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Gear/Tone Help Request - (L2500, Ray35, Pedals)

Which Bass Should I Keep?

  • Ray 35

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • L-2500

    Votes: 23 92.0%

  • Both

    Votes: 1 4.0%

  • Something else

    Votes: 1 4.0%
  • Total voters
    25
G

Gary OSU

Oct 25, 2022
23
25
#1
Hi everyone, I've posted my question or a variant thereof in some Facebook and Reddit threads but I'm posting here in hopes of a more nuanced take than some of the other replies I've gotten. Thanks in advance for reading and responding.

So, I've been playing on 2 different four strings - Nash P and Bluesman Vintage J. Love them. But I wanted/needed to get a 5 string and I wanted to get one with as much tonal variation and good build quality as I could get. So I started with a Fender Ultra Jazz 5 and I didn't like the neck and I didn't feel like it was different enough tone-wise from my 4 string jazz to warrant keeping it.

So I'm currently in trial period with a CLF L-2500 and a Sterling Ray 35 (Single H). I've got another week or so before I will have to take one or both back or be stuck with them.

I got the Stingray based on the belief I've acquired from reading too many online forums perhaps, that it is another classic tone that you can't really emulate with another bass. I really like the bass. I like the way the roasted neck feels and I generally like the tone I get from it. I feel like there's not a lot of room to adjust the treble, mid, and bass with the built-in preamp. I also feel like I get a lot more string noise than I do on my other basses but this could be because I haven't really done a full set up on this bass since I haven't decided I'm going to keep it.

On the other hand, with the L-2500, I find that this is the bass I keep reaching for whenever I go to practice. I can't even say why, but it's the one I pick up without even thinking about it. I really like the feel of the neck which is surprising because it has some gloss on it which I don't usually like. Really the only downside of this one so far is I feel like I have a difficult time dialing in the tones I want with it. Sometimes when I'm at home practicing, it will sound just the way I like it and then I feel like I go out and keep the exact same settings but plug into a different amp and I can't stand the way it sounds and then I can't tweak it to get the sound I want.

So here's some of the things I've been kicking around:

(1) Keep them both. If I keep them both I think I would eventually do some upgrades on the Ray like changing out the tuners because I have the black ones and I hear they chew themselves up pretty quickly. I think I might ultimately want to swap out the preamp (been looking at John East) and swap out the pickups (been looking at Nordy and Aguilar).

(2) Send back the Ray and keep the L-2500. If I did this, I've been considering getting some sort of external pre-amp (right now the JHS Colour Box looks really interesting) so that I have more options to shape the tone on the L-2500 since I like so much other stuff about it.

(3) Send them both back and try something else out. Maybe an Ernie Ball Stingray or something else? Keeping in mind that I am looking for something with as much tonal diversity as possible.

The main reason I'm looking for tonal diversity is because I am starting to play in a lot of local musical theater productions. So for example, last month I did Camelot where I wanted to sound a lot like a Double Bass and next month I'm doing School of Rock where I'll want to sound much more rock.

For further reference in case it's helpful in terms of helping me craft my tone. My amp is an Aguilar TH 350 through a 2x12 cabinet. I currently have available a BD-2, Tube Screamer, CS-3, Boss CE-5, and a Wampler Reflection pedal. I don't understand the pedals as well as I would like so I'm very much open to opinions about additional or different pedals I could use to help shape my tone.

Sorry for the wall of text. Thanks to anyone who reads and comments!
 
#2
Keep the G&L. You already decided that when you said you pick it up more.

It won’t sound the same through different amps, and you need to learn how to work with it. With yer ears! Lots of good sounds in there but you need to be willing to turn knobs a bit differently for reasons.

lotsa good info on working these in search here.
 
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#5
Comparing a US G&L to a stock Sterling is not doing the Stingray justice. I have no real experience with an L2500, but over the last few months I got more and more into Stingrays. They are far more versatile than one would expect from a one pickup bass.

