Fellow Bernard disciples, what are you stringing your Ray with?

[ElMon]

LaBella low tension flats on my music man styled Gecko. Nails the BE sound.

I can't wait until the strings deaden after a summer of sweaty funk and finger grease!

View attachment 3777111

LOVE Low Tension flats on my Olinto P5. Have sproing to them I don't get on other sets, and IME the b-string is as good as my Chromes as far as pitch clarity while maintaining Ooomph. The tapered B on other LaBella sets never really did it for me.

I can really dig in on these, and yes to the poster who mentioned that digging in does matter, and it lends itself to that BE style.

 

[Clark Dark]

Looks like a BC Rich Eagle with a single P pup. I've seen him with a blonde one in other videos from their early era so he had at least two Eagles with a single P.





This one has the dual P

 

[waynobass]

Ernie Ball cobalt flats on one for Chic-ish tone.

Rotosound nickel rounds on another for a more rock tone.

 

[cxcxcx]

Absolutely dead Rotosound 66 roundwounds - they're period correct and definitely sound the part.



Just to muddy the waters further, the anecdote about Bernard saying that the Musicman bass still had the original strings on is usually mentioned but it is important to remember that it's necessarily the last word in what was actually true. Growing up in the outlying NYC area and being a longtime CHIC fan, I've met guys that worked on those albums that mentioned that Bernard leaned more towards dead rounds, but did use flats too. That said, this doesn't point to absolute truth because it's just their experiences during the times they worked with him. Bernard would have made a rotten TB member for many reasons, the first being that he didn't care about the minute details of gear, including strings. It's easy to figure he didn't care much.


We'll never know the real answer, but to my ears it sounds like dead roundwounds on Bernard's Stingray back on the Chic/Sister Sledge era, and this theory holds up in my live experience as well as studio experience trying to recreate that sound.

 

[Michael Jewels]

I have Dunlop Super Brights on my Music Man but I've had a tremendously positive experience with the Cobalt Flats on a Jazz bass and I could totally see where on a Ray they could definitely get you in the Bernard camp. Definitely food for thought.

Tindrum, I first read about Cobalt Flats here, at Talkbass.
I was intrigued by what I read, so I put a set on my Ibanez Musician, and loved the results.
I then imagined what they would sound like on a Stingray, so when I had my Stingray set up, I had a set installed.
The best-matched strings for a Stingray, at least in my opinion.
The only better Stingray I've heard/played was an Old Smoothie in the Sam Ash Manhattan store. It had rounds on it, but again, I imagined what Cobalt Flats would sound like.
I highly recommend them for a Stingray.
I happened to get a photo of the Old Smoothie before this virus stuff got serious.
Enjoy.
Mike

 

[Chickenwheels]

Looks like a BC Rich Eagle with a single P pup. I've seen him with a blonde one in other videos from their early era so he had at least two Eagles with a single P.





This one has the dual P

He used the BC Rich basses in videos because he thought the looked better lol.
You can definitely hear his StingRay tone on recordings. On the Diana Ross album some tracks (I'm Coming Out) sound like a Precision Bass.
He also used Spector and Sadowsky. Whatever was hip, really.
He had a few StingRays. They hung around.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Tindrum, I first read about Cobalt Flats here, at Talkbass.
I was intrigued by what I read, so I put a set on my Ibanez Musician, and loved the results.
I then imagined what they would sound like on a Stingray, so when I had my Stingray set up, I had a set installed.
The best-matched strings for a Stingray, at least in my opinion.
The only better Stingray I've heard/played was an Old Smoothie in the Sam Ash Manhattan store. It had rounds on it, but again, I imagined what Cobalt Flats would sound like.
I highly recommend them for a Stingray.
I happened to get a photo of the Old Smoothie before this virus stuff got serious.
Enjoy.
MikeView attachment 3777194

I was going to try Cobalt flats on my P. I should try the StingRay too.
In the past I've used white tapes and TIs. All good.

