Thanks, I did sometime yesterday, no word back as of yet, but it's only been 24ish hours.
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Music Man sound and pickups
- Thread starter TonyP-
- Start date
Thanks, I did sometime yesterday, no word back as of yet, but it's only been 24ish hours.
Hey,
I have a SBMM Ray34ca (mint green) that I bought about 10 years ago. I play punk/rock music with a pick and I have always had some problems with the tone. There are people like Josh Woodard (A Day to Remember) and Mike Herrera (MxPx) who play stingrays but I have problem getting the sound right. The problem is that I enjoy the aggressive sound that for example P-basses have and I can get similarly aggressive okay sound with brand new strings for like an hour but just even then it is a problem. Do you think that upgrading the pre/pickup would solve or help with this? There is not that much info available comparing the MM pre/pickup sounds but I would assume that a "classic" style not-American build pickup in my bass is not the optimal for my genre. All help is highly appreciated! I wouldn't want to sell this bass since it has personal value but it gets rarely used because of this. -Aleksi
I have a SBMM Ray34ca (mint green) that I bought about 10 years ago. I play punk/rock music with a pick and I have always had some problems with the tone. There are people like Josh Woodard (A Day to Remember) and Mike Herrera (MxPx) who play stingrays but I have problem getting the sound right. The problem is that I enjoy the aggressive sound that for example P-basses have and I can get similarly aggressive okay sound with brand new strings for like an hour but just even then it is a problem. Do you think that upgrading the pre/pickup would solve or help with this? There is not that much info available comparing the MM pre/pickup sounds but I would assume that a "classic" style not-American build pickup in my bass is not the optimal for my genre. All help is highly appreciated! I wouldn't want to sell this bass since it has personal value but it gets rarely used because of this. -Aleksi
The Ray34CA electronics (pickup and preamp) are electronically identical to the original MusicMan Alnico pickup and 2-band preamp. If you can't get aggressive from that then something else might be off. With the 2-band, the trick for an aggressive mid-focus is to keep the bass control somewhere in the lower 25% and the treble between 40% and 60%. Remember that the bass control is for all practical purposes boost only, so 0% is only the slightest of cuts. The controls are highly interactive, so the actions of one changes according to the positions of the others. It might be counter-intuitive, but have you tried rolling the volume back just a little? It really adds thickness and body, although you may need to turn the amp up to compensate. If you really can't get what you need then something like the John East MMSR 3-band with sweepable mids might be more suitable.
The Ray34CA Alnico pickup will need something pretty special to gain any improvement. That said, it may be that a ceramic pickup such as the Delano MC4 FE might get you the bite you are looking for. Maybe try that first, as they are half the price of the East pre.
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Well, the 'Ray isn't going to sound much like a P-Bass. It's going to sound like a classic 2-band StingRay, and that's pretty great. Unless, that is, you want a P-Bass tone. And no electronics swap-out is going to get you there — well, maybe routing for a P pickup.
I say, enjoy what you have for what you have. And if you want a P-Bass tone, get yourself a P-Bass. You can probably pick up a satisfactory P-Bass for a little more than your planned electronics swap, and then you'll have both.
I say, enjoy what you have for what you have. And if you want a P-Bass tone, get yourself a P-Bass. You can probably pick up a satisfactory P-Bass for a little more than your planned electronics swap, and then you'll have both.
Thanks, great tips! I'll try those 2-band settings and try to play around it a bit more but those ceramic pickups might be what I'm looking for. Also the 3-band might be better suited to my taste.
Yes I know it is not going to sound like a P-Bass and I do have a P-Bass for that. I'm hoping that my MM would have the same kind of clarity and aggressiveness that I'm able to get easily out of my p-bass since I know it is possible with for example by players mentioned in the original post. My P-bass changed completely when I put SD quarter pounds in it and I'm now looking if there would be similar upgrade possible for my Ray34.
If you're interested, I have both the Seymour Duncan ceramic pickup and the Seymour Duncan alnico pickup. I got them for a project that ended up not happening. So on my end, they've never been out of the box except to look at them.
I only mention it here because you like what the SD pickup did to your P bass.
To anyone who has replaced the stock 3 coil pickup with the Duncan 3 coil in the EBMM USA Sterling (or SR5, I suppose, @ddamm):
Are the wires color coded the same on both pickups, or are they different? Just trying to figure out which wiring diagram to use before my pickup gets in.
Are the wires color coded the same on both pickups, or are they different? Just trying to figure out which wiring diagram to use before my pickup gets in.
Hello fellows,
I've just bought an inexpensive Harley Benton mb5.
