Is it the pickup?

[Afro J]

I have been playing guitar for a couple of years but have only ever had acoustics. I recently bought a second hand electric bass guitar from a reputable local store. The low notes all sound good but when I play higher notes from the bottom two strings they sound empty, almost as if the signal is not being picked up as strongly. It is not that they aren't the same volume (although they aren't) it's more that they sound thin and the notes won't ring out (you cant hold for more than a quarter note). Is this a problem with the pickups? I hope this explanation can lead to some help.

Thanks,
J

 

[Radiohead0709]

It could be the distance of the pickups from the string. You may be able to adjust the pickups to be a little closer on one side as opposed to the other. I guess another thing you could also do is adjust the string height from the fret board, but sometimes this can cause fret buzz. If all else fails, you could probably take it in to the local music store and see how much a set up will cost. Around here you can get a bass or guitar set up for about 30$ for factory set up, or 50$ for a luthier set up. Good luck!

 

[ggunn]

I have been playing guitar for a couple of years but have only ever had acoustics. I recently bought a second hand electric bass guitar from a reputable local store. The low notes all sound good but when I play higher notes from the bottom two strings they sound empty, almost as if the signal is not being picked up as strongly. It is not that they aren't the same volume (although they aren't) it's more that they sound thin and the notes won't ring out (you cant hold for more than a quarter note). Is this a problem with the pickups? I hope this explanation can lead to some help.

Thanks,
J

It's more likely dead spots on the neck, where resonances in the structure of the bass suck all the energy out of some notes. Lower priced instruments (understandably) are more prone to this. I love my Ibanez ATK, but I can't use the C at the 5th fret on the G string; it's just not there.

 

[Gorty]

I would definitely look at the pickup height in relation to the D and G strings. Try bringing the pickup closer to the strings.