Musicman growl -- how do they do it?

[ajb]

I have a '93 Stingray 5 that I absolutely love. Last night I was playing with it unplugged and I could swear the thing was growly as hell. It's like the pickups and preamp just amplify the inherent growl already there.

I used to think the signature musicman growl was the product of the pre and pickup. No doubt these things factor in considerably, but I was surprised last night at how unique and "stingray" the unpugged tone was. How do the wizards at Ernie ball get that dang awesome sound out of a piece of wood and some strings? Other basses just can't seem to get this sound, and I'm starting to think there are some magic elves at work in the Ernie Ball factory.

 

[mccartjm]

its the wood that determines what a bass sounds like.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I think if you just raise your string height a little bit the growl might go away.

I love my MM. Actually just took my hands off my Bongo to respond to this. Practice. Been doing it a lot lately.

 

[Modern Growl]

woods (ash growls lots)
pickup location
electronics (bright sheen brings out upper harmonix growl)

 

[lefty007]

I have a '93 Stingray 5 that I absolutely love. Last night I was playing with it unplugged and I could swear the thing was growly as hell. It's like the pickups and preamp just amplify the inherent growl already there.

I used to think the signature musicman growl was the product of the pre and pickup. No doubt these things factor in considerably, but I was surprised last night at how unique and "stingray" the unpugged tone was. How do the wizards at Ernie ball get that dang awesome sound out of a piece of wood and some strings? Other basses just can't seem to get this sound, and I'm starting to think there are some magic elves at work in the Ernie Ball factory.

You might want to post this at [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

You'll make lots of friends there!

But no, really, a nice piece of ash will give a nice, snappy, resonant sound. Properly dried, quality woods are an essential part of a good bass tone.

 

[Modern Growl]

now that I read the entire post... i'll say this.
musicman does nothing special.
ash is ash, maple is maple... rosewood.. the same.

the "special" musicman tone IS in the electronics.

the unplugged tone you heard could easily be mimicked by other similarly wooded instruments.
the stingray glowing grind though, can not easily be mimicked.

 

[Fuzzbass]

The MM pickup is a big humbucker, coils wired in parallel, and I think placement would be between the coils of a J-bass (possibly overlapping the J-bass bridge pickup). The preamp adds character as well.

now that I read the entire post... i'll say this.
musicman does nothing special.
ash is ash, maple is maple... rosewood.. the same.

the "special" musicman tone IS in the electronics.

the unplugged tone you heard could easily be mimicked by other similarly wooded instruments.
the stingray glowing grind though, can not easily be mimicked.

+1000. Pickups and electronics define a bass more than any other component. I once installed a bartolini pickup and preamp into a MusicMan. The bass sounded VERY different with barts than it did stock!

 

[ajb]

now that I read the entire post... i'll say this.
musicman does nothing special.
ash is ash, maple is maple... rosewood.. the same.

the "special" musicman tone IS in the electronics.

the unplugged tone you heard could easily be mimicked by other similarly wooded instruments.
the stingray glowing grind though, can not easily be mimicked.

I don't know man, I still think there's something proprietary going on with the woods and construction that you just can't duplicate with a Warmoth neck and body. It's like a McDonald's hamburger. You can buy a patty and bun but you're not going to get that same taste (not saying it's a great taste but you know what I mean).

 

[Fuzzbass]

I don't know man, I still think there's something proprietary going on with the woods and construction that you just can't duplicate with a Warmoth neck and body. It's like a McDonald's hamburger. You can buy a patty and bun but you're not going to get that same taste (not saying it's a great taste but you know what I mean).

I've owned quite a few Fenders and MusicMans over the years. Unplugged they've sounded very similar: couldn't tell a P-bass from a J-bass from a Stingray from a Sabre. The exception was my early 80's MusicMan Cutlass, and that was almost certainly due to its graphite neck.

 

[Rockbobmel]

I agree with Fuzzbass. I had a Lane Poor in my MM5 and it sounded very woody and organic. I sold the LP (because I could not configure it right) and got a Nordstrand 3 coil (proper replacement pu). The bass sounds back (or close) to the original sound.

I think the bass (without electronics) itself contributes to things like compression (bolt on), sustain (NT), snappy (maple board), clarity (wenge board and neck), etc. But the electronics get the nuances.

