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EBMM StingRay Special Club
- Thread starter MultiScaleMale
- Start date
that makes more sense than mixed martial arts
Hey, guys. If I like and want the "classic" tone of a StingRay, are the 4HHs going to be too much of a departure? I get that they are more versatile than previous StingRays, but I have a Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass if I want versatility. I've heard that 4HH is pretty close to the classic tone on the 1st and 2nd settings, but just how close?
I have actually played a 4HH at Guitar Center. I love the look and feel of it, but in that context and without an earlier model to compare it to, I couldn't really tell how close it is.
I have actually played a 4HH at Guitar Center. I love the look and feel of it, but in that context and without an earlier model to compare it to, I couldn't really tell how close it is.
Its the MMR not the MMA........LOL.
But is this award for the Special? It doesn't say Special on the award so it could just be a standard Stingray.
The first position on the switch is exactly the same as the H. Exactly.
Exactly the same.
That’s true on the special and older 4HH, but the older SR5HH and sterling HH are wired in series in position 1, so they can’t get the classic parallel stingray sound. Just a word of caution, I was really bummed about this with a 2005LE I brought.
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I assumed he was asking about the SRS not Sterlings but I could be wrong
If you are looking for that "Classic" tone the Special will not give you that in position one or any position so ignore the misinformation. If you want the "Classic" tone then I would go for the Stingray Classic 2 band and definetely not the "Special". They are voiced differently.
Low quality shot of Blue Thunder from last night's gig:
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All 4HH and 4HS Stingrays have the bridge humbucker in the same place as all 4 Hs - and in position 1 the 4HH makes the same sound.
The SR5s are a little different but the main difference pre 2008 is they all have ceramic pick ups (as per the Sterling bass).
I have 4HH and 5 HH Specials and I can confirm that the one sounds the same as the other, the only difference being the 5th string - which is exactly what I wanted.
I thought the earlier HH SR5s all have parallel wiring (but the H versions have series/ parallel/single coil ability) - I thought you lost the series ability with the SR5 HS and HH but I may be wrong - after 2008 they are alnico until the neo pick ups on the Specials.
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When I compared the H special to the HH Special it seemed that there was no reason to get the H unless you’re a big slap guy and the neck pickup gets in the way.
I have, and gig 2 band, 3 band and 3 band Special Stingray basses.
In reality the 3 band can be made to sound similar to a 2 band but you have to cut the mid control significantly, and maybe boost the bass and treble a little.
The Special is, as you say, voiced differently and this largely is focussed on the mid range - on centre detent with just the bridge humbucker selected, my view is the bass sounds more like a 2 band, or 3 band with cut mids - however it doesn't stop there (all IMHO of course, but with the advantage of having used the Specials regularly for several months):-
1) The level of bass boost available is similar to a Bongo
2) Using a Markbass LM3, the Special (18 volt preamp, neo pick ups), requires the input gain to be a little lower than 9 volt Stingrays to avoid the clip light coming on.
3) The mid range on the Special can be put on full and the bass still sounds musical.
4) Like a Bongo, when you slacken the strings right off they are heavily attracted to the pick up magnets - more so than my other Stingrays.
5) The extra headroom seems to make the Special react strongly to changes in playing intensity (if you really dig in the bass responds, and extremely positively - you can still get that Stingray aggression if you want to).
6) The significant weight reduction is very welcome - my SR4HHS and SR5HHS are the lightest basses I have - after two 1 hour sets the difference is noticeable.
I absolutely love the new Specials - everything about them is positive - and ok I bought a couple in quite lairy colours but I still think they're great.
Agreed - I do play slap and I've got used to doing it on the HH version (I have had since new and still use a 2007 4HH - the 4HHS gets more play though!). The HH has a lot of extra slap tones available which sort of compensates for the need to be slightly more accurate.
Yeah that’s the irony. The HH has better slap sounds to me. I’m not a very good slapper and I don’t do it very much but its definitely made me tighten up on my technique.
Thanks for clearing that one up!........I wouldn't want anyone to shelve out over 2k on a Bass thinking that it would get them a certain tone which in this case is the "Classic" 2 band Stingray tone. There are better and closer options for that either look for a Pre EB Stingray with the black epoxy preamp or the next best thing would be either the "Classic" or "Old Smoothie" but it has to have the 2 band. For versatility then the "Special" would be the way to go.
Yeah, I have a two-band, three-band and piezo 4H, a Classic, a BFR 4HH and a Special 4H, and I think the Special really has its own unique vibe. It's great, but not exactly like a regular 4H, IMO.
You can also find "Classics" for about $600 less, which is pretty appealing to me.
My new 5HH. I’ve had it for around 2 months and find myself playing mostly in positions 5 and 2 when live. 4 gives a good jazz bass sound but I prefer the single H and a good P bass sounds out of 2. Position 3 is my least used position because, IMO, it sucks all the mids out. It is a good slap sound though. I’ll also say that the preamp is killer in these. Neck is the best out there and the aluminum tuners are a game changer. 
