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According to Google's Gemini, the Stingray Special tuners will save more weight than the Hipshot USA Ultralights (Short Key - Mini Clover - 1/2").
The EBMMs will save a total of 10.7 oz (or 305g) on a set of 5 and
Hipshots will save 8.3 oz (235g) over the original stock Schaller BMs.

Both require drilling new holes and filling the old ones, although the Hipshots only require 1 new hole whereas the EBMM's require 2.

I too, just picked up a particularly heavy 1992 Stingray 5 and am investigating the options.

BluesMaster66 said:

Just so you all know I went ahead and pulled the trigger and bought the bass. I cannot find a single review from anyone anywhere on the internet that has this bass. I will take lots of pictures and do some recordings and post them on here so people can have an informed opinion.

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I'd like to hear your opinions. It reminds me of a Padella neck-through I owned many years ago. How does it sound? How does it feel and play?

The gig worked out well. I got there first and set up on stage left. Drummer got there next and set up in the middle of the stage, but more in the front than usual for some reason. Then the other guy (BL, LG, LS) Set up appropriately on stage right. It worked out perfectly.

tl;dr - Swapped the neck pickup for a Bart D752J-B. Works as specified with Fender’s 4-way pickup switching. Detailed documentation on the process below, including:

Documenting the baseline wiring.
Bart pickup wiring.
Validated it works to Fender’s documented settings.
Record measurements.
Noted fitment issues.

I purchased this Modern Player Jazz Bass V new in 2014 and haven’t played it much because of its “dark” tone. And, despite having a significant amount of switching flexibility, the tone went from bass-heavy to “none more bass” heavy. However, I do love the neck. Gloss finish aside, it's every bit as nice as my AM Pro II Jazz Bass V neck.

So this instrument has been sitting unused all this time while I mulled over selling it or swapping out pickups. Feeling empowered after my recent J Bass build, I decided on swapping out a pickup or two and came across Bartolini’s 5-String 2J D7 Double J-Bass – D752J, which Bart states, “These are made to fit 2012-2014 Modern Player basses” (more on that later).

I decided to swap the OG neck pickup for D752J-B and not swap the bridge PU, at least at this time, to reduce things going horribly wrong, and I’m mostly a J-neck PU guy with a little bridge added to taste. Plus, not knowing how the resulting swap would sound, I didn’t want to add more $ to the project.

Back to the fitment. The Bartolini D752J-B is slightly longer than the OEM Fender pickup on my 2014. It wasn’t a physical drop-in replacement. Minor Dremel work was required. I had to lengthen the pickguard opening by approximately 3 mm at each end and enlarge the 4 cutouts for the pickup wings to get things to align. In addition, I had to remove approximately 3 mm from the treble-side wall of the pickup cavity.

Fitment may vary between instruments due to production tolerances, but I have 2 pickguards for this bass, and it was the same fitment issue with both. Having said that, the Bartolini D752J can replace the OEM neck pickup while preserving all four factory rotary switch functions.

Below is the before-and-after wiring. A Fender-to-Bart wiring cross-reference guide. And finally, all 12 of the 4-way switch position ohm readings at the output jack.

How does it sound? I haven’t had that much playing time with it yet, but overall, I’m happy with the result. Position 4 sounds like a beefy J. The Bart single coil carries some low-end but with more high end clarirty then the OEM neck PU could muster. Maybe its a little deeper, as the front coil is slightly closer to the neck than typical. Position 3 could become my favorite. 2 is OK. Position 1, both humbuckers, is way low-end heavy. Not for me.

I hope this helps the community at some level.

David Morison said:

Hear that?

No, that's not thunder.
That's hooves.

Elderly, angry hooves.

Elderly, angry hooves coming to trample all over that AI effort.

That High Pass from your AI is nowhere near the 2.5kHz 18dB/octave recommended by Eminence - it's only 6dB/oct at ~1200Hz (at best, i.e. into a straight 8Ohm load - it may be worse into the actual variable impedance of the real driver).
To put that in context, it means that that filter could allow as much as 30dB more signal through to the driver at ~600Hz than the recommended type (before accounting for the variable attenuator, admittedly). That's about one thousand times more power than it should get, at a frequency around 2 octaves below where it should be crossed over, in case that helps.

