Five.0 = Inconsistent performance

[Tele295]

I have 2 tenor ukuleles, both equipped with Baggs Five.O pickups

One uke pickup sounds strong and clear, but the other is weak and mushy. They both have the same pickup, strings, and tuning. Changing the battery in the mushy one does not improve the problem. I have had it back to the installer twice, but there has not been significant improvement. I compare the 2 using the same cable and amp, and it's night and day.

Does the saddle material make that much of a difference? The acoustic sound on both instruments is loud and clear - only the amplified sound suffers.The pickup is sitting flat in the slot, and the bottom of the saddle is smooth and making good contact.

Is it possible that it is a dud pickup? How can I tell?

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey Tele295,
The saddle material can make a huge difference in the tone of the Five.O, or any undersaddle pickup for that matter. Do you know if the two Ukes have different saddle materials?

We test every Five.O by hand at multiple stages of their construction, so it's less likely that it's a dud. It's always a possibility though.