I guess what I mean is they both contribute to the overall sound.
I think Spector and Warwick have more growl, especially the NTs. MMs are more agressive and cutting.
Strings matter too. SS are more growly than nickels.

 

[Bass Viking]

I have a '93 Stingray 5 that I absolutely love. Last night I was playing with it unplugged and I could swear the thing was growly as hell. It's like the pickups and preamp just amplify the inherent growl already there.

I used to think the signature musicman growl was the product of the pre and pickup. No doubt these things factor in considerably, but I was surprised last night at how unique and "stingray" the unpugged tone was. How do the wizards at Ernie ball get that dang awesome sound out of a piece of wood and some strings? Other basses just can't seem to get this sound, and I'm starting to think there are some magic elves at work in the Ernie Ball factory.

Sounds like you have one hell of a bass! A great unplugged tone makes for a great instrument.

I have a bass with a combination of pretty growly woods; wenge neck, ebony fretboard, and korina body. It sounds amazing acoustically. I wonder what it would sound like with a Music Man humbucker?

 

[Rano Bass]

Another thing to consider is that Musicmans have a nice, tight neck joint with six bolts, and a very solid bridge that has big bolts into the body.
But that's not propietary of Musicmans, i guess any good company with experienced people that love what they do can do good instruments, just like Sadowsky, Lakland, higher end Fenders, high end Peavey's etc.
IMO.

 

[ajb]

Sounds like you have one hell of a bass! A great unplugged tone makes for a great instrument.

I have a bass with a combination of pretty growly woods; wenge neck, ebony fretboard, and korina body. It sounds amazing acoustically. I wonder what it would sound like with a Music Man humbucker?

Probably pretty damn sweet.

 

[Swift713]

To me the Stingray seems kind of like a cross between a Jazz and a Precision but with more mass, a heftier bridge, 6 bolts, active eq etc. Like a Fender on steroids.

 

[the_fooj]

To me the Stingray seems kind of like a cross between a Jazz and a Precision but with more mass, a heftier bridge, 6 bolts, active eq etc. Like a Fender on steroids.

And then the G&L's are like a Music Man on steroids. It makes though because he started both companies.

As for the original post, I think it has to do with the fact that the body and the bidge have a nice bit of mass and unlugged, I'd say the setup really affects tone.

 

[thumbin]

Boost your mids and play the bridge hard

 

[Crabby]

My SR5 growls and cuts through the band mix better than anything I have ever played. I set the controls dead flat in parallel mode and the tone just kills. I waited 10 years to afford a Stingray and have been on a cloud since finally buying mine last year.

Mine is a one piece body ( which is really cool), Transparant Orange with black pearl guard. Rosewwod board and just the single pickup. Its a machine!

 

[garth elson]

Well, yeah. The woods are a big part, but that's not all of it.

Musicman necks are thick n' chunky, as you've no doubt noticed. A HUGE portion of a bass's sound comes from the neck, because that's A) where most of the string actually vibrates and B) more suceptable to instability due do it's thin (relative to the body) structure. Musicman makes one heck of a neck, each one embued with a superior reinforcement system. Not exactly sure it's the biggest deal in the world, but the six neck-bolts are probably there for something, too (although there wouldn't seem to be much added stress on the ones in the middle).

Another big part of the tone is involved with those big, burly bridge pins on either side of the, well.. bridge. Those attatch to metal rods/the Twilight zone located in the bass itself, adding sustain and giving it even more personality-of-tone/Rod Serlingality. I've been playing my new SR4 extensively since I got it in Jan., and the unplugged tone has rather intrigued me as well. Great instruments, although I wish there was some way to get a more tapered neck on them .

 

[PocketGroove82]

\ Great instruments, although I wish there was some way to get a more tapered neck on them .

Try a sterling!

 

[Demanu]

Hello. It is my first post on Talkbass.

I have Musicman Cutlass 83' but i have in it Seymour Duncan Alnico pickup and Aguilar OBP-2. I'm using EBS Fafner and DMNF 4x10" cab. My EQ is similar to "heavy" preset but i give a little more drive/tubegain and setting Bright on 2/3.

the really powerfull growl appears when i'm turning on a little of bass on aguilar. I think the growl comes from OBP-2. And of course 26 year old ash body and carbon neck.

I'm playing music similar to Misery Index