Rakie
Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to...
I haven't picked up a stingray or musicman i liked in any way, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, it just means they aren't for me 
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Cheap sounding Stingrays
- Thread starter powellmacaque
- Start date
I'm a MM + GK user. Must have either not dialed in that tone of it's just not what you're looking for.
I love all 5 of my SR5s.
Shoot, dead batteries in Stingrays in GC? In my local GC, half of the Stingrays don't have batteries at all - people steal them.
Yea... Like I said, I did find one good sounding one down there, and I've heard other people's rays sound amazing... I think I just picked up a few duds (I only played about 2 or 3, the only ones I could reach lol).
It does seem to me (and maybe this is just pure coincidence) that the 5-string Stingrays sounded better (probably because they were better taken care of/ set up... one of the 4-string rays i played was an 04)...
It does seem to me (and maybe this is just pure coincidence) that the 5-string Stingrays sounded better (probably because they were better taken care of/ set up... one of the 4-string rays i played was an 04)...
Well one thing I do count when I do happen to stop by a Sam Ash or GC to see/play the basses they have there, are the strings and set up. I've come across lots of basses that have REALLY cruddy old feeling strings on them, or basses that haven't been properly setup/taken care of by the store bringing them to sounding pretty crappy. And I have played MM Stingray's that have sounded bad due to the above mentioned problems, and not because of the bass itself.
And as far as these two franchise's are concerned, it doesn't seem to be just a local issue either as I've gone to other GC's and Sam Ash's in other cities, and noticed these things about their basses as well.. eh :\
And as far as these two franchise's are concerned, it doesn't seem to be just a local issue either as I've gone to other GC's and Sam Ash's in other cities, and noticed these things about their basses as well.. eh :\
I recently bought a Stingray and so far is the best sounding bass I've ever owned, and it's true, this is maybe the only bass i've tried that sounds better tweaking on the onboard preamp..
lots of different and usable sounds to my hear, and every single sound IS the MM sound.
I think the real MM sound is defined by the highs (consequence of he pu position OBVIOUSLY):
if you don't close them completely, they have the biggest part in that particular sound, indipendently from how you set the mids and basses.
I can always recognize a MM listening to the higs (if they're set properly)
do someone agree?
that said
this is my shiny baby
lots of different and usable sounds to my hear, and every single sound IS the MM sound.
I think the real MM sound is defined by the highs (consequence of he pu position OBVIOUSLY):
if you don't close them completely, they have the biggest part in that particular sound, indipendently from how you set the mids and basses.
I can always recognize a MM listening to the higs (if they're set properly)
do someone agree?
that said
this is my shiny baby
What gets me is you here "Play before you Pay" so much around here. When a store actually lets you, everyone gripes about them. You can't have it both ways.
Maybe it's a matter of taste. I've taken it on the chin many times cause I just don't like Fender Basses. I have 2 strats, but the basses don't do it for me. I have a Les Paul too, but I ain't Jimmy Page.
Just because you don't like it doesn't make it cheap.
Maybe it's a matter of taste. I've taken it on the chin many times cause I just don't like Fender Basses. I have 2 strats, but the basses don't do it for me. I have a Les Paul too, but I ain't Jimmy Page.
Just because you don't like it doesn't make it cheap.
From what I've read over the years, GC etc sound like the UK's own 'Sound Control'.
They have a lot of good quality basses in stock but not one of them is set up correctly. The usual response to this question is 'if you want to buy it then we'll set it up for you'.
NO, I want it set up now so that I can try it NOW.
Unfortuately, such is the nature of the beast, any guitar shops with a lot of guitars on display for you to try are going to end up needing set up and new strings put on them if they have been there long enough. Unfortunately, it never happens.
Stingrays in common with most major manufacturers have been set up prior to being shipped out. Unfortunately as with anything made of wood, they are subject to temperature and moisture changes and may need to be checked again.
They have a lot of good quality basses in stock but not one of them is set up correctly. The usual response to this question is 'if you want to buy it then we'll set it up for you'.
NO, I want it set up now so that I can try it NOW.
Unfortuately, such is the nature of the beast, any guitar shops with a lot of guitars on display for you to try are going to end up needing set up and new strings put on them if they have been there long enough. Unfortunately, it never happens.
