Stingray Pickup replacement should I?

ariff · #1 09-07-2010, 09:33 AM

I have a 96 EB SR4 I love.. It is the 3 EQ version. However the tone I get out of it is not that versatile. I have been wondering if replacing the pickup would give me anymore options. Or would I have to go as far as replacing the pre amp as well? I have been looking at the Bartolini quad coil pickups. I just hate to drop a bunch of money and not get very noticeable results. Anyone replace their MM pickups for a more versatile sound? Any suggestions for me?
Thanks

SGD Lutherie · #2 09-07-2010, 11:54 AM

As long as you replace it with a pickup that is not made like a MM pickup, it will sound different. The Bart pickup will sound a lot different from the stock pickup.

ariff · #3 09-07-2010, 12:09 PM

Any idea on how it will sound different? I have been looking for sound clips on line and have not had much luck. Also if I go with the 4 coil pickup would there be a way to get a push\pull knob to do the splitting? I don't want to permantly modify my bass by drilling a hole to mount a toggle switch.
Thanks..

SGD Lutherie · #4 09-07-2010, 12:18 PM

I have not used one of these Barts, but Barts in general have a warm full tone. Some are bright and other models are deep sounding.

The quad coil setup would allow you to switch the pickup into several hum canceling modes which emulate single coils, as well as the humbucker mode.

There are probably other pickup makers that do their own designs in MM cases. I make them as does Villex... might be others as well, such as Delano. These would be the MM shape but not the MM sound. Villex makes a split coil and I make a dual coil humbucker, but voiced very differently from a MM.

Johnius · #5 09-07-2010, 12:24 PM

Hey, ariff, have you considered that maybe the Stingray sound isn't for you? I would never consider changing a thing on my ray. That signature sound very much my thing. Maybe it's a new thing you're looking for all together?

ariff · #6 09-07-2010, 02:12 PM

Hey Johnius,
I do love the StingRay tone and it works very well for me in one of the bands I play in. I own three Stingrays and I'd say they are by far one of my favorite basses out there. I have started playing in a cover band that requires a bit more versatility then what a standard ray can give me. So I was just thinking about what I could do to fix the problem.

murphy · #7 09-07-2010, 05:46 PM

HS model is very versatile.

Chowowbus · #8 09-08-2010, 12:36 AM

I would leave the pup stock. Thats just me..I love stingrays for what they are.

SGD Lutherie · #9 09-08-2010, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chowowbus

I would leave the pup stock. Thats just me..I love stingrays for what they are.

He has three Stingrays... he wants one of them to sound different. Nothing wrong with that.

They are kind of one trick ponies, but they do what they do well.

ariff · #10 09-08-2010, 08:01 AM

Exactly David..Thanks, I am just looking for a different sound. I don't want to modify it to the point I can not easily return it to the original setup.

SGD Lutherie · #11 09-08-2010, 08:19 AM

A new pickup would do it.

Devo-lution · #12 09-08-2010, 08:25 AM

Heard a lot of goods about the nordstrand and the bartolini...

Both are said to be deeper...

Heard that the Nordstrand was beefier and that the bart was warmer. Never heard it myself, though...

ariff · #13 09-08-2010, 08:32 AM

Dave I have been looking around on your site. Do you have any sound clips of the SR pickups? I noticed you are out of stock of the SR 4 pickups as well. I am looking for more of a mellow, smooth, deeper sound. Any suggestions?

FunkMetalBass · #14 09-08-2010, 09:14 AM

Well, if you're going to get rid of your SR pickup, let me know. I'd be interested in buying it off of you.

And if you're modding it, adding a second pickup - like the HS or HH - will do wonders for the versatility.

Johnius · #15 09-08-2010, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariff

Hey Johnius,
I do love the StingRay tone and it works very well for me in one of the bands I play in. I own three Stingrays and I'd say they are by far one of my favorite basses out there. I have started playing in a cover band that requires a bit more versatility then what a standard ray can give me. So I was just thinking about what I could do to fix the problem.

Gotcha. If I had 3 rays I'd be changing one around, too. Delano's get a lot of mention around here. They are often described as similar to Bartolinis but with a clearer top end. That's how they sound from the clips I've heard, too. I am also a huge fan of the Chi-Sonic pickups that Hanson produces for Lakland. Very warm and easy with a touch of vintage-y.

SGD Lutherie · #16 09-08-2010, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariff

Dave I have been looking around on your site. Do you have any sound clips of the SR pickups? I noticed you are out of stock of the SR 4 pickups as well. I am looking for more of a mellow, smooth, deeper sound. Any suggestions?

My SR pickups are the same as my other pickups. I use the same guts in the various covers for each type of pickup I make. The different covers are so they fit into different basses.

So my SR pickups can be the neo humbuckers, or the sidewinders, etc. So what ever sound clips you hear, that can be in the SR cover.

Often when someone wants a single pickup they have me overwind a neck pickup. My neck and bridge pickups are designed differently. The neck is smoother and rounder, while the bridge gets more mids, but is also tuned to sound good soloed, so it has more lows than some others. But a neck pickup can sound nice at the bridge too.

I'm only out of stock on the covers, I have maybe two left... but I'm working on molds for those pickups. The problem with MM style covers is they are very shallow.

I'm hoping to have the molds down this coming weekend. I'm making a bunch of molds on different shells at the moment.

Devo-lution · #17 09-08-2010, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Well, if you're going to get rid of your SR pickup, let me know. I'd be interested in buying it off of you.

And if you're modding it, adding a second pickup - like the HS or HH - will do wonders for the versatility.

I thought about doing so, but he who would be the best luthier in this region refused to do so... Apparently musicman isn't very sharing with schemetics and he wouldn't do it without...

If I would find one who would be willing to do so... How would one control the first pickup and the mix of both pick ups? There ain't a lot of spare room for knobs on a ray...

bassballs_dk · #18 09-08-2010, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariff

Hey Johnius,
I do love the StingRay tone and it works very well for me in one of the bands I play in. I own three Stingrays and I'd say they are by far one of my favorite basses out there. I have started playing in a cover band that requires a bit more versatility then what a standard ray can give me. So I was just thinking about what I could do to fix the problem.

How about putting a set of chromes Flatwound on one of them

i_got_a_mohawk · #19 09-08-2010, 01:47 PM

As Murphy suggested, you could try the HS, or the HH.

I prefer the HH, try both, see what you prefer.

I rarely use the bridge pickup by itself these days.

Devo-lution · #20 09-08-2010, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassballs_dk

How about putting a set of chromes Flatwound on one of them

Doin that all of the time...

It gets deeper and more in the low mids imho but not DEEPEST...

How about EQ'ing. I have a 2EQ and I cut my bass as well as my treble and in my experience, the sounds benefits from this...