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Passive stingrays???
- Thread starter antiochbass
- Start date
You won't find a stock passive ray... and taking the 'ronics out of one is a bad call, imo.
Look for a passive SUB i'd say.
Look for a passive SUB i'd say.
You could always get a stock 'Ray and wire up a passive/active switch...pretty common feature on a lot of active basses.
Aren't the SUB basses passive? I thought I read somewhere that they were, but I could be mistaken.
OLP are all passive with the exception of the Tony Levin 5. They're also wired differently. Wired as two single coils, like in a jazz. If you solder both leads to one pot, you're a little closer to the Stringray sound, but still not in the same ball park.
SUBs came in 2 versions. Passive or active with a 2 band eq.
I modded an OLP into a simplified, passive, poor man's HS Sterling. Again, not close to actual MusicMan sound, but I like it.
SUBs came in 2 versions. Passive or active with a 2 band eq.
I modded an OLP into a simplified, passive, poor man's HS Sterling. Again, not close to actual MusicMan sound, but I like it.
- Feb 2, 2001
- 12,719
- 1,291
- Disclosures
- Builder: Valenti Basses
Good question. I've always liked the feel of a Sterling and had thought about putting one of Nordstrand's PUs in it with an active passive switch.
The sterling is a great bass, great neck, easy to play, but the active electronics in mine are just too bright, brittle and hissy, and I'm getting tired of replacing batteries.
I guess I should say that my Sterling was from the first year they made them, so maybe there are mods to make the preamp sound warmer.
I think I'd rather have a passive PU that fits in the Sterling cavity without addtional routing or cutting.
I guess I should say that my Sterling was from the first year they made them, so maybe there are mods to make the preamp sound warmer.
I think I'd rather have a passive PU that fits in the Sterling cavity without addtional routing or cutting.
No, the only passive Music Man or Ernie Ball basses I know of were some of the four string SUB models. They might be a good option, and they are typically pretty inexpensive.
I don't know much about the pre on EB basses, but aren't they boost/cut like most? or are they simply boost? If they have a cut option, couldn't you just dial out the hissiness? How is your amp eq'd? If you have tweeters in your cabs, are they turned on/up/off?
The Sterling I have has a center detent on the treble, bass and mid controls, with the center detent being "flat" response ( I suppose) and clockwise is boost and CCW is cut. So yes, you can dial out the hissiness to an extent, but even with full treble cut, and no tweeters at all it still sounds artificially trebly to me, especially when recording with a DI. And I like the bright Marcus Miller sound, the Sterling just has too much of it. Too surgical sounding, I guess you could say.
And again, I don't like changing batteries.
Here's a passive ray
Take an OLP, replace the neck and pick up. i went with a status neck and bart pick up...although i'll probably switch to the SD or nordy at some point.
Take an OLP, replace the neck and pick up. i went with a status neck and bart pick up...although i'll probably switch to the SD or nordy at some point.
The PU itself would be passive, it's just the active pre that you'd be wanting to bypass, I think. If you're comfortable with a soldering iron, I can't imagine it would be too difficult.
And unless I'm mistaken, there's no law against modding a Music Man
Because Stingray's aren't passive! Sheesh, I thought everybody knew that! Some SUBs are passive, though; that's the one you want. I completely forgot about those yesterday; my bad. Or you can get an ATK 100, or an OLP, or one of the cheapie knockoffs. Or, go out and buy a 'Ray, rip the preamp out, have one or two holes in the control plate, depending on how you wire it up, and have your passive Stingray. I think I'd be happier with a passive SUB, but it's your money and you can do anything you want with it.
