Pick up clipping.

[GianGian]

Hi.
I have had this problem for sometime. The thing is that when I play really hard on the E string there is a clipping sound. It IS NOT the string hitting the pole...I have lowered the pick up a bit and it reduced but didn't solve the problem. Could it be that the magnetic field of the pick up is too strong? Plus, I use a .95 E string, so maybe the big motion it has (when compared to a heavier string) makes this problem worse?
Any ideas?

[Trevorus]

You sure it's not your amp, or some other vibration in your instrument?

[GianGian]

Originally Posted by Trevorus

You sure it's not your amp, or some other vibration in your instrument?

Quite sure because I recorded the bass directly in line. And it happens only on the E string.

[Trevorus]

Originally Posted by GianGian

Quite sure because I recorded the bass directly in line. And it happens only on the E string.

That could be the problem. Maybe the input isn't meant to handle that signal.

[62bass]

Yes, I think that can happen. I saw a guy playing a P bass on a gig one time who played so hard that every note was distorted. And he wasn't clipping the input stage of his amp and had passive electronics in his bass so it wasn't a preamp thing. It didn't bother him-he was oblivious to it.

Some strings seem to contribute more to the problem than others.

I guess the only solution if you've ruled out anything else, is to ease up with the right hand.

[AlembicPlayer]

please give more info

bass guitar brand/model?
pickups brand model?

[Ric5]

perhaps you need more headroom on your amplification.

[SS_korn89]

I had the same problem with my warwick corvette and its MEC pickups. Sure enough the bridge pickup was to high. The string wasn't hitting the pickup either...I lowered it a bit and that solved the problem.

[GianGian]

Originally Posted by Trevorus

That could be the problem. Maybe the input isn't meant to handle that signal.

But I can hear it on the amplifier too.

Originally Posted by 62bass

Yes, I think that can happen. I saw a guy playing a P bass on a gig one time who played so hard that every note was distorted. And he wasn't clipping the input stage of his amp and had passive electronics in his bass so it wasn't a preamp thing. It didn't bother him-he was oblivious to it.

Some strings seem to contribute more to the problem than others.

I guess the only solution if you've ruled out anything else, is to ease up with the right hand.

Yeah, I think that this is really the only way.

Originally Posted by AlembicPlayer

please give more info

bass guitar brand/model?
pickups brand model?

It is some cheap taiwanese bass, stock pick ups. But it sounds and feels so good I would never change it for a 1000+ bass.

Originally Posted by Ric5

perhaps you need more headroom on your amplification.

sorry but what is exactly headroom?

[lug]

You can't "clip" a passive pickup. You can clip the preamp if you have one.