Stingray HH players - favorite pickup switch settings?

[dave64o]

Since getting my Stingray 5HH in 2007, it has been my uncontested favorite bass. I've owned some other nice basses since then and a few have come close to my Stingray in one aspect or another, but no bass I've owned has beaten it at all - overall sound, tonal versatility, playability, and even looks (the "scores" for each of those are totally subjective based on how I percieve the bass and, for that matter, those specific factors are also my subjective choice of factors).

For almost that entire time, my favorite pickup switch position has been #4, the inner coils. But lately I've developed a whole new appreciation for #5, neck pickup. By itself, I think I'd still pick #4. But I've been playing around a lot with different combinations of my overdrive pedals recently and I'm finding that position #5 seems to work REALLY well with drive pedals. As in, the only thing could knock this bass out of its role as my #1 bass was ... this bass. I won't know for sure until my band fills the open guitarist spot and starts rehearsing again, but there's a chance that this bass in pickup position #5 might actually knock this bass in pickup position #4 out of the top spot.

I realize that a some single H players may wander in and ignore my question just to be able to say that the only good Stingray is the single H. But I'm not asking which pickup combination (H, HS, HH) is your favorite, is better or worse than the other models, etc. I'm interested in hearing from those who own and play a Stingray HH model which pickup position(s) they prefer. So ... which do you prefer?

 

[Killing Floor]

Center spot is hot but I use the neck too. They all have a use.

 

[Bassclef46]

I use them all but my favorite is the neck pickup only. That warm and fuzzy feeling. It’s a beautiful thing

 

[dave64o]

I agree. Depending on what's in our set list for a given show, I'll use most if not all of them in a gig.

But I was just surprised at this ... revelation that I had.

 

[TheMarkSide]

I just got my first stingray special 5 HH a week ago, so I’ve been experimenting A LOT. So far, I would use position 1 (bridge only) for any “classic stingray tone” - think rage against the machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, MXPX, or Avenged Sevenfold. For anything P-bassy, I use position 5 - think Greenday/punk, or roll the treble off to get more of a Motown vibe. Position 3 (both humbuckers) I find to be really fat/thick, which is perfect for any “modern” bass tone, so I tend to use this for rock/R&B/Pop music - Black Eyed Peas, 311, Incubus, etc… or roll off a bit of treble, boost bass a touch and it’s very well suited for Reggae. Lastly, position 4 is somewhat Jazz-bassy to me, so I tend to use this for slap (either positions 3, or 4) and/or or to mimic a thinner 2 pickup tone that seems to be good for things like Rush/Metallica. Overall, the only position I’ve found that I don’t like is position 2 (2 outer coils - closest to neck and bridge) - it just seems to midrange-y/honky for anything I play. This is further reinforced in a band/mix scenario where haven’t been able to find a song/mix where this tone works.

Anyone else have a least favorite position, or one that you very rarely use/try?

The stingray is the only bass I’ve ever owned where I thought the bridge pickup could be used on it’s own. I know I’m about to start a war here, but in my opinion, I’ve NEVER had a Jazz, P/J, or double humbucker bass where the bridge pickup sounded good by itself. At a max, I would sometimes slightly favor the bridge to get a very burpy “jaco” type of tone, but very rare that I ever need something like that.

overall, I think I would trade position 2 for the ability to use just the bridge-side coil of the neck pickup (coil 3?). I think solo’ing this should be pretty close to a p-bass, or neck pickup of a jazz bass, which I would have a lot of use for. I’d be curious to see the difference between this and the stock position 5 (neck humbucker). I may try re-wiring the 5 way selector to make this possible, or perhaps reworking with coil splits (probably push/pull pots) so that I could have access to each coil individually - I’ve seen some great videos online where this seems to really open up the tonal possibilities.

With everything stock, this is still one of the most versatile basses out there IMO. You can nail a stingray tone and emulate other basses well enough that it would be passable to 90% of listeners. I would argue that no bass can get close to classic stingray tone (bridge only), even G&L/Sandberg. I attribute this to pickup placement - to me, the bridge pickup of the stingray is the closest to the neck out of any bass - it’s damn near in the normal P position if you look at measurements. I had concern over how close the neck pickup is to the neck (I thought it would sound too full/round/woody), but I think because the bass overall is pretty honky in the mids, this makes up for the pickup placement.

 

[Wicked G]

I know this is an old thread, but since it has been resurrected I will say that I primarily use positions 4 and 3 in that order. Mostly 4 as of late. And I should add that these are on two Stingray Special 4 HH's.

 

[jivetkr]

When I had an HH I liked both pickups on full.

 

[dave64o]

Interesting having this thread resurrected - and I appreciate the opinions.

