Hello fellow stingray owners, and bassists. I have a stingray with the 2 babd eq and I playing it thru an Ampeg ba115 110 watt combo eith a 15 inch woofer. I am noticing 2 things. I cannot get this Ampeg with the 115 woofer to reproduce the highs the stingray produces and also I have noticed it doesn't seem to fully reproduce the full bottom end like an svt with an 810 cab seems too. I mean obviousky the svt rig is gonna sound fuller but my combo just seems to produce a poopy midrangy tone eith not a lot of low end or high end. It's like the BA 115 Ampeg with the 115 in it reproduces every tonal frequency the the stingray isn't known to produce. Is this normal, thru the headphones it sounds phenomenal and I've noticed it sounds even worse now that I installed power slinky .110 heavy guage strings. What am I doing wrong. Is it the strings the amp, the fact that the amp is inside my closet that has no carpet or is it sll three. That 2 band stingray seems to sound so much better eith medium or light guage slinkys. Your thoughts please. Sincerely growler
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Ampeg combo not producing full stingray bass tone.
- Thread starter growler571
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Simply put...it won't. Your eating a chicken dinner and expecting it taste like a prime rib dinner from Texas Roadhouse.
That 115 was designed to get you heard and be bedroom friendly to say the least. If you play in the a band and have PA support you might be able to get better dynamics through a nice PA rig. Another thing you can do is record the DI into an DAW and see if you finding the magic. Your asking alot from a single conventional 15 inch speaker.
I know what you mean and no, your combo won’t give you a sound as full and precise as an SVT.
I use an SVT and got a 1x15 combo for lighter duty. The only way I found to get it closer to my sound is to stick a SansAmp RBI in front of it.
I use an SVT and got a 1x15 combo for lighter duty. The only way I found to get it closer to my sound is to stick a SansAmp RBI in front of it.
I would ditch those Slinky's and get a set of Steel DR High Beams or Low Riders. I tried a set of slinkys years ago and they were the worst set of strings I'd ever used. They go dead insanely fast and the first string to go is the E which turns to mud, which could explain you low end articulation issue. Also the Ampeg Ba115 isn't a bright amp, so getting a set of strings that are inherently brighter might help get you closer to the sound your looking for. It sounds like the tone your searching for is GK and not Ampeg imo. Good luck!
Agreed. Id only go Fender or Ampeg in a tube amp, their SS amps are underwhelming and sound nothing like their tube amps IMO.
OP-Go try a Blackstar U500 and set it to 6L6 or 6550 with either the classic or modern voicing, crank the gain about halfway with the master around 11 o clock and go to town. You can thank me later!
Yea I have a GK 700RB 115 combo with 320 watts. The stingray is brighter thru my GK but it still get this midrangy sound that's hard to explain. I should mention I was playing it in my brothers concrete basement with only a thick piece of carpeting under the amp itself. The tone was just all over the place and I couldn't get those warm tight lows and the highs were almost too much in the basement anyways. I'm thinking if I got a GK with 410 cab and actualy had it in a fully carpeted room I think the sounds would be a lot better. For sum reason I've always found it easiest to get a great sound out of my P And PJ Fender basses when playing at the house or thru just 115 inch speaker. I hooked up my GK 700RBII combo up yo my hartke 215xl cab fir the full 480 watts at 4 ohm and wholey schidt. The low end with my P and PJ Fenders was insane and it actusky was able to reproduce a pretty good amount of mids and treble with the aluminum 2 15s I was able to get everything from deep smooth and fat blues tone to bright Duff McKagan type G&R tones. Then I hooked up the stingray and it was just out of control sounding. I think I need to set the eq more flat on the amp with the stingray maybe. But yea the stingray did seem to sound better thru the 215 hartke xl but still didn't produce the full trebly stingray bite. I'm thinkin one of those GK MB410 combos might give me the full stingray tone. The thing is I love the way cliff Williams gets his stingray to sound on acdc stuff so maybe an Ampeg with the 410hlf cab might be the perfect match for me. Since we don't play that big of bars anymore or outside I'm wondering how the new Ampeg BA 210 combo would sound eith the stingray also. It has like 283 watts at 8ohms and I think 450 at 4ohms. I think the tens might give me more of that crispness when I need it and tighten things up a bit.
