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Music Man sound and pickups

#302
#304
BassGyver said:
Added sounclips from 5 strings MM PU (and Fender Roscoe Beck as comparison)
https://soundcloud.com/bassgyver-1
All PU with both coils in series.

Bartolini
Seymour Duncan SMB5D
Roscoe Beck Neck// + Birdge single
Delano MC5HE-SL-EB
EMG MM5TW
Roscoe Beck Bridge serie
CREL MM52
Nordstrand MM5.2
Click to expand...

Excellent work, bassgyver. I couldn't get them all to play (often get this with Soundcloud) including the OLP, which didn't impress me in my bass, but a lot of those replacements sound good. The Nordstrand sneaks the win for me but the ceramic SD sounds too brittle for my liking.
 
#305
I found a pair a new Basslines SMB-4A alnico pickups and the STC-3M4 tone circuit that goes with at a guitar store by where I live. I own a EBMM Sting Ray, and I am contemplating installing the Basslines pickup and tone circuit. I am happy with my Sting Ray it has never given me any problems and it sounds awsome with the stock alnico pickups, I know that the stock PU's that the Sting Ray came with from the factory are really great PU's it's one of the selling points and reasons why people aquire and play EBMM Sting Ray bass guitars. I am not sure it can get any better then the way it sounds now. What I want to know is with the Basslines pickups and the electronics will it infact sound even better then it does right now with the stock pickups and electronics? I do not want to waste my time and money to getting them installed if their is no benefit to replacing the current MM PU's, or if after I get them installed I am going to be like *** and just want to rip them out. I can't find any reviews comparing the two, and the people and bass players that I talk to are mixed on their opinions, or they are super vague, or they just tell me IDK/ IDK it's really up to you (WELL NS) I know that, but I want your opinion. Most of the bass players that like the Basslines pickups Play Fenders.

By bass players I asked, I mean 4 and by people, I mean 3, but 2 of them work at the music store and sold me the PU's.

If the Basslines pickups are not as great as the EBMM pickups it's NBD because the PU's I do not use will go into an OLP that my niece plays. In your opinion what would you do, keep my current pickups's or replace with the Basslines pickups?
 
#306
id try em out.
but..... I wouldn't say they are gonna be "better" or "worse" objectively. they are just going to be different. that difference may be "better" for getting a sound you want or just in general to your ear.....or it may not be. Im not being a smarty, it's kinda like when people say "chromes are the best strings for stingrays!". yep, they absolutely are.... IF you want your Stingray to sound like it's got 30 year old strings on it! to them, it's better. to me, it sucks. try it and see. you may love it. you may hate it. it'll take you a half hour to know.
 
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#309
REME7178 said:
I found a pair a new Basslines SMB-4A alnico pickups and the STC-3M4 tone circuit that goes with at a guitar store by where I live. I own a EBMM Sting Ray, and I am contemplating installing the Basslines pickup and tone circuit. I am happy with my Sting Ray it has never given me any problems and it sounds awsome with the stock alnico pickups, I know that the stock PU's that the Sting Ray came with from the factory are really great PU's it's one of the selling points and reasons why people aquire and play EBMM Sting Ray bass guitars. I am not sure it can get any better then the way it sounds now. What I want to know is with the Basslines pickups and the electronics will it infact sound even better then it does right now with the stock pickups and electronics? I do not want to waste my time and money to getting them installed if their is no benefit to replacing the current MM PU's, or if after I get them installed I am going to be like *** and just want to rip them out. I can't find any reviews comparing the two, and the people and bass players that I talk to are mixed on their opinions, or they are super vague, or they just tell me IDK/ IDK it's really up to you (WELL NS) I know that, but I want your opinion. Most of the bass players that like the Basslines pickups Play Fenders.

By bass players I asked, I mean 4 and by people, I mean 3, but 2 of them work at the music store and sold me the PU's.

If the Basslines pickups are not as great as the EBMM pickups it's NBD because the PU's I do not use will go into an OLP that my niece plays. In your opinion what would you do, keep my current pickups's or replace with the Basslines pickups?
Click to expand...