Stingrays in common with most major manufacturers have been set up prior to being shipped out. Unfortunately as with anything made of wood, they are subject to temperature and moisture changes and may need to be checked again.
I was running all the basses I played that day out of a GK 700RB-II (same head I run out of) and the GK (i think its BSX?) series cabs...
I'm pretty sure the sound I'm thinking of is GK. Roger Manganelli (Less Than Jake), Matt Wong (Reel Big Fish), Jon Gallant (Billy Talent) all play Stingrays... Maybe it's just the way they set up the EQ... But all three of those guys have a very clear and defined high-end with a punch to their sound.
Next time I venture down there... How should I set up the EQ on the basses to get a better sound? I'm mostly a precision bass player, so I'm not used to so many choices.
One Musicman I was impressed with was the Bongo... It was rather bulky, but so was its sound!
you can't compare roger to matt, roger is very "trebely", matt is lower(uses a 5 string aswell)... they both have a great sound, butyou can't compare them...
+1. I'm not real into mids and clank.I haven't picked up a stingray or musicman i liked in any way, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them, it just means they aren't for me
- Dec 5, 2002
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- Endorsing Artist: Ernie Ball Music Man/Sterling By Music Man
Depends on what you mean by "sound better". A good Stingray, properly strung and adjusted and played through a decent amp/cab, with the onboard preamp left flat, will still sound very much like a (shocking news here) Stingray. I'm a fan of 'less is more', so don't dime the onboard EQ or even boost it unless there's some problem with a particular room.
But the idea that you have to tweak a Stingray while other basses sound decent without the tweak strikes me as overly simplistic and patently false.
Well, I like mids quite a bit. They help define tone and add presence. No mids makes it very hard to be heard in a live situation.
Clank? I'm with you. None of my MusicMan basses clank because I don't beat them like a red-headed stepchild and I know how to do my own set-ups. "Clank" can occur on any bass under certain circumstances, but a Stingray is no more given to being clanky than is a Jazz bass or anything else.
Jack
If your a Precision fan, like I am, you might like try rolling off the highs and mids just a bit and boost the bass just a bit. Gives it a meatier sound.
I have a 5 string 'Ray and this works for me. Makes it a little less clangy. It's still going to have a little trebly click to it. Don't eq it all out. That's part of what makes it cut and gives it it's distinctive sound.
I have a 5 string 'Ray and this works for me. Makes it a little less clangy. It's still going to have a little trebly click to it. Don't eq it all out. That's part of what makes it cut and gives it it's distinctive sound.
I think there is more than one way of understanding Pennydredfuls comment on 'mids and clank'. Yes setup and technique is a major issue. I only play fingerstyle, but with a typical average 3-band eq/single pickup Ray, I find I get alot of fret and finger noise and sizzle to the sound, even with the treble and mid knobs set flat and bass boosted...I mean I really hear the 'tink' when I press the string to the fret and can also hear the scrapes and overtones as my finger plucks. To me it's generally a sensitive preamp. (the 30th anniv has been my only exception, the body wood tames down the 3eq quite a bit)
I know I sound like a broken record for praising the 2 band eq, but I don't get all that sensitive noise and grit. It's a warmer-deeper sound, no extra tinks, or scrape noises. It's hard to explain, but what a difference I experience (I own both, and have owned many over the years, and will own more).
To me, Chevelle and early-Rage Against the Machine are the text-book examples of the 3eq, while Sade and Chic and even Chuck Mangione are perfect examples of the 2eq. I know there's exceptions to it all, but for me it's generally been consistant. All I can say is if you can find one, try it if the 'typical' Ray doesn't grab ya.
Now the 2-pickup StingRay's sound perfectly matched to the 3eq, but that's another subject.
I don't know about the 2eq version but you are absolutely correct about the 3eq version with the single pickup. I have to roll off the highs and mids. Infrequently, I'll put the mids back in.
I'm happy to hear someone else say it. I've had a couple of people really disagree with me about that.
i dont know if this helps but i hate the way my ray sounds on its own but in a mix or on stage it just in the right place for me no messing with the eq just sounds right in a mix . i sound like a p bass owner he he he
