Heath
I have a strange problem with my accoustic guitar .... the top E string sounds about 10X louder when plugged in then all the other strings . i have never seen sumthing like this before . i don't play my accoustic plugged in very often but this seems new .
Any ideas ...
sepheritoh
It sounds like a problem with either the eq setting or the pickup itself. Most accoustics with built in mics got some onboard 3 band eq. Just check that you do not have some extreme setting on. If there is no problem, replace the battery and see if the problem persist. If still, go see your friendly local guitar shop. I would never try to fix electronics myself, but if you are brave and have Alan's blessing, you might want to try and take the electronics apart.
Heath
i tired diffrent settings on the eq on the guitar itself and on the deck as well to no avail ..... i suspect maybe the piezo is F**ck*d ............
AlanRatcliffe
It's not the electronics. It's an install issue. I've seen it a lot (maybe a few hundred times!).
Basically the saddle and the saddle slot must be perfectly flat to ensure even pressure on the transducer. It's one of the things that you have to pay careful attention to when you install pickups. Six element ceramic crystal piezo pickups are very prone to balance problems if not installed absolutely perfectly. Also when someone adjusts the height of the saddle to set the action, they often mess up the string to string balance of the pickup.
First thing to check is that there is no detritus (sawdust, wood chips, etc.) in the saddle slot - either under the saddle or in the slot under the pickup. Specifically check around the hole for the wire (especially if it is on the treble side). Also check that the saddle is a close but sliding fit in the slot and does not lean forwards.
If the bottom of the saddle is uneven (the most common cause of this), it puts more pressure on some of the elements and they come through louder. Most of the time, sanding the bottom of the saddle perfectly flat (rub the saddle over sandpaper on a piece of plate glass) cures it. Make sure to apply even pressure on the top while sanding and check by putting the edge of a steel rule against it and holding the two up to a light source - if you can see light between them it will not work.
If all else fails, it might mean that the saddle slot itself is not flat (if your outer strings were softer, I'd say it might have been the top bowing), and the only recourse is to have a pro rout it out to flatten it. If it's a cheap pickup, it may be that the pickup itself is uneven - but this is rare (except for Artec pickups - recognisable by being covered in heatshrink tubing).
Heath
AH that makes sense , the saddle came out the last time i changed strings , i have probably not put it back properly . i will check that tonight. Thanks Alan
AlanRatcliffe
Yeah - unscientific as it is, sometimes a quick jiggle of the saddle in the slot is needed to get it to seat properly.
