Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

[Duke of Metal]

hey guys,
As some you know i put a Duncan Custom Sh-5 in the bridge of my Lespaul.. but for some reason, the low E never really sounded that good. I tried many options but nothing seems to work.

It sounds muddy & fizzy. I cant do palm mutes on it. but when I play on the A or D string, it sounds very defined, tight and clean. But not on the low E.

Any ideas??

I tried to raise the poles on the pickup, i tried raising the lowering the pickup, etc.. and the same thing.


Thanks

 

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Man.... i experienced this stuff with a lot of pickups in my guitars..... i guess it has something with the way you attack the STRINGS.... a changed my TONE TASTE and now i use pickups with not too much bass on the brige and on the neck too.
i guess is my way of attack strings ADDS more HEAVYNESS and botom end to the string sounds.... ! this is my opinion.
Q

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Man.... i experienced this stuff with a lot of pickups in my guitars..... i guess it has something with the way you attack the STRINGS.... a changed my TONE TASTE and now i use pickups with not too much bass on the brige and on the neck too.
i guess is my way of attack strings ADDS more HEAVYNESS and botom end to the string sounds.... ! this is my opinion.
Q

as much as I'd like to agree with you, i dont think thats what it is. I thought it was the cab at first, but i tried it with other caps and the same thing. I thought it was my setup and tried through a different setup, its the same thing.

Its only on the Low E.

I reduced my bass setting very low and the same but not as much bass. I tried scooping the mids and its the same. I tried adding mids, it sounds too "hollow". same thing witha adding/reducing treble and presence. Even if i reduce the gain or add more (not like i need more gain then what i use) and its still the same. unless I use my crunch channel for the AcDc type songs, which doesnt have enough gain for the hardrock/heavy metal, but even there, its not very noticable as much as the heavy metal patch.

Maybe bad pickup?? bad string?


Thanks

 

[Ken]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

...Have you tried adjusting the string height or the truss rod?

Maybe it's not the pickups at all?...hmm, this is an interesting one

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

...Have you tried adjusting the string height or the truss rod?

Maybe it's not the pickups at all?...hmm, this is an interesting one

I dont remember exactly if i have tried that or not, but i guess i could give it a try again and see if it helps at all!

Any other opinions in the mean time??

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Well.. I tried that and it didnt seem to help! I tried to raise and lower the strings and it didnt really do much at all.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Does this happen when the guitar is unplugged, or just when it's played through an amp?

Ryan

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Have you tried changing E strings? Probably obvious..

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Does this happen when the guitar is unplugged, or just when it's played through an amp?

Ryan

It sorta sounds like it does that!!

Have you tried changing E strings? Probably obvious..

Havent yet but thats somthing I am going to do soon.

Right now i am using a 10-46 guage. Gonna try to go 10-38 and see if it makes any difference.

In the mean time, any suggestions are welcomed.


Thanks

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Just try a diff string period...not necessarily guage. Brand, package, w/e.

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Just try a diff string period...not necessarily guage. Brand, package, w/e.

well.. I just did that and plugged in and its still there..

Anybody else would like to suggest an idea??

If your going to ask if it happened with my older pickup. I dont remember, its been a while since I took that one out.


Thanks

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

By the way.. I am gonna try to get a hold of another guitar sometime next week and try it with my rig and see how it sounds. if it doesnt make the same weird problem, then i'll take it for repair or somthing.

 

[JimiHWannaBe]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

k if it sounds like that when its unplugged you most likely have one of two problems. your action is way to low on your e string or you attack the string with way to much of the pick try attacking with just the very tip.

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

k if it sounds like that when its unplugged you most likely have one of two problems. your action is way to low on your e string or you attack the string with way to much of the pick try attacking with just the very tip.

I tried picking different ways. I hold my pick 1 way and it sounds fine on the other strings. Could it be the action? I dont know. I am not tech to tell ya to be honest. it doenst sound like the string is hitting any frets when palm muting as i played every note on the Low E from Fret 1 to fret 22 and no buzz or anything that sounds like its too low.

