Upgrade stingray sub electronics

[Jim Beaver]

From the thread I'm assuming you're talking about a Sterling By Music Man Ray4. If you really wanted a 3 band pre-amp I wouldn't go with upgrading yours, I'd say sell it and get a Ray34. That has a 3 band pre-amp, and a better pickup (Alnico in the Ray34, Ceramic in the Ray4) and is a better quality build and wood. Not much more than what you'd spend on the pre-amp and pickup along with the value of your bass, esp if you bought a used Ray34.

If you're set on keeping your Ray4, then I'd say drop in a Nordstrand 4.2 pickup and their 2 band pre-amp. That's a very popular setup and upgrade to the Ray4 and should give you a great old school Stingray tone.

You are correct, it was a new ray4. A buddy of mine works at a guitar center and I got a good deal on it. All options are on the table but I thought I’d be able to come out in a good spot with replacing the electronics on this one. I’ll check out used ray34’s as an option too. Thanks!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Yea... I would not say "gotta get" an of them. Seymour Duncan was the top custom wound pickup maker in the USA for years. Then it became a big business, but their pickups are still absolutely some of the best you can get. Nordstrand also... but I never put Nord as better than SD - just different. Both are excellent. Dimarzio was the first... and they too are absolutely excellent.

Then there are all the other makers out there.. and a ton of them have excellent MM pickup designs with great tone. How do you compare? I would like to know also

Preamps - that one listed a few posts up is new to me - but again, the SD preamp and the East preamp are both Stingray designs with very similar components and response.

East preamps are the stringray 2 band design, but I sold my 2 band EBMM basses because they were great at what they did, but I needed mid control (mid boost) options as well, and 2 band can't do that. So the East 3 band is a brilliant improvement because it's a 2 band stingray preamp (literally the same sound and performance) plus a mid control that is semi parametric.... it's the best of all worlds, if you like the stingray tone. But it's VERY expensive, or so I've been told.

Well, Bartolini was the first company to sell aftermarket pickups. And, they're 2 streets down from ernie ball. My acoustic player paints for ernie ball. My old Lead winds pickups for Bart. Hahaha.

 

[dkelley]

Well, Bartolini was the first company to sell aftermarket pickups. And, they're 2 streets down from ernie ball.

oh, were they? I thought Dimarzio was first with their passive jazz and precision pickups? The cream ones? You could be right, I don't know

Both were very early though, for sure.

Edit: bartolini came around in 1973, Dimarzio in 1971, BUT the dimarzio first models were guitar pickups (super distortion, to be specific)... so maybe the dimarzio bass pickups came later than the barts were first release. The dimarzio history page doesn't even mention Basses... wth LoL

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

oh, were they? I thought Dimarzio was first with their passive jazz and precision pickups? The cream ones? You could be right, I don't know

Both were very early though, for sure.

Maybe, who really knows for sure anyway. I just remember reading on the history of something (fender, or electric guitars, or bass, or something) that Bartolini was the first company to market pickups that weren't stock. I didn't know that at the time.