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Stingray E.Q. Question

michinho

michinho

Oct 11, 2013
140
1
34
London, UK
soundcloud.com
#1
Hi all,

Proud new owner of a Musicman Stingray 3eq.

Love it.

What I want to ask is... are there any of you out there that set your pre-amp with the controls boosted?

I really like the sound when the treble, mid and bass controls are boosted. Will this damage the bass in anyway? Is this not meant to be done? Am I weird for liking this? I find it gives me a more aggressive tone.

I'm asking because I just wanted to check nothing is wrong. I'm pretty OCD about these things.

The only other things in my signal chain is a Diamond Bass comp. Ohh and my amp is set completely flat.

Thanks,

Mike
 
#3
michinho said:
Hi all,

Proud new owner of a Musicman Stingray 3eq.

Love it.

What I want to ask is... are there any of you out there that set your pre-amp with the controls boosted?

I really like the sound when the treble, mid and bass controls are boosted. Will this damage the bass in anyway? Is this not meant to be done? Am I weird for liking this? I find it gives me a more aggressive tone.

I'm asking because I just wanted to check nothing is wrong. I'm pretty OCD about these things.

The only other things in my signal chain is a Diamond Bass comp. Ohh and my amp is set completely flat.

Thanks,

Mike
Click to expand...

Of course, it's meant to be done, that's why it's there...;)

No harm will come to the bass by doing thus with your EQ. However, remember that you are boosting gain, even if it's just the selected frequencies of the tone control. So watch your gain structure (and your speakers...:)) as you boost those frequencies.

I don't actually know what will happen when you use EQ boost like that. I love the sound of mine with all the EQ controls set to flat or the center detent position on the knobs. Just my preference.

Enjoy that awesome Music Man!
 
#5
Thanks for the reply guys! Very Helpful!

Do you think there is something wrong with my Ray if I feel I need to boost the e.q. (typically the treble) so I get that desired amount of Stingray bite i require?
If not would you say it's ok to continue doing this?

In terms of damaging the amp/speakers, I have my Diamond compressor on before the amp. With the comp knob about 11 it seems to level out my playing a bit dynamically. You think this will be ok for my amp if I do boost the E.Q. or just the treble?

The compression indicating LED on the Diamond goes dark orange/red quite a bit, as I hit the front end of it pretty hard combined with the hot signal of the ray. It doesn't clip or distort because I run the Diamond at 18v. I'm just asking if you think this might damage the pedal?

Thanks!
 
#6
michinho said:
Thanks for the reply guys! Very Helpful!

Do you think there is something wrong with my Ray if I feel I need to boost the e.q. (typically the treble) so I get that desired amount of Stingray bite i require? No, although the battery condition is worth mentioning when this come up. Maybe with the amp, or it doesn't have the highs output you are looking for.
If not would you say it's ok to continue doing this? Yes.

In terms of damaging the amp/speakers, I have my Diamond compressor on before the amp. With the comp knob about 11 it seems to level out my playing a bit dynamically. You think this will be ok for my amp if I do boost the E.Q. or just the treble? Yes.

The compression indicating LED on the Diamond goes dark orange/red quite a bit, as I hit the front end of it pretty hard combined with the hot signal of the ray. It doesn't clip or distort because I run the Diamond at 18v. I'm just asking if you think this might damage the pedal? No.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
#13
michinho said:
Thanks for the reply guys! Very Helpful!

Do you think there is something wrong with my Ray if I feel I need to boost the e.q. (typically the treble) so I get that desired amount of Stingray bite i require?
If not would you say it's ok to continue doing this?

In terms of damaging the amp/speakers, I have my Diamond compressor on before the amp. With the comp knob about 11 it seems to level out my playing a bit dynamically. You think this will be ok for my amp if I do boost the E.Q. or just the treble?

The compression indicating LED on the Diamond goes dark orange/red quite a bit, as I hit the front end of it pretty hard combined with the hot signal of the ray. It doesn't clip or distort because I run the Diamond at 18v. I'm just asking if you think this might damage the pedal?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I doubt there's anything wrong with the bass.. if anything, I would guess your amp/cab is voiced rather dark compared ti some, or you just like alot of bite...or..you need new strings.
 
#15
I boost the bass on my Ray - slightly, just a bit past flat. I leave the mids and treble on the bass flat.
I boost bass and low mids on my amp - one or two clicks - but not too much.

I have both a Ray and MIA P - and I hate changing the EQ on my amp every time I switch basses - the EQ I use on my amp also works well for my P.
 
#17
Have you tried the full boosted settings in a band/live situation? I own a Bongo now but use to have a 3 band EQ Stingray. I tend boost tons of bass/treble and cut mid when I'm playing at home, but when it comes to gig time those settings will get lost in the mix .....

Live situation the ray stays flat and adjust the mid/bass to the room.

I tend to sound and play better at live with any musicman bass but not enjoying playing it at home ......
 
#18
I'm still experimenting with settings, so far I've found rolling off trebble @7:00, mids @4:00 and bass @2:00 and amp set across the board @12:00 with maybe little boost on mids is working. Still having that famous G string issue though
 
#20
michinho said:
Hi all,

The only other things in my signal chain is a Diamond Bass comp. Ohh and my amp is set completely flat.

Thanks,

Mike
Click to expand...

I do it the opposite way, I start with the bass set flat and get the best fingerstyle tone I can from the amp controls only, then use the bass controls for different techniques and for the occasional boost.

If your amp has an effects send/return, put the Diamond in there so it's the last thing the signal sees before it gets to the cabinet.
 

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