• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

SBMM Stingray Short scale

#3,081
loucook said:
Has anyone installed a preamp in their SBMM short scale?
Click to expand...

I installed a 9V battery box, an EMG MMTW pickup with a EXB tone control and retained the MM stock passive eq which allows me to roll off highs if I need to. The bass sounds incredible. I also put on a set of hipshot tuners and a zero glide nut with a zero fret which improved the sound of the open strings and refined the intonation. I love this bass and it's proven itself to be an excellent instrument. The SBMM Short Scale is a great platform for modifications and I'd put mine up against any Stingray out there.
 
#3,082
Corrington said:
I did. I hated the sound of the stock pickup and the feel of the stock pots/rotary switch.
So, I did the following:
  • Routed a cavity on back for 9v battery box
  • Installed Graph Tech Ghost 9v Battery Box ($19.75)
  • Enlarged control cavity for EMG pots and wires
  • Installed Invalid Link Removed ($119) with Invalid Link Removed ($99)
Now this little Stingray sounds like a huge beast capable of crafting nearly any tone. It’s great for pop, rock, etc.
Click to expand...
I did a similar thing, I installed a 9V battery box, an EMG MMTW pickup with a EXB tone control and retained the MM stock passive eq which allows me to roll off highs if I need to. The bass sounds incredible. I also put on a set of hipshot tuners and a zero glide nut which greatly improved the sound of the open strings and refined the intonation. I love this bass and it's proven itself to be an excellent instrument. The SBMM Short Scale is a great platform for modifications and I'd put mine up against any Stingray out there. I wish they made it in a 5 string!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Corrington
#3,083
Thanks to a fellow TB-er, 3rdcurve, I have become the owner of a white w/rosewood Stingray short-scale.
CFC60A5A-5346-4E17-A8B1-FCE78E567EBD.jpeg
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mikecd1, Kubicki Fan, RodRy and 6 others
#3,085
rutabaga bob said:
Thanks to a fellow TB-er, 3rdcurve, I have become the owner of a white w/rosewood Stingray short-scale.
View attachment 5216781
Click to expand...
I'm really going to have to give one of these major consideration since its big brother isn't in the cards right now. I tried one off the wall at GC it didn't leave a good impression but maybe ordering one brand new untouched and properly setup would be a good move.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kubicki Fan
#3,086
my string search continues…

I’ve been using Stringjoy, nickel rounds on my EBMM. On the last two sets, the low E has been less lively than the rest of the set. It seems to remain that way as the string ages too. I’m not crazy about that and thinking of switching to something else.

My SBMM has Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. I really like the sound in a mix even if I still prefer a round when I’m playing by myself. The tension and lack of flexibility don’t work for me and rule it out as my string choice for the EBMM. So… I tried dropping that bass a step to D tuning on the SBMM. I like the feel much more and it still sits so nicely in a mix. I have to say, I do appreciate the smooth feel too. I’m not crazy about the thought of having my #1 bass in D all of the time, so still not likely to end up on my EBMM or my fretless SBMM.

My defretted SBMM has LaBella white tapes on it. They work but do not excite me. The Cobalts are tempting here…

I’ve tried LaBella Low Tension flats, D’Addario Chromes, and they confirmed that in general, I am not a flatwound guy… I do like the sound and smoothness of the Cobalts even though I’m not crazy about tension or stiffness. I’ve only had 1 set of stainless rounds and I don’t remember what they were. I was not crazy about the feel or the overall brightness. I had a set of GHS Balanced Nickels on my Mustang - didn’t care for them on that bass - but haven’t tried them on the Stingrays. Because of the crimp from through body stringing, they were not a candidate to try on one of my ‘Rays.

What do you all recommend I try? A set of Sunbeams? Even Hibeams? GHS Pressurewounds? GHS Balanced Nickels? Go crazy and order a set of Dogal Carbons? Something else I haven’t considered?
 
