Not loving my Archtop bridge pickup.

[Dusty Chalk]

The neck pickup is fantastic, but when I switch to middle or bridge position, all the bass disappears and volume drops too much.

Can you post sound clips? That don't sound right. Maybe there's a loose solder joint or something going on.

 

[Kiwi]

I'm not convinced your bridge pickup is working properly. You may want to measure the resistance to be sure.

Parek, this is good advice to start. From your description, I think it's possible that one coil in your bridge pickup is not working. (That happened to me with a 53/10 bridge pickup, which PRS to their credit repaired immediately.) Measure the resistance first.

If both coils are indeed working, then you might want to just replace the bridge pickup. I never cared for the sound of my HB-II's Archtop bridge pup, so I located a 57/08 bridge pickup and am very happy with the result.

=K

 

[Huggy Love]

Well, what I expect / want from my guitar is, that when I switch the pickup selector, I get different tones with about the same output level in each position. Output meaning volume and general bass and mid response. I like that the difference in sound comes from the fact that one pickup picks the sound from the neck position and second pickup close to the bridge. That natural difference what comes from the pickups physical location is enough for me. I don't like if there are big general tone differences between the pickups.

Analogy: If I listen to a music album, I like that all the tracks are mixed to about same volume and tonal levels. I don't like to adjust volume and eq levels after each song

Maybe if you get the resistance & signal output checked like some members suggest, you can determine if it's actually a technical problem or just your ears being influenced by the thick sound of the neck pup and the thin sound of the bridge pup. Either way you should get to the bottom of it, I've done a lot of repairs but electrical is my weakest point so I can't guide you on that. Maybe a top notch gtr tech in your area can help you sort it out quickly.

 

[parek]

Thanks for comments again. I did actually measure the pickups recently and the measurements are correct.

I forgot to say that the tone problem is more prone to annoy when playing with lower volume levels. The balance sounds better when the amp is loud.

I never cared for the sound of my HB-II's Archtop bridge pup, so I located a 57/08 bridge pickup and am very happy with the result.

This sounds like a solid plan

 

[Huggy Love]

I forgot to say that the tone problem is more prone to annoy when playing with lower volume levels. The balance sounds better when the amp is loud.

This sounds about right, that's why I mentioned "ears being influenced", sometimes tones can play tricks on us.
Let us know how it comes out if you slap some 57/08s or something else in it, who knows, you might stumble upon some pup that works better than anything else that has been tried.