V/V/T stingray setup

[manchego_eggo]

I have a quad coil bart mm pup on the way and am considering wiring it up v/v/t since i didnt really care for the series sound on quad coil pups ive heard in demos (too muddy and overpowered IMO). Id be installing the pup in a passive short scale stingray. has anyone run this setup, how did you like it? thanks,

 

[mcnach]

The coil facing the neck on its own is a pretty cool subtly different sound to have.

 

[Andre678]

I can say that my north coil single coil setting on my passive short scale Stingray is my favourite and most used setting.

I have considered setting up a neck pickup with that configuration if I ever get around to putting one in my Stingray. Although for me it would be about having the two single coil options available plus series mode since I almost never use the parallel setting on my 'Ray. Parallel mode just sounds like single coil mode with something missing. Probably not a popular opinion amongst Stingray enthusiasts.

It was the way I thought of to be able to have all the options since 4 way selector switches seem to be as rare as hen's teeth. 3 knobs, 3 switches. Stacked volumes for each pickup plus a tone knob. Series/parallel switch for each pickup, plus one more for between the 2 pickups.

Sorry for going off on a tangent but I have been daydreaming about this for a few years now since I bought the bass. Then the bass taught me if I play near the bridge I don't really need a neck pickup. I still want one though, even more so after getting a Squier Rascal.

 

[manchego_eggo]

The coil facing the neck on its own is a pretty cool subtly different sound to have.

agreed, thats why i want to do the quad coil route so it is hum cancelling.

I can say that my north coil single coil setting on my passive short scale Stingray is my favourite and most used setting.

I have considered setting up a neck pickup with that configuration if I ever get around to putting one in my Stingray. Although for me it would be about having the two single coil options available plus series mode since I almost never use the parallel setting on my 'Ray. Parallel mode just sounds like single coil mode with something missing. Probably not a popular opinion amongst Stingray enthusiasts.

Haha these are all the same reasons Im considering it, although I do love the parallel setting for slap and obnoxiously 90s bass tones

if i were to add a neck pup, id certainly want the option to run the bridge in series as its a good p bass substitute

 

[fhm555]

Then the bass taught me if I play near the bridge I don't really need a neck pickup. I still want one though, even more so after getting a Squier Rascal.

Funny you would mention that, my J bass taught me the same thing after I installed a set of DiMarzio Model J pickups in it. I tried a lot of different control configurations, but after about a year of messing around, I wound up with the Model Js through the stock V/V/T with a different cap value, which I can't remember these days. I later wound up with another Jazz with a DiMarzio Ultra J set in it and an identical control group as my other J. My main reason for sticking with a vvt with humbuckers was I could dial in any amount of either pickup to get output I could never find with a blend pot, tonestyler or any other control setup. I pretty much used the tone pot to dial mud in or out as needed/required. It was mostly country and for some odd reason the pedal steel players I worked with preferred the Ultra J bass, while the two guitar blues rock guys preferred the Model J bass.; but it could have just been the color they preferred.

 

[manchego_eggo]

Funny you would mention that, my J bass taught me the same thing after I installed a set of DiMarzio Model J pickups in it. I tried a lot of different control configurations, but after about a year of messing around, I wound up with the Model Js through the stock V/V/T with a different cap value, which I can't remember these days. I later wound up with another Jazz with a DiMarzio Ultra J set in it and an identical control group as my other J. My main reason for sticking with a vvt with humbuckers was I could dial in any amount of either pickup to get output I could never find with a blend pot, tonestyler or any other control setup. I pretty much used the he tone pot to dial mud in or out as needed/required. It was mostly country and for some odd reason the pedal steel players I worked with preferred the Ultra J bass, while the two guitar blues rock guys preferred the Model J bass.; but it could have just been the color they preferred.

well now you gotta show us those basses!

thats my thought pattern too, you can blend the two pups at will but also have the full musicman tone at your finger tips. Ive never liked a blend knob on any bass I've had either.

 

[fhm555]

well now you gotta show us those basses!

I don't have them any more, but here’s some pics. Both are parts mutts assembled from random parts gathered as deal bubbled up.
The blond is the Ultra J and the red is Model J. both with MIM bodies and necks.

 

[Aloe]

I’ve seen this setup on a local player’s bass (that wasn’t a shortscale tho).
it’s his primary axe for more then a decade, so I can definitely say, he digs it.