In an unexpected twist, right after I posted this thread I found a great deal on a 2019 Stingray Special 5HH and bought that one to complement my 2007 ceramic SR5HH (it has the ceramic pickups and the preamp from the Sterling 5). It complements it very well and I've been VERY happy with the pair of them. After playing both basses for the past year, the 2019 and 2007 are effectively my co-number ones and, despite the difference in their general characters, I have similar pickup switch preferences on both basses. However, they've morphed a bit since my original post.

Position 4 is still by far my favorite and I find it kind of P-like. Position 5 is also kind of P-like to me as well, but a different flavor of it I still prefer Position 4, though, and have been using Position 5 a little less. So Position 5 has actually NOT knocked Position 4 out of the top spot for me.

Interesting that @TheMarkSide uses Position 3 for a modern tone. I tend to roll off most of the treble, boost the mids a little bit, and boost the bass a little more than the mids for a warmer, fuller, more vintagey tone. It's great on our older blues songs and times when I don't want an aggressive tone, though I do use a very light, always-on overdrive with it. I do agree that it's also a great tone for a reggae vibe (we don't do any real reggae, but we do Clapton's version of I Shot The Sheriff), especially with the highs cut a bit.

I find Position 2 to be the one that's more like a Jazz, specifically a Jazz with both pickups on full or, with a blend, at a 50-50 blend. I like boosting the mids a bit with Position 2 and add a brighter overdrive with this one for a great rock bass tone that's different from what I get with Position 5.

I'd be surprised if there's much debate about what Position 1 does - or just how well it does it. We don't play funk and I'm not really a slapper, but I use this position for times when I want my most aggressive tone, especially with a my dirtiest overdrive (in reality it's still a lighter to medium overdrive but it's just the dirtiest OD that I myself use).

Keep 'em coming!

 

[KaseOfBass]

I was always a tried and true single H fan, and while I’ve owned several HH models, always found position 1 as home. That is, until this last HH I got, where I primarily run it on position 3 with the preamp flat. I’ll use #5 here and there, never use 2 or 4, and even though I love the standard H tone, I hardly ever use #1 anymore.

Before, I always considered #3 as a “bedroom tone,” sounding great by itself but a little too scooped for live. Then I used it, listened to our board recordings, and found it was fitting perfectly. Totally changed my mind and made #3 my go-to for the majority of tunes.

 

[TheMarkSide]

For reference

 

[TheMarkSide]

Interesting that @TheMarkSide uses Position 3 for a modern tone. I tend to roll off most of the treble, boost the mids a little bit, and boost the bass a little more than the mids for a warmer, fuller, more vintagey tone. It's great on our older blues songs and times when I don't want an aggressive tone, though I do use a very light, always-on overdrive with it. I do agree that it's also a great tone for a reggae vibe (we don't do any real reggae, but we do Clapton's version of I Shot The Sheriff), especially with the highs cut a bit.

With a little more experimenting, I think that position 3 is just a more round/warm version of position 4. When I want deep/smooth bass, position 3 is where I generally gravitate. Works great for 90’s rap, 2000’s pop, etc.. pretty much anytime you just want general thick BASS without a ton of character. I’m sure this same tone would work great for blues rock as your describing with the treble cut a little (take it further to 0% and boost bass for reggae). I think a lot of people would/could use position 4 for this, but to me, position 4 has more of a single-coil P or J pickup sound that’s a little thinner and more edgy than position 3.

Anyone else out there using position 4 for slapping? To me, position 4 is more of a “standard” slap tone, where position 5 is more of a “Flea” slap tone haha.

 

[ics1974]

Interesting having this thread resurrected - and I appreciate the opinions.

In an unexpected twist, right after I posted this thread I found a great deal on a 2019 Stingray Special 5HH and bought that one to complement my 2007 ceramic SR5HH (it has the ceramic pickups and the preamp from the Sterling 5). It complements it very well and I've been VERY happy with the pair of them. After playing both basses for the past year, the 2019 and 2007 are effectively my co-number ones and, despite the difference in their general characters, I have similar pickup switch preferences on both basses. However, they've morphed a bit since my original post.

Position 4 is still by far my favorite and I find it kind of P-like. Position 5 is also kind of P-like to me as well, but a different flavor of it I still prefer Position 4, though, and have been using Position 5 a little less. So Position 5 has actually NOT knocked Position 4 out of the top spot for me.

Interesting that @TheMarkSide uses Position 3 for a modern tone. I tend to roll off most of the treble, boost the mids a little bit, and boost the bass a little more than the mids for a warmer, fuller, more vintagey tone. It's great on our older blues songs and times when I don't want an aggressive tone, though I do use a very light, always-on overdrive with it. I do agree that it's also a great tone for a reggae vibe (we don't do any real reggae, but we do Clapton's version of I Shot The Sheriff), especially with the highs cut a bit.

