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So that's the stingray tone!
- Thread starter Nickthebassist
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I played a Warwick Jazzman FNA the day that I ended up buyin my SR5. 
The Warwick had a great bridge pickup growl, was flexible, a cool bass. For me, I liked the SR5 neck better, and it felt more alive, and had a more full-range tone with SOME growl, but more to it. But the Warwick might get you the tone you were hearing. 
You might have to forgive all us SR fans from getting grumpy when you say "I want the SR sound" but then listing all the reasons why you don't like them.
ps. have you played a Bongo?
The Warwick had a great bridge pickup growl, was flexible, a cool bass. For me, I liked the SR5 neck better, and it felt more alive, and had a more full-range tone with SOME growl, but more to it. But the Warwick might get you the tone you were hearing. You might have to forgive all us SR fans from getting grumpy when you say "I want the SR sound" but then listing all the reasons why you don't like them.
ps. have you played a Bongo?
Excuse me? I take that as an insult to my playing ability.barkatozz said:And after you get your Warwick & Kustom amp, make sure to get some lessons to go with it.
I have played a Bongo yes, awesome bass. I like it a lot, but it's just those looks........looks are important to me. I know some people may slag me off for it, but it's the truth.stretch80 said:I played a Warwick Jazzman FNA the day that I ended up buyin my SR5.
You might have to forgive all us SR fans from getting grumpy when you say "I want the SR sound" but then listing all the reasons why you don't like them.
ps. have you played a Bongo?
Michael Jewels said:As good as they sound when recorded well, Stingrays, and all Ernie Ball basses sound sooo much better when heard live.
Mike
I saw Tower of Power last night. The opening band's bass player walked out with a Stingray, plugged into a DI on floor (no amp). Sounded REALLY nice. My wife just rolled her eyes when I commented on how good the tone was. She's thinking Kubicki to Fender to Sadowsky and now he wants a Stingray. Liked the tone a lot. Maybe even more than Rocco . . . .
Planet Boulder
Hey, this is a private residence...man
- Nov 10, 2001
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- Disclosures
- I once had impure thoughts. Oh, and I pluck my ear hair.
Nickthebassist said:Excuse me? I take that as an insult to my playing ability.
I don't see how.....?
Nick - get the Warwick $$, then start a thread on "Why doesn't my Warwick $$ sound like a Stingray, except with more growl and pile-drivingly heavy lows??" Then blame your amp, cab, eq, Sansamp, cord, strap, and the humidity.
Or just get a stingray, like the **2 billion years** worth of bass playing experience at TB has been saying - and get over the looks if you love the tone.
Your choice, though.
**(give or take a few yrs.)**
Or just get a stingray, like the **2 billion years** worth of bass playing experience at TB has been saying - and get over the looks if you love the tone.
Your choice, though.
**(give or take a few yrs.)**
People who know bass know that stingrays rock. you just gotta know how to get it to sound good. i agree with the folks who say that stingrays are better for live performance than they are in the studio. they're not for novice players, learn how to get a good tone then get yourself a stingray.
Now that I have a SR5 again, I can say that the Stingray both is and is not a 'one trick pony'. It's true that the Stingrayness tends to come out at most settings, but the there are many different types of Stingray sounds. One can go really trebly and get a really sharp slapping sound or edgy, grindy pick sound. As a number of us have mentioned, you can get a dub sound if you are patient and have a good touch.
Touch really is the key. An SR is like an acoustic instrument in that it is really responsive to touch or the dynamics of one's playing style. Turning down the treble , seting the mids flat, playing with the front of my fingers instead of the tips closer to the end of the fingerboard yields a sound very close to a P-bass.
I think you have to remember that the SR or SR5 is a one pickup bass. A one pickup bass will not have the dramatic tonal shifts that a two pickup bass can give you with little effort. Tone shading a on one pup bass will be more subtle, even with the good preamp and controls on a Sterling or SR5. So much for my rambling.
Touch really is the key. An SR is like an acoustic instrument in that it is really responsive to touch or the dynamics of one's playing style. Turning down the treble , seting the mids flat, playing with the front of my fingers instead of the tips closer to the end of the fingerboard yields a sound very close to a P-bass.
