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Losing volume on the D & G strings (Lakland 55-02)


Bassjunkie99

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I recently bought a Lakland 55-02, which I love and have been very happy with. The low B sounds incredible and I've been very happy with the sound. My only real complaint is that it seems like I lose some of the volume when I move up the fretboard on the D and G strings. I've also noticed that I don't cut through the mix nearly as well if I'm playing slap bass (more of an issue with the popping) I thought that maybe it has to do with the lighter string gauge in conjunction with the fact I have the bass frequency on the onboard EQ set to nearly full throttle. Could it be that the signal strength is amplified on the heavier strings due to more presence of the lower frequencies / more boost from EQ? Right now it's strung with a light 40-125 set. Can I help resolve this issue with heavier strings or will this be a constant battle?...I'm open to any suggestions........

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I think you've actually answered your own question. If I ran my Skyline 55-01 bass EQ full it would definitely be too much. With the +/- 12db or so range of boost / cut that these active controls have, you can quickly get into a "too much of a good thing" scenario.

 

I never boost the bass control on my 55-01 more than 1/3 to 1/2 between the center detent and full-clockwise otherwise I lose a lot of definition with all that rumble. In fact, about a 1/4 of the time (depends on the song) I run the Lakland passive switch pulled up, to turn the EQ off. It still sound great that way. My 55-01 (with the original strings) sounds very balanced from string to string when I have the EQ flat. That's one of the reasons I bought it.

 

As you've also mentioned, try a medium string set with .045 and .065 D & G strings. I found that really helped my Godin BG-V when I had that bass. The Medium Lights that came with it didn't project well and sounded indistinct. The bigger gauge strings seemed to have a bit more fundamental and the extra tension helped eliminate some fret buzz I was experiencing.

 

YMMV but with my Genz Benz heads, I find that the tube channel does the best at bringing out the smaller strings up the fretboard. The added second order harmonics from the tube seems to fill out the upper registers a bit more than my solid state channel does. Your amp situation may be different (can't tell from your profile), but I just thought I'd pass that along too.

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you may need to do some PUP height adjustment along with a solid setup if you switched gauges of strings. id try a new battery in the preamp and set everything to flat on the onboard eq as well as your amp and start to bring up the treble side of those PUPS so all the strings sound similar in volume when plucked or picked with the same stroke.

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what both of those guys said. I have found that a lot on different basses especiall those with passive pups are very sensitive to string height (action) and pup hight adjustment. from the pops being hard to cut through i would say it's the pup height. dont freak it's common

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Preciate the input everyone. I'm gonna give the heavier strings a go and experiment with the pickup height. Now if only my local music store carried the Extra Longs (required to string through body) in the brand and gauge I like, I'd be golden. As far as my rig, it's a modest Hartke 350 W head and Hartke 410 cabinet. I also have a SansAmp Tech 21 Bass Driver (which I've been phasing out with the on board preamp) and I already switched the mid frequency in the cavity of my Lakland to 250 khz (the lowest possible setting). I think I get a fuller sound than the 500 khz setting that it initially came with.

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Preciate the input everyone. I'm gonna give the heavier strings a go and experiment with the pickup height. Now if only my local music store carried the Extra Longs (required to string through body) in the brand and gauge I like, I'd be golden. As far as my rig, it's a modest Hartke 350 W head and Hartke 410 cabinet. I also have a SansAmp Tech 21 Bass Driver (which I've been phasing out with the on board preamp) and I already switched the mid frequency in the cavity of my Lakland to 250 khz (the lowest possible setting). I think I get a fuller sound than the 500 khz setting that it initially came with.

 

 

You may not even have to do these things if you first.

 

1. Take the SABDDI out of the loop. Depending on the settings, that box can give you a lot of boost in areas that are obscuring your mids. You may feel that the SABDDI is necessary to achieve your tone, but it may be messing up a lot of things too. Such is the nature of distortion.

 

2. Set your EQ's to flat (axe and amp). This is quick and easy. Dial enough bass back in to suit your taste and listen to the balance of strings. When you start to notice a volume (balance of volume between the strings) difference, back the bass EQ setting back down a bit until balance is restored.

 

3. The 500khz setting is right around the B or C above middle C which is actually in the treble clef. Lowering it to 250 hz is down my middle C and will be closer to the actual problem range you're trying to effect with the mid control.

 

4. If these things don't improve the clarity and audibility of your D & G strings then you can change out strings and play with pickup height adjustment.

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