Volume differences playing my acoustic plugged in...

Goose-ZA

I recently bought a new acoustic guitar with a built in pickup (not sure what kind) and plugged it in to see what it would sound like through an amp. It sounds ok but the bass is very heavy and the low strings are much louder than the high ones.

I can obviously fiddle with the EQ to tone down the bass a bit but is there anything that can be done about the difference in volume between the lower and higher strings?

AlanRatcliffe

It's a saddle issue (discussed multiple times recently). If it's new, take it back and get them to have someone sort it out.

Goose-ZA

Thanks Alan. ?

Bob-Dubery

Alan Ratcliffe wrote It's a saddle issue (discussed multiple times recently). If it's new, take it back and get them to have someone sort it out.

Is it not also the case that they design these systems to be bass heavy? I've heard some very prominent bottom ends on electro-acoustics the last while - sometimes to the point of it being overbearing to my ears.

AlanRatcliffe

Not in this case - Goose specifically said the bass strings are louder than the treble - which is an installation issue. The body style of the guitar and the volume of the amplification have an influence on the frequency response of the pickup, with larger bodies having more bass response, but it doesn't affect string-to-string balance.

With most systems the manufacturers rely on the EQ to compensate for any frequency response funnies, and you'll notice that some preamps with no controls are voiced specifically for body size.

Goose-ZA

Yeah it's a dread body so it's nice and bassy. I'll take it in to get the balance issue sorted.

Thanks again =)