I think you have to remember that the SR or SR5 is a one pickup bass. A one pickup bass will not have the dramatic tonal shifts that a two pickup bass can give you with little effort. Tone shading a on one pup bass will be more subtle, even with the good preamp and controls on a Sterling or SR5. So much for my rambling.
see i can understand how one would want a bass that looks good. there are a lot of basses out there that are friggen ugly. straight up. me, i think the ray is one of the sexiest bass' out there. it just wasnt what is for me.
besides, guys, arent you supposed to look cool when you are playing on stage?
besides, guys, arent you supposed to look cool when you are playing on stage?
As Dr Cheese said, being a 1 pup bass kinda sets it up for the "1 trick pony" label.
Everytime I pick up my SR4 it blows me away with it's response to touch & dynamics, it's also one of the only basses I've played that resonates so much I can feel every note coming through the ( absofreakinlootly awesome looking ) body and into mine. It's a real connection that I haven't felt with anything else ( Basswise anyway ). I sometimes think of getting rid of it to try something else but then I come to my senses as soon as I play it again.
You really can get a bunch of sounds depending on where ( in relation to the bridge, pups etc ) you play & the onboard eq is fantastic.
And it looks cool too!
I also agree that it's easy to make it sound sucky if you don't know what you're doing. It took me almost 20 years of wanting one before I thought I was ready ( both financially & talent/chops/technique wise ). They are not very forgiving & I still make myself grimace sometimes.
Suck it up Nick, you know you want one.
Everytime I pick up my SR4 it blows me away with it's response to touch & dynamics, it's also one of the only basses I've played that resonates so much I can feel every note coming through the ( absofreakinlootly awesome looking ) body and into mine. It's a real connection that I haven't felt with anything else ( Basswise anyway ). I sometimes think of getting rid of it to try something else but then I come to my senses as soon as I play it again.
You really can get a bunch of sounds depending on where ( in relation to the bridge, pups etc ) you play & the onboard eq is fantastic.
And it looks cool too!
I also agree that it's easy to make it sound sucky if you don't know what you're doing. It took me almost 20 years of wanting one before I thought I was ready ( both financially & talent/chops/technique wise ). They are not very forgiving & I still make myself grimace sometimes.
Suck it up Nick, you know you want one.
xshawnxearthx said:see i can understand how one would want a bass that looks good. there are a lot of basses out there that are friggen ugly. straight up. me, i think the ray is one of the sexiest bass' out there. it just wasnt what is for me.
besides, guys, arent you supposed to look cool when you are playing on stage?
of course man, thats how u get the chicks. cuz thats definitely what this is all about.
Nick, I hear Mike Kroeger thinks stringrays are quite the sex. You wouldn't want to dissapoint him now would ya?
If you dig the tone, buy it man. Who cares what it looks like...stingrays are hot but if you dont think so thats ok. Even if the bass did look like a pile of ass, as long as it sounds good no one cares.
Good luck with your lessons young grasshopper.
-Alex
Well nick it seems you've managed to prove yourself wrong again, congratulations. Too bad it takes you so damn long.
Danm said:As Dr Cheese said, being a 1 pup bass kinda sets it up for the "1 trick pony" label.
You really can get a bunch of sounds depending on where ( in relation to the bridge, pups etc ) you play & the onboard eq is fantastic.
And it looks cool too!
I also agree that it's easy to make it sound sucky if you don't know what you're doing. It took me almost 20 years of wanting one before I thought I was ready ( both financially & talent/chops/technique wise ). They are not very forgiving & I still make myself grimace sometimes.
Suck it up Nick, you know you want one.
Couldnt agree more with that. I been the proud owner of a stingray 5 fretless for the last 4 months, its an amazing instrument, but you have to rely more on your technique to be able to produce different sounds with it. Just by playing in different positions and with a subtle use of the eq, you can achieve a great number of sounds.
cgworkman said:
I think it has more to do with the shape of the pickup ... its not trying to copy the mm sound at all.. I don't think that was ever Laklands mission.
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