Sustain, Tonality and ESP

[tokethatsmoke]

Hello,
I have an old ESP axe that hasn't been strung in a long time. Now i've taken the time to fix it and i've hit a couple of walls.

First, there is no sustain. I can hear a tone coming out just fine but it's gone momentarily no matter how hard i pluck. edit: the strings are vibrating, but nothing is coming out of the amp (amp is fine).

Second, When i play a note on e and d strings (A for example), the notes don't match. I suspect the bridge to be a part of it, since i loaned this bass to a friend and he probably messed with it.

Note: all electronics are done properly, and battery has just been changed. It runs trough active ESP SB-4 pick up. (only pickup).

 

[Ronbeast]

The bridge problem sounds like the intonation is off. I guess your friend adjusted the bridge?

 

[darkstorm]

Possible problem with preamp or pups. All esp basses Ive had had excellent sound and sustain no problem. Have qaulified tech look at it to see if can identify whats cutting out.

 

[tokethatsmoke]

I see. thanks for the answers. To follow up, is there any way i could adjust the bridge myself. Could this mean he messed with the horizontal or vertical aligment of the bridge. I will have the pickups checked out. Tho i am an electrician and i can't find any problems in the actual curcit myself.

 

[Scott in Dallas]

I hate loaning out instruments for this very reason. I loaned a friend an active bass, and he turned a knob too far and pulled a wire loose. You're going to have to dig in and find it or pay someone else to do it.

Also, use the links at the top of the forum to read about setting intonation.

 

[Ronbeast]

Is it possible that there is a cold solder joint or anything that isn't making a good contact in the circuit?

 

[tokethatsmoke]

Thanks didn't know there's already a thread for that lolz. my bad, didn't search for it.

Is it possible that there is a cold solder joint or anything that isn't making a good contact in the circuit?

nope, i have checked everything and circuit checks out perfect.

 

[Ronbeast]

Is it possible for you to try wiring the pickups straight to the jack? If they produce a regular sound, then you know that the pickups are fine and the other electronics are suspect.

I don't have anything to really base this on, but I would suspect either a misplaced wire or the preamp to be the culprit.

 

[tokethatsmoke]

I have checked out how to set up the bridge properly. and now it has a lot more sustain and intonation is ok now, so i guess the issue is fixed..


thanks alot for all your advice.