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SBMM Stingray Short scale
- Thread starter dralionux
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- short scale bass
The strings that come with the bass are
Ernie Ball 2852 Regular Slinky Short Scale 45-105. These seem fine to me. I thought they would have less tension compared to my long scale basses but they feel the same. I have Dunlop Super Bight Nickel 45-105 on the long scales.
After playing the bass for a few days I’m still not sure about it. I prefer the tones on my J and P but it does sound good in the mix. The wonky knobs bug me but they can be replaced. The 3-way selector is novel but means I keep fiddling with it. I’d probably prefer parallel only and no boost switch. I am reaching for the amp to dial in some treble to to get the Stingray sizzle. I think my main issue is the short scale size. It feels a bit cramped and has changed my playing position which causes some discomfort in my right shoulder (right handed bass). When I use a full scale afterwards it feels much better. Probably takes time to get used to but maybe I’m not a short scale guy. I’m tall with long arms so perhaps more suited to long scales.
Ernie Ball 2852 Regular Slinky Short Scale 45-105. These seem fine to me. I thought they would have less tension compared to my long scale basses but they feel the same. I have Dunlop Super Bight Nickel 45-105 on the long scales.
After playing the bass for a few days I’m still not sure about it. I prefer the tones on my J and P but it does sound good in the mix. The wonky knobs bug me but they can be replaced. The 3-way selector is novel but means I keep fiddling with it. I’d probably prefer parallel only and no boost switch. I am reaching for the amp to dial in some treble to to get the Stingray sizzle. I think my main issue is the short scale size. It feels a bit cramped and has changed my playing position which causes some discomfort in my right shoulder (right handed bass). When I use a full scale afterwards it feels much better. Probably takes time to get used to but maybe I’m not a short scale guy. I’m tall with long arms so perhaps more suited to long scales.
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I had a battery box installed and added an EMG EXB
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It works great for me and I just added one to my G&L Fallout short scale too.
If you go back in the thread, at least one person replaced the preamp and pickup. One did a ceramic emg pup anotherbkent armstrong - think one used a Duncan preamp but you’ll have to look / search back. I’d thought about that but after a full setup s as m enjoying this pickup in passive - it’s really a pretty simple setup and the “boost” provides some attenuation fir this hot pickup. Good luck, let us know what you decide!
No preamp, but modified the circuit:
- replaced the volume pull switch pot by a normal volume pot and permanent boost mode
- replaced the tone blend by a 12-position cap switch (1st position open, 11 positions 100pF-100nF)
Just picked up another SBMM short scale Stingray Olympic white with rosewood fretboard Had them before,but things came up and had to let them go,to pursue another bass guitar. Sure some of you have been there before. Pictures are from previous owner should be here sometime next week,if it gets shipped today. May put some Dunlop flatwounds on when it gets here. One of my basses has the Roto flatwounds,which I really like. I have always used roundwound strings down through the years,which has been over 46years. Looking forward to get another one. Got a tortoise pick guard ordered.
to add another option, I'm really liking the Ernie Ball short scale cobalt flatwounds on one of my SS Stingrays
Me too. I have the Cobalts on my EBMM and the Dunlops on my SBMM. Love them both.
Hi all, got a Nordstrand MM4.2 from Bestbassgear and want to replace the pickup on my stingray short scale, but stock switch wiring doesn't work right by connecting the new pickup to same colors as stock pickup wiring. I saw user Hovak replaced his daughter Ellen's bass (Ellenplaysbass on Youtube) with the Nordy and he got some help from Carey Nordstrand (who I've also reached out to), but haven't heard back from either yet for a diagram or pic. The sound he got in the video was outstanding! Another user posted a hand written diagram in Hovak's thread, but find it confusing. There's a lot of existing wiring on the switch besides the pickup so perhaps the handwritten diagram is a completely different wiring OR it leaves some of existing, but don't know for sure. Perhaps someone else who's upgraded to an MM4.2 could help.
I'd like to use the stock 3 way switch and wire parallel, single and series like it is now. With this pickup I'll use 250k pots for the volume and tone controls so I'd like to figure out a wiring scheme for the switch that shows connection to the volume and tone controls as well. I'm guessing for the volume I'd connect the output of switch to lug 1 (which would be wired to middle lug of tone control), middle lug of volume to hot of output jack and bend lug 3 back and wire to back of pot then ground wire to switch and to negative of output jack and a wire to back of tone pot. See pics and any help is most appreciated! Perhaps I should move this to the pickups forum, but know others have replaced pickups and just need to figure a few things out.
I'd like to use the stock 3 way switch and wire parallel, single and series like it is now. With this pickup I'll use 250k pots for the volume and tone controls so I'd like to figure out a wiring scheme for the switch that shows connection to the volume and tone controls as well. I'm guessing for the volume I'd connect the output of switch to lug 1 (which would be wired to middle lug of tone control), middle lug of volume to hot of output jack and bend lug 3 back and wire to back of pot then ground wire to switch and to negative of output jack and a wire to back of tone pot. See pics and any help is most appreciated! Perhaps I should move this to the pickups forum, but know others have replaced pickups and just need to figure a few things out.
MM4.2 pickup wiring solved thanks to Nordstrand it sounds great in every position using existing wiring harness and was less than 10 min to install. More organic sound and more classic Stingray vibe. I really liked it when I tested without the push pull and may re-wire back with 250k pots, but for now enjoying the extended range. The stock pickup was just too hot for most of my rigs, but sounded great stock through my Traynor. Will try again with the Mesa at practice tomorrow
I find this really interesting. I’ve set the pickup to factory recommended height (It was way too high and boomy when I bought it). It is the quietest of my 3 bases by a long way (Ibby with vintage Fender jazz pups and Profile P bass from Bass Centre, London). I wish it was louder as I have to remember to adjust volumes when I switch basses. It’s such a big difference it always catches me out.
Wish I'd had your pickup lol. I had no input problems with stock using with my Traynor SB112 combo for small gigs which has a 4 ohm speaker, but even with lowered pickup height on my Mesa I spent way too much time with input, compressor and everything in between - even with the push pot out and reduced volume on bass itself. I used a Nordstrand MM years ago in a Lakland and its made this bass even more useful for various styles of music and is just so balanced string to string with that burpy Ray punchy, funky sound. Having owned two of these SS4's though I have to say that they both sounded very different and remember early in this thread someone saying they were able to raise the A&D poles on theirs. Both the ones I had were sealed and potted so can't figure how that happened. The bottom of the two that I've owned looked and sounded totally different so it wouldn't surprise me if the output was slightly different on some of these. The single coil mode on the Nordy is like the best piano-like bass sound I've heard like on Walk this Way or something and the tone control feels like it came alive and is very useful now. Not sure I even need the 100k pots anymore and read they were used to help tame the Neo output, but I'm tired of playing with the wiring and wanna just the play the darn bass again now
I measured 13.2k on the series output of my stock pickup. Its all good and just feel like I have more control and response with the Nordy. YMMV
