Picking up my Low B

[pyrohaz]

Hey guys, I've got a small problem with my Warwick Streamer Rockbass 5 string.

I have tried and tried to adjust pickup/string height and I just can't get a way of the pickups successfully picking up the B string (its amplitude is much lower than that of the E string) I know its not my amp because its a beefy 200w through 1x15" speaker and its not particularly audible through other speakers

Is there anywhere I can get some better pickups from? They're branded "MEC" (as far as I know, a pickup brand that supplies for warwick.)

Tonewise, this bass is lovely! A nice bit of 800hz for that good ol' clicky finger picking sound (I play above the neck pickup) along with a slightly cut low mid end (around 200Hz, not my fave of the bass frequency areas!) I just with it picked up my B a bit better

Cheers!

[john grey]

Contact Warwick Customer Service directly or check their web page for specs of size: check what's out there if you're set on swapping the pups out.
If they are flats, it may just be a tonality issue if it's a round-wound string you might try a different size & see if you get any change. It might be a very dead R-W string.

[berwick63]

Are you sure the problem is the pickup and not just what you "feel" it should sound like? I've heard a lot of people complain about B's sounding muddy and such, but thats just the nature of the beast, it's a fat string, it sends out fat chunky sound waves.

A better description of whats happening would be more useful. Has the B ever sounded better than it does now? Have you played other 5's through the same gear with different results?

It just sounds to me that you're not used to what a B string sounds like.

[waynobass]

If you have a light touch, try just playing the B-string harder.

You really have to lay into it to get it to the same volume as the other strings.

[berwick63]

Originally Posted by waynobass

If you have a light touch, try just playing the B-string harder.

You really have to lay into it to get it to the same volume as the other strings.

I just have a feeling he isn't talking about volume as much as he is clarity of the note. Thats just me guess though.

[MusicBear]

What is the frequency response spec for your 1x15" cabinet? Some cabinets just cannot reproduce a low-B as well as (higher) notes. If you play an "E" or higher on the low string does the sound level increase?

Many bassists don't realize that their speaker cabinet's frequency response is already rolling off at "E" and is very much weaker down at "B."
For example: Ampeg's published spec for the SVT 8x10" cabinet shows that it is "flat" to around "A", about 3 db down at "E" and then a whopping 10 db down at "B"! No amount of pickup adjusting, EQ boosting or other tweaking will get your speaker to reproduce a note outside of its range.

If necessary, have an electronics tech "look" at your bass's output on an oscilloscope. That will help you know if the problem is with the bass, the amp, or the speaker cabinet.

[walterw]

make sure the pickup itself has magnet pull below the B string, it may just be missing it entirely.