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Lower the bass side (low E) of the pickup to reduce magentic pull on the low E string (too strong a magnetic pull will dampen tone and hamper sustain and punch-- hover a small allen wrench over or on the the Low E string and tweek the pickup height until there's a faint magentic pull on the wrench). Next, check to see if you may need to flush the stop tailpiece closer to the guitar's top. You may not have as extreme a ramping necessary to properly torque a low wound string. Adjust the bridge as needed. Bring the pickup closer to strings if you believe the guitar may benefit after the other adjustments.

I'm not there to assess the problem, but it can't hurt to try.

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

By the way.. would the neck pickup be able to do somthing like that if its too high??.. i am not sure how strong the magnet in it is.

Cause i havent tried lowering the neck pickup at all..

 

[Boston Joe]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

By the way.. would the neck pickup be able to do somthing like that if its too high??.. i am not sure how strong the magnet in it is.

Cause i havent tried lowering the neck pickup at all..

Good point-- Strat pickups are notorious for magentic pull and hampering tone and intonation; but Strats can sound pretty punchy with thin strings. Les Pauls can be rather muddy and Gibsons in general can have pretty slack string tension (shorter scale than a Fender-- some don't sound good until they have 11's strung on them). The mass of the Les Paul can create a thick sound, but that can be misleading. What you are looking for in a guitar is an almost acoustical punch and projection when unplugged and played through a clean amp setting. Each guitar has it's own personality, and it requires a little work to pull out the hidden potential.

Another consideraton: Too low a string action. That can really have a negative effect on the percussive response of a guitar.

 

[Duke of Metal]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

Good point-- Strat pickups are notorious for magentic pull and hampering tone and intonation; but Strats can sound pretty punchy with thin strings. Les Pauls can be rather muddy and Gibsons in general can have pretty slack string tension (shorter scale than a Fender-- some don't sound good until they have 11's strung on them). The mass of the Les Paul can create a thick sound, but that can be misleading. What you are looking for in a guitar is an almost acoustical punch and projection when unplugged and played through a clean amp setting. Each guitar has it's own personality, and it requires a little work to pull out the hidden potential.

Another consideraton: Too low a string action. That can really have a negative effect on the percussive response of a guitar.

so your saying maybe i should try to raise the strings more?? I dont feel like using thicker strings... infact, i am thinking of trying a thiner gauge (9 1/2 or 9).

I am gonna try to get my friend to bring 1 or 2 of his guitars over to try through my rig and see how it sounds. If it sounds good, then i know the problem is somewhere on my guitar.. if it has the same problem, then I'll know its somewhere in the rig.. i kinda doubt its the rig as if it was, then it wouldnt only happen on the Low E.

if it turns out to be 100% for sure the guitar, then I'll take it to the shop and get it setup and fixed up.

 

[brinton]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

hopefully you put a "new" E string on lol.
I really think this is something simple, the neck pup is probable cause for magnetic pull, bridge pup height is more of an output thing and used to dial in certain attack feel, higher gives you sharper, more focused narrower sound and an increase in power, lower opens up you sound a bit but you also loose some definition/output, if it sounds dead it's your string probably (height or life), if it sounds quieter and mushy (less definition) it's probably your pup height. acoustics are very important, raise the E string a bit and you should immediately hear an increase in bass if you have relatively low action. More string angle over the bridge hepls vibration.

If I were you I'd just show it to my most knowledgeable pro/friend AFTER I tried all of the above, my best guess is that you probably got a dead E string, but there are other more complicated issues, perhaps your E pole-piece is decaying, did you rub chicken grease on your polepieces?

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Low E has no defintion/Punch (Duncan Custom Sh-5 content)

try switching to elixers

they seem to be the brigtest

also, i know you may have already tried it, but turn down the treble & mids & boost the presence