Bass strings louder compared to top strings

[NickV]

Hi Everybody,

I need your help to resolve this, maybe is easy for you but for me is tricky and I need an experienced advice

Guitar: Solid body, Fender American Special Jazz Master

Amp: Roland JC40

I play 009 gauge and Im looking for a sound like GG but whit more versatility.


I have an unbalanced register between the sound of the top strings and the bass ones.

First I replaced the 1st 009 for a 010 and the 2nd for 012, because there are just not efficient for play jazz, and leave the rest (16 - 24 - 32 - 42). And in order to set a more balance tone/volumen whit the other gauge strings.

But soon as I go to the bass strings, they sound louder and often muddy.

Questions:

Thinking to put heavier strings in the firsts 3 strings, but I read somewhere that it could twist the neck (?)

More simple, upgrade to 010 gauge, but Im concern about... as the upper register string increase the sound also the bass string, and still pops that high muddy dark undefined sounds. Also Im not sure I could play a 052 string, like scales, etc.

Are the mic the problem? This guitar comes with a pair of humbuckers, that sound really good, honest, a warmy jazzy blues tone.
I set the height of mics and also the bolts inside the mics, and yes that helped, but still crossing from the higher register to the bottom just dont work...

Or is my technique?

Do I need a hollow body to achieve this equal almost plain sound between strings?

Is not the amp?

Other thought, could I leave a for the bottom ones 24-32-42 and put in the higher register 11-14-18, do you think that could work or I will be in same invert situation?

Im frustrated, I see players that use the 3 bottom strings in their solos and I just can´t do that...

Any help will be very very appreciated, at this point I just cant play...

Nick

[neatomic]

i love jazzmasters...don't lose heart

try some pure nickel strings...adjust the pickup heights at an angle...play with the tone controls on the amp


09's are kinda light for a jazzmaster unless you really have it set up right!

luck

cheers

[NickV]

i love jazzmasters...don't lose heart

try some pure nickel strings...adjust the pickup heights at an angle...play with the tone controls on the amp


09's are kinda light for a jazzmaster unless you really have it set up right!

luck

cheers

Thanks Neatomic

Yep they play awesome, at least this one, the neck is exceptionally nice to play.. This one comes whit 009 from factory ...

But seems like you don´t really read what I writed..

[dconeill]

A place to start is to lower the bass sides of the pickups. Keep the treble sides closer to the strings and see if that helps. The polepieces, if they're adjustable, are for fine adjustments of the string balance.

As far as strings are concerned, it's not really the output of the gauge of strings so much as the balance between the strings. You might find that a heavier gauged set of strings gives you better balance. What I mean here is that heavier bass strings might in fact have more output, but they would balance better with the heavier treble strings, which would also have more output.

You might also try to turn down the bass control on your amp, turn the tone control on the guitar all the way up, and see what happens.

[neatomic]

But seems like you don´t really read what I writed..

and you likewise!

cheers

ps- your jm doesn't have traditional jm pickups..they used a stacked humbucker design...with screw polepieces...so you can even adjust string volume individually with those

[F-Train]

I don’t think I’m more experienced or advanced than you but experienced something similar with my PRS SE 24, especially when playing drop 3 chords with the root on the sixth string. The bass sound sounds out of tune and heavy and doesn’t “align” with the higher strings. But it is in fact perfectly in tune and sounds fine by itself.

I also have a GB40II with flatwounds and don’t experience this at all. The same chords sound awesome on it. I can’t say whether it’s the guitar (hollow VS solid or different scale lengths) or the flatwounds but maybe strings are an easy thing to experiment with?

Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jim Soloway]

Is the pickup height adjustable? If so, try lowering the pickup on the bass side.

[sgosnell]

Get some strings that aren't steel wound. Pure nickel, or even monel, will help, as will bronze or nickel-bronze, depending on how much you want to reduce the volume of the wound strings. This cries out for adjustable polepieces, but without them you have to make sacrifices. Screw the bass side of the pickups down, and possibly raise the treble side. It's doable, but requires some effort.

[Cunamara]

OK, so to sum up what's been said so far:

1. Adjust the pickups so that the bass side is lower than the treble side. This may be done via screws next to the pickups and/or individual screw polepieces (I can't tell from Fender's photos if the polepieces are slugs or screws).

2. Try wound strings made of less magnetic material like pure nickle or monel. Do that after steps 1, 3 and 4.

3. Check the guitar switches and control settings. From what I can tell, this should be a bright and sparkly sounding guitar, not muddy. Is the "rhythm" switch engaged, which if it's voiced like the old Tele rhythm switch will result in what you describe? This setting also has its own volume and treble pots that are the rollers next to the pickups. Is the coil tap engaged? Is the tone control rolled all the way off, which will make it muddy sounding?

