Carvin Dead Spots...

[corrosivemind19]

It has recently come to my attention that my E and A on my carvin LB70 has alot more volume then the D and G, i have to hit them alot harder to get the same sound . Im pretty sure it is dead spots on the neck. Do you recommend a compressor? or a limiter. There is one built in on my Yorkville XC400T but it doesnt seem to be doing the job. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

(i probably should have got it with the piezo pick-up in the bridge, then i could control the volume on the individual strings)

 

[ClassicJazz]

It has recently come to my attention that my E and A on my carvin LB70 has alot more volume then the D and G, i have to hit them alot harder to get the same sound . Im pretty sure it is dead spots on the neck. Do you recommend a compressor? or a limiter. There is one built in on my Yorkville XC400T but it doesnt seem to be doing the job. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

(i probably should have got it with the piezo pick-up in the bridge, then i could control the volume on the individual strings)

Before you buy anything, have you tried adjusting the pickups? Try lowering them a bit on the E and A side or raising it on the D and G side. I had to do that on one of my Fenders, and it worked out fine. Also dead-spots are more commonly associated with individual notes, not entire strings.

 

[corrosivemind19]

ohhh, i was thinking about trying that but i didnt want to do anything i wasn't sure of. i have a jazz at the neck and a HUMBucker at the bridge, should i raise both of those pickups at the D and G?

 

[lug]

ohhh, i was thinking about trying that but i didnt want to do anything i wasn't sure of. i have a jazz at the neck and a HUMBucker at the bridge, should i raise both of those pickups at the D and G?

Solo each pup by itself and see if they both need adjusting.

 

[corrosivemind19]

good point, thank you, I will do that. I was hoping it wasnt the neck because ive been saving for the carvin forever with my 35 bones a week job and so far everything about it is perfect besides the D and G

 

[Andre_gt7]

It probably (hopefully) is just a pickup adjustment.

 

[corrosivemind19]

i hope so too

 

[Andre_gt7]

and if it isn't. Carvin customer support ROCKS!

 

[62bass]

If it's most of the notes on the E and A string that sound too loud, specially the lower ones, then it's not dead spots. Dead spots usually show up on just one or a few notes. Like on a Fender, where they often show uo as a weak note at C# or near there on the G string.

It sounds like your pickups need adjusting, either by lowering the E string side or raising the G string side.

Make these adjustments with the tone controls on the bass and amp at a close to flat setting. Too much boost will make some notes sound a bit loud.

If it's only the open E and A that sound too loud while only open D and G are too quiet, then it could be a problem with the nut or strings, but I doubt that's the problem.

 

[lug]

It probably (hopefully) is just a pickup adjustment.

Theoretically, it almost HAS to be a pickup adjustment unless the volume difference is heard acoustically as well as when plugged in.

 

[SuperDuck]

Theoretically, it almost HAS to be a pickup adjustment unless the volume difference is heard acoustically as well as when plugged in.

The only other thing I could think of is if he has some goofy soft top/heavy bottom string gauges. I had a set of those once, though I don't recall which brand they were. They sure did sound funny, though.

Corrosivemind: Are they the strings that came on the bass from the factory? Do you know what gauges they are?

 

[SamJ]

Has to be pickups.. never heard of open EA being louder then DG.. or similar. I wonder if one of the pups aren't experiencing some kind of failure.. this should be warranteed thru Carven no?

Anyway, only Fenders get dead spots!

 

[62bass]

Has to be pickups.. never heard of open EA being louder then DG.. or similar. I wonder if one of the pups aren't experiencing some kind of failure.. this should be warranteed thru Carven no?

Anyway, only Fenders get dead spots!

Let's not get the poor guy all worried about his new bass. It's almost certainly a pickup problem or pickups and strings. It's very simple to remedy.

Make sure your compressor is off when you adjust the pickup height.

 

[corrosivemind19]

i did get a pack of D'Adario strings, and they are pretty old and worn out, i should get new ones and see wat happens from there, because i did notice that the D and G and thinner then usual.
thanks for all the help guys

 

[unatratnag]

Anyway, only Fenders get dead spots!

Most definately not true ha! My poor Carvin has a dead spot!

 

[honeyboy]

I think Carvin recommends the pickup heights to be about 4/32" from the bottom of the string to the top of the pickups while pressing the string at the last fret. I would start there and lower the loud side to get the results you want. I have the same pickups on my bolt kit and the sound is pretty well balanced.On mine, my B string side (Low notes)are set at 4/32" and the G string side is set at 5/32" since my thinner strings were a little too loud.

 

[WoodyG3]

I've had volume problems due to bad strings, so don't rule that out.

 

[bradjonesbass]

Groove Tubes makes a sustain thingamajobber (that's the technical term) that clamps onto the headstock and is supposed to improve sustain and eliminate dead spots on the neck... But it sounds like a pickup problem to me too.

 

[Mystic Michael]

Groove Tubes makes a sustain thingamajobber (that's the technical term) that clamps onto the headstock and is supposed to improve sustain and eliminate dead spots on the neck...

a.k.a. a FatFinger...

MM

 

[corrosivemind19]

So i loosened the screws on the bottom of the Pickups on the carvin, and that raised them near the D and G string. It worked Im pretty sure. Would guys have recommended lowering them near the E and A or raising near the D and G or does it not even matter?