Why does my B on my k5 sound so quiet!?

[thebleedingtree]

I know its not a high end bass, but theyre still pretty mid range price wise in the grand scheme of things.

Anyway, all other strings full of bass and life, B string loses a lot of bottom end and anything past 5th fret sounds almost flat and definitely lacks definition compared to the rest of the bass.

Is this a pickup problem? ( Theyre active but ibanez designed, not EMG or barts)

I cant figure out why its like it, really annoying me!

Any help much appreciated

 

[MoeTown1986]

adjust pickup hieght on the B-string side?

 

[thebleedingtree]

yeah tried that my friend no joy at all, changed the battery and new strings

 

[curbowkid]

Pickup height? Intonation?

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Was it always like that? Is it like that from every amp?

I doubt it has anything to do with pickup height, why would it get the higher frequencies but not the low B. Intonation will also have no effect on this issue, since it is already questionable on even the best of B strings.

 

[curbowkid]

Was it always like that? Is it like that from every amp?

I doubt it has anything to do with pickup height, why would it get the higher frequencies but not the low B. Intonation will also have no effect on this issue, since it is already questionable on even the best of B strings.

I suggested intonation because the OP stated it sounded flat 5th fret +.

 

[thebleedingtree]

Im dropped down to Ab on it, but even in standard i have the issue.
Its never sounded perfect but it is 6 years old, could it be the pickups progressively getting worse or something?

 

[thebleedingtree]

oh and curbowkid, the actual low freq is lost on the string entirely compared to the E string, but i mean more that past 5th fret the notes sound less and less definied, and do have a slight flat feel to them, really lack any form of sustain or clarity

 

[curbowkid]

I have seen pickups where something goes wrong and one of the polls gets gooched. There's an ibanez sr506 at the GC near me where the B-A are completely flat, no low or mid range, but the last three strings absolutely boom. I think you have an electronics issue

 

[thebleedingtree]

cheers pal ill look into it. I think EMGs are a direct fit for these stock ones, but then im gonna have to replace the preamp ...

 

[curbowkid]

What pickups do you have now? You could just replace them with the same pickups.

 

[thebleedingtree]

stock ones ibanez adx5

 

[curbowkid]

Hmmm I'm not sure where you would find those. I'm sure you can just replace the pickups and leave the pre. Bartolini is a good choice as well as EMG. Good luck

 

[thebleedingtree]

that might be an idea
cheers again

 

[jlepre]

try putting something that would attract a magnet on that pole of the pickup to see if it's even registering a field.

 

[subbasshz]

do you have another 5 string that you can test? cab might not dig deep enough for Ab

 

[lowphatbass]

A pickup going partially bad seems sort of unlikely, but maybe it's more common with those specific pickups. Do the notes on the B string above the 5th fret sound flat acoustically as well as through the amp?
At any rate, IMO, finding the right B string and setting the correct height is really important, they tend to be more finicky than the others. If you haven't tried a really good tapered B string I would recommend it.

 

[stretberas]

Maybe the problem is not on your bass, try different amp ..
Might as experienced by my friend ...

 

[thebleedingtree]

Turns out i cant hear 50hz and below very well.
At a lecture about frequencies and they played a 50hz sine wave, i couldnt hear it, everyone else could.

So most likely the problem is my ears hear the overtones and harmonics but not the bass.

I feel like crying!

 

[Bobster]

Really sucks about the low-frequency hearing loss.

If you have been listening to a lot of loud sound, and lay off for a while, it might improve.

I would also recommend new strings, preferably with a tapered B. That should help clear up the higher notes very well.

Best of luck,

Bob