glentirran Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 Hi, I have bought a Westone Thunder 1A, but cannot get consistent sound out of it. It has been re-strung and set up properly, but seems to produce a great deal more output from the E string, a bit less from the A, and a big drop to the D and G. Tried just about every setting combo on the guitar and the amp, and varying the height of the pick ups, but no result. Appreciate any ideas/advice. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatEric Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 [i]If[/i] it is the one with the adjustable pole pieces, it's amazing what a difference they make. The pics show one of my basses that had a similar problem, as you can see, there is a big step in the heights but the volume across all the strings is now equal. If they are like these, adjusting the pole heights is more effective than lifting the pups. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 That's a nice piece of kit, FlatEric! I had no idea that any of them had adjustable pole pieces - a very neat feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 I worked on a bass with a P pickup not so long ago that had exactly this problem. The E & A were strong, the D less so & the G almost non-existant. In this instance the treble-side pickup had failed & needed a rewind I'm afraid. The only way to check, really, is to get a tech to put a meter across that particular coil & see if there's a reading or if it's open circuit. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_D Posted June 6, 2010 Share Posted June 6, 2010 My Thunder IIA is a bit uneven across the strings too but wasnt comfy adjusting the poles that much! Will have to spend some time with it I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glentirran Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Many thanks all. FlatEric, that seems to have done the job, although I have had to wind the E string poles down to subterranian levels to get balance! More fiddling to do, but heading in the right direction... ...next, I will work out how to operate the 'reply' function on this site properly! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 That's a great tip. I've heard of the same problem on a Westone that I setup recently (I put the bass in the Gear Porn thread), so I'll let the owner know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatEric Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 [quote name='glentirran' post='860434' date='Jun 7 2010, 10:14 PM']Many thanks all. FlatEric, that seems to have done the job, although I have had to wind the E string poles down to subterranian levels to get balance! More fiddling to do, but heading in the right direction... ...next, I will work out how to operate the 'reply' function on this site properly! Cheers[/quote] Hi. Glad it worked out. I have other basses with Di Marzio type pick-ups and none of the poles are set level. One of my amps is an Ashdown, with a VU meter - I set them up by pulling open strings, then fifth fret, over and over again and watch the VU, as well as listening to the volume. make adjustments on the poles and Bingo! I also have basses with standard P & J pick-ups and all of them have [i]some[/i] slight weakness [i]somewhere[/i]. The adjustment really does make a difference and as you say, the E is screwed way down but at least you have a equal sound. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glentirran Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 And by coincidence I have an Ashdown Electric Blue 180, so doing exactly that! Amazing difference. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davee Posted January 14, 2021 Share Posted January 14, 2021 Long shot, recently dug out my thunder 1 bass anyone know what the action hight should be ? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 15 hours ago, Davee said: Long shot, recently dug out my thunder 1 bass anyone know what the action hight should be ? thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted January 15, 2021 Share Posted January 15, 2021 16 hours ago, Davee said: Long shot, recently dug out my thunder 1 bass anyone know what the action hight should be ? thanks Whatever's comfortable for you & suits your playing style. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 On 14/01/2021 at 18:57, Davee said: Long shot, recently dug out my thunder 1 bass anyone know what the action hight should be ? thanks I always aim to get as low as it can go without buzzing when I'm playing as hard as I normally might. Then I'll adjust the pickups for string-to-string balance (in terms of output). Bear in mind that some Westones have adjustable polepieces, so these should be used instead. I run the pickups as close to the strings as possible, but not so close that they produce wolf-tones, obstruct my playing or collide with the strings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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