 

[Rayjay]

I loved Cobalt Flats on my Music Man. Fresh though. When they broke in they were too mid-forward. I couldn't get a "fat" sound anymore. And they corrode as well.

Dead rounds are great for BE funk. I know he used flats but I can't imagine he was fond of stiff strings.

 

[Yahboy]

Ti flat sound very nice on my previous Sub Ray4.
The EB flat 2810 sound more meaty on my current Sub Ray 5.

 

[gelinas666]

All 3 of my Stingrays are loaded with Fender 9050L's..

 

[maxschrek]

I have no idea what BE used but I have five Rays with Ken Smith SS Slap Masters XLT, three Rays with Ken Smith Compressors and one with GHS Precision Wound flats. All .40-.95

 

[FishDub]

Absolutely dead Rotosound 66 roundwounds - they're period correct and definitely sound the part.



Just to muddy the waters further, the anecdote about Bernard saying that the Musicman bass still had the original strings on is usually mentioned but it is important to remember that it's necessarily the last word in what was actually true. Growing up in the outlying NYC area and being a longtime CHIC fan, I've met guys that worked on those albums that mentioned that Bernard leaned more towards dead rounds, but did use flats too. That said, this doesn't point to absolute truth because it's just their experiences during the times they worked with him. Bernard would have made a rotten TB member for many reasons, the first being that he didn't care about the minute details of gear, including strings. It's easy to figure he didn't care much.


We'll never know the real answer, but to my ears it sounds like dead roundwounds on Bernard's Stingray back on the Chic/Sister Sledge era, and this theory holds up in my live experience as well as studio experience trying to recreate that sound.

Very true..In fact I also read years ago that stated he played a Fender P for "good times." Not calling anyone a liar but there is NO WAY in hell that was a P. That song was total 100% Stingray..

 

[TheReceder]

I'm so used to the growl and zing of my ray that I can't imagine it being a ray. I guess it's all in the way you play it, and the strings you use.

 

[stingray78]

My 78 Ray has never seen flats in the 40 years I owned it. Nicely worn rounds (Rotosound in the last millenium, now DR High Beams), with the treble on the bass backed off, bring me very close to Bernard's sound.

 

[RayWithFlats]

Fenders here too, the .050-.100 set (I can't remember the code letter) but I've got a set of Roto 77s ready to try. The Fenders last forever though so I don't know when the Rotos will get on...

 

[Alex J]

GHS precision flats, compressor and a hard attack on my '79 gets pretty darn close.

I have a few isolated Chic bass tracks, all obviously the Stingray, and you can hear the compressor slamming on so must be dialled in quite high. Sounds like his treble control is quite open too.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I have a few isolated Chic bass tracks

Do you have a link you can share?

Would love to hear those.

Cheers!

 

[bass12]

It's funny Diana Ross did not like the original mix so she remixed that entire album it sounds nothing like what the boys presented to her.

I don't think it was Diana as much as Berry Gordy and others at Motown (along with DJ Frankie Crocker), who felt that the record did not suit Diana's image (or didn't suit the image they wanted to project which was, funnily enough, the same thing Gordy felt about Marvin's "What's Going On" record). It is interesting hearing the original mixes vs Motown's remixes...

 

[SirMjac28]

I don't think it was Diana as much as Berry Gordy and others at Motown (along with DJ Frankie Crocker), who felt that the record did not suit Diana's image (or didn't suit the image they wanted to project which was, funnily enough, the same thing Gordy felt about Marvin's "What's Going On" record). It is interesting hearing the original mixes vs Motown's remixes...

I would love to hear the original mix I can't imagine putting all that work in and finding out all your work was altered and that came at a time when the Chic sound was at its peak.

 

[bass12]

I would love to hear the original mix I can't imagine putting all that work in and finding out all your work was altered and that came at a time when the Chic sound was at its peak.

You can hear the original mixes on the "Deluxe" version of the Diana album (it's on Apple Music and probably on other streaming sites as well).