E-string sounds strange no matter what I do

Espresto · #1 12-27-2012, 10:06 AM

Every note past the seventh "fret" the low E on my fretless has this weird metallic, boomy quality to it, and sounds like it has some kind of detuning/modulation effect on it. I've tried flatwounds, roundwounds, light and heavy gauge strings, adding relief, taking out relief, and adjusting string height all to no avail. All the other string are fine (but the string balance in mediocre).

I'm starting to think it might be the pickups.

Does anyone have any idea what's going on?

This isn't "mwah"

dmusic148 · #2 12-27-2012, 10:11 AM

Might be pickup pull. Try lowering the neck pickup if your bass has one. Jazz basses do this sometimes.

Fliptrique · #3 12-27-2012, 10:15 AM

Yup. Lower the pickups.

Espresto · #4 12-27-2012, 10:36 AM

I tried to lowering the bridge pick up as low as it would go on the bass side, and it didn't make much of a difference. I already have the neck pickup quite low too. I'll try lowering it more, but, if that fails, are there any other possibilities?

dmusic148 · #5 12-27-2012, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Espresto

I already have the neck pickup quite low too. I'll try lowering it more, but, if that fails, are there any other possibilities?

Could be a lump on the fingerboard. Might need to be flattened a bit.
If pickup adjustment doesn't help, try raising the action of the E string stupid-high. If that fixes it, it's the fingerboard.