I was very impressed with the review on bass the world and bonedo Chanel.
So nothing to complain at this price .
Low b is great, finish nice, no cutting frets etc and passive, that was the last argument.
And it doesn't sound even bad.
I'm sure it could be great with an pup upgrade.
But before to choose it, maybe I must keep in mind the specifities of the bass.
Passive electronic, maybe some pickups could not be a good combo with a passive electronic.
The body is made in basswood, quit neutral I guess.
Currently I'm interested by the Delano mc5 he.
But maybe it's not a good choice.
I live in France, Delano, Duncan, Aguilar, crel are the less expensive. Nordstrand is quite hard to find and expensive, like Bartolini.
Thanks in advance for your help.
I've just bought an inexpensive Harley Benton mb5.
I was very impressed with the review on bass the world and bonedo Chanel.
So nothing to complain at this price .
Low b is great, finish nice, no cutting frets etc and passive, that was the last argument.
And it doesn't sound even bad.
I'm sure it could be great with an pup upgrade.
But before to choose it, maybe I must keep in mind the specifities of the bass.
Passive electronic, maybe some pickups could not be a good combo with a passive electronic.
The body is made in basswood, quit neutral I guess.
Currently I'm interested by the Delano mc5 he.
But maybe it's not a good choice.
I live in France, Delano, Duncan, Aguilar, crel are the less expensive. Nordstrand is quite hard to find and expensive, like Bartolini.
Thanks in advance for your help.
I've got an MB-5 SBK (the satin black 'stealth' finish), is that the one you got too? Because my comments would be pretty much the same as yours. I actually even like the pickup so I changed nothing (just the pickguard, I had a black one made).
Any passive pickup will work, the only thing I'd pay attention to is the spacing between the poles. The MB-5 has a pretty narrow spacing and most 5-string Stingray pickups have a slightly wider spacing. I'm sure they will still sound ok, but they may not look that good when the B and G strings especially being quite off-centre.
The only thing I plan to change (no hurry, I had mine for almost a year already and still stock) is the controls. I'm not a big fan of the dual volume and single tone wiring, I don't find the difference between the coils that useful: yes, you can tell they sound different but once you mix it it's so subtle that you can't tell. So my plan is to install a Tonestyler type tone control and a series/parallel/single coil switch, plus master volume, to keep the 3 controls and look (using a rotary switch for the series/parallel etc). Maybe over the xmas holiday if I'm bored
If it was me, I'd choose a Delano without hesitation. Specifically, I'd choose the Delano MC 5 HE/M2, the one without the visible pole pieces. Partly because I like the look, and partly because I sometimes play aggressively and risk hitting the pole pieces with the strings, and that's never a good sound.
I've got an MB-5 SBK (the satin black 'stealth' finish), is that the one you got too? Because my comments would be pretty much the same as yours. I actually even like the pickup so I changed nothing (just the pickguard, I had a black one made).
Any passive pickup will work, the only thing I'd pay attention to is the spacing between the poles. The MB-5 has a pretty narrow spacing and most 5-string Stingray pickups have a slightly wider spacing. I'm sure they will still sound ok, but they may not look that good when the B and G strings especially being quite off-centre.
The only thing I plan to change (no hurry, I had mine for almost a year already and still stock) is the controls. I'm not a big fan of the dual volume and single tone wiring, I don't find the difference between the coils that useful: yes, you can tell they sound different but once you mix it it's so subtle that you can't tell. So my plan is to install a Tonestyler type tone control and a series/parallel/single coil switch, plus master volume, to keep the 3 controls and look (using a rotary switch for the series/parallel etc). Maybe over the xmas holiday if I'm bored
View attachment 4459522
Yes it's the black version.
And currently I love the sound, and I still us the stock strings.
I've thought about the issue with the pole and the string spacing, that's why I'm interested by the Delano.
DELANO MC 5 HE/S-L (°) - BassParts.de
No alnico pole, probably 2 "blades" ceramic under the pickup cover.
In my case I use it always with the 2 volumes full open.
Yep, you're maybe right, the stock pup is even not bad, a Roswell I guess, maybe the key for a good upgrade is the tone control.
Be careful about the dimensions on that pickup. That's a long version, and may not fit in your bass.
I saw this from August and just wanted to point out that the reason you may be having trouble getting that Mike Herrera sound may be because he bypasses the controls and the pickup is wired directly to the output jack.
John
The Long dimension is typical of 5-string MM pickups with the mount ears. They have a Short version that is the same size as a 4-string MM pickup. Then, of course, they have the EB version (rectangle w/o mount ears)
The Long pickup should work fine in that bass.
