Five.O Ukulele Pickup problems

[DavidE]

Hi-
I have a newly installed Five.O under-saddle pickup in a concert sized ukulele. I'm having a few issues and am hoping someone can point me in the right direction. First, the volume wheel doesn't seem to do anything. That is, when I plug in to an amp and set the gain and volume on the amp to a moderate level and then spin the volume wheel in the uke back and forth the output stays the same. Second, I'm a little surprised by the amount of distortion when strumming hard. Third, plugging the amp cable in is very tight, is that usual and will it "ease" with use?

Am I missing something stupid here like maybe the battery is dead or there was some little piece of plastic covering the battery contacts that I was supposed to remove before use? Or is there an issue because the wires are hanging loose in the body of the uke (including the braided cable that comes from the pickup itself)?

Any advice will be much appreciated.

Thanks,
David

[Caleb_Elling]

Hey David,
The volume control not working is definitely an issue. If I had to guess, I would say that something likely came loose (solder connection, or something else) during the installation. If the volume gets disconnected, it will default to full volume at all times. You may need to have your installed take a look at it to confirm, and possible repair it.

The tight jack is a common concern, and it is something that is done intentionally. It should ease up after a week or two of use though. The tightness usually prolongs the life of the jack overall, so it should be a good trade off.

As far as the distortion goes, can you tell me if you've checked the battery to insure that it's good. Also what amp or other equipment are you playing through?