slugs or a ceramic bar and steel slugs? If the slugs under the e string have lost their magnetism, if alnico, or if they may not have good contact with the bar magnet underneath the pickup, then this will happen. I had a Pickup that had bar magnet and steel slugs in another guitar. The bar magnet cracked. The half that retained good contact with the steel poles sounded fine on half the strings, and the other half of the magnet that did not retain good contact with the steel poles sounded weak on the other half of the strings until I pulled the pickup apart and rebuilt the magnet. [/quote] It's highly unlikely that's happened on both pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarPig Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Did you manage to sort this issue out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.