To bring some weight to this thread, I will offer a review of the EMG MMCS and BTS Control.
WHY I CHOSE EMG & INSTALLATION
I chose the EMG set up based on LowEndLobster's Stingray Mod video reviews, being that she chose the passive MMHZ and BQC System as her favorite pickup/preamp combo. I, however, chose the active MMCS pickup because it was available in cream (my shallow nature dicates that looks are paramount). I also chose the BTS Control 2-band preamp, as it seemed more in line with the classic Stingray design. Moreover, Lobster had issues fitting the larger preamp of the BQC in the control cavity without modification and I thought I could avoid that using the smaller 2-band preamp. As it turned out, the smaller preamp was still touching the shielding paint causing hum, so I had to file down a portion of the control cavity. It wasn't a big deal and only took a few minutes (troubleshooting the hum took much longer).
SOUND
While the modification is largely considered an upgrade, instead of saying it sounds better, I would characterize it as sounding "different", not better or worse, just different. Although a mid-control is absent, the treble control also seems to shape the mid frequency in tandem with the position of the bass control. The treble and bass sweep seems to be less drastic than the stock setup, so perhaps a bit more musical. I also have one of the early Ray4 basses (with the SUB written in large text on the headstock) that is completely stock. In comparing the two, the stock version actually sounds more authentically "Stingray", if you will, while the EMG setup has less of that grind and sizzle that characterize the classic Stingray sound. I don't know if anything has changed electronics wise from the earlier models to the current (the neck shapes are definitely different, with the early examples having a noticeable soft V shape), but in hindsight, I probably would have stuck with the stock setup. That's not to say that the EMG system doesn't sound good, it sounds great, just more Stingray-ish than Stingray. All in all, I'm happy to have a stock and modified version simply for the variation of tone. Who knows when one might work better than the other.
OTHER MODIFICATIONS
The Albridge. I didn't discern any difference in sound from the bridge swap, but the Albridge looks 1000x better and is 2oz lighter than stock. The single ply black pickguard also shaved off 2oz.
Oddly, they both weigh exactly the same.
Cheers.
. Neat mod!
happy modding, friend!
