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Low output E string on a fretless?

Hi,

I have recently acquired a musiman 20th anniversary stingray unlined fretless. When I got it, I strung it with D'Addario half wounds 45-100.

I'm loving the bass but finding that the low E has a lower output than the other strings. The notes from say the 5th fret down are audibly quieter and indistinct. I have tried adjusting the height of the pickup, but this only servers to increase the volume of the A string also. I have noticed that the pole-pieces for the A and D strings are noticeably higher than the E and G. Is this a standard stingray thing? Or perhaps this volume thing is a characteristic of fretless bass?

What do you guys think?

Cheers