  • Like
Reactions: RodRy
#3,088
Djadja said:
my string search continues…

I’ve been using Stringjoy, nickel rounds on my EBMM. On the last two sets, the low E has been less lively than the rest of the set. It seems to remain that way as the string ages too. I’m not crazy about that and thinking of switching to something else.

My SBMM has Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. I really like the sound in a mix even if I still prefer a round when I’m playing by myself. The tension and lack of flexibility don’t work for me and rule it out as my string choice for the EBMM. So… I tried dropping that bass a step to D tuning on the SBMM. I like the feel much more and it still sits so nicely in a mix. I have to say, I do appreciate the smooth feel too. I’m not crazy about the thought of having my #1 bass in D all of the time, so still not likely to end up on my EBMM or my fretless SBMM.

My defretted SBMM has LaBella white tapes on it. They work but do not excite me. The Cobalts are tempting here…

I’ve tried LaBella Low Tension flats, D’Addario Chromes, and they confirmed that in general, I am not a flatwound guy… I do like the sound and smoothness of the Cobalts even though I’m not crazy about tension or stiffness. I’ve only had 1 set of stainless rounds and I don’t remember what they were. I was not crazy about the feel or the overall brightness. I had a set of GHS Balanced Nickels on my Mustang - didn’t care for them on that bass - but haven’t tried them on the Stingrays. Because of the crimp from through body stringing, they were not a candidate to try on one of my ‘Rays.

What do you all recommend I try? A set of Sunbeams? Even Hibeams? GHS Pressurewounds? GHS Balanced Nickels? Go crazy and order a set of Dogal Carbons? Something else I haven’t considered?
Click to expand...
I use DR HiBeams for round wound and Dogal Jaco Series, from Italy, for flat wound. These have proven to be the best strings for me and I’ve tried probably every string out there in my quest. I prefer a low tension string as I find that they sustain longer, are more responsive to the touch and seem to last longer between changes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kubicki Fan and Djadja
#3,090
Maxi Funkl said:
I'm really going to have to give one of these major consideration since its big brother isn't in the cards right now. I tried one off the wall at GC it didn't leave a good impression but maybe ordering one brand new untouched and properly setup would be a good move.
Click to expand...
They have 'good bones'. With a proper setup and tweaking (some folks ditched the tuners outright) these basses are fun and useful.
 
#3,091
laklandplayer said:
I use DR HiBeams for round wound and Dogal Jaco Series, from Italy, for flat wound. These have proven to be the best strings for me and I’ve tried probably every string out there in my quest. I prefer a low tension string as I find that they sustain longer, are more responsive to the touch and seem to last longer between changes.
Click to expand...
Tell me about the Dogals please. I don’t see the option for a 30 inch scale, do they do that custom for you or do you use one of the longer strings? In what gauges? Does it really sound more like a roundwound?

edit - I do see the set for a Hofner… is that the one you used for another short scale?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RodRy
#3,092
Djadja said:
my string search continues…

I’ve been using Stringjoy, nickel rounds on my EBMM. On the last two sets, the low E has been less lively than the rest of the set. It seems to remain that way as the string ages too. I’m not crazy about that and thinking of switching to something else.

My SBMM has Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. I really like the sound in a mix even if I still prefer a round when I’m playing by myself. The tension and lack of flexibility don’t work for me and rule it out as my string choice for the EBMM. So… I tried dropping that bass a step to D tuning on the SBMM. I like the feel much more and it still sits so nicely in a mix. I have to say, I do appreciate the smooth feel too. I’m not crazy about the thought of having my #1 bass in D all of the time, so still not likely to end up on my EBMM or my fretless SBMM.

