Stingray-the most divisive bass sound?

[Freekmagnet]

Cliff Williams deserves his recognition. I still am in shock over the $7,000 for his signature bass. That said, Fender charges that kind of money relic'd Jazz and P-basses all the time.

Yeah, that Cliff Williams Signature StingRay is a joke, but I think that's more of a reflection of the industry surrounding the manufacture of collector's instruments more than anything.

I've often compared ACDC to Booker T and the MGs. You listen to those albums, and Williams, Young, and Rudd are pretty much the most efficient rhythm section in their class. NOT ONE SINGLE NOTE WASTED. As it turns out, Cliff Williams was good friends with another one of my all-time favorite bass players, Donald "Duck" Dunn. Williams actually gave Dunn his Gibson T-Bird as a gift.

 

[FRoss6788]

Didn't read through the whole thread...

For me the most decisive bass tone is back pickup jazz bass.
Lots of people dig it, lots of people don't
Doesn't seem to be much middle ground.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Yeah, that Cliff Williams Signature StingRay is a joke, but I think that's more of a reflection of the industry surrounding the manufacture of collector's instruments more than anything.

I've often compared ACDC to Booker T and the MGs. You listen to those albums, and Williams, Young, and Rudd are pretty much the most efficient rhythm section in their class. NOT ONE SINGLE NOTE WASTED. As it turns out, Cliff Williams was good friends with another one of my all-time favorite bass players, Donald "Duck" Dunn. Williams actually gave Dunn his Gibson T-Bird as a gift.

I can definitely see the parallel in sparseness if not in style.

 

[ColoRADoKT]

Love stingray on its own, but in the mix not so much.

The sound I want to like so much but don't at all is Rickenbacker! I'd vote that as more divisive…

 

[Chickenwheels]

That is killer! I wish Pino used his Stingray more often these days. I love the dark tone with no mwah that he got on that song.

How good is it?? Just goes to show that technique and taste are so much more important than whatever bass you happen to play.

 

[3bc]

Listening to a stingray is like listening to a recording of my own voice. Sounds awkward and uncomfortable. I want to love it but I can't. They are fun to play but always sound out of place.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Flea

Sadly, I agree. His influence on the perceived sound of StingRay basses is probably most of the reason these threads happen.

 

[Lesfunk]

I guess this whole thing boils down to "you're only as big as what bothers you"

 

[Soberglitch]

I hate the sound from my older Stingray but my favorite tone is coming from my Stingray Special. There's so much variation even with the same basses that it's tough to generalize them. In my experience the same thing can be said about a lot of basses, especially ones with Jazz pickups.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I find this interesting. Both in real life and from a couple of YouTube comparisons I've made it seems that the Stingray is the bass sound that people either love or hate. One of the few instances where someone has asked me to record with a certain sound it was a Ray. On the other hand many people find it annoying and artificial sounding. P or Jazz type basses by comparison most people (especially non bassists) do not really have strong opinions on IMO. Has anyone else noticed this?

Pretty much. Me, I don't like it. Its odd, and very stand offish. But, I also don't solo my bridge pickup. For the same reason. It just doesn't sit. But, that's why people like it. It stands out. Which is why Leo made the ray. To stand out, but still have beef.

 

[logdrum]

When we played as the house band for Stan Ridgway (Wall of Voodoo) he did not like the SR5 that I had.So I played my Fender Jazz Special and everything was golden. Many drummers hated it too. Flat on the bass knob was still boosted and cutting it made it sound hollow. The Ibanez ATK was better sounding to most folks. MAybe something was wrong with it, but many just were not warming to it. Recording engineers did not like it at all. Sold it after 6 months. I do agree with the 2 knobs being better.

 

[JW56789]

I don't think it's 'divisive' at all. It's signature is the sound from that humbucker, a much wider aperture magnetically than a PBass humbucker and certainly vacuuming up way more string than a single coil Jazz pickup. Admittedly the original preamp could get away from some guys, maybe this is where the rep came from.

To me, they're great basses that generally with the onboard preamp and the too-much-tone-control on typical amps these days can go from mild to wild . . . . . but it's up to you. They were a revelation in the times when they debuted, and the later update to a five-string format is one of the most masterful examples of 'growing a four into a five' done right I can think of. The Stingray Five is the Ford pickup of five-string basses, the first one that just worked with no real drawbacks, and still potent now.

When it comes to instruments, I always prefer brighter to darker. You can always tame a bright instrument, but rarely can you add zing to something pretty dull to begin with.

 

[dmas81]

This thread has got to be one of the most egregious examples of TB hyperbole, but I'll comment anyway.

The 3-band StingRay with flats was my main bass for 25+ years. I played many many gigs with it and did tons of recording with it. Never once did anyone complain and say, "Hey, $&#% you on the StingRay - get out of here and never come back!" A lot of people would say, "You're a great bass player and you make that bass sound really good!" The only reason I don't play the it anymore is because I started designing and building my own instruments, so the StingRay now spends a lot of time in its case.

The StingRay sounds like a bass, for crying' out loud. How could anyone dispute that?

This point you are making can always be argued either direction. Truthfully if your tone is strictly measured off of the average ear in the audience then you should sell all your gear, and buy a Squier. Most of them won't notice the difference if the sound man is covering you.

To further my point, you've never walked away from hearing a good live performance, and identified the brand of cymbals the drummer played or the nuances from one brand to the next (they all sound like cymbals)......but he, the player, has very detailed preferences.

