Stingray in a power trio setting?

[bassybass]

Anybody doing this? I got a 'Ray recently (single pickup 4 banger)--have not used it live much, and only in a 4 piece (with keys) Have some roots/blues/rock gigs coming up with a guitar-slinger, power-trio format. Normally I would grab my jazz for this but I'm thinking I might try the 'Ray. Curious if anybody else likes theirs in that setting.

[Baird6869]

I did many gigs with a SR 4 or 5 in a trio.

Reggae, metal, blues, top 40, etc.

In fact, Tommy Shannon was playing a single H SR4 with BB King and many other blues guys in a Kenny Wayne Shepard DVD I just watched. Not a trio, but he was a Jazz (and sometimes P) guy forever and it really worked in a blues setting

[Jim Roseberry]

Originally Posted by bassybass

Anybody doing this? I got a 'Ray recently (single pickup 4 banger)--have not used it live much, and only in a 4 piece (with keys) Have some roots/blues/rock gigs coming up with a guitar-slinger, power-trio format. Normally I would grab my jazz for this but I'm thinking I might try the 'Ray. Curious if anybody else likes theirs in that setting.

Ed Friedland recently demostrated (in his review of the new SR Classics) that a single H SR is actually a very versatile instrument... depending on how you play/tweak it.

With an aggressive growly tone, there's no good reason why a SR wouldn't work in a 'power-trio' scenario.
All in what you like... and want to hear

[boogie8008]

I rock a Sterling in a power trio, its got great punch to fill the void when the guitar player hits a solo. In a group like that you really need to cut through and EBMM's are great for that.

[bassybass]

Cool---I'm gonna give it a try. I just normally gravitate towards a 2-pickup bass when I think I'm gonna want to fill some sonic space. Practicing on my own with the Ray I'm getting a nice variety of tones simply by changing my plucking hand position. No problem with punching through, I just want to be sure I'm providing a nice big cushion too!

[Caca de Kick]

Originally Posted by bassybass

Stingray in a power trio setting?

Ever heard of the band MXPX?

[LDonnie]

*Raises hand*

[JoshuaTSP]

I typically play a SR5 single H in a stoner metal type 3 piece band....and I have yet to have a problem.

Actually, the stingray allows you to punch through the mix enough with some snappy highs, & growly mids to be heard, yet still retain a tight thick bottom end.

[j.kernodle]

I get what the op is asking. In a trio setting, cutting thru the mix is less of a concern, there's plenty of space to be heard. I think he wants to make sure his ray is going to give him the fat low end that he needs to fill out the bands sound. A strong mid heavy bass like a ray or spector doesn't have much trouble being heard in a larger group setting because its inherent tone gets thru the mix. All that said Rays are more versatile than many will give credit for. Its not going to sound exactly like a j bass but it can definitely work.

[lakin757]

Originally Posted by Caca de Kick

Ever heard of the band MXPX?

good call. Mike herrera is sick.


one more word, CHEVELLE.

[FromTheBassMent]

Originally Posted by j.kernodle

I get what the op is asking. In a trio setting, cutting thru the mix is less of a concern, there's plenty of space to be heard. I think he wants to make sure his ray is going to give him the fat low end that he needs to fill out the bands sound. A strong mid heavy bass like a ray or spector doesn't have much trouble being heard in a larger group setting because its inherent tone gets thru the mix. All that said Rays are more versatile than many will give credit for. Its not going to sound exactly like a j bass but it can definitely work.

I agree that 'Rays are often eq'd to cut through a dense mix, and that they do a stellar job in this application. However, if one is in need of a really full, thick low end to go along with that cut, there are two really easy ways to do this:

1. Turn up the low eq on the bass
2. Turn up the low eq on the amp

[jaywa]

A Ray can fill up as much sonic space as you need it to. Go for it.

[trunkshope6]

i play one in a trio and i cut through nice having more mids and low end than the sizzly top end,not that it doesnt sizzle anyway

[bobunit]

Originally Posted by jaywa

A Ray can fill up as much sonic space as you need it to. Go for it.

+1 I used a SR5 for many years in power trio. It kicked butt.

[bassybass]

Originally Posted by j.kernodle

I get what the op is asking. In a trio setting, cutting thru the mix is less of a concern, there's plenty of space to be heard. I think he wants to make sure his ray is going to give him the fat low end that he needs to fill out the bands sound. A strong mid heavy bass like a ray or spector doesn't have much trouble being heard in a larger group setting because its inherent tone gets thru the mix. All that said Rays are more versatile than many will give credit for. Its not going to sound exactly like a j bass but it can definitely work.

Exactly---an extreme analogy would be a laser beam vs. ambient mood lighting I just haven't used the Ray enough yet--still getting used to it.
It's not that I want it to sound like a j, I'm just used to how supportive and "wide" the jazz can be in a sparse setting. This is a 3-band Ray, and I find (at home at least) I'm mostly running a little bass boost, and cutting the mids a bit, and the treble a lot, and it's sounding nice and big and still very clear.

[FromTheBassMent]

Originally Posted by bassybass

Exactly---an extreme analogy would be a laser beam vs. ambient mood lighting I just haven't used the Ray enough yet--still getting used to it.
It's not that I want it to sound like a j, I'm just used to how supportive and "wide" the jazz can be in a sparse setting. This is a 3-band Ray, and I find (at home at least) I'm mostly running a little bass boost, and cutting the mids a bit, and the treble a lot, and it's sounding nice and big and still very clear.

You're definitely on the right track with your approach to the EQ.

The other night I tried an experiment to see how much I could get my fretless 'Ray to sound like a fretless J. I got pretty close with tweaks at the bass and at the amp. But what I notice with the 'Ray in contrast to any passive J-style bass is not the cutting midrange (which is justly famous, but which I mostly dialed out), but the amount of "air" around the high frequencies even when they're dialed back. I find a passive J pup with the tone wide open to have a slightly "pinched" quality in the highest frequencies. The EBMM pup has a very airy quality in the highs that I find addictive. Of course, you can crank the high EQ on a 'Ray and make that upper register pretty offensive! It takes a good ear and judicious EQing to get the best out of the instrument, but when you nail it, it's unbeatable to these aged ears.

[mtaffonso]

I think there is no problem on using a SR on a trio. The onboard preamp is really god. Tweaking knobs will give you the low end that you are looking for.

I have a SR5 (ok, it is the HH model) and sometimes I use only the bridge pickup. With a bass knob setting, it sound heavy too.

I have the same doubt. My Jazz is a Geddy Lee model. that I modded with a push pull pot to wire pickups in series. When wired in series, it sounds a little bit darker.

Sometimes I use my Jazz, sometimes I use my StingRay. It depends on my mood. With the SR, I´m ALWAYS heard, no matter if using too much lows or mids.

[Din Of Win]

While i don't use a 'Ray... my goto bass for a power trio(also my favorite band set up) is my Ibanez ATK!

It's super similar to a 'Ray as far as tone goes, but still has its own thing going on.

I was also impressed with the Ibanez SRX390 i had for a while... kinda close to an HH 'Ray.

<3 u Ibanez

[Fretlessboy]

It will work quite well. I love a Ray

[sloasdaylight]

Justin Chancellor does it.

(I know, 4 person band, but 3 people playing instruments, so it's the same thing basically the way I look at it.