Stage Pro Element Low E String Super Loud

[Matt_Ellis]

Hi,

I'm new to the forum (just found it) and I have a newly acquired carbon fiber guitar with an Active Element system that's giving me headaches -

I've tried leveling the saddle multiple times using a piece of glass as a flat base with fine grit sandpaper taped to it and a wood blocked clamped down to keep everything perpendicular. It helped a little, but not significant. I've used painter's tape to shim the saddle under the other softer strings and this also had a small impact.
To make the guitar work in performance I'm doing some rather extreme parametric equalizing (using an Empress Para EQ) and a Fishman Spectrum DI with all three notch filters activated. I've got the bass tuned down in the mixer channel too. The guitar is sounding pretty unnatural with all this intervention. It seems like this shouldn't be that hard BTW - the guitar is an Emerald X20 (fully hollow/no braces CF guitar) playing through a Yamaha PA.

Any advice is very much appreciated!

Matt

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey Matt,
I responded to the email you sent in. Let me know if you didn't get it.

[merobin]

Sorry, I should have searched for this before posting in another thread. Whatever you sent to Matt-Ellis please send to me. Same guitar, same pickup, same problem. My Emerald is a 2018.

[Caleb_Elling]

Sorry, I should have searched for this before posting in another thread. Whatever you sent to Matt-Ellis please send to me. Same guitar, same pickup, same problem. My Emerald is a 2018.

Why don't you email me at [email protected] and I will get you the same info and do what I can to help.

[Bryan Parris]

I had one like this. Super boomy low end. Turned out I had to replace the Element and it was perfect. I can only assume there was a hot spot in the pickup?? Tried all the usual fixes (leveling the saddle slot, leveling the saddle. After the swap the guitar sounded amazing.

[Caleb_Elling]

I had one like this. Super boomy low end. Turned out I had to replace the Element and it was perfect. I can only assume there was a hot spot in the pickup?? Tried all the usual fixes (leveling the saddle slot, leveling the saddle. After the swap the guitar sounded amazing.

The Element pickups rarely have any inconsistencies within the sensor or coax. We also test each pickup on a jig with a machined flat saddle and saddle slot to check for string balance. So issues can be related to the Element, but it's much more common to have issues with the saddle and saddle slot.

[Bryan Parris]

Caleb. I stand corrected. Perhaps my experience was unique.