Guitar sounds muddy

[Rani Platek]

Thanks Jerry, I haven't yet got the meter, hope I'll get it soon.

[Rani Platek]

I measured the pickup and it gave me 17.24K.
Is it still in the right zone?

[Lane Gray]

That's a little LIGHT (but not much).
Lighter would normally give thinner/brighter.
I'll revert to thinking you have some stray capacitance that has recently materialized. Most likely culprit is cables. I still like Craig's answer. A Lil' Izzy would absolutely render weak/faded/high capacitance cables irrelevant (so would any buffer, like a Match Box, Freeloader, Black Box or many stomp boxes have them, I like the one in the Holy Grail).

[Henry Matthews]

Not trying to be funny but have you had your ears checked? Sometimes you can loose your hearing in high spectrum and not know or realize it. Does everything else sound normal?

[Rani Platek]

Henry, yes the rest of the reality is not as muddy as my steel sound..
Lane thanks again, I think you have a point. Today I tested all my cables directly to the amp, all of them sounded almost the same, then I plugged a simple jumper cable, kinda cheap one, and the result was completely different, the sound was bright!
What should I look for in a cable? Do the george L's are one to consider?

[Lane Gray]

George L uses quality cables and quality ends. BUT the assembly varies, since you do it yourself. But if you do it right, they're among the best.
If you have solder, iron and flux, you could get replacement ends on your existing cables.

[George Kimery]

Actually, when you buy George L cables from a dealer and give them the lengths that you want, the dealer will attach the plugs for you. The only time that you will have to do it yourself is if and when you have a problem. It is easy to attach the plugs to the cables. You just make a clean cut of the cable with a utility knife, insert the cable end into the the plug and tighten down the screw. Easy and quick with no soldering required. Can be done on the job, if necessary.

I really recommend that you get George L cables regardless of any other problem that you may have. They are just much cleaner and clearer sounding to me.

[Donny Hinson]

It's a good idea to use the shortest cables you can get away with. More cable = less treble and less volume. I've seen guys use a 6-foot cable between the guitar and pedal, and a 15-foot cable between the pedal and the amp, and that's more than you really need.

[Jay Fagerlie]

Cut the hotdog in half!!!

Grab a different guitar (any type) and plug it in to your setup
Does it sound muddy also?

Yes- amp setup
No- your steel.


Yes- amp setup.
Plug the steel directly into the amp, no pedal- still dull?
Yes- cable or guitar
no-plug in volume pedal
dull?


continue until the problem is exposed.

it works every time!

[Jay Fagerlie]

double post removed

[Craig Baker]

One place we have discovered a problem is with moisture and contamination. Our products are sealed to keep moisture out of the circuitry, but beyond that, the insulator on the 1/4 inch plug must be free of dirt and contamination. If not, the signal is degraded and can sound"muddy". This problem can show up anywhere in the signal chain. The higher the impedance the signal is, the worse the problem becomes.

If moisture has gotten into the pickup, it must be removed from the guitar and dried, probably placed in an oven at very low temperature for a few days.

Use denatured alcohol or another good solvent to clean all insulation on both wires and connectors. It's also necessary to make sure all solder flux is removed.

Best regards,
Craig Baker 706-485-8792

cmbakerelectronics@gmail.com

C.M. Baker Electronics
P.O. Box 3965
Eatonton, GA 31024

[Jerry Roller]

Rani, have you found the problem yet? I sent George L's cables but I don't think that is a fix.
Jerry

[John Billings]

Most often, a cold solder joint can be fixed by just hitting it with a hot iron. I've watched my amp tech do that to every solder joint in a troublesome amp. I'd do that first, before taking everything apart. If that doesn't help, out comes the solder wick.