sb-2 or music man?????

[G&l leo]

i am thinking of trading my sb-2 in for a stingray......i have tried to get a motown sound with my ampeg b2 re 4 10 cab and now im pissed off cos i cant.....is it my bass? does anyone know any good eq settings to save me changing my bass?


cheers leo lovers

[quickervicar]

If you can't get the Motown sound out of an SB-2, I don't think switching to a MM is going to get you any closer. Quite the contrary, IMO.

Turn the tweeter off on the 410, set the EQ flat on the B2. Turn the neck pickup up to about 9 (just backed off slightly), bridge p/u off. Then start twiddling with the mid freqencies to get you in the ballpark.

[Eublet]

If you aren't happy with getting a Motown sound out of your SB-2, the Stingray will be even less satisfying. It's very snarly, with a mid-emphasis, and rather shallow bottom comparatively speaking.

Not sure how you can't be getting a motown sound with an SB-2. I have one, and it's just too easy to get that vibe. The split coil up front creates a hefty chunk, while the bridge pickup adds in some thumpy punch. Roll of some highs on your head, and perhaps boost the low-mids around 200 hz, and it's nothing but Motown for me.

If you want to take it to the next level, you have to have flatwounds. Have you tried flats?

[G&l leo]

I USE LABELLE FLATS

[Eublet]

I don't know then. A lot of the motown vibe is in the total package, meaning the recording mechanisms they used on those old recordings, and all the other things. I've found that it can be difficult to get my basses sounding just like a recording, but then when you get on a gig it just sounds great. I covered "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" a few months back with a group, and it was just like this. I kept trying to get that same tone, and it was close, but it just wasn't exact. When we actually rehearsed the song for the first time, it sounded great, and was even better on the gig. And that was with an L2500. The SB-2 with flats would have take it even further.

My SB-2 has the dual tone modifications done to it so that I can roll of some highs right on the bass. This does seem to help approximate the motown tone when I'm just noodling around by myself at home, but on the gig I never seem to use it.

One thing that does work is to do what Rocco did, which is to fret the notes with your index finger, and then slightly mute the string above it with your other fingers. It takes the top end of and fattens things up.

Also, you could experiment with a thin strip of foam right under the strings, next to the bridge. You have to play with the size and thickness of the foam to get it just right, but the end result is really nice.

[lildrgn]

I'll trade you my ATK300 for your SB-2. It's a Stingray clone by Ibanez!

[Krinkle5]

L2000?

[metron]

Originally Posted by Eublet

If you aren't happy with getting a Motown sound out of your SB-2, the Stingray will be even less satisfying. It's very snarly, with a mid-emphasis, and rather shallow bottom comparatively speaking.

I agree a Stingray will not help get a Motown sound. Moreso than an SB-2 anyway.

[Eublet]

Originally Posted by Krinkle5

L2000?

You can do it with an L2000 for sure, but I think that the SB-2 still has a leg up for Motown.