chenweipsy Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Hi,I bought a new J45 made in 2012.The strings are balanced sounding while playing acousticly.Plugged in,the high e,b strings are significantly louder than the other four.I've take out the saddle and put on it again.Nothing special found and nothing changed.I wonder what it is about.Please give me some advise to settle it.Very disappointed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Hi,I bought a new J45 made in 2012.The strings are balanced sounding while playing acousticly.Plugged in,the high e,b strings are significantly louder than the other four.I've take out the saddle and put on it again.Nothing special found and nothing changed.I wonder what it is about.Please give me some advise to settle it.Very disappointed. The pickup in the J45 is an LR Baggs Element under the saddle transducer (UST). That is that braided silver ribbon you see ad the bottom of the bridge slot when you take your saddle out. If the bottom of the saddle is not exactly flat, or there is a kink in the ribbon, you will get different volume levels on strings. Another thing that happens is the ribbon is fed into the bridge slot through a hole in the bass side of the slot. So the end of the UST is at the treble side under your high E and B strings. If you slide the UST back towards the bass side, feeding it back down through the hole on the bass side, you will attenuate the volume on the treble side because the last 1/8 to 1/4 inch of the UST is not active. You might try playing with the placement to see the results. Just ensure the saddle is deep, flat, flush and tight in the slot on top of the UST. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duluthdan Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Lemme guess. Undersaddle pickup? Common problem. Not aware of a common solution however. Next time you change strings, carefully look for a small ribbon of material in the slot under the saddle. Be careful - you don't want this thing to get twisted or bent. Depends on which brand you have, but on my Highlander I found that slightly sliding the pickup towards the lower strings, just a smidge, helped, but did not solve. If this is a Fishman I really don't know what the solution might be - I have one in a Martin dread that I will never plug in again, it was that annoying. Try carefully moving it one way and the other, and see if it helps. Might just be how the saddle is connecting with it - if its at all off center to that ribbon of material, it will not work as designed. I am anxious to see if others have a simple suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 As Drathbun says this is a common problem and normally an easy fix if you follow the advice on this thread. Might be worth having a pro sort it in case the pickup faulty so that you avoid any warranty issues. Hope you get it fixed soon. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefty Guy Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 I had similar problems & eventually replaced the stock pick-up with a new B-Band one. Works perfectly now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenweipsy Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Thank you all for the input.The J45 is equipped with the LR Baggs Element.I like to try the method you mention.Is it OK to bend the ribbon?Will it break? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flatbaroque Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 A few years ago I had the same problem in a Larrivee D-03 (dread)- it was also a Baggs element.Like a dummy I didn't try the pick-up when i bought it-wasn't going to use it.Didn't try it for 12 months till I was going to potentially do a small gig.And it was complete crap (the pick-up not the gig).The B was 3 times louder than all the other strings.It had a barn door pre-amp but even winding back the treble to nothing didn't work. I don't recommend my fix- but for what it's worth.I found this on a Larrivee forum.I filed a small elliptical arch (with sandpaper around a nail) to the bottom of the saddle (only about 3 mm wide 1.5 high), directly under the B string. So then the saddle wasn't touching the ribbon at the B location. It did help a fair bit.But as i say...i wouldn't do it again. Try what the others have suggested or go straight to a guitar tech. I have the same Baggs element in my J-45...don't love it but at least it's balanced. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Morton Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Ok, before you try any other repair i have something for you to try. What we want to do is make even contact across the length ofthe PU. We will need to tap down on the saddle between the strings in the area where it is not coming thru as much. You need to find an object that has a bit of weight and a surface that will fit between the string so you do not tap on the string but in between them. Do not be scared to hit it a little bit and i think this will solve your problem. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Thanks Jeremy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Ok, before you try any other repair i have something for you to try. What we want to do is make even contact across the length ofthe PU. We will need to tap down on the saddle between the strings in the area where it is not coming thru as much. You need to find an object that has a bit of weight and a surface that will fit between the string so you do not tap on the string but in between them. Do not be scared to hit it a little bit and i think this will solve your problem. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Thanks Jeremy Nice tip! Thanks JM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenweipsy Posted July 18, 2012 Author Share Posted July 18, 2012 Ok, before you try any other repair i have something for you to try. What we want to do is make even contact across the length ofthe PU. We will need to tap down on the saddle between the strings in the area where it is not coming thru as much. You need to find an object that has a bit of weight and a surface that will fit between the string so you do not tap on the string but in between them. Do not be scared to hit it a little bit and i think this will solve your problem. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Thanks Jeremy Hit the saddle?The saddle has been tight enough in the slot,I have just re-installed it and pressed it into the slot. A little confused of what you mean... