Need ideas for balancing sound from string to string.

[ihateusernames]

Please have patience reading this, I promise I need setup advice rather than technique/effects/pickups/amp.

I've run into an issue when playing with light overdrive. The grind from the E string is way out of balance with the other strings. By this I mean when the E string has a nice amount of grind/growl - the other strings have virtually none. Tweaking gain levels or eq settings to bring out the grind/growl of the ADG strings makes the E string overbearing.

I can mask this to a degree with technique by just 'bumping' into the E string and playing the ADG with a very aggressive technique. Not what I want to do.

Any ideas how to balance the strings with setup? To complicate things a bit it sounds perfectly balanced when playing clean either picked or fingerstyle. I fear any radical changes to setup will affect playability.

Bass in question is Schecter Stiletto Custom 4, it's got one of those funky S-tek bridges and EMG HZ soapbar pickups.

[ihateusernames]

Originally Posted by ihateusernames

Any ideas how to balance the strings with setup? To complicate things a bit it sounds perfectly balanced when playing clean either, picked or fingerstyle. I fear any radical changes to setup will affect playability.

Bass in question is Schecter Stiletto Custom 4, it's got one of those funky S-tek bridges and EMG HZ soapbar pickups.

Originally Posted by Joshua

Do you mean that you are using some sort of overdrive effect (like a pedal)?

If so, how is the string to string balance without the effect?

The drive comes either from the amp, or effects. The amp is GK Backline 600. Effect would be one of a couple different effects pedals with drive at near zero.

Would raising the E string make sense? What about switching the E to a lighter gauge?

[ihateusernames]

That's why I quoted myself, sorry if it was hard to see. To restate - it sounds very balanced clean, maybe it's not as balanced as I'm hearing though?

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about crazy over the top distortion of fuzz, just a mild driving tone. If you've ever heard, a tone very similar to Eddie Jackson on Queensryche Operation Mindcrime, or with other equipment a sound approaching Alice in Chains on the Dirt album with Mike Starr.

For comparison, it makes no difference if it's played through my amp, DI'd through a console and in headphones, or through the phones out of a multi-effects unit. Old passive Fender bass does not react the same way with the same equipment.

[ihateusernames]

That's what I was leaning toward so I tried several different effects, with various settings, varied eq settings and ended with the same result. Not the case when using the Fender. I'm stumped