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Stingray 3 band vs 2 band?
- Thread starter baddarryl
- Start date
I like BOTH preamps, but I love being able to get a really snarly mid sound with the mid control.
G&L's are great, but they don't sound like a Musicman.
G&L's are great, but they don't sound like a Musicman.
I know. I demoed a 3 band yesterday and loved its tone. Hard to put your hands on a G&L around here. Would love to demo them side by side. Same with the 3 and 2 band for that matter.
Three band. I guess I just feel like I have more control with it. More options. It may just be what Im use to.
I have a G&L l-2000. Its in the Musicman family. A little more snarly and dirty. Good bass as well.
I have a G&L l-2000. Its in the Musicman family. A little more snarly and dirty. Good bass as well.
Both of my SR 5's are 3 band and I love the tone and versatility. I would like to test one with a 2 band at home thru my rig though
2-band for me. I like where the treble sits on the two. I also like having fewer knobs to think about! 
3 band with a Piezo if you can afford it, definitely worth the extra money IMO and adds a whole different sound.
In my experience you can make the MM 2 and 3 band sound similar enough that the audience wouldn't notice, but personally I find it easier to dial in a sound I like the with 2 band.
The G&L instruments and EQ are a totally different beast, but great sounding as well. They seem more aggressive in a passive sounding sort of way, if that makes sense.
The G&L instruments and EQ are a totally different beast, but great sounding as well. They seem more aggressive in a passive sounding sort of way, if that makes sense.
2 seems to be the 'in thing' nowadays since its more scarce than the modern 3band.
One thing I noticed about EBMM rays, even though their build is fairly consistent the sound between each and everyone one of them is fairly different amongst those I have owned.
I have personally owned 3 2banders and all of them sound drastically different.
1. 1987 2bander, ash body with rosewood neck = the wider than standard neck aside, the tone lacks any low mids. And its either too muddy or too clanky.
2. ebmm stingray classic, ash body maple neck = same as the above. Sounds pretty good solo, not so great in the mix
3. 1989 2bander poplar(?) body w rosewood neck = this is the best of the bunch. Its bass and treble knobs seem to cut/boost at a different freq compared to my other 2banders. The bass knob seem to cut/boost the low mids(300 - 400hz) as opposed to what seemed to be the 100hz region. Warm and punchy.
The situation is the same for my 3banders, all of them sound different. My favourites are my most recent 2011 ray and a japanese stingray EX(yes, they do exist). I dont know what pickups/preamp they use in the MIJ ray but it is by far the punchiest ray I have owned.
One thing I noticed about EBMM rays, even though their build is fairly consistent the sound between each and everyone one of them is fairly different amongst those I have owned.
I have personally owned 3 2banders and all of them sound drastically different.
1. 1987 2bander, ash body with rosewood neck = the wider than standard neck aside, the tone lacks any low mids. And its either too muddy or too clanky.
2. ebmm stingray classic, ash body maple neck = same as the above. Sounds pretty good solo, not so great in the mix
3. 1989 2bander poplar(?) body w rosewood neck = this is the best of the bunch. Its bass and treble knobs seem to cut/boost at a different freq compared to my other 2banders. The bass knob seem to cut/boost the low mids(300 - 400hz) as opposed to what seemed to be the 100hz region. Warm and punchy.
The situation is the same for my 3banders, all of them sound different. My favourites are my most recent 2011 ray and a japanese stingray EX(yes, they do exist). I dont know what pickups/preamp they use in the MIJ ray but it is by far the punchiest ray I have owned.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Stingray 3 band vs 2 band?
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I have never found a 2 band preamp that I like. I like the J-retro 3 band with sweepable mids. I like the 4 band Audere. I gotta have a mid control on a preamp. The mid control brings out the angry growl on a 5 string bass.
The purists will say the old 2 band is better. Well I am not a purist. I do not think the old version is always better. There is a reason they updated the stingray to a 3 band preamp.
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I have never found a 2 band preamp that I like. I like the J-retro 3 band with sweepable mids. I like the 4 band Audere. I gotta have a mid control on a preamp. The mid control brings out the angry growl on a 5 string bass.
The purists will say the old 2 band is better. Well I am not a purist. I do not think the old version is always better. There is a reason they updated the stingray to a 3 band preamp.
I find three band preamps to offer more verstaility in tayloring different sounds.
this works well for what i play if i don't want to change basses very often.
this works well for what i play if i don't want to change basses very often.
I had an EBMM S.U.B. 5 (USA) with the 2 band EQ and I found it very easy to dial in the "classic Stingray" tone. I traded it for an EBMM Stingray 5 thinking it would be a huge upgrade, wow was I mistaken. I couldn't get comfortable with that bass and I always felt like I was wrestling with the EQ. Currently I have an EBMM Stingray 5 HH and I really enjoy the versatility of the 2 pickup/5-way switch/3 band EQ, but the S.U.B. was just that "Stingray tone" I always had in my head. However I also have a G&L M2500 and I prefer the tone of it to any Music Man. So of the available options I picked the 2 band EQ, but the 3 band on the M2500 works best for me.
I could never tame the "zing" of the three-band (I know, many players love the zing), but I really like the tone I can get with the two-band. I also have a 3-band with piezo, and the above poster is correct that it's a whole other kettle of fish. But two regular 3-bands have come and gone.
Having owned a 3-band SR5 for 6 years, I've found that I have never touched the mid knob. So 2-band it is for me...
There should be a "doesn't matter/don't care" option. I have a 98 Ray w/ the 3-band. I leave all three knobs set to flat and do my tone-shaping at the amp. I have no need for varying the tone on the bass. If I need another tone, I change basses. I'm not going to get a P-Bass or a Jazz rear-pup sound out of the Ray. And vice versa.
Geri O
Geri O
My brain wanted that mid control and my heart could hear how much better the 2 band sounded. I have owned a number of each and the 2 band is king for me. The two band has this warmth and solidness to it that the the 3 band lacks. My amps do have a couple of mid controls though, so there you go. I have found the tone and play-ability of the Classics to be fairly consistent and have a high degree of quality in all the categories, so much so that my Classic 5 has become my only electric. The rest of the collection is now gone.
"When pigs fly do they taste like chicken?"
G$
"When pigs fly do they taste like chicken?"
G$
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