We at Talkbass discuss these things and use "egregious hyperbole" because WE can tell the difference in what we are playing. Not being combative, but my point is I often even ask myself why I spend thousands of dollars on gear, fine tuning eq, dialing in compression when by and large, the average ear never could tell the difference in a live setting. But then I remind myself it's more about what I can tell than they can. Sure they'll notice subtleties.

So if you would, allow us to discuss these things on a micro level with enjoyment. Seen several comments like yours say, "what's the point, it sounds like a bass". We discuss because we can, and we enjoy breaking down the subtleties that we as the players notice, that the average ear in the crowd won't, even if it does "sound like a bass".

 

[bobalu]

If the Stingray tone is divisive, I think that says more about today's society than it says about the Stingray tone.

Agreed. And once you factor in the divisiveness of the amp and cabinet being used + the divisiveness of the strings (flats/rounds/brand-x), who really cares what anyones opinion is. I love my Stingray and will be keeping it. If you want a P-bass tone, just thump on some big Tupperware bowls. (magic seal lids on of course)

 

[Wood and Wire]

Strange, how everyone hates the harsh, sizzling treble of a StingRay, and yet almost all the players that everyone identifies with the 'Ray - Bernard Edwards, Pino Palladino, Paul Denman, Cliff Williams, Dougie Thomson - utilise tones that are the absolute antithesis of that stereotype.

It's really only Louis Johnson, and Flea (and some of the 90's Alt-Rockers, like Timmy C) that were full-on blowtorch tone.


Nothin ' obnoxious with Dougie :







Even Tony Levin kept the treble pretty restrained, and he's basically playing with drumsticks :

 

[andruca]

IME it's not "divisive sound" to blame, but too many people getting a Musicman without understanding what to expect from them. 99% of people I've seen ditch a Stingray/Sterling "based on tone" do so after playing mostly on their own. Wrong bass for that. A Musicman shines in a band mix. It's also the easiest bass to post-produce. It just happens to be too in your face for playing on your own at home compared to most basses. Choose a FSO for that, don't blame the bass. For me my Stingray5s are irreplaceable in a band context, they just won't give a dream bedroom tone, which I find plain irrelevant, nothing I'd ditch a bass over.

 

[Need Gigs]

If you want a P-bass tone, just thump on some big Tupperware bowls.

So good! Can I sig this?

 

[Evets1987]

All I know is I became a better bass player after I bought my Stingray Special. The main reason being I love the bass so much I pick it up everyday and practice. I've found the best way to tame the treble is to lighten your touch.

 

[Mastermold]

I don't think it's 'divisive' at all. It's signature is the sound from that humbucker, a much wider aperture magnetically than a PBass humbucker and certainly vacuuming up way more string than a single coil Jazz pickup. Admittedly the original preamp could get away from some guys, maybe this is where the rep came from.

To me, they're great basses that generally with the onboard preamp and the too-much-tone-control on typical amps these days can go from mild to wild . . . . . but it's up to you. They were a revelation in the times when they debuted, and the later update to a five-string format is one of the most masterful examples of 'growing a four into a five' done right I can think of. The Stingray Five is the Ford pickup of five-string basses, the first one that just worked with no real drawbacks, and still potent now.

When it comes to instruments, I always prefer brighter to darker. You can always tame a bright instrument, but rarely can you add zing to something pretty dull to begin with.

+1
The SR5 was the first 5-string I really bonded with, much better neck than the Fender I'd been using, and I find the 3-band EQ very useful, helps me dial in the room as needed. I get compliments on the tone all the time from other bass players. I've had La Bella flats on mine for the past several years and (not surprisingly) get a rich smooth tone over what you get with rounds, but I liked it with rounds too. Great low B, super tight and clear for a 34" scale. I ended up getting rid of my other 5-string basses since the SR5 was the only one I played.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Yes, I can definitely relate to this.

I own 40+ basses and I've owned+played LOTS more over the years. Stingrays are the only basses I've never found useful at all. They have an extremely baked in tone that sounds terribly outdated to me and despite what Stingray-fans say they really only have that one sound: A very nasal "bridge pickup on steroids" tone, just with more or less boom/zing depending on how you set the tone controls. Like it or not, that nasal Stingray-character in the mids can't be dialed out no matter what (at least not without excessive external eq'ing).

I often hear people say Stingrays are more versatile than I give them credit for: "I play soul/jazz/metal/country/psychedelic rock on my Stingray and it works great". Well, I'm sure it WORKS (as in makes sound) but to me it simply sounds like a Stingray playing soul/jazz/metal/country/psychedelic rock and most often with a tone that isn't even remotely right for the genre (to MY ears). I mean, Motown with a Ray? It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.

I guess the problem for me is that I'm really not a fan of bridge pickup tones on most (but not all!) basses and the Stingray is like an extreme version of your typical bridge pickup tone. It's not just that I don't like PLAYING Stingrays. With VERY few exceptions I don't like LISTENING to them either.

I know I'm not alone. Most bass players and practically ALL non-bassist musicians I know can't stand the Stingray tone. I also find it fascinating that many "best strings for Stingray"-threads around here are really about "how to make a Stingray sound less like a Stingray". Well, it can't be done. Trust me, I've tried.

It's my least favourite bass ever, by quite some distance. Of course, a lot of people LOVE Stingrays. We're all different' which is great! Enjoy your Rays and make great music with them! Just don't expect me to like it.