 

[manchego_eggo]

put a quad coil bart in and its definitely an interesting swap. lower output and less aggressive but the neck coil solod sounds almost identical to the neck coil solod on the stock pup, which pushes me further into the camp that pickup placement matters more than the pickup itself.

Def has more of the bart sound and plenty of highs since it is two 9cbjd-3s in one shell, but it doenst have the clanky highs of a

 

[Big Louzer]

Late to the party, but I have a Warmoth “SR in a Jazz platform” with the Duncan Ceramic MM pickup, wired VVT plus Aguilar OBP-1

 

[Big Louzer]

put a quad coil bart in and its definitely an interesting swap. lower output and less aggressive but the neck coil solod sounds almost identical to the neck coil solod on the stock pup, which pushes me further into the camp that pickup placement matters more than the pickup itself.

When I had a ‘94 Stingray (still wish I never sold it - biggest mistake of my life…seriously), I modified the original pickup to be 4-wire (they are normally hard-wired in Parallel). Then I added switches to access Series, Parallel, and either coil solo. This mod was the absolute BEST thing anyone could do to a Stingray. There is something in the ingredients between the stock pickup and the 3-band eq that just screamed OMG in the tone of that thing. Series sounded insane, the neck coil sounded like a straight up P-bass, and the bridge coil could “Jaco”.
The Warmoth I posted above, has the same access, but not the same recipe…and it just doesn’t sound the same. I’m on a mission to find a 3-band preamp that can mimic the EB 3-band of the pre-Special basses…

Check this video out, this is the SR that inspired me to do it.

 

[Malak the Mad]

When I had a ‘94 Stingray (still wish I never sold it - biggest mistake of my life…seriously), I modified the original pickup to be 4-wire (they are normally hard-wired in Parallel). Then I added switches to access Series, Parallel, and either coil solo. This mod was the absolute BEST thing anyone could do to a Stingray. There is something in the ingredients between the stock pickup and the 3-band eq that just screamed OMG in the tone of that thing. Series sounded insane, the neck coil sounded like a straight up P-bass, and the bridge coil could “Jaco”.
The Warmoth I posted above, has the same access, but not the same recipe…and it just doesn’t sound the same. I’m on a mission to find a 3-band preamp that can mimic the EB 3-band of the pre-Special basses…

Check this video out, this is the SR that inspired me to do it.

This video is making me consider a 3-way toggle switch or a 4-position rotary switch for an incomplete Jazz/Ray hybrid Projekt¹ I've had in the wings for a while. If I went down that rabbit hole, I would need to test to see if there was enough of a difference between the north and south coils to make it worth the extra effort. If not, then a straightforward parallel/series/single-coil system should work.

The unstained and unfinished body with parts dropped in for photographic purposes.

¹: SD Alnico humbucker and a Retrovibe Stinger '77 to try to capture that old school, first-generation Stingray vibe.

[/THREAD DERAIL]

 

[Big Louzer]

This video is making me consider a 3-way toggle switch or a 4-position rotary switch for an incomplete Jazz/Ray hybrid Projekt¹ I've had in the wings for a while. If I went down that rabbit hole, I would need to test to see if there was enough of a difference between the north and south coils to make it worth the extra effort. If not, then a straightforward parallel/series/single-coil system should work.

The unstained and unfinished body with parts dropped in for photographic purposes.

¹: SD Alnico humbucker and a Retrovibe Stinger '77 to try to capture that old school, first-generation Stingray vibe.

[/THREAD DERAIL]

There is a difference between the 2 coils, but you have to decide if it is enough of a difference to YOU.
In the video above, with the EBMM pickup and preamp, there is a HUGE difference.
I don’t think there is much more effort with the way that bass is wired, using Two single pole double throw switches. I would do it just to have it…

 

[manchego_eggo]

This video is making me consider a 3-way toggle switch or a 4-position rotary switch for an incomplete Jazz/Ray hybrid Projekt¹ I've had in the wings for a while. If I went down that rabbit hole, I would need to test to see if there was enough of a difference between the north and south coils to make it worth the extra effort. If not, then a straightforward parallel/series/single-coil system should work.

The unstained and unfinished body with parts dropped in for photographic purposes.

¹: SD Alnico humbucker and a Retrovibe Stinger '77 to try to capture that old school, first-generation Stingray vibe.

[/THREAD DERAIL]

Thread Derail fully encouraged. The Projekt looks sweet and I'd love to hear it in action. The SD Alnico pup is one of my favs from the fatbasstone demos.