I own a heavily modified (older) Ray34 with a Nordstrand pickup and a John East EQ. I recently got a USA made Music Man SUB 5 which is essentially a Stingray Classic without the flashy would and fancy colors. Both react very well to different playing techniques.

In contrast, I used to own a Sterling Ray35 with the same pickups and EQ as the 4 string. I had the same issue that you have with yours. I couldn't tame the treble.

There are some youtube videos where the L2500 or L2000 sounds fantastic, but I don't like that there are so many switches on them.
 
#8
There unfortunately isn’t one bass that is going to give you all of the sounds.

Playing live also really equalizes tonal differences between one bass and the next. To the audience, they’ll all sound like a bass. No one is replaying a passage to really savior the bass tone - you’re live.

For live playing, I need to have a bass that feels great in my left hand and allows me to hear myself without a lot of futzing around with knobs and switches. Typically for me that means one of my passive P basses. My HH Stingray is usually played live with just the neck pickup on and maybe a slight boost to the mids. I sometimes use my active PJ with the bridge pickup for some sets of there’s a pop punk song in that set.

For you, if you really need to get rid of one, I’d keep the L2500 since it’s what your hands like. Then spend some time dialing in your live tone so you get something useful. Often what works while playing alone at home is a mid-scooped EQ, which IME absolutely does *not* work live, so I’d suggest for live, favour the neck pickup, set bass and treble flat, and possibly give a little nudge up on the mids. You may find that for some venues you need to also give a slight cut to bass, or use a HPF, to reduce the room boom.

You could certainly try a EBMM Stingray - my Stingray Special HH V is inarguably the nicest bass I’ve ever owned. The bridge pickup soloed sounds great, and gives you some cut through while retaining low end in ways a J bridge pickup cannot. The neck feels amazing. It looks incredible on stage.

However, I still find myself trying to make it sound like a P when playing live. I believe that’s more a limitation imposed by my expectations though than an issue with the Stingray.

So my vote doesn’t accurately reflect my thoughts, but I voted L2500.
 
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#10
Any bass will sound different practicing at home compared to playing with a band at rehearsal or live. You can't expect the same settings on the bass, or amp, to sound perfect both for home practice and for live use. You need to get to know the bass, how to work with the controls it has. It seems you prefer the G&L over the Sterling, so I'd say keep that and learn how to dial in your tone with it. It will be easier to take the time to really get to know it since it's the one you naturally reach for anyway.

As for pedals, in your situation, I wouldn't be adding any other pedals in hope there's a magical pedal that'll just instantly get you the tone you want. For any pedal to be of any use, you need to have the basic tone of your bass nailed first. That's where you should be focusing at the moment, not on getting more gear. Adding more knobs to turn only confuses your tonal quest even more. I would get rid of any pedals that you're not 100% sure you have a use for, and have a firm grasp of how they function, how to work them.
 
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#12
"with the L-2500, I find that this is the bass I keep reaching for whenever I go to practice. I can't even say why, but it's the one I pick up without even thinking about it." I know what you mean, I had two, and they were the basses I would just grab even to noodle on unplugged in front of the TV. The necks felt great, and I think the L2k/L2.5K body design is a total ergonomic success. But they can most certainly be challenging to dial in sounds because those pickups are so powerful. I will say however, flatwounds really helped "tame" it for my purposes.
 
Last edited:
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#13
"My amp is an Aguilar TH 350 through a 2x12 cabinet. I currently have available a BD-2, Tube Screamer, CS-3, Boss CE-5, and a Wampler Reflection pedal. I don't understand the pedals as well as I would like.."

As others have eluded to, remove the effect pedals from your chain and try just the amp head and your bass out. The key to getting good bass tones in all settings is to understand how each part of your rig effects what you hear. Have you tried any other bass heads out? That Aguilar head has a lot of character and you might be fighting against the inherent tone of the head.

Keep the L-2500 and learn how your hands/playing techniques can alter the tones you are after. The majority of your tone changes start here.
 

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