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Stingray special bass pickup

T

Tuna Can Dan

Aug 31, 2017
211
429
#1
What’s up everyone! I have a quick question. Does anyone prefer the alnico magnet over the neodymium on the new stingray specials? I have a special and put a Aguilar pickup in it and in my opinion it sounds amazing! I feel like the alnico produces that stingray zing. The neodymium is amazing also but for me it’s overly bass heavy and I can’t turn my volume past 1.5 without drowning my entire band out. I also have a second stingray special ebony with ebony board and prior to me putting the Aguilar in my white bass stock for stock they both sounded way different. I know the fretboards are different but I didn’t expect to hear that big of a difference. The maple produced a more zing while the ebony was more mellow. Anyone else experience anything like this or am I going crazy?
 
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#2
You might try the pickup forum. I don't have any experience with Neo pickups (But I like Neo Speakers well enough). There aren't a ton of Neo pickups out there, so It's hard to generalize. I assume MM went with them because the special was about saving weight, and Stingray pickups with alnico are really heavy. The concern I had, when they annouced, was that magnet type does matter for tone. The clips I've heard of the specials sound pretty much like a normal Ray though. But if you found a pickup you like for yours, I'd just stick with it.
 
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#6
If you set up a Stingray with a lot less zing, aren't you heading into Jazz bass territory?

I just put Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on mine, and with an Empress Para EQ, I've tamed my Stingray quite a bit.

I always wanted to experiment with different pickups, but am satisfied with the original Stingray tone, I thought, why bother?

By the way my Stingray is a 2001 model.

What kind of pickups do I have?

Mike
 
#10
Michael Jewels said:
If you set up a Stingray with a lot less zing, aren't you heading into Jazz bass territory?

I just put Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats on mine, and with an Empress Para EQ, I've tamed my Stingray quite a bit.

I always wanted to experiment with different pickups, but am satisfied with the original Stingray tone, I thought, why bother?

By the way my Stingray is a 2001 model.

What kind of pickups do I have?

Mike
Click to expand...

A 2001 SR5 will have ceramic pickups. Bright, edgy, some call them nasty. I call them awesome.

Sometime in 2008 saw Music Man move to Alnico pickups. Not quite as edgy, a little sweeter-sounding, but still sounding all Stingray.

In my humble opinion, of course...:D

(SR5s used ceramic pickups from 1992 to 2008)
 
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#11
the pickups on the stingray special are beautifully made and sound great.

they're quite different in freq response from standard stingray pickups, but in my opinion (having owned both) it is the best version of "change everything as long as you don't change anything" that we tend to confront when updating a classic. it still sounds very much like a stingray, perhaps with deeper lows and more crisp highs.

MM has always made killer pickups, i wouldn't replace them.
 
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#12
groooooove said:
the pickups on the stingray special are beautifully made and sound great.

they're quite different in freq response from standard stingray pickups, but in my opinion (having owned both) it is the best version of "change everything as long as you don't change anything" that we tend to confront when updating a classic. it still sounds very much like a stingray, perhaps with deeper lows and more crisp highs.

MM has always made killer pickups, i wouldn't replace them.
Click to expand...

I totally agree.... the pickups have a certain smoothness that I have never encountered in any other bass. Also, the evenness of string tone is the best I have heard. I think they knocked it out of the park with the Specials!
 
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#14
Kilgore777 said:
Was that also true of Sterlings from that same time-frame? I have a vague recollection of the Sterling PUs and selector switch mirroring SR5s at some point. I could be totally off..... I own a Sterling from 2001.
Click to expand...

I've been searching for information on the Sterling pickups and all I can find is that the pickups have always been ceramic and as far as I can tell, still are to this day.
 
#16
Kilgore777 said:
Thanks. I thought that might be the case, but I don't like to rely on my failing memory!
Click to expand...

Even though I've owned several Stingray 5-strings and dug into the history, I am by no means an authority on the history of all things Stingray, even less so with Sterlings. I did some searching around and that is what I came up with. There's not much in the way of specific history on Sterlings, even on their forums.

There is a very cool non-MM-associated website (www.musicmanbass.global) that digs pretty deep into Music Man's history and evolution over the years. I've not seen anyone dispute its accuracy. But I don't think there's any mention of Sterling on that site. Still makes for great reading.
 
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#17
Kilgore777 said:
I totally agree.... the pickups have a certain smoothness that I have never encountered in any other bass. Also, the evenness of string tone is the best I have heard. I think they knocked it out of the park with the Specials!
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more!

To me, a Stingray has the best low E to F transition I've ever heard.

Deep, growly, a little coarse, but smooth. :bassist:

Mike
 
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#18
Geri O said:
Even though I've owned several Stingray 5-strings and dug into the history, I am by no means an authority on the history of all things Stingray, even less so with Sterlings. I did some searching around and that is what I came up with. There's not much in the way of specific history on Sterlings, even on their forums.

There is a very cool non-MM-associated website (www.musicmanbass.global) that digs pretty deep into Music Man's history and evolution over the years. I've not seen anyone dispute its accuracy. But I don't think there's any mention of Sterling on that site. Still makes for great reading.
Click to expand...

Thanks, will have to check that site out!
 
#19
Tuna Can Dan said:
What’s up everyone! I have a quick question. Does anyone prefer the alnico magnet over the neodymium on the new stingray specials? I have a special and put a Aguilar pickup in it and in my opinion it sounds amazing! I feel like the alnico produces that stingray zing. The neodymium is amazing also but for me it’s overly bass heavy and I can’t turn my volume past 1.5 without drowning my entire band out. I also have a second stingray special ebony with ebony board and prior to me putting the Aguilar in my white bass stock for stock they both sounded way different. I know the fretboards are different but I didn’t expect to hear that big of a difference. The maple produced a more zing while the ebony was more mellow. Anyone else experience anything like this or am I going crazy?
Click to expand...
You still got that Stingray Special pickup? if it's 4 string I'd like to buy it :D
 
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