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Skyline 44-02 vs Stingray
- Thread starter Mark_70
- Start date
I've owned two G&L L-2000s and got rid of them. They're almost versatile to a fault IMO. Difficult to find the tone I wanted.
Stingray. I had a 44-02. I a/b it with my MM Bongo 4H and the Bongo kicked its ass. I ended up trading it for another Bongo but the HH model.
Really? Does the HH have a switch setting that gives only the the bridge pickup coils, in Parallel? I didn't think it did? And if it doesn't, then that's like saying a Jazz gives a P bass tone by soloing the neck pickup, isn't it? I.e. Close, but no cigar.
Hmm,well,I have both a Skyline 55-02 and a EBMM SR5 and the fit and finish of the SR5,especially the neck, is more like the US Laklands than the Skylines IMHO. Jim
To each his own. I owned a Classic Ray 4 and have owned several Skylines (still own one). The fretwork on the 'Ray was just so-so and it was heavier (a hair over 10 lbs.) than any of my Skylines (which I've really liked the necks on).
Same here! The only great tone I could quickly dial in on my G&L 2500 was the passive tone, and it was sweet. But for all practical purposes my Swiss Army knife of basses ended up being used as a one trick pony. Sold it and bought a Stingray SR5 single buck. Loved the flexibility and sound of the SR5 much more than the G&L but over time I found the SR5 three band preamp to be less to my liking than the 2 band on my pre Ernie Ball Stingray.
I'd recommend the Stingray route vs Lakland but I'd suggest you try a 2 band Ray along side a 3 band Ray to see what sounds best to you.
Sterlings sound great also. I've played a couple but have never owned one so I can't offer any real advice on that front.
Sweet! Good luck!
It was playing a Stingray 5H and a Sterling 5H back to back through the same rig at a GC that convinced me the Sterling was what I wanted. I really liked the Stingray tone, but then I plugged in the Sterling and the tone of the very first note just blew me away. Love at first listen!
It was playing a Stingray 5H and a Sterling 5H back to back through the same rig at a GC that convinced me the Sterling was what I wanted. I really liked the Stingray tone, but then I plugged in the Sterling and the tone of the very first note just blew me away. Love at first listen!
FWIW, I had Skyline 5501. Not a bad bass at all and the price was right when I bought it. Even upgraded pu's and preamp but in the end never found a sound I was thrilled with and couldn't adjust to 35" scale. Have had a SR 5 over 1.5 years and never looked back. Build quality and workmanship fantastic.
Personally, I prefer the slightly less aggressive sounding alnico pickups vs the ceramics. Stingrays have a fair amount of upper mid bite that adds to the character on sound but needs to be tamed sometimes. I'm also very happy with the single H pickup. I played a few HH models and found the pickup to get in the way. If I'm messing around at home, having looks of pickup options/settings is fun to mess with but on the gig, I've never found the need to mess with the controls/settings much beyond volume and basic tone shaping. The current SR5's have a 3 way switch:
Pos 1 - Coils in series
Pos 2 - Coils in series with filter
Pos 3 - Coils in parallel
I messed with them all at various times but always come back to Pos 1 95% of the time.
Personally, I prefer the slightly less aggressive sounding alnico pickups vs the ceramics. Stingrays have a fair amount of upper mid bite that adds to the character on sound but needs to be tamed sometimes. I'm also very happy with the single H pickup. I played a few HH models and found the pickup to get in the way. If I'm messing around at home, having looks of pickup options/settings is fun to mess with but on the gig, I've never found the need to mess with the controls/settings much beyond volume and basic tone shaping. The current SR5's have a 3 way switch:
Pos 1 - Coils in series
Pos 2 - Coils in series with filter
Pos 3 - Coils in parallel
I messed with them all at various times but always come back to Pos 1 95% of the time.
I have owned Stingray, skyline and Lakland USA, in my experience Stingray feels more like the Skyline. IME the USA Lakland felt superior than the SR.
I agree with you. I had previously owned 2 MM SR5s and currently own a Lakland 55-94 and Skyline 55-64. The SRs feel way closer to the Skyline. Nothing at all like the US Lakland.
I suppose there's bound to be some variation. My SR5 is a 2012 PDN model and the level of fit, finish, playability, quality of materials, etc is on par with many boutique basses I've played.
Yep. And the pre-2008 SR5 is the same as the current Sterling, which is:
Pos 1 - Series
Pos 2 - Single coil (bridge side coil)
Pos 3 - Parallel
I generally just use Series, also. But, I think the Parallel mode gives the best slap tone.
Bridge side single coil is what it is. Some people really like that tone. For me, it has its place in certain songs, but, otherwise, is my least used setting on my Sterling (or my old Stingray 5H).
Actually Pos 2 is single coil with phantom coil (for hum canceling) I believe. For some reason they switch that to the filter option post 2008. Wish they would provide more specifics on the filter and how it works. I'm more of a finger style guy but will have to try the parallel for some slap stuff.
I've owned a Skyline 44-02 .. twice. I've also owned a Stingray 4HH SLO. You say you're looking at diversity, and mentioned more than once that you are attracted to the aggression/punch/attack of the MM, something your other basses don't provide. While the 44-02 is a fine instrument, I'd concur with some of the other posters ... and your own words ... that the Stingray would serve your needs better. The bridge pickup on the 44-02 is not in the same place as on the Stingray, so while it can get close, it's not the same.
Better yet, definitely try out a Sterling. The H gets you close to a 'Ray in parallel mode, and you get a serious bite when in series. Of course, you may not like the narrower neck dimensions.
I currently own a MM Reflex. In several A/B comparisons (Reflex vs. 3 different Sterlings), even in active/series/bridge pickup mode, it does not seem to have the same aggressiveness & bite as the Sterling H models I've tried (2 single H & 1 Hp). It's why I'll probably be adding one of these Sterlings in the next few weeks.
Better yet, definitely try out a Sterling. The H gets you close to a 'Ray in parallel mode, and you get a serious bite when in series. Of course, you may not like the narrower neck dimensions.
I currently own a MM Reflex. In several A/B comparisons (Reflex vs. 3 different Sterlings), even in active/series/bridge pickup mode, it does not seem to have the same aggressiveness & bite as the Sterling H models I've tried (2 single H & 1 Hp). It's why I'll probably be adding one of these Sterlings in the next few weeks.
I'm sure the OP comparison is being made between a regular EBMM and a Skyline 44-02 at the given price point. Throwing in limited run models as a comparison is like saying 'my $$$$ CS Fender feels boutique'. Well i would expect it to at the price.
EBMMs are fantastic production basses, but so are the Skylines.