Hello,
For the owner of Harley Benton mb4 or 5,
I was quite impressed by the stock strings.
Not bad at all, for a cheap bass.
I've contacted Thomann to know which strings were setup on those basses.
It's their value strings nickel.
Why pay more ?
https://www.thomann.de/fr/harley_be...ring.htm?sid=3e3d87378676f9db962088da13c5fb5c
For the owner of Harley Benton mb4 or 5,
I was quite impressed by the stock strings.
Not bad at all, for a cheap bass.
I've contacted Thomann to know which strings were setup on those basses.
It's their value strings nickel.
Why pay more ?
https://www.thomann.de/fr/harley_be...ring.htm?sid=3e3d87378676f9db962088da13c5fb5c
Wow! What an amazing thread and I have finally read it all.
* Thanks to my Pisan, @TonyP- for starting this, and to all of you for such great information and no mean spirited conversation.
I have an 83' SR that is perfect (for me) other than the weight (10.5 lbs)
I'm only interested in 2-band, Alnico pup, and 1 5/8" nut which means the bass that made them famous can't be bought new right now. I don't see the value in dropping $2,500+ for a Special and then having to change the pup and pre.
I do have an OLP that plays extremely well and sounds close to a SR. Agreed pup style and placement is the cake and the pre is the icing. The OLP is much lighter. I also have an Uncle Fluffy pre but would like to start with a passive pup for the first mod.
The question:
Based on great info here, I'm not looking for the early 76' tone but something closer to my 2nd gen 83'.
Early on in this thread, it seemed that many preferred the Nordy over the SD as far as tonal accuracy.
In later posts, it seems that some folks have changed their minds to liking SD more for accuracy. (seems fair since this post started 10 years ago!)
Also Aguilar wasn't available when this thread started.
So, if you were me, had a nice donor bass and 2-band pre, which pup do you recommend to get me closest to the 83' tone? TIA
* Thanks to my Pisan, @TonyP- for starting this, and to all of you for such great information and no mean spirited conversation.
I have an 83' SR that is perfect (for me) other than the weight (10.5 lbs)
I'm only interested in 2-band, Alnico pup, and 1 5/8" nut which means the bass that made them famous can't be bought new right now. I don't see the value in dropping $2,500+ for a Special and then having to change the pup and pre.
I do have an OLP that plays extremely well and sounds close to a SR. Agreed pup style and placement is the cake and the pre is the icing. The OLP is much lighter. I also have an Uncle Fluffy pre but would like to start with a passive pup for the first mod.
The question:
Based on great info here, I'm not looking for the early 76' tone but something closer to my 2nd gen 83'.
Early on in this thread, it seemed that many preferred the Nordy over the SD as far as tonal accuracy.
In later posts, it seems that some folks have changed their minds to liking SD more for accuracy. (seems fair since this post started 10 years ago!)
Also Aguilar wasn't available when this thread started.
So, if you were me, had a nice donor bass and 2-band pre, which pup do you recommend to get me closest to the 83' tone? TIA
The Nordstrand Big Splitman 4 is the most dynamic and powerful music man pickup I've had the joy to play.
It's just some whole other level of game. Tame it is not. Maybe someone on here will put one with an active but passive it pounds, hard, and if you are searching for fantastically diverse response from light fingertips to hard picks, but always 'grrrry' this is the final boss. I put one on a Squier Jaguar H and it is fire. Also it is the most dead silent hum free pickup ever, it laughs at neon bar signs.
It's just some whole other level of game. Tame it is not. Maybe someone on here will put one with an active but passive it pounds, hard, and if you are searching for fantastically diverse response from light fingertips to hard picks, but always 'grrrry' this is the final boss. I put one on a Squier Jaguar H and it is fire. Also it is the most dead silent hum free pickup ever, it laughs at neon bar signs.
Given the number of folks that have swapped the original MM for something 'after-market', there must be plenty here that have the original MM units gathering dust around the place. If I was stateside I would offer you mine, although it is '91.
Personally I prefer the transparency, punch, and definition of the ceramic over anything AlNiCo so I can't imagine really wanting to put the original pickup back in. Here's a few seconds of the Delano MC 4 FE with EB Cobalt Flats and John East 3-band:
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I'm not sure you can get much closer than with the Nordstrand MM4.2, and that would be my choice.
Seymour Duncan is nice, I love their alnico SMB-4A, but it's not trying to get "that" sound. The Aguilar one seems pretty good too, but I'm going by what I listened to online, I never had a bass with one of those in my hands.
