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Topic: No lows on my Gibson EH-100 ? |
Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 6:46 am |
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I have an old Gibson EH-100 that I treasure because it belonged to my late father. I would love to play it more but it just has no low end. I have to crank everything on the amp to get any lows and then it is just muddy. It has the type pickup that has two large bar magnets mounted on the back cover of the guitar on spring mounts. Could this be a bad capacitor in the tone circuit or is it most likely a magnet or pickup problem??? I'd really like to get to the bottom of this because for sentimental reasons I would like to play the guitar more, plus it has wonderful wide string spacing and nice heavy metal bridge and nut...it should be the best sounding guitar I have but it isn't.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Brad Bechtel
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:04 am
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It could be either or both. Only a qualified guitar repair person could answer that question for you properly.
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Brad’s Page of Steel
A web site devoted to acoustic & electric lap steel guitars |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:06 am
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I used to work with electronics so am pretty comfortable with a soldering iron...I think I will replace the cap and see if that helps as a first step.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Ray Montee
From:
Portland, Oregon (deceased)
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:07 am My GIBSON lapsteel...............
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I had a beautiful to look at, Gibson lapsteel from about the early 1940's......
but had to get rid of it for the same reasons you describe. A really fine musical instrument but it lacked oomph!
It was replaced with a Fender triple-8 and my sound problems were eliminated over-night. |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:12 am
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Yes Ray, same here...I get the guitar out and try to play it from time to time but it just doesn't "have it" even compared to my El Cheapo SX, which by the way I have modified a bit including a dual blade humbucker pickup and a lowered bridge. I guess I could put a different pickup in the Gibson, but that would kind of defeat the purpose. I will say that little SX is amazing for a hundred dollar guitar.
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GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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Frank James Pracher
From:
Michigan, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:14 am
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Have you checked to make sure the pickup is not open? I had a steel that had a real thin sound and that was the problem.
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"Don't be mad honey, but I bought another one" |
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Michael Brebes
From:
Northridge CA
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:31 am
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The tone capacitor is not in the circuit where it could strip lows out of the signal. That leaves the pickup. It's either an open which is still conducting signal or a weak magnet. To measure the pickup, unsolder one of the pickup wires then measure the resistance between the two pickup leads. My guess is that it should read somewhere between 5K and 10K ohms on your meter.
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Michael Brebes
Instrument/amp/ pickup repair
MSA D10 Classic/Rickenbacher B6/
Dickerson MOTS/Dobro D32 Hawaiian/
Goldtone Paul Beard Reso
Mesa Boogie Studio Pre/Hafler 3000
RP1/MPX100 |
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John Dahms
From:
Perkasie, Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 10:33 am
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Original Charlie Christian pickups ohm out at about 2500 ohms, much lower than modern pickups with thinner wire.
There should be no lack of lows on a working pickup at this range.
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Time flies like an eagle
Fruit flies like a banana. |
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Jim Williams
From:
Meridian, Mississippi, USA - Home of Peavey!
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Posted 17 Apr 2014 8:52 pm
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I'll check the pickup out as soon as I can get a chance. Wiring in there looks pretty rough as well, could even be a bad connection to the pickup I suppose. Thanks for the tips.
_________________
GFI SM10 3/4, 1937 Gibson EH-150, 2 - Rondo SX Lap Steels and a Guyatone 6 String C6. Peavey 400 and a Roland 40 Amps. Behringer Reverb Pedal. |
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