IMO the bridge and neck coils in my Bart have different enough tones to justify. I have a Delano MC4 FE/M2 on the way to try next, so we'll see how those sound, but having played the JMVC FE/M2's in the past, I'm feeling pretty good.

 

[Big Louzer]

It’s weird…I don’t remember why exactly I swapped from AlNiCo to Ceramic pickups in my Frankenstein bass

I used to have Carbon/Keisel HB’s in this bass and then switched to the SD SMB-5D for some reason, and I liked them much better. More midrange and more aggressive tone. That’s why I went with the same pickup in the Warmoth bass.
In this bass, I only wired each for Parallel and each coil, no Series. With limited constraints of a standard Jazz cavity, I had to make a choice…

 

[Malak the Mad]

There is a difference between the 2 coils, but you have to decide if it is enough of a difference to YOU.
In the video above, with the EBMM pickup and preamp, there is a HUGE difference.

That, as they say, is the question.

When I was testing a Delano dual-coil humbucker in a passive system, the difference between either coil was negligible, so I just wired it series/bridge-coil to an ON/ON mini-toggle. I noticed the differences in the video you posted, so it's fair to assume I would get similar results when pumping through a preamp.

I don’t think there is much more effort with the way that bass is wired, using Two single pole double throw switches. I would do it just to have it…

If I were using a control plate, that'd be one solution to consider. In this one's case, I'd rather not punch a whole bunch of permanent holes into the wood. I could much more easily use a Jazz bass control plate as a template to add an extra hole, then use a single rotary switch to get the same results.

Also, if I ever decided to get a 3-band Stingray EQ, or route it into a J/MM, I'll still have all the control holes I'd need. If I did the latter, I'd probably get a Free-Way switch for the control suite.

 

[manchego_eggo]

That, as they say, is the question.

When I was testing a Delano dual-coil humbucker in a passive system, the difference between either coil was negligible, so I just wired it series/bridge-coil to an ON/ON mini-toggle. I noticed the differences in the video you posted, so it's fair to assume I would get similar results when pumping through a preamp.


If I were using a control plate, that'd be one solution to consider. In this one's case, I'd rather not punch a whole bunch of permanent holes into the wood. I could much more easily use a Jazz bass control plate as a template to add an extra hole, then use a single rotary switch to get the same results.

Also, if I ever decided to get a 3-band Stingray EQ, or route it into a J/MM, I'll still have all the control holes I'd need. If I did the latter, I'd probably get a Free-Way switch for the control suite.

if you wanted to do a fully classic stingray vibe, you can do a boost only two band like an Aguilar or Nordstrand Pre

 

[manchego_eggo]

It’s weird…I don’t remember why exactly I swapped from AlNiCo to Ceramic pickups in my Frankenstein bass
View attachment 7459198

I used to have Carbon/Keisel HB’s in this bass and then switched to the SD SMB-5D for some reason, and I liked them much better. More midrange and more aggressive tone. That’s why I went with the same pickup in the Warmoth bass.
In this bass, I only wired each for Parallel and each coil, no Series. With limited constraints of a standard Jazz cavity, I had to make a choice…

this is so sick.

 

[Malak the Mad]

if you wanted to do a fully classic stingray vibe, you can do a boost only two band like an Aguilar or Nordstrand Pre

Thanks, but I already have two Retrovibe Stingers, the first generation with no detents on the pots and the second gen that does have them. I'm leaning towards using the former on that hybrid Projekt to make it that wee bit more "authentic".

 

[Big Louzer]

if you wanted to do a fully classic stingray vibe, you can do a boost only two band like an Aguilar or Nordstrand Pre

I just double-checked, Nordstrand doesn’t offer their MM-style preamp anymore, but they do have a 2-band boost-only 2-band, modeled after their standard 2-band (2b+). I think it might be an op-amp design. Not sure if anyone was aware…but something tells me y’all are aware…

I have the AG OBP-1 in my Warmoth bass, and it is a FET preamp, like a “Fender Tone Stack”, also very much like the famed Sadowsky preamp (both of which were designed by Alex Aguilar, but most likely have different eq points and some other small differences).

When I was trying to decide on a preamp, I watched many, many videos. I mostly decided on the OBP-1 because of this one:


…being that the Flea bass has an OBP-1, it seems to get pretty close to a Stingray, not sure what kind of pickup it has from Fender…

And one of a Sadowsky, but with AlNiCo pickup