Acoustic bass guitar had quiet E String. Any tips?

[Telebass]

My Fender Kingman bass is great, except for this one irritation. I've done everything I can think of to even it out, to no avail. Bottom of saddle is really smooth and flat. Plenty of break angle. Pickup element sitting correctly.
If anyone has ideas, I'd love to know, as this is a delightful bass otherwise.

[BassBod]

Try a very slim strip of wood veneer between the bottom of the saddle and the pickup - works sometimes. More risky is looking under the pickup element, as it may not be sitting evenly in the slot - but there is an element of risk when lifting/moving the pickup. They can be very delicate, especially where the wire joins.

Another option is the K&K Pure pickup which glues under the bridge plate, inside the body. A more woody tone, and could be connected to any existing internal preamp?

[Telebass]

Have made sure that the slot is clean, and the pickup sits flat. Still no joy. May try the alternative pickup you suggest.

[ikay]

This may sound a bit daft but try reversing the saddle (move G end to E) and see if that makes a difference to the E output. If the E sounds better it proves that adjusting the geometry of the saddle in some way is part of the solution. It's just a diagnostic exercise, put it back afterwards! Having said that, I had a piezo bass that arrived with the saddle in backwards which completely messed up the string balance. Flipped it round and that fixed the problem.

[BassBod]

Try the veneer shim first - superglue a very thin strip to the underside of the saddle, then flatten it as best you can. Gives you safe option, may well fix the problem and although the action will go up a touch, that is often a good thing on an acoustic.

good luck - its a fiddly one.

[iiipopes]

Reversing the saddle may or may not be an option depending on how the pickup is mounted. But ideally, the slope of the saddle should be with the G string a little lower than the E string, so the E string has more room to vibrate

Sometimes, it is just a bad piezo. What brand of pickup is being used?

The slot in the bridge could appear flat, but be milled on a bias that may prevent the saddle from seating properly. Also, the slot could be a hair narrow, which also prevents the saddle from seating properly. I had that happen on an acoustic guitar. Widening the slot ever so slightly (probably for a luthier to do) will provide just a hair of side-to-side "float" on the saddle that will help it seat securely on the piezo strip.

...after all the above is tried.

[Telebass]

It's a Fishman Presys. Pretty basic. The sensor looks like a piece of coax cable. There's no apparent way it should sit in the slot, it's just sort of there...

[Telebass]

Have put aside some time this evening to have another look (in middle of house move). Will try a gentle rearrangement of the sensor and see if that helps.

[Telebass]

Ok, improved it somewhat. Carefully removed the pickup element and laid it on a hard surface. Tapped along its length with a biro. Was much quieter at the end where the E string would be.
As there was length beyond the G string position, I carefully eased it back so the quiet bit was in the bridge hole, then pressed the saddle slowly back into the slot. Restrung, and although not 100%, it's usable.
Result!