Stingray perfect for BEAD?

[Ric5]

Is the Stingray the perfect bass for BEAD tuning?

Stingrays are famous for having a great low B and also famous for a weaker G string.

So logically wouldn't this be the best bass guitar for a BEAD tuning???

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

Almost any 4 string can be tuned to BEAD tuning.

 

[s4001]

Wouldn't be surprised. My Stingray sounds better and is more comfortable with higher guage strings. YMMV

 

[jamminology101]

Raise the pickup on the G string side. ..I do on all my mm basses and they sound great. As previous poster stated any four stringer can be tuned bead but stingrays are built like tanks so I think they would be a great bass to handle the in increased neck tension and I think their large pole pick ups handle the lower frequency spectrum very admirably.

 

[SoVeryTired]

Increased neck tension?

I'd have thought it'd be lower with BEAD, as (unless you have a balanced tension set) the lower strings are usually much lower tension than the D and G.

 

[thisSNsucks]

I'd imagine it would work great. Mine always sounds better when downtuned 1/2 step so I'm sure BEAD would sound great too.

The weak G was easily solved by Tony Levin when he had EBMM make him a 3 String StingRay lol.

My 78 StingRay's G isn't too bad, but the pickup is almost completely raised on the G side and lowered nearly all the way on the E.

 

[Ric5]

Increased neck tension?

I'd have thought it'd be lower with BEAD, as (unless you have a balanced tension set) the lower strings are usually much lower tension than the D and G.

Yes ... BEAD is less tension than EADG

 

[Ric5]

I imagine a stingray would also be good for DGCF tuning as well.

 

[Ric5]

Almost any 4 string can be tuned to BEAD tuning.

Yes of course ... but stingrays always have a better low B than Fenders.

Ibanez also usually has a good low B as well.

 

[SilGarzaJr]

I imagine a stingray would also be good for DGCF tuning as well.

Yes

 

[jamminology101]

I'd imagine it would work great. Mine always sounds better when downtuned 1/2 step so I'm sure BEAD would sound great too.

The weak G was easily solved by Tony Levin when he had EBMM make him a 3 String StingRay lol.

My 78 StingRay's G isn't too bad, but the pickup is almost completely raised on the G side and lowered nearly all the way on the E.

Lol...same on mine. I have found it helps fender jazzes as well.

 

[Nephilymbass]

There's a few guys in my area that play 4 string stingrays tuned to C, B and even drop A. They do sound pretty good. But I don't think the g on the 5 strings sounds that bad. Defiently workable.

 

[lomo]

Better off with a 35" 4 like a Spector, and the ultimate IMHO would be a 36" Dingwall 4-banger.

 

[jamminology101]

Yes ... BEAD is less tension than EADG

Actually the A and D strings are the ones with the most tension.

 

[jamminology101]

So I guess its kinda a wash huh....hhmm

 

[SoVeryTired]

Yes of course ... but stingrays always have a better low B than Fenders.

Ibanez also usually has a good low B as well.

Isn't that when looking at 5-strings though?

I could be wrong, just thinking about this - why some manufacturers have a good or bad rep for their B string. When we have these discussions it's usually regarding their 5-string basses. If it's a matter of some necks handling the tension better than others, then in theory any 4-string that can handle EADG would work well as BEAD will have lower tension.

 

[Ric5]

So I guess its kinda a wash huh....hhmm

The low B has less tension than a G string ... hence BEAD has less tension than EADG.

But for me I prefer BEADG to any 4 string no matter how it is tuned.

 

[SoVeryTired]

For those interested in the tension aspect, here's some figures, using Daddario ProSteels as an example.

For a 45-105 set, the tension in lbs would be as follows on a 34" bass:
45 - 41.52
65 - 47.12
85 - 44.17
105 - 36.67
Total - 169.48

Take the G away, and replace it with a .135 B:
65 - 47.12
85 - 44.17
105 - 36.67
135 - 33.24
Total - 161.2

So the BEAD tuning would be 8.28lbs lower in tension, or around 5% less. That makes me think that any 4-stringer could handle BEAD well, given good strings - floppy Bs are often as a result of mismatched tension (see above!).

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Since when are Stingray famous for their great low B?

They are not the worst but they are far from great in my experience. I would rather have a weak G than a sloppy B, but that is just me.

 

[lbanks]

Works well on a Jazz, should work well for a 'ray.