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Music Man Stingray w/ weak G string

#144
Daede said:
If he's that lacking in tact, doesn't it stand to reason he would hire someone with some tact to moderate the forums for him?

Seriously, after reading three threads on those forums, not only will I never buy an EB or MM product, I'll do everything I can to dissuade others from buying one, for fear they may need to someday interact with that group of stuffed-shirt swaggering-peacocks.
I don't know about you guys, but I have no intention of buying a product from a company when one of the owners insults his customers and treats them the way Sterling does.

If I were in charge of a company and knew I was a less-than-tactful person, I would surely avoid customer interaction and delegate that responsibility out to someone more suited to the task.
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I would say from a customer service standpoint EBMM are stars! You can call the 1-800 number and talk to somebody immediately. They address your concerns, answer questions...hell they helped me track down a N.O.S. SUB from one of their US dealers in a colour I wanted....5 years after they were discontinued.

Sterling can be blunt if offended or if he thinks someone is using the bandwidth he pays for inappropriately....but how many other CEOs of a company like that can you even access? Kudos to Steve for pointing it out as well....if he can see through the issues he and S.B. had, I am sure any of us miffed at a couple of his posts can do the same.


AS FOR Gs..... I found it to an issue on one SR4 I had (not on another) and one one SUB (out of 5)....my tech at the time sorted the SUB by (iirc) tapping down the A and E pole-pieces as described by king_biscuit
 
#145
Owned a 5 string Stingray, 4 string 30th Anniversary Stingray, and a 4 string Classic Stingray (2-band). The keeper was the Classic Stingray. Even volume across all four strings, and the only bass I've ever owned (seven in total) that didn't have a dead spot on the G string.
 
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#146
king_biscuit said:
Yes (because it is the same two band preamp as the pre-EB Rays), and there is a good post on the EB forum by Sterling Ball confirming the same. It's a non issue if you adjust the pole pieces on the bass so they are all flush (like the new two pickup models). This lets you cheat the pickup higher on the treble side, without getting the d string too loud (compared to the g string) or the e string too soft (compared to the a string).

On the Single H four string (Stingray) models, the pole pieces are encased in the pickup bobbins and do not come it to direct contact with the coil wire. Therefore, it is possible to carefully lower the a and d string magnets (they are just pressed in), so they are flush with the e and g string magnets. The pickup should be removed (no need to rewire) to do this. Good luck and YMMV :)
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Could you please elaborate some more on the process of 'evening' out the pole-piece heights. Does the pickup need to be disconnected from the bass? Or just removed? Does the pickup need to be opened? You say the poles are just 'pressed' in. So does this mean you just manually 'press' them in? I'm good with setting up my basses, but not really with wiring pickups and that sort of thing.

Anyway, you can see I have lots of questions. If you could explain the process in detail you'd be my hero. Thanks!
 
#148
I wouldn't tap them in. I use a make-shift press with a c-clamp and a socket that is slightly larger than the pole pieces. place the socket over the pole piece on the under side of the pickup, and use the c-clamp to press it down from the top. Do both A string pole pieces and both D string pole pieces. No need to unwire the pickup, but you will need to unscrew the pickup so that you can manipulate it by hand. Do no try this on preEB pickups because the pole pieces are glued in and the bobbin is open. Of course there is always a chance you will ruin the pickup, so do this at your own risk.
 
#150
I have found also that if my G is too low (close to the fingerboard ) then it doesn't speak well. string height has a HUGE influence on tone. recently I raised the saddles on one of my basses 1/2 a turn of an allen wrench on each saddle screw. Dramatic. each bass seems to have a sweet zone of string height. too low- no punch. too high- too hard to play. after raising the saddles slightly the bass seemed to wake up and bark more.
on your weak MM g string, try raising the g a little, then raise the pickup under it also. maintain the arch, to match the fingerboard radius. I feel that a lot of people are in the dark about string height/ truss rod adjustment. also, on a typical .45-.105 string set, try replacing the g with a .50. get some allen wrenches and experiment.
 
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#152
I recently bought a Stingray Classic and noticed I too have a weak D and G. I've raised the pickup under the D and G but have yet to try it at practice. I really don't want to use larger strings, I'm reading over taping the pole pieces down. Is it that easy to do?
 
#153
chrisp2g said:
I recently bought a Stingray Classic and noticed I too have a weak D and G. I've raised the pickup under the D and G but have yet to try it at practice. I really don't want to use larger strings, I'm reading over taping the pole pieces down. Is it that easy to do?
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that sucks, im contemplating on buyin a ray classic but ive afew stories about them suffering from the weak g issue
 
#156
mcnach said:
Then stop paying excessive attention to these comments, and get out and try the thing. Try a few, until you find "the one" for you.

Thousands of happy Stingray players out there... you could be one too, maybe.
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well, just for your information, not every country has a ebmm dealer so not everyone has the luxury to try a ray before buying
 
#159
IMO, it's not the pickup.

Sometimes the preamp settings can make the G (and the D to a lesser degree) sound thinner rather than quiter.

The difference can be demonstrated if the preamp is by-passed and the instrument is played passively.

Different preamp settings and/or string guage and pickup adjustment would probably account for the reason why some come across it and others don't :bassist:
 

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