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Post by John on Apr 29, 2006 13:12:05 GMT -7
I have a relatively new (to me) tele. The string saddles are the 6 individual kind. Here is an ebay listing of what they look like: cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Telecaster-Bridge-and-Cover-Plate_W0QQitemZ7411127745QQcategoryZ41407QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemMy problem is with the low E string. (lowest pitch that is) No matter if have brand new strings on the guitar, this string just seems to be dead. The higher up the fretboard I go, the worse it gets. I don't mind this problem above the 15th fret or so, but it is a noticable problem, even on the 5th fret. All bass and dead sounding. Lifeless. Even the A string next to it seems alright. Does anyone have experience with this? I don't mind purchasing new saddles. But what I'm fearful of, is a dead spot on the guitar. But I really don't think it's a dead spot because like I said, the A string seems to be alright. What the heck, I just played it without an amp...just acoustically. It really doesn't seem that bad. Maybe it's the pickup? Any suggestions on a replacement tele bridge pickup? I just want a standard sounding tele. Nothing special. I'm rambling. Any comments on anything I've typed above?
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Post by John on Apr 29, 2006 13:38:15 GMT -7
I've sort of answered my own question. I went to the Seymour Duncan website to look for a possible replacement. For their STL52-1 pickup, they said something like this: "many telecaster players complain about the low strings being mushy and the high strings being too bright."
That's ME. So perhaps all I need is a pickup that addresses this problem. Any other pickup suggestions?
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Post by billyguitar on Apr 29, 2006 13:40:28 GMT -7
Is the low E too low? Too high? Either will negatively effect the sound. Does it sound that way on both pickups? You're not detuning are you? If the bridge is not flat where it meets the body it can cause weird resonances and feedback.
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Post by John on Apr 29, 2006 19:26:59 GMT -7
String height is about the same as all my other guitars. I don't detune. Bridge is flat where it meets the body.....but, no the problem doesn't exist on the neck pickup. (at least I don't remember it doing it, and I'm not going to check because my wife's asleep upstairs.)
No, it seems to be the bridge pickup.
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Post by billyguitar on Apr 29, 2006 19:46:22 GMT -7
That would be one of the weirder things I've ever heard of. Possibly if a pickup is too high and the string is light enough gauge the magnet can pull on it and slow it down.
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Post by John on Apr 30, 2006 5:28:05 GMT -7
I've thought about that, but I don't think the pickup is too high. I play D'Addario XL110's so the low pitched E is a 46. I haven't lowered the pickup height, but I'm going to try that before I purchase another pickup. And besides, it doesn't seem to effect the other strings. However, I've noticed the G string doesn't have as much sustain as others.
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Post by Teleman on May 3, 2006 4:18:19 GMT -7
Check where the strng goes through the nut and make sure the slot is cut well. A poorly cut nut can cause the tone you've described.
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Post by John on May 3, 2006 10:30:01 GMT -7
I don't see anything wrong with the nut. What am I looking for? Too wide, too narrow?
Also, when changing strings....the other 5 string trees remain down on the bridge. However, the low pitched E string rises up off the bridge and points up at about a 15 degree angle because of how head of the string tree screw meets the hole of the bridge. I'll be THAT's got something to do with it.
Also, I just lowered the pickup for the lower pitched strings. So It's laying in the guitar at an angle. It helped a bit. It's still somewhat of a dead string.
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Post by rcrecelius on May 3, 2006 11:19:40 GMT -7
I don't see anything wrong with the nut. What am I looking for? Too wide, too narrow? Also, when changing strings....the other 5 string trees remain down on the bridge. However, the low pitched E string rises up off the bridge and points up at about a 15 degree angle because of how head of the string tree screw meets the hole of the bridge. I'll be THAT's got something to do with it. Also, I just lowered the pickup for the lower pitched strings. So It's laying in the guitar at an angle. It helped a bit. It's still somewhat of a dead string. If youre comfortable with setting the intonation on your guitar, swap those saddles (maybe swap the E and A) and see if the deadness follows that saddle. As a general rule of thumb, your pickup height should usually be lower on the bass side. Some people use the nickel method to find a starting point and adjust from there...2 nickels between the pup and low e string (bass side)...1 nickel between the high E and the pup. You also might try this to eliminate the pup being the problem...plug your guitar in and tap each polepiece with a small screwdriver...it will make kind of a poping noise through your amp...and see if that low E magnet "pops" less than the others.
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Post by bustertheboy on May 9, 2006 4:33:09 GMT -7
are the screws on the bottom of the saddle (string trees are little trees of metal which hold a string down on the head stock behind the nut) both resting on the bridge? is the saddle level when looked at from the front or the back? these will both make a difference as a general rule 3 saddle tele bridges sound much punchier and richer becasue the saddle is so much larger- the problem of course is then juggleing intonation but it can be done and is done by countless tele players- often the 6 saddle ones have the saddles not sitting really flat- if those ones on ebay are the types you have get a whole replacement bridge from someone like stewmac because those are the type i had trouble with- not enough mass in the saddle, not enough down pressure from the string for there to be much sustain i did find poor sustain with one 6 saddle bridge when i put one on my tele so i could put a synth pu on and not mess up the vintage style one
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Post by bluzsteel on May 9, 2006 5:46:25 GMT -7
my six string was dead on my CS Fender, on a hunch I changed string brands went with DR 10-46 now very clean popping E string
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Post by John on May 9, 2006 6:22:49 GMT -7
I mentioned this in another thread:
The deadness of the low pitched E string is with both neck and bridge pickups. So it's not the pickup, it's the bridge.
New heavier replacement on the way. I'll let people know what happenes.
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