I'd keep the current pickups, for sure. If it's not broke , don't fix it. You said you love the sound, right ? Keep it simple.

I will add this, though. From what I've read, the John East 2 band preamp does a good job of recreating the pre-E.B. preamp from the seventies and early eighties. If the preamp in your current axe lacks low end depth, you may want to look into one. If the sound you have now is the cat's meow and you have no complaints, I'd leave it alone.
 
#312
cnltb said:
Not entirely on topic but not entirely off either;
Is there or has there ever been a passive Musicman bass?
I'd find that extremely tempting!
Thanks!
Click to expand...

There was a special edition Classic that came out last year (or was it the year before?) that had an active/passive switch, i believe the first EBMM have released. If you do a search for "passive stingray" on here you may come up with some reviews though. From what I've read (although haven't ever tried one) the passive mode isn't worth it.
 
#313
Down_Low said:
There was a special edition Classic that came out last year (or was it the year before?) that had an active/passive switch, i believe the first EBMM have released. If you do a search for "passive stingray" on here you may come up with some reviews though. From what I've read (although haven't ever tried one) the passive mode isn't worth it.
Click to expand...

I have a bypass switch built into my 2002 Stingray. It sounds great, it definitely sounds like a Stingray... but I would not say it's worth it as you can get that sound already in active form, and more.
Of course, in my case, in passive I have no tone control. A passive tone control would help. But... I don't see the point if you start with an active Stingray, the passive one does not really add anything new.
If you have a broken preamp and don't want to fix it, yes, a passive one will be awesome, put a passive tone control and enjoy it. But if you have an active one... adding a passive option is not worth it, in my opinion. I'm not adding this option to any other Stingray again.
 
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#314
Down_Low said:
There was a special edition Classic that came out last year (or was it the year before?) that had an active/passive switch, i believe the first EBMM have released. If you do a search for "passive stingray" on here you may come up with some reviews though. From what I've read (although haven't ever tried one) the passive mode isn't worth it.
Click to expand...

Sounds interesting!
Thanks for letting me know.
 
#315
Looking to mod my stingray 5 h/s. love the bass, but would like a warmer, growly tone.
I don't like much top end on my bass, I am looking for more of a blues, always on the run - kravitz tone. I was thinking Nordstrand or bartoilini, with a 3 band a/p setup. A bit confused what preamp would fit, and also should I address the third pickup under the pickguard and buy a jj set to go with the dual coil HB, or simply disconnect the hidden one, and replace the neck pick-up only?
 
#316
bassundergrace said:
Looking to mod my stingray 5 h/s. love the bass, but would like a warmer, growly tone.
I don't like much top end on my bass, I am looking for more of a blues, always on the run - kravitz tone. I was thinking Nordstrand or bartoilini, with a 3 band a/p setup. A bit confused what preamp would fit, and also should I address the third pickup under the pickguard and buy a jj set to go with the dual coil HB, or simply disconnect the hidden one, and replace the neck pick-up only?
Click to expand...

Have you tried chromes or flatwounds ?
 
#318
Oh,yeah. That might do the trick without having to do any mods. I'd check out some Thomastik flats if you don't do any slapping because they don't add alot of string tension the way other flatwounds do. Plus, their d and g strings seem a little beefier than other brands which I think is a benefit for musicman basses.
 
#320
Hey guys,

I've read through the thread and I just wanted to get clarification on something.

I have a 2001 SR5 H with a ceramic pickup. I recently had to sell off a 2011 SR5 HH which had the alnico pickups. I liked the sound of that a lot but the SR5 H stays for sentimental reasons. So I'd like to get an alnico pickup in the SR5 H. I'll be keeping the MM preamp.

In looking at the BBG website, it seems the MM5.3 is the one I want in order to take advantage of the phantom coil switch usage, correct? The selector on my SR5 H is a three way which should work with that I think. Just wanted to see if anyone can confirm this.
 

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