Non pickup causes of string warble?

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Got some gnarly warble that persists on a bass no matter how low the pickups are? Could it be a bad string? Not sure what else could cause this, maybe wiring? It’s a pre eb Sabre fwiw. I’ve heard of wolf tones and everything too but I’m pretty sure it’s not pickup height, had those guys a full 4/32 and 5/32 away at one point and no matter what 8,9,10,11,12 warble on a

 

[Samatza]

Usually a bad string or twisted string. Do you bend the end of the string before cutting when you install them? Sometimes failing to do this can cause problems with the outer wrap.

Setting the witness points also helps, that is if the string is good and it is installed properly.

 

[T. Brookins]

Some larger tapered strings warble at higher positions. When the speaking length has variations in width, it changes the overtone structure relative to the fundamental from the more typical.

 

[mongo2]

I had an interesting case of warble/chorusing on my E and A strings on a boutique bass. I had tried different strings and adjusting the pickups but it persisted. I contacted the company and was told it had to do with the slots in the saddles. They sent me new saddles and the problem vanished.

 

[JakobT]

This was a problem on the pre-EB and earliest EB models, I believe. It was the main reason they changed the original 8-pole humbucker to a 16-pole one.

 

[mongo2]

This was a problem on the pre-EB and earliest EB models, I believe. It was the main reason they changed the original 8-pole humbucker to a 16-pole one.

Interesting, I'm familiar with the 8 pole pickup but I've never heard of the 16 pole pickup. Have you got any further information or pictures?

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

I had an interesting case of warble/chorusing on my E and A strings on a boutique bass. I had tried different strings and adjusting the pickups but it persisted. I contacted the company and was told it had to do with the slots in the saddles. They sent me new saddles and the problem vanished.

honestly I think this might be it, sound seems to go away when I engage the string mutes and the string isn’t vibrating entirely on that bridge saddle

This was a problem on the pre-EB and earliest EB models, I believe. It was the main reason they changed the original 8-pole humbucker to a 16-pole one.

Usually it corrects by backing it off all the way though or at least the sound runs away to the frets above 12! I’m still expecting chorus up there! It is a design flaw after all, a small sacrifice for that low end

Interesting, I'm familiar with the 8 pole pickup but I've never heard of the 16 pole pickup. Have you got any further information or pictures?

Yes this monster! Is under the EB sabres

 

[JakobT]

The original Sabre pickups were smaller versions of the StingRay humbuckers. I believe, however, that the neck pickup caused the string warbling problem, and I think it was replaced with a 16-pole humbucker sometime around 1983. At this time the pickups got turned into soapbars, presumably for cosmetic reasons, to hide the disparity between the two pickups. The Classic Sabre reissues have the same pickup arrangement.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

The original Sabre pickups were smaller versions of the StingRay humbuckers. I believe, however, that the neck pickup caused the string warbling problem, and I think it was replaced with a 16-pole humbucker sometime around 1983. At this time the pickups got turned into soapbars, presumably for cosmetic reasons, to hide the disparity between the two pickups. The Classic Sabre reissues have the same pickup arrangement.

for sure I think I might be hearing things too, so taking a break for a day, but I know about the magnetic stuff! Just trying to banish the warble to above the 10th fret instead of at exactly the 10th fret! Could be a wolf tone too. Usually with the pre-eb pickups you can set the neck one slightly below factory default and that fixed it.

So I’m stumped but I got a feeling I compromised the a string after all the times I’ve had it destringed etc, and it’s only the one string, if it were pickup heights the e and d would warble worse than the a around the same area I assume?

I got an eb era Sabre and a classic, really love that you can really jam that pickup really close to the strings with it

 

[mongo2]

Yes this monster! Is under the EB sabres

Thanks I've never seen the back of a Sabre neck pickup.

The original Sabre pickups were smaller versions of the StingRay humbuckers. I believe, however, that the neck pickup caused the string warbling problem, and I think it was replaced with a 16-pole humbucker sometime around 1983. At this time the pickups got turned into soapbars, presumably for cosmetic reasons, to hide the disparity between the two pickups. The Classic Sabre reissues have the same pickup arrangement.

Thanks, I never knew that.

I have a sabre neck but not the rest of it.

 

[mongo2]

I forgot to say, another cause of warble/chorusing can be the lack of a good witness point at the saddle.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

I forgot to say, another cause of warble/chorusing can be the lack of a good witness point at the saddle.

I just for the heck of it slid the string off the witness point and just had it on the bare saddle, which admittedly raises the string a little tiny bit, and much much less warble than before

 

[Bodeeni]

I think the pickup is too close. Pretty typical MM thing. I have had to lower pickups on most of my stingray and bongos to stop this. I run my current stingray pickups a solid 1/4" off the strings.

 

[JW56789]

Too much Red Bull, or Dark Roast Community.