Paging owners of both 2 EQ and 3 EQ StingRays...

[Jeff Scott]

I went to a 7 band with a boost quite a while ago. I was not expecting the results. From dialing in to avoiding pickup replacement... the benefits are quite noticeable.

Where did you find such a Stingray?

 

[MovinTarget]

Sounds like going with the classic 2 band as a replacement + outboard EQ pedal for the Mids (perhaps parametric mid controls?) might be ideal for those times you need to tweak the middle ground...

 

[ezstep]

Pretty common to find guys who prefer the 2-band over the 3-band. I loved the old ones, not so much with the new ones.

 

[T. Brookins]

I put a Tone Monster 2 band into my SRS 5HH and it is VERY similar sounding to the original. The 3 band gathers dust imo.

 

[Big Louzer]

For me the winning combination is the original Sadowsky setup. Two active EQ bands paired with a passive tone control. I've played a Stingray with this setup and it worked just as well as any other bass I've tried with it, which is to say, brilliantly. If I ever buy another Stingray, this is exactly what I'll be doing to it.

This is kinda what I did with my Warmoth bass. I went with a Duncan Ceramic MM pickup (because I love how the SR5 ceramic-era [‘91-‘08?] sounds) and an Aguilar OBP-1 (2-band boost only like Sadowsky…both of which were designed by Alex Aguilar but with subtle differences) and a Passive Tone Control.
Treble & B bass both set to about 40-50% = an absolutely killer tone that checks all boxes…

I used to own a 3-band SR4, and stopped liking its tone for some dumb reason, and sold it. I started looking toward a 2-band but never got one as my tastes started gravitating more towards Jazz basses. I’ve had a Stingray reawakening as of late and started comparing 2- and 3- band versions. I actually like the 3-band more, and I find the Special’s 3-band absolutely delicious…am I crazy?

 

[Todd Hamby]

Stingray guy here I’m in the minority of preferring the Special’s three band.

 

[Big Louzer]

Stingray guy here I’m in the minority of preferring the Special’s three band.

you and me both (see above)

 

[murphy]

I just remembered I added an EMG vari-mid to my SR5 HS that had a Nordstrand MM preamp
Sounded so good!

 

[IronLung1986]

It is pretty different. The sound of the 2-band is not available in the 3-bands. There's not a way to dial it in because the 3-band EQ knobs are adjusting different frequencies. I hear the 2-band as lower lows and higher highs. It's warmer and airier. It doesn't have the built-in HPF of the 3-band, which gives the low end a more massive, pillowy presence. The highs are gentler and less midrangey to my ears, and mainly enhance note definition rather than adding a lot of metallic aggression to the sound. But it's not only that the frequencies are different; the preamp just feels and works completely differently. The 2-band preamp is a more subtle tone shaping tool. The overall playing experience is more akin to a passive bass than a modern active.

There's also the noteworthy and in my opinion very welcome UX difference of having no center detents on the 2-band. This can feel disorienting at first but once you get used to it it's so nice. Instead of thinking about boosting or cutting you're simply finding a good sound.

 

[Trouztrouz]

First you said

Depending on song, I tend to either accentuate the mids for some throaty fingerstyle or pick use, OR I will cut ALL the mids for a slap sound. There are even times where I am adjusting the mids back and forth in the song depending on the moment

Then you said

I fiddle far LESS with a three-band EQ instrument with two parameters, treble and bass, I can basically "set it and forget it"

But these things can't both be true. You can simply like 3-band EQs, there's really no need for a practical justification.

 

[Geogio]

Where did you find such a Stingray?

Whoops! I went to a 7 band eq "pedal."
The onboard stingray 3band (30th anniversary) died. Did not have the funds to ship it off, get it fixed and, have it shipped back. So I traded it in on a passive FSO, added a 7 band EQ pedal in the chain - I became a believer.

 

[Jack]

Exactly my experience as well (specially about the warmth and a more organic tone), to the point where I feel uncomfortable and constantly fiddling with the knobs all the time I play a 3 band. 2 band feels right away at home for me.

If your 3 band have sentimental value and you're not planning to sell it, have you considered modding it into a 2 band? Much cheaper and totally reversible in case you don't like it. And in case you do, then you'd be enjoying your own SR.

If you like your Stingray's feel but not the sound of 3eq, why not investing a couple of hundreds and try 2eq replacement preamp? There are several options (i.e. Bosko on Ebay), should be fairly simple and reversable operation... search option is your friend. Good luck!

I agree with the people saying you should consider modding your stingray with a 2 band preamp. The john east MMSR has been given a lot of praise on here.

This is the way. My Stingray has a MMSR, and it's the two bands from the original Stingray 2-band preamp, plus a semi-parametric mid control. Leave the mids flat and it is the original 2-band. Awesome unit. But if you don't like you can just put the original preamp back in.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

First you said


Then you said


But these things can't both be true. You can simply like 3-band EQs, there's really no need for a practical justification.

