Harsh B string when amped

[tnez13]

I have a very simple amp system for my acoustic. I use a Fender soundhole pickup and a small Dean acoustic amp. Normally, I play my guitar straight acoustic but decided to play amplified last night. Overall, it's a decent sound except for the B string. It's harsh, cutting, metallic sounding while everything else sounds okay.

Is this a consequence of an inexpensive amp system? Or would a different set of strings have a better result (using D'addario EJ17's currently)?

[Neon Soul]

Might be the soundhole pickup.

When I was using my Fishman soundhole pickup, the B string was always way to loud.

[syrynx]

A hot B string is the rule rather than the exception when magnetic sound hole pickups are used with phosphor bronze or 80/20 strings. Bronze-wound strings just don't create as strong a signal through magnetic pickups as plain steel strings, nickel-wound, nickel-plated steel-wound, or stainless steel-wound strings do.

If your pickup has adjustable pole pieces, it may be worth your while (and it may take quite a while) to adjust them. You may find, as our AGF brother ukejon reported in his Magnetic Miracle thread a few weeks ago, that removing both the high E and B string pole pieces will give you a good result.

If your pickup does not have adjustable pole pieces, your only options are to replace the pickup, or replace the strings. There are string sets marketed specifically for acoustic guitars using magnetic sound hole pickups. These include John Pearse pure nickel wound strings (highly recommended by some of our AGF brethren for their acoustic sound as well, at least on certain guitars); GHS White Bronze (wound with a nickel-iron alloy), and DR Zebras (which have two windings, phosphor bronze and nickel-plated steel).

I'm a sound hole pickup junkie, and I started using stainless steel strings with them more than 35 years ago. For me, they last far longer than any other strings. In the '90s, I drifted away to nickel-plated steel wound strings on my acoustic guitars. They don't last as long as stainless, and they're not quite as bright, but still sound good two or three times longer than any bronze wound strings in my hands. Recently, I tried a set of D'Addario ProSteels, and was catapulted back to the sound of the "Bill Lawrence Stainless Phosphorus Chromium Steel" strings I first tried in 1979-- yeah!

YMMV, of course.

[RustyAxe]

I use EJ16, EJ17 and EJ19's with a Baggs M1A all the time. Lower the pole piece if possible. If not, then experiment with EQ, cutting the highs and mids significantly. SS or nickel wound strings on a flat top acoustic guitar suck. Yeah, I said it ...