Hello all, I got a great deal on a Fender Kingman through OfferUp. I noticed the Jack pin was super loose and tried to adjust it from the inside with some wrenches…DOH, and ended up breaking off one of the wires at the Jack. THEN I watched a YouTube video on how to adjust the Jack pin, re-soldered the wire and fixed that problem. Now, when it is plugged in, only the E string is amplified and if you hold the note the volume increases until you let go or lose your hearing. I found all kinds of articles about the E string not being amplified, but none for the other way around. Any ideas would be most appreciated! thanks, Allan
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Acoustic question…only the E string is amplified
- Thread starter Avlamonte
- Start date
I can't help specifically, but check the ABG CLUB.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/acoustic-bass-fetish-club-part-2.665642/page-327
And more to the Fender point...
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-abg-club.1600807/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/acoustic-bass-fetish-club-part-2.665642/page-327
And more to the Fender point...
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-abg-club.1600807/
My guess was that the bridge saddle was not making good contact with the piezo strip underneath it. take that saddle out and make sure its not bound "up" on the treble side
I don't think you could do this kind of damage by noodling on jack side of the electronics. Sounds to me more like a problem of the piezo pickup, or electronics. Search the web for similar problem. The electronics, and the pickup, would probably be Fishman.
But before you change anything, change the battery for fresh one.
But before you change anything, change the battery for fresh one.
Did it work before you adjusted the jack? It's a basic piezo pickup so there's not much that can go wrong - certainly not much that would separate one string from the rest of the signal. I suspect the issue is with the piezo strip either not making contact properly under the saddle or being damaged. Loosen the strings, pull the saddle, and check the strip is seated firmly.
The piezo pickups that are under the bridge saddle are notoriously finicky, and it's often very difficult to get even response across the strings with a one piece saddle - it will make good contact on some strings, and none at all on others. The best way to get to where everything is even is (this sounds like butchery but it works) to first make sure that the slot for the saddle has a bit (but not much) play - you want to make sure the bridge isn't stuck in place by friction. Then, you get a saw with a very thin kerf (an Xacto saw works well), and you cut the saddle into 4 pieces - using vertical slots halfway between the strings. That way, every string has a chance to push it's saddle section down to the piezo pickup, and voila....this works very well.
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Had a similar Fender issue. EAD strings were amplified the G almost not at all. I tried flipping the piezo that was under the saddle. Now the ADG strings were amplified and very little from the E. So, the piezo had a break in it. I replaced it with a generic piezo on Amazon and the wires were very delicate and I couldn’t get them spliced and soldered without frying the wires. So, it became acoustic only and I put it up for free in the TB classifieds.
Thanks everyone for the input. I removed the saddle, blew it out, reinstalled it, and retightened the strings and that made a big difference. Now the e string is softer than the others. I thing I will try cutting the saddle and see how that works.
I so appreciate those who maintain this forum and it’s members. Always a great resource!
I so appreciate those who maintain this forum and it’s members. Always a great resource!
Major bummer RichSnyder! Not a positive outcome but that sounds like something that would happen to me!
true beatdatthang, but I would rather make it work as is. That may be plan b…
true beatdatthang, but I would rather make it work as is. That may be plan b…
Take the saddle out of the bridge slot.
Get some 400 grit sand paper and place it on a flat surface.
Sand the bottom of the saddle so it is flat with no gaps underneath (I suspect this is the problem).
Lift up the piezo strip and use a small jewelers flat head screw driver to gently scrape the bottom of the slot to make sure there is no debris of any kind that could cause contact surface irregularities. Emphasis on 'gently'.
Place piezo back in slot flat and then place the saddle back in the slot on top of the piezo.
Restring.
Worked for me several times on different ABG's with all kinds of strings being louder/softer than the others.
Take your time doing this. Make sure you hold the saddle flat and straight using even pressure when sanding.
Dude! I just followed these instructions and it works perfectly now. Thanks so much to you and all who gave suggestions!
Cave Puppy
"Humph Bo, he's wond!" - John Lennon
Not the answer you wanted to hear - I’ve had two acoustic bass guitars with this exact issue. I was able to fix one by messing with the piezo/bridge geometry and had to trash another that couldn’t be fixed. Reason 47 why I can’t abide by ABGs.