My defretted SBMM has LaBella white tapes on it. They work but do not excite me. The Cobalts are tempting here…

I’ve tried LaBella Low Tension flats, D’Addario Chromes, and they confirmed that in general, I am not a flatwound guy… I do like the sound and smoothness of the Cobalts even though I’m not crazy about tension or stiffness. I’ve only had 1 set of stainless rounds and I don’t remember what they were. I was not crazy about the feel or the overall brightness. I had a set of GHS Balanced Nickels on my Mustang - didn’t care for them on that bass - but haven’t tried them on the Stingrays. Because of the crimp from through body stringing, they were not a candidate to try on one of my ‘Rays.

What do you all recommend I try? A set of Sunbeams? Even Hibeams? GHS Pressurewounds? GHS Balanced Nickels? Go crazy and order a set of Dogal Carbons? Something else I haven’t considered?
Click to expand...
TI Flats or TI Rounds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RodRy
#3,093
Djadja said:
What about the one you tried at GC turned you off?
Click to expand...
For lack of better term it felt like a toy, that was quickly put together with no attention to detail. The Fret edges were sharp like I've never seen before. I know that's a easy fix but it was so bad made me wonder if the frets were even installed properly. The back of the neck felt uneven sort of like it was not shaped or sanded very well. The hardware felt cheap now that could have been due to being hung on the wall & beat up. The Craftmanship & build quality was light years below the 2 Squire's I've owned or Sire V3 I played that same day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RodRy
#3,096
Maxi Funkl said:
For lack of better term it felt like a toy, that was quickly put together with no attention to detail. The Fret edges were sharp like I've never seen before. I know that's a easy fix but it was so bad made me wonder if the frets were even installed properly. The back of the neck felt uneven sort of like it was not shaped or sanded very well. The hardware felt cheap now that could have been due to being hung on the wall & beat up. The Craftmanship & build quality was light years below the 2 Squire's I've owned or Sire V3 I played that same day.
Click to expand...
I was in the same boat previously having tried one off the wall at GC. Super sharp, uneven sanding on the maple neck and generally just poor QC.
Fast forward and I’ve now owned 2, one in the black/maple which was great and an older white/rosewood which is even better. Its worth it to order outside of GC or even pick up a used rosewood one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: LadyLoveStingRay5 and Maxi Funkl
#3,097
Maxi Funkl said:
For lack of better term it felt like a toy, that was quickly put together with no attention to detail. The Fret edges were sharp like I've never seen before. I know that's a easy fix but it was so bad made me wonder if the frets were even installed properly. The back of the neck felt uneven sort of like it was not shaped or sanded very well. The hardware felt cheap now that could have been due to being hung on the wall & beat up. The Craftmanship & build quality was light years below the 2 Squire's I've owned or Sire V3 I played that same day.
Click to expand...
My experience with them is that QC is hit or miss. I’ve played (and owned) some that were quite nice. I also had one, shipped from the warehouse via GC, that had multiple issues not unlike those you mention. The tuners are a weak point but I haven’t felt the need to replace them on either of the two I’ve kept.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mikecd1, LadyLoveStingRay5 and Maxi Funkl
#3,098
cashmoneywill said:
I was in the same boat previously having tried one off the wall at GC. Super sharp, uneven sanding on the maple neck and generally just poor QC.
Fast forward and I’ve now owned 2, one in the black/maple which was great and an older white/rosewood which is even better. Its worth it to order outside of GC or even pick up a used rosewood one.
Click to expand...
I usually only use GC to test drive and order elsewhere :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: LadyLoveStingRay5
#3,100
Djadja said:
my string search continues…

I’ve been using Stringjoy, nickel rounds on my EBMM. On the last two sets, the low E has been less lively than the rest of the set. It seems to remain that way as the string ages too. I’m not crazy about that and thinking of switching to something else.
Click to expand...
Loving the Sunbeams 45-105, punchy deep E string

Maxi Funkl said:
Yeah might try another but that one needed far too much work for me to even consider it.
Click to expand...
Sadly QC inconsistent, but my second, used Oly / RW is a gem!
 
  • Like
Reactions: RodRy and brocco

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back