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Topic: Weak sounding 3rd string |
Tommy Boswell
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 6:17 am |
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| My 3rd string (high G#) on my MSA Classic S10 is noticeably weaker sounding than all the other strings. Could this be a bad pickup? Or some kind of setup issue? There are no markings on the pickup for me to tell what kind it is, but it has the 10 poles visible under the strings. Also, how difficult is it to change out the pickup on this instrument? I'm OK with doing mechanical/electrical stuff, but fairly new to pedal steel. Any advice will be appreciated, including suggestions for a replacement pickup if it comes to that. |
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Roger Crawford
From:
Griffin, GA USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 6:43 am
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| If you are using an 11 for your third string, try going to 11.5. That sounds better to my ear. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 7:18 am
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first, change the string. New, bad or indifferent, change the string.
t
_________________
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Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Tommy Boswell
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 8:42 am
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A new string did not help. I'm using 11s for the 3rd string, all I've got right now.
I also noticed the treble end of the pickup is slightly raised, closer to the strings than the bass end, so I'm hoping that's normal. |
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Andy Jones
From:
Mississippi
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 10:26 am
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Tommy,this may not apply to you,but I have noticed that any string I pluck with my index finger doesn't have the volume of strings plucked with my thumb or middle finger.I'm working on this,maybe you might check into this.If it's just your 3rd string,there must be some other problem.
Andy |
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bob Ousby
From:
Nevada, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 11:34 am
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| Tommy...I'm with Andy on this one. Sounds like a "weak attack or pluck" with your finger. My thumb and middle are stronger than my index and it has been a matter of conscious application to get my first finger to pluck with equal force...Bob |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 11:53 am
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I had an MSA from that era and it had a week sounding high G# too. Can't vouch for a modern one.
My Fessenden has a real strong G".
I don't thinlk it's the way you are playing. Rather, I eventually concluded it's something about the resonance of the guitar.
You might try a pickup with adjustable pole pieces, ie Tonealigner. Lower all other poles and raise the G#.
The suggestion for increasiong string guage may work as well. |
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Tommy Boswell
From:
Virginia, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 12:06 pm
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It's not my attack on the string. I was up to Billy Cooper's a while back to get my hands on some other PSGs, and the ones I played in his store, a GFI and a Mullen, had good strong sounding 3rd strings. It's definitely something about my MSA. Just want to solve this problem without upgrading to another instrument if possible.
Thanks for all the good suggestions. Any more ideas out there? |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 12:31 pm
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...is the pole piece adjustable under that string? [oops, probably not judging from Jim P's most pertinent reply, sorry I overlooked it.]
If so, you have probably already tried raising it. I suppose anything is possible, but if the pickup is ok otherwise, it is unlikely a pickup would be bad just under one pole piece but..... try comparing the volume of that pole and another one by touching them with a small screwdriver blade or other ferrous metal object under the strings. Leave it connected to the amp, but low volume.
Does the string sound ok and balanced with the other strings naturally without an amp? If not, check the nut roller under that string and/or look for a grooved or damaged bridge roller. |
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Barry Hyman
From:
upstate New York, USA
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Posted 22 Mar 2010 4:30 pm
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My old (1974) MSA had that same problem. I thought it might be my hearing loss until I got my new Williams, where the third string bites like a pitbull. Someone told me those old (pre-Super Sustainer) MSA pickups had more Ohms of resistance than is now thought advisable, which somehow muted the high frequency response. Don't know -- I'm a musician, not an electronics whiz.
_________________
I give music lessons on several different instruments in Cambridge, NY (between Bennington, VT and Albany, NY). But my true love is pedal steel. I've been obsessed with steel since 1972; don't know anything I'd rather talk about... www.barryhyman.com |
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