My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

3

357mag

New member
All the strings when I pluck them individually sound like there are ringing. They don't sound suffocated or struggling. But when I pluck the high E string you can clearly tell something is wrong. The sound is suffocated. Not coming out. Like something is blocking it from really coming out.

I'm not sure my pickup is sitting correctly either, so I want you to look at some photos of both the neck and the bridge and tell me if it looks ****ed.

Here ya go:

_DSC0001.jpg_DSC0002.jpg
 
Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

If it's on both pickups, it's probably not the pickups. Open e? fretted? both? More info would help.
 
Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

Not sure but I think the high E on the neck sounds okay. I'll check to be sure. I'm just playing open strings. No fretted notes. What I'm wondering is if you look the pickup is really slanted. The front coil is way closer to the strings than the back coil. Not sure if this is the way it's supposed to sit.
 
Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

Only the bridge pickup high E string is wierd. Neck is fine. Maybe I gotta buzz, it sounds just a little rattly.
 
Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

I just looked and discovered that the string is practically touching the first fret. It was fine when I got the guitar back after he worked on it. But I took my bridge off to install the pickups and maybe I didn't set the action correctly.
 
Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

That pickup needs seated correctly 4sure.
Might not be what your immediate issue is, but you'll still want to have it angled closer to match the string's angle.
Personally I like the bridge-side of the bridge pup to be a hair closer to the open strings because when you play up high it will make the angle match perfectly.

You might well just need a truss, action,or nut adjustment,,,,,,,,or just a brand new E-string.
If the high-E sounds fine when you're on the neck pup then it's not likely getting magnetic interference(choking) from the bridge pup. (IMO)
 
Last edited:
Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

357mag said:
I just looked and discovered that the string is practically touching the first fret. It was fine when I got the guitar back after he worked on it. But I took my bridge off to install the pickups and maybe I didn't set the action correctly.
Click to expand...

That was going to be my suggestion.

Try raising the tunomatic (TOM) a quarter to half turn, see if it comes back to ringing like the other strings.

If it does, you can adjust TOM and truss rod to get closer to the action you want.

If it doesn't, your nut slot for the high-E may be cut too deep. That's a little more complex to fix, but fixable.


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Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

You can stuff the fuzzy foam from the pickup box under the pickup to make it sit flat

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Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

I just replaced the nut on a guitar that has had a "choked when open" high E string... fixed it right up. Was just worn in too far (the guitar is over 30 years old).
 
Re: My high E string on the bridge pickup sounds suffocated

BriGuy1968 said:
I just replaced the nut on a guitar that has had a "choked when open" high E string... fixed it right up. Was just worn in too far (the guitar is over 30 years old).
Click to expand...

I was about to come here to say this. I've had 4 new and a 1 year old used Gibson in the last 5 years or so. All needed new nuts. The worst offender was the SG Standard which came with what I can only describe as a nut that had been cut by a chimp wielding a chainsaw. Two of the new ones needed fret levelling too, the other two probably should have it done but close enough to get away with.

Aside from the initial set up concerns, they're now all great playing guitars. But if I had to pay someone to do this work for me, I'd think twice about a new Gibson again. I'm glad I can do it myself.
 
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