You might also ask your AI exactly why it has shown the lower 12" completely shorted out in the "Complete Schematic" diagram?
Or why it felt the need to show 2 out of the 3 drivers with 3 terminals in the "Cabinet Wiring Diagram"?
Or why it thinks the HF is a 16Ohm unit, when your own photo clearly shows the positive terminal marked with an "8"?
Or why it has changed the 0.22mH inductor visible in Lug's very helpful photo to 0.72mH?

Sorry to be so blunt, but when I, as a rank amateur, can spot that many errors, I can see why actual pros like AgedHorse get so frustrated.

In short, don't trust the AI, but rather, ask Mr Lug very nicely if he might manage a clearer photo of the XO board so we can trace out the actual circuit. Hopefully, in clear light and photographed square-on, we should be able to see enough of the traces through the board without needing to detach it from the input panel.

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Totally agree! Every time AI makes an Edit its different. Hence why ideally I'd like to see the underside of the PCB. Or take a picture square over the top, and perhaps shine a bright torch to the underside

Aaron David said:

The Cutlass shares some of the characteristics of the Stingray. Acoustically, it's a bright, snappy, but also resonant instrument. Plugged in, lots of lows and highs on tap. It doesn't have quite as much mids as a traditional P bass, but they're not in short supply either. I've owned and gigged a Cutlass as my only Bass from 2016-2026. Rock solid, no issues, wonderful instrument the whole time.

I recently picked up a Lakland USA Classic 44-64 which sounds darker (high output Lakland pickup), and smoother. The Lakland has an incredible voice with LaBella DTFs. D'Addario Round wounds went back on the Cutlass, and I didn't realize how much I missed what the Cutlass brings to the table in this configuration. So much authority but also "cut" from this bass. Again, it sounds like the ideal blend between a Precision and a Stingray to my ears. I continue to love mine.

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Now I want one!

Dude…. AWESOME work ….for your first try especially !!!

Doubtful anyone here would laugh, we all started somewhere. And most of our “starts” were not nearly as good as yours !

Hang around, read, ask questions, and build some more ! You’ll find that there’s a core group of people here in the Luthiers Corner that are super helpful and encouraging…. And happy to share tips and tricks that in some cases took decades to learn and develop.

Again, really great job , Play it with pride !

Interview here

clansman1970 said:

BTW, here is an update! I paid only for material used, since the guy was dealing with sparkle colour for the first time. I think the result is top notch!View attachment 5276899

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They did a great job. Maybe it's because I was a kid in the 90's but these finishes always remind me of

Tony G said:

I’ve been wanting one of these because of the way the color looks online, but when I went to my local GC to see it in person it was almost black. Cant decide if it is worth ordering one online to see if the color shade varies at all from bass to bass.

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It is a fairly dark shade of BRG. I went with a matte black anodized pickguard for some contrast.

Steve Park said:

Birdsong basses are terrifically made and have excellent ergonomics. 31" scale feels not too short, which is nice. I also have an AC1 and prefer the slightly wider than typical Birdsong neck. If I had to do it again, I would probably get a standard soapbar pickup dimension to open up the world of pick up swaps, but the stock pickup is pretty good even if a unique dimension.

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I’m so glad you’re loving your AC-1 ! That makes me super happy !


The neck and string spacing were my primary goals along with the slightly upsized body when I discussed my needs it and was going through it with Jake and Scott. I just wanted it to be comfortable for bigger guys, but also serve as an easier transition for players switching to a short scale bass for the first time - it needed to not feel “small”. I’m super proud of how it came out, and so stoked to have guys like Jake and Scott making it happen.

Victor Wooten says pretty much the same thing, and demos it. He says the attitude and groove can make "wrong" notes sound right.
He has a backing track, for the sake of describing it, say it's a Cman7 (it's been a long time since I've seen him do it). And he plays some stuff that's all using the C major scale, and it sounds good.
There are 7 notes in the C major scale, which means there are 5 notes in the chromatic scale that aren't "in" C major.
And he starts grooving using those 5 notes, and only those 5 notes, against the Cmaj7, and it sounds effin' great!
It's a very persuasive demonstration

And yes, Richard Bona completely blows my mind.

