Guitar Pickup Problem (HELP)

[sgt_chibog]

First off I'm not completely sure if this is the best place to post this query but here goes:

*I have been having problems with my guitar pickup (stock pickups in a Squier CVC Telecaster)
*I have not used it for a couple of months due to me selling my amp
*I have recently acquired a focusrite scarlett 2i2 interface and tried to use it as an amp substitute
*To my dismay I was very displeased with the sound coming from my guitar (I tried playing around with different simulations in Garageband and Ableton so I don't think it's the software)
*Single notes sound okay but chords sound really muddy (notes played on the EAD strings overpower GBE strings)
-note that this is something I have not experienced before

Do I need to change my pickups?
or can this be solved by a simple pickup height adjustment (something I have tried but lacked knowledge in)

[lolwat]

Set pickup heights so that the high and low E strings' volumes are relatively the same. This usually means that the high E side of the pickups will be closer to the strings than on the low E side. It may look weird at first, but necessary if you want your string balance to be even. It's probably a good idea to use a compressor when determining the volume balance between the two Es at this point.

You don't usually hear the volume difference from string to string through a regular guitar amp because a guitar amp is not designed to accept full range, flat frequency sources, whereas the Focusrite preamps on their interfaces are known to be quite neutral in terms of sound (a good thing if you want maximum fidelity when plugging in expensive microphones for recording).

[sgt_chibog]

Set pickup heights so that the high and low E strings' volumes are relatively the same. This usually means that the high E side of the pickups will be closer to the strings than on the low E side. It may look weird at first, but necessary if you want your string balance to be even. It's probably a good idea to use a compressor when determining the volume balance between the two Es at this point.

You don't usually hear the volume difference from string to string through a regular guitar amp because a guitar amp is not designed to accept full range, flat frequency sources, whereas the Focusrite preamps on their interfaces are known to be quite neutral in terms of sound (a good thing if you want maximum fidelity when plugging in expensive microphones for recording).

thank you! that was really informative! but I recently tried my guitar in a old marshall tube head + cab (in a studio) and I still noticed some overpowering bass (not as much with the interface but still kind of noticable)

in the meantime I'm going to try to tinker with the pickup height some more

[cayle]

I've read somewhere that the CV Telecasters already have Tone Rider pickups. Try adjusting your pickup height. Lower the low E side to balance the output. Find the sweet spot for both sides.