Uneven string volume when using mag pickup, why?

Chiefbigeasy

While we’re on the subject, does anybody have a favorite pickup for an F-hole style gypsy guitar. Since there is no sound hole to attach a Peche or Stimer, it would be a matter of using some sort of putty to hold a, for example, Krivo-style flat pick up to the surface.

Additionally, there is more room underneath the strings between the top and the strings, so it could accommodate something fatter, but you would have to remove the clip and figure out a way to get it to stick to the top of the guitar.

Anyone experience in this particular set up?

littlemark

Dearmond FHC. If you want that 40s 50s thing.

JasonS

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/118475#Comment_118475

A friend of mine, who is a great player, uses the Krivo with his F-hole Gypsy guitar. It sounds really good. I think he used the putty to attach it.

Buco

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/118475#Comment_118475

Sometimes people remove the clips, grind the back smooth and use the putty with Stimer and similar pickups.

neebs4964

Since the OP was about uneven string volume when using mag pickups, I wonder if this can be solved by incorporating compression via your mixer. I just received a GJ guitar with a CC pickup that was delivered with nickel strings by the luthier after we agreed to try them out as a way to even out the response differences when using Argentine's. I am going to restring with Argentines as I don't like the nickel strings. From reading this thread it seems the consensus is to live with it and it will not be a problem. I'm hoping this is the case but nevertheless, my mixer which we use when performing has a compression feature that I never use but maybe it's time to investigate. Other than a live setting (practicing) it will be played acoustically and that's where I want the Argentine sound.

Steve

MikeK

That's interesting, let us know how it goes.

neebs4964

First report: I put on the Argentines, and the guitar responded quite well acoustically. The improvement was remarkable. However when I plugged it in to my practice amp (Yamaha THR 30) the B and E strings were a good 30% louder (to my ears) than the wound strings. I doubt I can overcome this through technique.

Next steps:

1. I can lower the treble side of the pickup - that's an easy fix to try.
2. I can try another set of nickel strings. It came with Ernie Balls, I will try Thomastik BeBop 11's per a friend's recommendation.
3. Guitar also has a Bigtone pickup, I can use it to balance, however that is suboptimal as it kind of overrides the CC pickup which is producing the sound I want.

neebs4964

I forgot 4: Try the compression approach through my mixer.

littlemark

You can also add a notch to your pickup. Get out your metal file. This was a common mod, eventual Gibson made it a factory option.

paulmcevoy75

Can we confirm that the various Peche style pickups have some amount of string imbalance? That's going to happen with any magnetic pickup? @MichaelHorowitz ?

I still have this humbucker experiment I haven't gotten to but I thought maybe there was some secret with Peche pickups where they were able to be more balanced.