4. What are the settings on the amp? Can you lower the bass and/or boost the mids and treble? Try raising the amp up off the floor and putting it on a chair, which will de-couple it from the floor and reduce bassiness.

[rpjazzguitar]

OK, so to sum up what's been said so far:

1. Adjust the pickups so that the bass side is lower than the treble side. This may be done via screws next to the pickups and/or individual screw polepieces (I can't tell from Fender's photos if the polepieces are slugs or screws).

2. Try wound strings made of less magnetic material like pure nickle or monel. Do that after steps 1, 3 and 4.

3. Check the guitar switches and control settings. From what I can tell, this should be a bright and sparkly sounding guitar, not muddy. Is the "rhythm" switch engaged, which if it's voiced like the old Tele rhythm switch will result in what you describe? This setting also has its own volume and treble pots that are the rollers next to the pickups. Is the coil tap engaged? Is the tone control rolled all the way off, which will make it muddy sounding?



4. What are the settings on the amp? Can you lower the bass and/or boost the mids and treble? Try raising the amp up off the floor and putting it on a chair, which will de-couple it from the floor and reduce bassiness.

I think this really covers the guitar issues. The other thing is to make sure that the problem is the same on a different amp. JC40 should be fine, and the fact that it changes dramatically from the G to the D suggests it's the windings that are giving you grief. Still, it's worth checking.

One other thought. Lower the bass side of the pickup may be the second thing to try (after different strings). Maybe first, because it's so easy.

If you're lucky enough to get them to be quiet enough, or even quieter, then you can get a little more treble out of them by raising the pole pieces on the low strings. You just might end up with better balance and a tone, on the low strings, that cuts through better.

[Litterick]

I would check the amp settings first, turning up the mid control and adjusting the other dials to find a sound that works. Then I would think about strings, and ask myself whether a set beginning at 9 is really suitable for a guitar designed in 1958. Then I would follow Neatomic’s advice about nickel. I wouldn’t touch the pole pieces, unless I knew what I was doing.

[christianm77]

Hi Everybody,

I need your help to resolve this, maybe is easy for you but for me is tricky and I need an experienced advice

Guitar: Solid body, Fender American Special Jazz Master

Amp: Roland JC40

I play 009 gauge and Im looking for a sound like GG but whit more versatility.


I have an unbalanced register between the sound of the top strings and the bass ones.

First I replaced the 1st 009 for a 010 and the 2nd for 012, because there are just not efficient for play jazz, and leave the rest (16 - 24 - 32 - 42). And in order to set a more balance tone/volumen whit the other gauge strings.

But soon as I go to the bass strings, they sound louder and often muddy.

Questions:

Thinking to put heavier strings in the firsts 3 strings, but I read somewhere that it could twist the neck (?)

More simple, upgrade to 010 gauge, but Im concern about... as the upper register string increase the sound also the bass string, and still pops that high muddy dark undefined sounds. Also Im not sure I could play a 052 string, like scales, etc.

Are the mic the problem? This guitar comes with a pair of humbuckers, that sound really good, honest, a warmy jazzy blues tone.
I set the height of mics and also the bolts inside the mics, and yes that helped, but still crossing from the higher register to the bottom just dont work...

Or is my technique?

Do I need a hollow body to achieve this equal almost plain sound between strings?

Is not the amp?

Other thought, could I leave a for the bottom ones 24-32-42 and put in the higher register 11-14-18, do you think that could work or I will be in same invert situation?

Im frustrated, I see players that use the 3 bottom strings in their solos and I just can´t do that...

Any help will be very very appreciated, at this point I just cant play...

Nick

Adjust yer pole pieces if you can. Screw all the way down on the bass three... that’s how I have it on my guitar (the G is full up because I use a wound third) it’s easy to donand completely reversible. All you need is a screwdriver.

for jazz I like heavy top light bottom. No one does this as a gauge apart from the (expensive) Thomastick Infeld.

[NickV]

Many thanks to everybody!!

I already work on the pole pieces, as I said that help but did not resolve the problem. Same for the mics height and everything that Cunamara said... Raise the amp really works.

I wonder why nobody mentioned nothing about the pickups?

I go for the pure nicke strings and let you know what happens...
I heard that these ones last less cause are made from a material much more soft that steel?

Thanks again everybody!


PD.: maybe somebody would you like to check this project I just finished?
Walk My Way - Volume One | Curated by Nick Vander | Orbit577

[sgosnell]

IME the strings made from other alloys last as long as steel-wound strings. That isn't an issue.

[Cunamara]

In terms of the pick ups, those should be pretty bright and clear. That was what made me wonder if the rhythm switch was turned on and the roller tone control was turned way down.

[NickV]

In terms of the pick ups, those should be pretty bright and clear. That was what made me wonder if the rhythm switch was turned on and the roller tone control was turned way down.

I have two humbuckers on this one... one tone/one vol, 3 pos. switch selector... works ok...