Problems with pick-up

Aloha fellows!
I hope is the right section, I wasn't sure

I have this new Kanile'a uke with a pick up installed, lr baggs 5.0.
It's really cool, but I noticed that the 2nd and 3rd strings are very well amplified while the 2 external strings (1st and 4th) not really. I had been in a guitar shop to buy some stuff and briefly spoke to the guy who suggested to check the bridge during the next re-stringing I will do.

Did anyone of you have a similar problem before and what did you check exactly? The bridge should be perfectly adjacent and in contact with the wood in order to transmit all the vibrations I guess. Should I just push it a bit? Should I sand it if it is not aligned?

Mahalo!

One possible reason maybe:
The saddle should be perfectly flat to make even contact with the transducer. (This assumes the transducer is flat against the bottom of the saddle slot.)
If the saddle is not flat against the transducer, then the areas where the saddle is lightly touching the transducer will sound quieter.
H

Hms said:

One possible reason maybe:
The saddle should be perfectly flat to make even contact with the transducer. (This assumes the transducer is flat against the bottom of the saddle slot.)
If the saddle is not flat against the transducer, then the areas where the saddle is lightly touching the transducer will sound quieter.
H

Click to expand...

Hms has the right idea. Pure flat contact between saddle, transducer ribbon and bridge is critical. A bone saddle can sometimes be an issue if one area is a bit softer then another. But with your two outboard strings giving you problems it sounds like a contact issue

Hi guys,
thanks for your answers!
At the first restring of the uke I noticed. moving the saddle I noticed like a piece of fabric inside the bridge I had no idea it was built like that. I guess it's to soften the vibrations it receives from the strings...but what it does to the amplification I don't know

this video might help.......shows how to install a LR Baggs pickup

https://vimeo.com/91770778

Lillo said:

Hi guys,
thanks for your answers!
At the first restring of the uke I noticed. moving the saddle I noticed like a piece of fabric inside the bridge I had no idea it was built like that. I guess it's to soften the vibrations it receives from the strings...but what it does to the amplification I don't know

Click to expand...

That piece of "fabric" is the transducer ribbon from the pick up. It is the element that "picks up" the vibrates and sends them through wires to the electronics to create amplified sound. It is sandwiched between the saddle and bridge and that is why all surfaces need to be perfectly flat for all the strings to ring true.