Skeezix said:

Depending on where you are in Jax, there is plenty of wildlife.
This little guy was in my driveway.View attachment 7551212

Leaving a friend's house, at around 1100 PM, I was taking it nice and slow on my motorcycle, came around the corner and four deer were hanging out in the middle of the road.

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He really does look hungry.

Patrice B said:

The magic of Talkbass...

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I'm sure the cab was aware Agedhorse was following this case, and he freaked out and decided to stop messing with me.

Ian774 said:

I don’t need it…. My pedalboard these days is just me Anagram. But I want it. But I don’t need it. Hmmmm.

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There are captures of the Low Rider that I’ve done on tone3000 but also


I’m becoming tempted by this though, mainly cos you know ….. shiny….. and poor impulse control.

edwinhurwitz said:

"He's fleein' the interview!"

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Hopefully his little buddy won't end up in the wood chipper?

I have used most of these at one time or another. I believe the first one that was especially for bass was the FRAP in the late 60s. It was a contact pickup and preamp that was ridiculously expensive and didn't work very well. When I use the Ehrlund, which I do on occasion, it reminds me of the old FRAP with much better sound. I also recall using the Brush contact mike that I put against the top between the bridge feet. That actually wasn't too bad as I recall.

thefaceofbass said:

I believe they started the Biamp company a bit later as well.

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Yes, and Bi-Amp is still doing the permanent installation equipment out in Beaverton, a few miles north.

just oh by the way ... i think the emg selects are awesome pickups 8)

_Obra_ said:

Hi all,
Can You advise me what is considering to be a good price in EU for a 1996 natural/rosewood USA Sterling with non original hardcase?

Thanks

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About 3 years ago I bought a excellent condition 1994 USA sterling fretless with original case for about [1900 Euro] in Australia

Hmm - gonna have to think about the strap mount setup... makes sense. J

RE rail bridges, I guess you could argue the body wood would damp the cross talk to some degree. But than again I don't think I've ever found myself worried about crosstalk at a gig.

Oh, this is my favorite thread.

More later.

Mike

woodyng2 said:

Awesome two-fer!
And thanks for the side-by-side front and rear photos. It really helps to get a better idea of of the size of the 3030.

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Here is another side by side with my Warwick thumb for comparison.



I also switched out my original knobs on the 3030 with the Rickenbacker oven knobs. They were very pricy, but I dig them.

-ScottM

Been using forScore for years on my iPad and have not had any problems with google drive…
My 2 cents.

PaulAtSoCalBass said:

Generally, when you start making "upgrades" they negatively impact resale value.

Spending $200 on new pickups doesn't add $200 in value, more likely it's a $500 hit. Carlos parts might be legit higher quality with better clarity, punch, or whatever, doesn't matter. Put back in the originals if you sell it. And including the originals doesn't help, buyers want a new bass, not a new project.

Also doesn't matter if the parts failed. A 55-94 buyer is craving that 55-94 sound, not a 55-94 fixed with that Carlos sound.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for having fun and experimenting! I've certainly done it many times, but only on ones I don't plan on selling, at least not in their "improved" state.

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Interesting take, Paul. Sometimes I agree, other times I don't. I know that the guy that was buying my 55-94 actually wanted the barts that were in my Carlo, so I am going to start with the Carlo, and if I love it, offer to put the Barts in for him. And Carl Pedigo(Carlo) changes the pickups/electronics per order, so there isn't actually any factory spec, so I doubt that will matter to the buyer. I can tell you the guy who sold it to me wanted the system that I am about to put in it(traditional Lakland), but didn't want to dick with it.

But I 100% agree that the price you spend never gets the money back.I spent a ton of money modded basses and lost my ass many times. This would definitely be for me rather than for anyone else. Changing out the Super J setup definitely will only appeal to some Dingwall fans, for sure. Some will hate losing the rotary, some will love the flexibility of a traditional blend (which I did when I got my nashville!). I just want to have basses that I love to play, both in feel, looks, and sound