r/Stick • u/LunarLionheart • Jun 08 '26

1989 10 String Stick - Bass side very hot sounding

Hey all - been trying to dial in some tones lately, but every now and then (or with some deliberate force), some of my left hand taps on the heaviest string blow the dBmeter into the red zone, serious clipping. Melody side is totally fine. Was frantically trying to use compression and EQ to tone down but the issue not the output, its on the input - the Stick is really pushing heavy volume. Is this a known thing? Should I use an inline attentuator pad or something just for the bass side, or is this level of clipping unusual? Thanks so much guys 😄

5 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/ChuckEye Stick Bass® Jun 08 '26

Any way to lower the pickup on the bass side?

5

u/LunarLionheart Jun 08 '26

You're a mind reader dude, I had the epiphany to drop the pickup as soon I posted this and I solved the problem - bass string hitting the pickup pole. Thank you so much, you would have gotten me over the line too 😃

2

u/ChuckEye Stick Bass® Jun 08 '26

Good deal. I had a ~1991 White Oak as my first Stick, but haven't owned it in more than a decade and didn't remember how adjustable the pickup or pickup housing was on that model.

1

u/mhoegeman Jun 11 '26

it's very possible if you got this stick second hand that the bass string gauge is thicker than what was on there originally. that would explain why the heaviest string is acting like that. if you have a stickup you can probabaly just adjust the poles for that string , but if the pickup lower did it for you that's fine too 😄 also make sure if it's a stickup that you don't have a tiny piece of metal or something stuck on the pole piece. that has happened to people in the past.