Set up/pick ups

[Harry Scott]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

I've personally never experienced this. This is the first time I've heard something like this.

It sounds like your bridge P/U is too close to your strings? If you have a light touch (or not), I can't imagine how you would have a problem with this; unless of course, the P/U's are set too high (i.e. too close to your strings) for your playing style. You should have ample ability to adjust the height on either P/U's accordingly.

Thanks for your reply, Tim, good to have some authority when you need it.

It's a new bass and I'm having to do a lot of work with it to have it feel as fantastic and natural as I've had Ken Smiths feel in a shop.

My pick up problem may seem worse because of other problems which may be more or less pertinent to what I hope to end up with, which is an incredible sound (like i've heard from ken Smiths) and very good action.
I'm struggling to get a good tone and this may lead to me being aware of other aspects of my playing that are a bit of a problem. I'm just getting my callouses back but they're not as hard as they usually are and that may be affecting my sound and playing as well. Not having played a lot for a few months I could simply be out of practice. I think the scale of my new bass is slightly longer than the Wal and the frets may be further apart at the nut. Not sure about this. Might be an illusion.

One problem may be that I need some other combination of woods, (I have figured Walnut/Tiger Maple) but I feel sure I've played this combination and got a sound that I could work with. I've heard a phenomenal sound from the Smith/David Eden combination of one of my past teachers and from playing that combination in a shop. I always seem to get a good tone from Edens.

I'm using an SWR workingmen's 12 but I either have too much high end or too much middle.

Thinking about all this I could be noticing the pick up height and the closeness to the strings and seizing on it as a way of explaining to myself why I'm not getting the sound/feel/action that I want, but having lowered the pu as far as it wants to go, i find this better that before and I would lower it more - to at least the height of the front pick up, but though I can push the pick up down to that level it can't stay there because the screws won't go down that far!

The p/ups on the Wal are quite low...

I do tend to dig in a bit and with my Wal set up professionally I seem to get a buzz where other people find the action ok. I had to have the frets sandstoned/filed down on the Wal. I think I've played a Ken Smith (5 string) with lower action without buzz and good sound (Eden). Quite sure - and without feeling/noticing the p/ups...!

I don't think I'm going to solve this problem before my callouses are in good order anyway - probably in a few days time.

[David Newcomb]

Take it to a bass tech and find out how low the pickup can really safely go, is what i would do. Sounds like you did the right thing stopping where it "feels" stopped, but a pro might be able to tweak it a little more.

I would think that if you bought the bass from a reputable retailer with a decent guy behind the workbench, you could get them to do a fair amount of tweaking for little or no cash outgo- seems the purchase of a high end bass guitar should have this kind of service attached to it... for a few weeks anyways.

Pickups are a very individual thing- I've always fought with jazz pickups mostly because i tend to use the top of the neck pickup as a thumbrest- and since I can relate to your pizz style of "really digging in", this hurts my thumb a lot on the jazz pickup! Henceforth I avoid instruments with jazz pickups...

[Harry Scott]

Hi Dave, I got this one from Ken. I think I have to do a lot of work with this bass to set it up properly for me. I need primarily to play it a lot...work out what I don't need to change as much as what I should...If I get the sound and action right the pick up thing will resolve itself I think.

Does anyone know if the P/U can go right down?