Clarifying that I set the bass and treble on a three-band EQ instrument and leave THAT alone, rather than more adjusting, fooling around with, etc... the bass and treble that I would do with a two-band-EQ on an instrument that had no mid EQ option.

The OP inquired about 2 versus 3 band EQ and the why, and I was stating why through my experiences and preferences why that might be important or could be important to him or her. It's not really at all about justification for me. I'm just trying to be helpful through my experiences and perspectives.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I bought a 3‑band StingRay back in 2005. It was my main gigging bass for about five years, but I was never completely in love with the sound. I still own it and never plan to sell it for sentimental reasons, but it doesn’t see much playing time anymore because I have other basses that suit me better tonally.

I’ve always really loved the sound of the old 2‑band StingRays on records - the snarl in particular - and I’ve often been tempted to pick one up. That said, I could never quite justify buying one on a whim just to find out whether the tone really was that different.

Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of YouTube demos comparing the two, and honestly, they don’t seem that different. I’m asking because I’ve come across a beautiful 2017 StingRay Classic in natural, and I’m wondering whether there’s enough of a real, in‑the‑room sonic difference between the 2‑band and 3‑band to justify taking the plunge.

Thoughts?

FYI the guy who designed the 3-band preamp (one Mr Sterling Ball) has gone on record several times, stating that the 3-band was designed to replicate the "signature" setting of the 2-band (which was designed by his godfather, Tom Walker) of Bass & Treble maxed out, in the following way :

2-band : Bass @ 100% / Treble @ 100%

=

3-band : Bass @ 100% / Mid @ Centre Detent / Treble @ 100%

Furthermore, if you limit your use of the Bass, and Treble controls only to settings above the Centre Detent (ie boost only) it behaves more like the 2-band preamp.


I've compared the two systems in this way, and it's true - though it's most accurate at the 100% settings.

 

[cyclealt]

FYI the guy who designed the 3-band preamp (one Mr Sterling Ball) has gone on record several times, stating that the 3-band was designed to replicate the "signature" setting of the 2-band (which was designed by his godfather, Tom Walker) of Bass & Treble maxed out, in the following way :

2-band : Bass @ 100% / Treble @ 100%

=

3-band : Bass @ 100% / Mid @ Centre Detent / Treble @ 100%

Furthermore, if you limit your use of the Bass, and Treble controls only to settings above the Centre Detent (ie boost only) it behaves more like the 2-band preamp.


I've compared the two systems in this way, and it's true - though it's most accurate at the 100% settings.

I read this here sometimes when this is brought up and I have no say in it (never played a two band and enjoy the sound of my 3 band) but inevitably what always happens is someone always chimes in saying it doesn't anything at all like a 2 band.

 

[mpdd]

grant it i've only had a 3 band for 3 days, but it does send the clearest and most defined signal to my goth industrial/space rock pedal board that i've ever experienced
articulate would be an understatement

 

[JoeyFab]

I've got a SBMM SB-14 Stingray (Sweetwater exclusive, tobacco burst, 1 pickup, 3-band active pre, no longer available). I pretty much only use it for playing drop D tuned heavy rock covers because, well, it basically out-muscles anything else that I have. It's loud, nasty, and obnoxious...perfect for playing loud, nasty, obnoxious songs. I'll take a 3-band pre over a 2-band (or a 1-band, as some of them now come) any day of the week.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...14-sweetwater-exclusive-ltd-run-tobacco-burst

 

[ToddB1963]

Thanks for your very generous replies everyone - I've read them all - a lot of food for thought there. I truly appreciate it.

The journey continues...

 

[Wood and Wire]

I read this here sometimes when this is brought up and I have no say in it (never played a two band and enjoy the sound of my 3 band) but inevitably what always happens is someone always chimes in saying it doesn't anything at all like a 2 band.

Well they're entitled to their opinion, but that's the way it's designed, and in my experience comparing both side by side at the 100% / 100% Vs +100% / Centre / +100% they do sound about as indistinguishable as any two otherwise identical basses.

What really doesn't work is for example setting the 2-band with the controls at any arbitrary position (let's say Bass & Treble at 60%) and then setting the 3-band controls in the exact same position : that's never going to sound the same because the pre-amps don't behave that way (though if you were to set the 3-band controls at +60 from centre, you'd be in similar territory).

The other thing that trips people's results up, is that all too frequently some people assume that because the 2-band didn't have a mid control, they should turn that all the way down when trying to emulate the 2-band; but that only makes matters worse. Leave mid in the centre detent.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I read this here sometimes when this is brought up and I have no say in it (never played a two band and enjoy the sound of my 3 band) but inevitably what always happens is someone always chimes in saying it doesn't anything at all like a 2 band.

This may be true, but I never max out the bass and treble knobs on a two-band. Is that a thing a lot of people do?