Music Man StingRay Club | PART FIVE

[GwenOnBass]

Thank you - you ran out of patience due to the stickiness? or tension?
I had never heard of the Group 4's - I just found them online - interesting. Tension/feel of these will do chucking nicely then, I assume. Thanks for the additional info.

The stickiness eases where the strings are played most, I find. The Brite Flats began to feel pretty good down there in the money zone. But up there in 12th fretland where I slide into double stops and other such foolishness, they remained sticky. So yeah I ran out of patience. The strings sounded fine. A touch stiff for my tastes, but workable.

The stiffness on the EB Group 4 flats is just about right for me. The low pulling tension — ~152 pounds IIRC — is easy on the ancient truss rod. The neck is stable, and I can't ask for more on that.

Tone-wise, to me Group flats sound bright for flats. I'd place them midway between DTFs and Cobalt Flats. I can coax reasonable thump out of them, if I wish, but to me they really shine in the groove.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I used the white pkg orange letters - I think they were 45-105 IIRC - Personally I find the GHS ML Pressurewounds to have less tension and easier to do quick bends - I could totally be wrong and it's like a placebo effect lol... I may take up @LadyLoveStingRay5 idea on the GHS bright flats - I have never tried them..may be worth getting.
I find with the TI's, soon as I started chucking, the string would catch my finger and it would mess up the rhythm bcuz it was floppin around too much - maybe normal fingerstyle, they would be great...but not for what I got the Stingray for.
Found this: Lots of info.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.daddario.com/globalassets/pdfs/accessories/tension_chart_13934.pdf
Pages 10-12 are bass related...I will print it out later and give it a good read.

Thanks everyone - always appreciate you

Honestly, you probably won't like the GHS Bright Flats. They are more stiff. I bought my set well broken in when I purchased my Old Smoothie. This set was at least 5 years old. I have no experience with these strings straight out of the pack.

 

[GwenOnBass]

My rule of thumb for trying new strings is play new rounds for three months, and play new flats for eight months. By then I have a fair idea of what they are when settled in, and if they stay or go.

A StingRay always sounds like a StingRay, no matter the strings

 

[_Obra_]

Hi @Obra

I stayed away from 5 Strings when I bought my Stingray Special mainly didn't think at this time [Old with 45+ years playing 4's] I would have desire and patience to adjust to a fiver muting and String Spacing and even though Stingray's seemed to have decent B tone still was never moved by sound of most.

BUT Then I listened to this Video and may have some regrets
What gauge B string on this Bass?

Good headphones a must if you listen

Hey,
Thanks for watching my video. I'm glad You like it.
At that particular video bass had a Elixir 125 B string.

 

[murphy]

chucking

Hey man
What is this "chucking" that you keep speaking of?
Is it snapping or popping the strings?
Hmmmm

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Hey man
What is this "chucking" that you keep speaking of?
Is it snapping or popping the strings?
Hmmmm

Kind of like picking without using a pick. Bernard Edwards used this technique. Good explanation in theis video

 

[Nebadon2000]

I am guessing something like this

Hey man
What is this "chucking" that you keep speaking of?
Is it snapping or popping the strings?
Hmmmm

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Chucking explanation starts at 5:00

 

[murphy]

Kind of like picking without using a pick. Bernard Edwards used this technique. Good explanation in theis video

I have often done this on my basses...but always with roundwounds...and shredded edges of my fingers....DOH! look for my pick.

Did not know it was a recognized technique with flatwounds....
Perhaps Stingray will get some Flats...I think I will put my Labella lights on there...
Love Chic...Bernard RIP

 

[murphy]

I am guessing something like this

Bobby uses a pick....Like no other

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I have often done this on my basses...but always with roundwounds...and shredded edges of my fingers....DOH! look for my pick.

Did not know it was a recognized technique with flatwounds....
Perhaps Stingray will get some Flats...I think I will put my Labella lights on there...
Love Chic...Bernard RIP

If I had a Stingray with flats, I'd use Dunlop flats, they are my favorite and lower tension

 

[graphics1988]

Hey man
What is this "chucking" that you keep speaking of?
Is it snapping or popping the strings?
Hmmmm

Best 4 minutes on explaining it without words -- this fella has a great channel and one heck of a player too.

Yeah D, @murphy , that's exactly what I was worried about too with a rough surface strings - chewin up my fingers lol...yet I suck at a pick ...Bobby Vega is a wicked pick player for sure - i still dig Bernard's interchangeable fake pick to finger to slappin' n poppin' - seems more versatile IMO

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Best 4 minutes on explaining it without words -- this fella has a great channel and one heck of a player too.

Yeah D, @murphy , that's exactly what I was worried about too with a rough surface strings - chewin up my fingers lol...yet I suck at a pick ...Bobby Vega is a wicked pick player for sure - i still dig Bernard's interchangeable fake pick to finger to slappin' n poppin' - seems more versatile IMO

Im a big Carol Kaye and Bernard Edwards fan. I use the choking technique but with more fingernail involved. Flats are the way to go for me. But I can do it no pain on TI Rounds on my Sanberg too. Sometimes , less is more!!! A light touch goes a long way.

 

[BQFS]

Where do stingray folks buy replacement MM hardware? For this project I’m swapping chrome for black. Bridge, front plate and tuners.

I buy my bridges, control plates, knobs, and string trees from Amazon, believe it or not. The tuners are problematic, so if Amazon is out of stock or has a ridiculously long fulfillment time, I take the machine heads to a local shop and have them ceramic-coated.

I do a lot of upgrading of SBMM Ray4 and Ray5 basses. I changed the hardware to black, defret the bass, upgrade the pickup to either the Aguilar 4 or 5 M or (more commonly because they are less expensive) the Nordstrand MM4.2 or 5.2. I also upgrade the preamp to a clone of the pre-EB 2-band preamp. Sounds about as close to a "real" Stingray as you can get for a lot less money. A lot of people like the slimmer neck profile of the Ray4s and 5s.

 

[dustinymichaels]

I'm kinda like you, I never really got along with flats although I try them every once in a while. I did really like the EB Cobalt flats, they sounded very close to rounds but sat in the mix even better.

Once I tried flats with a Stingray, I never looked back.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Once I tried flats with a Stingray, I never looked back.

In my fantasy world where I have unlimited money, I have a matching stingray with flats for every stingray with rounds I have.

I do prefer rounds generally, but flats in a Stingray are so groovy

 

[dustinymichaels]

I prefer flats on the Stingrays, but I'll go rounds on the J's. My problem is I'm almost always recording and playing on the ray, so I got used to that feeling and haven't used rounds in years.

 

[the baint]

I had played BEAD with the same set of nickels (Boomers?) for about a decade, when I decided I might as well jump on the flats train. I’ve been rocking Labella LTFs in BEAD since then. Love em.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Got the HS today. It's a great bass, sets up well, and sounds wonderful... But I think i just have to admit I'm a single H stingray guy. I do find the HS sounds more usable than the HH personally though.

As far putting the Special and alnico HS head to head, I still prefer the Special. Just feel like the EQ gives you more of everything on the Special. They sound very similar though in parallel mode.

So about to put in classified for anyone that is interested

I might just get another single H special!

 

[dave64o]

(*wondering if I have enough gear to sell to offset the cost - and how quickly can I sell it*)