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Morton Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 You actually need to tap the saddle down with something that has some weight. Do this in the areas where the sound is less. It does need to have string tension over it. JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerBuckeye Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Two things to check: 1. Is the saddle flat and level on the bottom? Find a counter top or table which you know to be flat and check to see if there is light coming out from under the saddle when it is placed on the flat surface. Use a flash light or other type light to back light the saddle when doing this. If there is light escaping from under the saddle, then it is not level and flat across its whole length. If this is the case, then that is why the volume is uneven. You'll need to flatten the bottom of the saddle. 2. Is the saddle a very tight fit in the bridge slot? If so, try thinning the saddle sides very slightly in the area of the G through the E(6) strings. I've found that while you do not want a sloppy fit of the saddle, a slightly looser fit allows for the saddle to contact the pickup better. A very tight fit can constrict the saddle and keep it from fully contacting the top of the pickup. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchristo Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 one other thing that helps is, when you change strings put on and tighten the low (bass) E string first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 one other thing that helps is, when you change strings put on and tighten the low (bass) E string first why would that matter? :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mojorule Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 why would that matter? :S I believe the idea is that it will apply additional pressure to the bass side of the saddle, so that if there is any scope for movement (not a rigidly tight fit)it will dip at that end slightly and rise at the treble side a touch. When the treble strings are tightened again, there will be a slight compensatory movement, but not enough to undo the effect, since the bass strings are already holding the bass side of the saddle down. Should even things out a bit. Since the treble strings are louder, it's the treble side of the saddle which needs to be lifted a touch, and the bass side which needs to be pushed down closer to the transducer. If the bass strings were louder, then it would be wise to tighten the treble strings first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I believe the idea is that it will apply additional pressure to the bass side of the saddle, so that if there is any scope for movement (not a rigidly tight fit)it will dip at that end slightly and rise at the treble side a touch. When the treble strings are tightened again, there will be a slight compensatory movement, but not enough to undo the effect, since the bass strings are already holding the bass side of the saddle down. Should even things out a bit. Since the treble strings are louder, it's the treble side of the saddle which needs to be lifted a touch, and the bass side which needs to be pushed down closer to the transducer. If the bass strings were louder, then it would be wise to tighten the treble strings first. ah ok , i see where you're coming from , i thought it would be an equal pressure across the saddle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchristo Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 I believe the idea is that it will apply additional pressure to the bass side of the saddle, so that if there is any scope for movement (not a rigidly tight fit)it will dip at that end slightly and rise at the treble side a touch. When the treble strings are tightened again, there will be a slight compensatory movement, but not enough to undo the effect, since the bass strings are already holding the bass side of the saddle down. Should even things out a bit. Since the treble strings are louder, it's the treble side of the saddle which needs to be lifted a touch, and the bass side which needs to be pushed down closer to the transducer. If the bass strings were louder, then it would be wise to tighten the treble strings first. thats correct....thanks mojo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenweipsy Posted July 19, 2012 Author Share Posted July 19, 2012 Thanks for all of you.I'm ordering a new saddle from Graph Tech and see what will happen. Before that,I wonder if it's related to plugging in a all-tube Fender amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchristo Posted July 19, 2012 Share Posted July 19, 2012 plugging in to any kind of amp shouldnt make volume differences between the strings. good luck getting her fixed, let us know the results Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenweipsy Posted July 21, 2012 Author Share Posted July 21, 2012 Hi,I sanded the saddle.Really tricky to make it dead flat.After hours of work,nothing changed.After all,I had better low action. A little frustrated. After all that,I got a idea：stop using the original element pickup,take out that ribbon,maybe better resonance. I acturally don't like the sound of that pickup.No natural acoustic sounding at all. Maybe I'll consider a LR Baggs M1 (the passive one sounds more acoustic to me from youtube demos). I got the new Graph Tech saddle,need more work to fit the guitar.Haven't try that yet.I'll report the results later. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I swear by my LR Baggs iBeam... Natural acoustic sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chenweipsy Posted July 24, 2012 Author Share Posted July 24, 2012 Hi everyone,I tried another saddle new from Graph Tech.The result is better than before.The sound is more balanced.But the High e and Low e are little weaker.The other four strings are a bit hotter.Really weary after all these works,mentally and physically.Really hoped that was a pure acoustic guitar without pickup.Someday I will take out that sinful pickup hidden under the saddle. The strings are dead after the work.I replaced with DR sunbeams.I miss the initial sound with the original strings and saddle(high action). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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