Oh by the way stringslamdan. I bought he sum of those Ernie ball string cleaner wipes. As soon as my slinkys started to dull on my first stingray I had back in the 90s I scrubbed the strings down with a couple of those wipes after a show. What a joke. The wipes made the strings sound even deader than before I used them. What useless junk those wipes are. Never buy them. However I had good luck with the Dunlop string cleaner. What ever they use in that stuff it will brighten your strings back up seversl times before the strings can't be helped anymore
i should mention this also if I didn't already in my first post. IMHO stingrays soynd best with medium to medium light strings. The heavy guage feel,realy stiff on my stingray and it seems like they are also not producing as much high mids and treble because of the extra thickness of the string. I'm also getting more pull on the strings from the pickup magnets with the heavier strings. I won't be buying the heavy guage .110 again. Had to readjust the neck when I put them on also. Obviousky more tension.
I have to agree on the fender solid state and the Ampeg solid state combos somewhat as well also. To me they sound like they are choked off in the low end department somewhat. I true like the rumble combos brightness though. The 200 and 500 combo soynded pretty good in guitar center with a P Bass but I was noticing they didn't quite want to produce the full low end. It was slightly choked off it seemed but not bad. The rumbles did soynd pretty damn good for their price I thoyght, but I have the 40 watt and u might as well not bother. It's good for hearing your bass to tune it at home but that's about it. Pretty thin sounding
So you're saying that a small inexpensive combo you stuffed in a closet doesn't sound quite as good as an expensive big rig in a larger room? Who knew?
Only need for 110 string would be for detuning.
Likewise yes with either guitar or bass a small or big jump in string size will usually need a complete setup to use properly.
Specially string height , bridge height. Basically everything.
A 110 bass string using standard E tuning
On a tuner would be absolutely god awful. Probably tweak the neck to ridiculous. I've used 110 and loved it. But all depends what your doing. Bigs strings can be massive sounding or a complete pain in the rear
Any decent guitar player that actually uses fat heavy strings. Is either playing detuned metal lol. Or actually plays some pretty juicy blues guitar in E flat.
A well setup strat with a good player and fat strings is a beautiful sound.
Anyhoo back to bass lol.
Just tune to E flat to get the most out of huge 110 E bass strings. And usually the biggest problem with a 110 set. Is combined also with a 85 A 70 D and 50 G string. Very large ridiculous strings and yes definitely require saddle and pickup ajustment. Neck as well.
To make life easier on the neck. The 110 is awesome for sure. Really great for E flat or drop D and not have intonation or string rattle problems.
But it's better to use a 105 set for the lighter 80 A instead of 85. 65 D instead of 70 and 45 G instead of 50.
Basically use the heavy 110 E and the rest a 105 set. Makes life and set up much much easier. And no ridiculous tention with tuner tuning
Likewise for players that want possible fatter tone but can't stand huge 110 E
Go the opposite way. Use all the Fatty's from a 110 set 85 A 70 D 50 G
But use a lighter 105 E
Likewise bass players that like really really light 100 sets. The 100 E is a flab rattle bucket and go up to a 105 E but retain the lighter strings.
Got it lol
110 85 70 50
110 80 65 45
105 80 65 45
105 85 70 50
105 80 60 40
100 80 60 40
Likewise yes with either guitar or bass a small or big jump in string size will usually need a complete setup to use properly.
Specially string height , bridge height. Basically everything.
