Stingray abuse...

owen_liam · #1 10-28-2010, 04:24 AM

I recently acquired a newish Stingray which I like very much (my dad found it for £600 in mint condition...a bargain!). It sounds and plays fantastic - tight, punchy sound, bright and accurate...the usual Musicman thing.

It's great for funk and soul and all that - which is the majority of what I play. However, when I really dig in and play hard with my right hand, it can get a little noisy in terms of extraneous sounds like strings hitting the pick up. I do tend to play on the hard side sometimes - I like the sound of strings and wood under duress!

I've played Fenders all my life - Ps and Js - and never really had a problem with this. Perhaps it's just a question of getting used to the p/u placement on a Musicman. Any long time Musicman players out there able to offer tips and advice on playing a Stingray HARD?!

Devo-lution · #2 10-28-2010, 04:30 AM

lowering the pups a bit?
raising the action?

Joe Nerve · #3 10-28-2010, 04:31 AM

It sounds as if you're experienced enough to know the answer yourself. Raise the action? Lower the pickup? Add a bit of relief to the neck? Dig in a little less? Try different strings? Try different guage strings? Get used to the new sound when you dig in? Not much else that can really be said.

owen_liam · #4 10-28-2010, 04:50 AM

Yeah, you're right Joe...I was just wondering if Stingray players had some kind of Zen technique that I was oblivious to in my Fender-centric oblivion...

I think I'll go and play with the pickup/action height a bit. As for digging in less, I often try to do that but usually end up back in there! I'm definitely from the Paul Jackson school of thumping...

PS - like the video.

bh2 · #5 10-28-2010, 09:06 AM

It's part of the stingray 'thing'... you'll have to learn to play it. I used to like the extraneous noises personally.

£600 is a bargain... piccy please.

Archaeobass · #6 10-28-2010, 09:17 AM

Stingrays have a little extra *clack* for sure. It's a part of their character. I found that my Ray appreciated heavier strings than I generally preferred. Strung with and set up for Fatbeams, there was less clickety clack in the attack and more thunder. Try going up a gauge and see what you get.

owen_liam · #7 10-28-2010, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bh2

£600 is a bargain... piccy please.

It certainly is! My dad bought it off a guitar player and didn't really know what it was...

Here you go:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40365041@N05/5123610448/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40365041@N05/5123610408/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40365041@N05/5123007937/

And one gratuitous shot of the family...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40365041@N05/5123610492/

Any information about the Stingray would be gratefully received; I'm no expert on Musicman products and I want to learn!

It feels very different to the Jazz...Stingrays may look a lot like Jazzes, but I'm quickly learning it is a very different beast!

owen_liam · #8 10-28-2010, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archaeobass

I found that my Ray appreciated heavier strings than I generally preferred.

It's already got some pretty heavy strings on; they're heavier than I'd normally go for but I thought I'd stick with them for the sake of something different. Thanks for the tip though!

I think the main thing is going to be playing it as much as I can and getting the hang of the Stingray thang...

bh2 · #9 10-28-2010, 10:12 AM

Owen... here's the site...

http://www.musicmanbass.org/

All you need, Gav's a pleasant chap and was a help when I was trying to determine the date of mine.

**baba** · #10 10-28-2010, 10:42 AM

I like dead strings on mine.

owen_liam · #11 10-28-2010, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bh2

Owen... here's the site...

http://www.musicmanbass.org/

All you need, Gav's a pleasant chap and was a help when I was trying to determine the date of mine.

That's a veritable treasure trove right there! Thanks.

steamthief · #12 10-28-2010, 11:16 AM

I put a set of flats on mine, retained all of the punch and emits a very precise fundamental, eliminated almost all of the string noise. YMMV.

Joe Nerve · #13 10-28-2010, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by owen_liam

PS - like the video.

Thanks. The song was recorded with a Stingray.

thisSNsucks · #14 10-28-2010, 01:50 PM

Try putting some black electrical tape over the pole pieces.

lupien · #15 10-28-2010, 01:55 PM

I had the same issue when I first bought my Sterling HS. The strings would always hit the single coil magnets and I would get a poping sound. I really didn't want to raise the action cause I like it low so I lowered the pickups and that fixed it. I did lose some volume but whatever..just cranked the amp more and its all good now.