I find Position 2 to be the one that's more like a Jazz, specifically a Jazz with both pickups on full or, with a blend, at a 50-50 blend. I like boosting the mids a bit with Position 2 and add a brighter overdrive with this one for a great rock bass tone that's different from what I get with Position 5.

I'd be surprised if there's much debate about what Position 1 does - or just how well it does it. We don't play funk and I'm not really a slapper, but I use this position for times when I want my most aggressive tone, especially with a my dirtiest overdrive (in reality it's still a lighter to medium overdrive but it's just the dirtiest OD that I myself use).

Keep 'em coming!

I have the same 2007 Stingray 5 HH. Ceramic pickups, Sterling preamp. Did you know the pickups are wired in series? I just found out recently.
Anyways is there much of a sound difference between the 2007 and the Stingray Special HH? If so please describe the difference.

 

[ElectricBass72]

The poll says only 2 choices and I voted 1 & 2... but I like 1, 2 & 4. I hardly ever use 3 & 5.

 

[dave64o]

Hmm, I honestly can't remember how I initially set up the poll or if at the time I saw a way to allow any number of the choices to be selected in a single vote.

Not intentionally, but I guess my question is effectively what is your top one or two pickup selection positions on a Stingray HH.

 

[dave64o]

I have the same 2007 Stingray 5 HH. Ceramic pickups, Sterling preamp. Did you know the pickups are wired in series? I just found out recently.
Anyways is there much of a sound difference between the 2007 and the Stingray Special HH? If so please describe the difference.

I find the basic character of my ceramic to be more aggressive and in-your-face sounding than my Stingray Special. It's very similar to a Sterling 5, which is no surprise given the pickups and preamp in it. Also, that in-your-face tone is not a negative. It does that tone in a "ood way, as in, with the EQ set flat, it's still sounds great in all five pickup positions, just closer to a Sterling.

Until about two weeks ago I had Chromes on my ceramic and then I put Elixir Nanowebs on it, which are the same strings currently on my Special (though the strings on the Special are now about seven or eight months old), so the comparison between them is a little more apples-to-apples and the difference is now more noticeable. But, I like that difference, it's why I wanted these two basses.

That being said, the EQ on both is powerful enough that there's still a lot of overlap between these two basses so I can easily use one for an entire four set gig and not feel like I'm "settling" for a tone. They can both do it all and I could honestly be completely satisfied if either of them was my only bass.

But I'm glad they're not and that I do have both ... and would like a third one that's different from these two. That supposed third one could be a Classic 5 (a break from the norm for me since I LOVE the HH's), a 2008-2017 alnico 3-band HH, or even some future BFR model.

 

[ics1974]

I find the basic character of my ceramic to be more aggressive and in-your-face sounding than my Stingray Special. It's very similar to a Sterling 5, which is no surprise given the pickups and preamp in it. Also, that in-your-face tone is not a negative. It does that tone in a "ood way, as in, with the EQ set flat, it's still sounds great in all five pickup positions, just closer to a Sterling.

Until about two weeks ago I had Chromes on my ceramic and then I put Elixir Nanowebs on it, which are the same strings currently on my Special (though the strings on the Special are now about seven or eight months old), so the comparison between them is a little more apples-to-apples and the difference is now more noticeable. But, I like that difference, it's why I wanted these two basses.

That being said, the EQ on both is powerful enough that there's still a lot of overlap between these two basses so I can easily use one for an entire four set gig and not feel like I'm "settling" for a tone. They can both do it all and I could honestly be completely satisfied if either of them was my only bass.

But I'm glad they're not and that I do have both ... and would like a third one that's different from these two. That supposed third one could be a Classic 5 (a break from the norm for me since I LOVE the HH's), a 2008-2017 alnico 3-band HH, or even some future BFR model.

Nice! Do you find the ceramic has a thicker sound then the special?

 

[Tubehed]

In order of preference:

1,3,4,5,2

I think they are all useful and can be optimized by using the active eq. 2 sounds a bit thin and brittle to me flat but can be filled out with a little low and mid boost.

 

[v-12]

I like positions 1,2, & 4, and will completely agree with @TheMarkSide- my HH is the first bass I’ve owned that I like the bridge pickup alone.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Only tried my first Special 5HH the other week, but I really dug positions 2, 4, and 1. Honestly, if I wasn’t on a work trip I probably would have bought the bass as I’ve been looking for a 5 string. I had a Special 5H for awhile, but the single humbucker didn’t give me enough of what I was looking for so out it went.

 

[roccobladr]

Position 1- obvious choice
Position 2 - I agree with others that it gives some jazzy vibes
Position 3 - my work horse. Great modern tone that kinda works for most applications IMO
Position 4 - my favorite tone for aggressive playing, especially with a pick. I like using this for punk, hard core and such.
Position 5 - I really want to like and use it but I find it so challenging to get a useable tone out of it.