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What Do You Think !

G

Growly Lytes

Dec 4, 2009
1,358
13
Downunder Oz
Disclosures
Bass player
#1
I want to rip out the guts on my Fender Deluxe Lyte because it sounds empty on the G string all the way up & down the neck.Doesnt really matter where i play it its dead all the way up & down but the rest of the strings sound pretty good.
So the question is.....
Would i hear a big difference if i was to replace the stock Fender onboard preamp with an Audere or Aguilar ? Could it make that flimsy g string come to life ? Ive treid raising & lowering the pickups & its the same.Im thinking its the stock Fender onboard preamp.It sounds to me like when i blend both p/u in the middle posi it sucks out the mids & high mids !
I may have to change both the Preamp & Pickups i quess ?
The thing im driving at is`Will there be a major change in the sound after upgrading to an Audere or Aguilar ? Reading on TB about Fender electronics & the impression im getting is their onboard preamps & pickups arent very good.Is this where the heart of the problem is ` the onboard preamp ? Can an onboard preamp change transform a bass to sound better ?
Please help me find the answer ? The bass is wonderful & i just want it to sound a bit better then it does !:help:
 
#5
So what would changing the nut to bone do to the sound ? Does it improve ?
Ive havent tried loading the strings via the top so il try that too, always done it through the body maybe thats the reason.I just changed the strings they are brand new Slinkys & the sound is a little better but still dead on the G all the way up & down.
So im going to try first.....
1.Change nut
2.String her up through the bridge & not through body so to hear for change in sound.
3.Change Pickups
Is there a possibility that when i change the nut that the sound may still be the same ?
Growly
 
#6
My name is Mudd said:
String height too tall?
Click to expand...
Cant be ive tried lowering them as close as they go & then trying them further away & its the same thing it just compresses the sound when too close.They just dont give out enough growl.The thing is the bridge pickup is a double jazz thats very hard to replace.Dont how to replace the Humbucker because of its size. They have them on the AM P-Basses.Ive read they are very Growly !
So what would you guys say as a final thought....
What are my best options ?
Nut
Pickup
Bridge
Preamp
G.L
 
#7
Growly Lytes said:
So what would changing the nut to bone do to the sound ? Does it improve ?
Ive havent tried loading the strings via the top so il try that too, always done it through the body maybe thats the reason.I just changed the strings they are brand new Slinkys & the sound is a little better but still dead on the G all the way up & down.
So im going to try first.....
1.Change nut
2.String her up through the bridge & not through body so to hear for change in sound.
3.Change Pickups
Is there a possibility that when i change the nut that the sound may still be the same ?
Growly
Click to expand...

Changing the nut won't do anything,
Question no2 won't do anything
Since you have a mahogany body, that bass should be alive
So change the pickups for ceramic magnet and the bass will become cleaner and brighter in other words more alive
That's my opinion

Link Removed
 
#9
Its not really sustain thats the problem the bass sorta sounds good. Its the D & the G strings. The D aint as bad but the G sounds like its not putting out a strong signal theres no bottom end on the high notes.No thickness just a thin sound !
Last nite i tried to raise the pickups alot & the sound was much less compressed & louder......how i dont know when ive moved the p/u further away & its louder & cleaner but still dead on the G.
So what can an onboard preamp do for this situation ?
Plus brightness isnt the problem.Its got brightness but no thickness to the G strings.
It as if the pickup isnt catching the sound but the rest of the strings are fine & sound good with nice bottom & tops. I cant figure it out tbo.
 
#11
Rene said:
Changing the nut won't do anything,
Question no2 won't do anything
Click to expand...

I would not be so sure of that. If the nut has a defect/crack under the G string, I can certainly see how it might deaden that string...

A more likely cause is the pickups (or at least, pickup adjustment) but a nut replacement isn't expensive; I'd take the bass to a reputable shop and explain the issue; Let him set it up to get the best performance with the G string. If there's nothing he can do, try changing the nut. Heck, at that point, have him put in a Corian or graphite nut (I'll bet those basses had simple plastic nuts).
 
#13
elgecko said:
Does it sound that way acoustically?
Click to expand...
No it doesnt, it sounds pretty good when acoustic i tried playing it like that last nite & its not bad.There is sustain there but it is not being picked up for some reason.
The rest of the strings sound great only the G.
O.k lets look deeper.... i have 2 Lytes one is the Deluxe & the other Standard.So the onboard electronics should be the same but there not.
The Deluxe Lyte has "U.S Designed Electronics" & "U.S designed Double Jazz Humbucker" which is what i think is causing this delema. :crying:
Where as the standard P-Lyte doesnt have these features.It has active Electronics but they arent U.S designed & also it doesnt have the Humbucker & somehow the standard P-Lyte has much more output no dead spots very full & Growly. Could the pickups be faulty after all this time or a loose wire internally, i mean the bass was made in 85.
It seems to me that the neck pickup isnt catching the treble side as much as the bass side.
When i raise the neck pickup to catch the sound more its only catching the bass side & the treble side stays empty even when i bring it very close or very far its the same result pretty much, but im sure the pickup is working just maybe not as it should !
 
#14
Also ive just finished reading a days worth of info on this subject.Nobody can pin point the solution. Ive noticed that alot of Stingrays have this problem & some Fenders but the SR have it all the way up & down the neck as i have with my Fender.
I think im going to go & get the pickups checked out.I may replace them & the preamp.May file the nut a touch raise the pickups closer & have a good look at the bridge just incase ive missed something.
Seems as though some folks say its the relief in the neck & others say its pickups & then maybe the Preamp.Others are saying its the amp settings ive tried a heap of these things but its not happening......Electronics is the heart of it i think.
My view i think its got to do with the electronics.....
 
#15
GREAT NEWS !
I went over the pickups & something came to mind where one TB`er said that when he bent the G string it was much louder so that got me thinking & i tried it the G & the D string comes alive so much its not even funny very loud & balanced.
So then i got thinking more, i unscrewed the neck pickup & moved it side to side first to the treble side then to the bass side just to test without the screws in.
ITS THE BLOODY PICKUPS !! They are causing the dead G string.Its not that they are crap pickups or faulty, the problem is that the G string isnt being magnetized by the pole piece like the rest its not on top of the magnet but beside it. I was able to Blue-Tak the pickup just to test it as i shifted it to the bass side of the narrow pickup cavity & the results were mind blowing.....Im not joking ! The D & G were so much louder but how can this be fixed is my question.How can one get the magnet to be right underneath the G aswell as all the rest.I could maybe drill two new holes & move the pickup over slightly to the bass side this would fix the problem totally but im worried about doing that ?
P-S... Would i be able to turn the neck pickup around facing the other way ? Would it effect the phasing or anything ? I wont be changing the wires around only the pickup will be facing the opposite direction then it is !
Thanks guys
 
#16
why do you have a problem drilling to reposition the pups?Pull them out, fill the holes with glue and round hardwood toothpicks, redrill and screw 'em in. Index your drill bit with tape to match the depth of the old holes and drill on slow speed so you don't go through.

Glad you have a solution. Just to clarify, the p'ups don't magnetize the strings, the strings merely move around in the magnetic field disturbing it and creating current in the wire coil. The pole pieces are the focus points of the field so it stands to reason if a string isn't well situated in the field it will produce a weak signal.
 

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