Action not high enough on SH920 archtop pickup

[ObiMcD]

Just got this bad boy last week and couldn't get it to quite work, the higher frets dont ring out and everything has this weird almost crunchy sound to it. I tried sliding the bridge up to raise the action but the result was a sharpening of notes around and past the 5th fret. So I was thinking maybe I would shimmy some cork in under the feet to raise it up while still putting it at the acoustic sweet spot. Is this a good idea? Also, is there a good measurement for spacing the strings apart both in terms of the 4 groups of two and how far to space it between each group? Any help would be great. The pickup sounds good on the frets that work but it's lack of adjustability has proven an issue. Thanks.

[Eddie Sheehy]

I don't know about cork, I've used slices from a an old credit card to shim bridges with great effect.

[mandroid]

whats an SH 920? Bike forum posters quote part numbers and assume everyone knows , too.

[allenhopkins]

whats an SH 920?

Shadow mandolin pickup, (http://www.thomann.de/ie/shadow_sh920_mandolinpickup.htm) looks like it's sold in Europe...

"Sliding the bridge up to raise the action" means moving out of its proper placement, so that the strings don't intonate properly. The pickup is apparently a piezo saddle with two alternative bridges, ebony and rosewood. However, the bridges aren't adjustable, so the bridge height is whatever you get. Might be possible to shim the saddle in the slot, with a piece of hard material (Delrin, maybe?) under the saddle, to get the action higher. However, raising the action is a tradeoff; the instrument will be harder to fret. Make sure that the problems identified (lower volume on higher frets, "crunchy" sound) are actually curable by raising the action.

Could be worth a trip to a good repair shop for at least a diagnosis...