A 110 bass string using standard E tuning
On a tuner would be absolutely god awful. Probably tweak the neck to ridiculous. I've used 110 and loved it. But all depends what your doing. Bigs strings can be massive sounding or a complete pain in the rear
Any decent guitar player that actually uses fat heavy strings. Is either playing detuned metal lol. Or actually plays some pretty juicy blues guitar in E flat.
A well setup strat with a good player and fat strings is a beautiful sound.
Anyhoo back to bass lol.
Just tune to E flat to get the most out of huge 110 E bass strings. And usually the biggest problem with a 110 set. Is combined also with a 85 A 70 D and 50 G string. Very large ridiculous strings and yes definitely require saddle and pickup ajustment. Neck as well.
To make life easier on the neck. The 110 is awesome for sure. Really great for E flat or drop D and not have intonation or string rattle problems.
But it's better to use a 105 set for the lighter 80 A instead of 85. 65 D instead of 70 and 45 G instead of 50.
Basically use the heavy 110 E and the rest a 105 set. Makes life and set up much much easier. And no ridiculous tention with tuner tuning
Likewise for players that want possible fatter tone but can't stand huge 110 E
Go the opposite way. Use all the Fatty's from a 110 set 85 A 70 D 50 G
But use a lighter 105 E
Likewise bass players that like really really light 100 sets. The 100 E is a flab rattle bucket and go up to a 105 E but retain the lighter strings.
Got it lol
110 85 70 50
110 80 65 45
105 80 65 45
105 85 70 50
105 80 60 40
100 80 60 40
Last edited:
If it’s in your closet you created a big sub cabinet. You will never get highs like that. The lows are just being amplified by the sub effect you’ve created.
Room will make a big difference.
I'd assume closet isn't doing it a favor.
Yet again firgure your use to that.
So if the string change brought about some wierd tone. And you noticed strings being attracted to the magnet. Definitely wanna lower the pickup. Probably check your battery while at it.
If you want real zinnnng new string sound. Anything is pretty bright outta the box. Nickel plated strings are not as bright. The DR strings mentioned or just your ever so classic Rotosounds are both very bright steel strings. And will have alot of zing.
I don't understand the midrange thing. Musicman just spews burbing midrange. Alot tone is in the hands and playing position. Pluck Towards the neck or back towards bridge has big changes
I'd assume closet isn't doing it a favor.
Yet again firgure your use to that.
So if the string change brought about some wierd tone. And you noticed strings being attracted to the magnet. Definitely wanna lower the pickup. Probably check your battery while at it.
If you want real zinnnng new string sound. Anything is pretty bright outta the box. Nickel plated strings are not as bright. The DR strings mentioned or just your ever so classic Rotosounds are both very bright steel strings. And will have alot of zing.
I don't understand the midrange thing. Musicman just spews burbing midrange. Alot tone is in the hands and playing position. Pluck Towards the neck or back towards bridge has big changes
Uh, Texas Roadhouse is your reference for a good prime rib?
You probably need a preamp or bass boost pedal if you haven’t tried running your bass eq around 40 mid at 75 high at 60. That 15 doesn’t have much definition so roll any tone knob up and know a 5 percent eq change can do a lot...you might fix it all just by playing closer to the bridge...
To the OP - I am a Fender Jazz guy for sure. I own a couple dozen various branded basses. I have my amp set up where I like it. I can play ANY bass I own and with minor tweaks on the bass sound good. EXCEPT for a Stingray H. I have tried many Stingrays and have found the following to be true in my situation. 3 band is worse but 2 band too. If I try to play one I HAVE to screw around with my amp settings to get decent tone out of it. Then when I'm done with it I have to put my amp back to where all my other basses sound good. Those other basses include Musicman basses too. But a Stingray H in my hands sounds terrible and I MUST work the amp to get it even remotely acceptable.
Uh, Texas Roadhouse is your reference for a good prime rib?
"Simply put...it won't. You're eating a chicken dinner and expecting it taste like a prime rib dinner."
Fixed.
However, that's as good as it gets for some of us.
