Another under saddle pickup question

[vandenboom]

Different question about this pickup from previous.
Pickup installed in dreadnought. 1/8" saddle with 9 degree tilt.

unamplified, all strings sound full & even.

When amplified, strings 2 to 6 sound sensational, but string 1 (high E) is thin, about half volume of the others. Possible causes.,....

I understand that for these things to work well, the pickup needs very firm contact with base of saddle slot and base of saddle.
-Maybe the saddle base is not totally level, & creeps up a bit on that end. Obviously easy to check & fix.
-Maybe the saddle slot itself drops a fraction on that end. I don't know how to inspect this. Any thoughts?
-Maybe the saddle is a bit tight end to end and is caught on the treble end of saddle slot. Again, easy to check & fix.

The high E is making contact with its ceramic pad on the pickup, though it is a a few mm to the left of the black line, for those who know what I'm talking about.

Other than the pickup being faulty, does anyone have any other suggestions?
Frank

[Kim]

I would look at the saddle, as you say it may not be sitting quite flush. This can happen easily if you do not be very careful when sanding the bottom. A good tip is to NEVER try to do this task on a sheet of abrasive as the paper will tend to curl and cause a problem very quickly.

I use a sanding board and firm even pressure from the centre of the saddle, a few strokes one way swap ends and do it again. Try taking the strings off and then depressing the saddle while in its slot right on the end around where the "E: string runs. If it lifts the other end, then the saddle is most likely your problem.

If you don't have any material left to remove so you can even it up, run a bead of thin CA right along the bottom of the saddle. You will find that surface tension will make the bead dome, this is fine, just wait a bit until it begins to thicken slightly and then go along with the tip of your finger and dab gently straight down on the dome the full length of the saddle and this will even up the CA pushing it more toward the edges.

When the CA is hard in about 20 minutes, re-sand the base of the saddle on a sanding board and it should be fine.

Cheers

Kim

[vandenboom]

Kim - you were right about poor sanding technique causing slight lift on the saddle ends - actually on both ends - ever so slight but noticeable when doing the tilt test on a straight edge. CA is drying as I type...Shall let you know the outcome a little later. Frank.

[vandenboom]

Kim - fixed. Thanks so much. I would never have thought to do that with CA. The sanding technique is also another thing now in the skills treasure chest. I was mindful of the saddle ends during sanding but was using a bidirectional movement instead of one direction and then turning it around.
Again, very grateful.

I will put some pics up of this finished dreadnought later in the week. Off to Canberra for a few days. Am hoping to catch up with some anzlf colleagues one evening while I'm there.
Frank

[Kim]

Glad it was an easy fix for you Frank

Cheers

Kim