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Which Stingray would you buy?
- Thread starter Horny Toad
- Start date
I think tone can be a bit difficult to describe (unless you're KJung), but I would say when comparing the HH running just the rear H (classic Stingray mode) with the single H Stingray, the single H 'ray really does sound thicker, fuller, fatter. I suppose with enough knob twiddling I could get them to sound very close, but as others have mentioned, the single H Stingray just has a lovely "organic" quality to it. It is not lacking for mids at all, and sits in the mix beautifully. I played both at a gig about two weeks ago and I found I didn't care for the HH in single H mode, but I loved it with the switch in position 4 (coils 2 & 3). The tone with that setting is very rich, lots of depth. I left the EQ flat. On the single H Stingray, I set the bass control at about 80% and the treble around 20%, maybe a bit less. It was punchy and thick. The highs were not sizzly at all, they were very clear and smooth. I could play the single H Stingray all night and be totally happy, but if I want a slightly more "complex" tone, I'll pull out the HH and leave it in position 4. I've got another gig this weekend, so I'll get to try 'em out again.
And just for reference, I've got 40-100 Chromes on both basses, and I run them through a Carvin B1500 into a Schroeder 610L with the tweeter turned off. No PA support for bass. 95% fingerstyle, 5% pick.
You're referring to the 2-band Ray correct?
ive had 2 H w/3 bands, and HH.. they all sounded different. I usually leave the mid knob untouched, BUT occasionally its REALLY nice to just bump it up or down a hair for an instant room adaptation. does the trick every time.
my experience is that you need to try the actual bass youre gonna buy on your amp to know, cos 2 of the same basses from the same factory and time can sound different.
my experience is that you need to try the actual bass youre gonna buy on your amp to know, cos 2 of the same basses from the same factory and time can sound different.
I don't quite understand how less control (2 band) could be better. I would always go for the three band and roll back or boost the mids when I needed to.
I'd get the 30th Anniversary SR4 for sale in classifieds if it's still available. I read somewhere, I think the EBMM forum, that the string-through design and mahogany make it sound like a two band, with an additional mid eq. I'm not sure if that's correct, but I find the tone richer than a standard SR4.
Horny Toad said:
Great description of the 2eq StingRay.
You have pretty much taken the very words right out of my mouth!
Bringing back sexy!
You're thinking more is better, but this has nothing to do with that. The key is how the different preamps are voiced...they are different preamps.Craig_S said:
Same example would be a classic Spector NS2. A bass with tone that growls and snarls and can almost buzz like a saw, but yet had no mid knob. Just a well voiced 2 band eq.
when looking for the real SR sound: a modern SR won't give you much satisfaction....
i really should start looking for a pre-EB!!!
...and pre-EB's only excist as a 2-eq
i really should start looking for a pre-EB!!!
...and pre-EB's only excist as a 2-eq
first of all - they dont sound the same, it's not just a knob they added, the preamp for the 3 bands is a different design with cut and boost for each band while the 2 band has a very unique way of operating unlike the preamp on any bass I played before.
to put it simple - the 2 band sounds punchier, fuller, lends more to a Fenderish vibe while the 3 band has a more modern tone (think Tony Levin).
besides, the Stingray tone is all in the mids. the moment you tweak them you stray further away from what makes the Stingray what it is (Brenard Edwards or Supertramp's Dougie Thomson tone for example).
second, I found the more knobs I have on my bass the more time I spend tweaking them and trying to coax out a tone I like instead of playing.
I prefer to know my tone will be there whenever I plug in.
I'm sure I could get close enough to those tones with the three band. The three band Stingray is what it is: a Stingray! Honest, it really is!
I don't have that problem.
The center points are there, for reference. I am always able to dial in a pleasant tone, without issue.
As far as "my tone" is concerned: It is what it is when it is. I might change my settings night to night, set to set, or (usually) song to song. I'm very familiar with how the EQ works and how to get what I want from it.
My SR5 sounds as good as any bass I've heard. I'm sure my SR4 (on it's way!) will as well.
There is a reason EBMM offers both.
I'm sure I could get close enough to those tones with the three band. The three band Stingray is what it is: a Stingray! Honest, it really is!
sure it is but it just wont nail the pre-EB tone and thats the tone I was looking for.
the 2 band has that in spades. play one, and hear the difference. you may not prefer it over the 3 band but you'll see it's a different beast.
Agreed. There's nothing "wrong" with the the 3 band at all, and it is not "difficult" to dial in a great tone. It is just different than the 2 band. They are two different preamps, two different pieces of equipment.
- Jul 8, 2009
- 1,612
- 11
- Disclosures
- A&R, Soulless Corporation Records
I'd say HH for the versatility. Then again, I have no experience with either one, so this is just theoretical.
Hello,
That 2 Band H you just got is beautiful!!!! Very nice!
I'm not a fan of the HH.... to much big boom from that big MM pickup that close to the neck. IMO there. It kind of gets in the way a bit also, for my technique.
And, +1 on the 2 band and 3 band. I went from my 1977 Stingray to an Ernie Ball SR5 (when I moved to 5 strings back in the day), and while the preamps were a touch different, the differences were nothing I couldn't deal with, and the 3 band sounded 'all MM' to me.
Most of the time, when the same company makes a 2 band and 3 band version of an onboard preamp, they 'widen' the bass and treble a bit (i.e., lower bass and higher treble shelving start point and/or a tighter Q) to 'make room' for the mid control. So, IMO and IME, many times, if you boost the bass on a 2 band, it has a little more 'meat' versus 'boom' compared to the same setting on a 3 band. You can really hear this with, for example, the Aguilar OB-1 versus the 3 (or the 2, which is just the 3 without the mid control).
Anyway, NICE bass!!!! I recently found a clip of me playing my SR5 in a jazz setting, and that MM tone, even 'toned down' a bit in that setting, sounds pretty good to me. That top end is totally unique to the Stingray IMO.
Skip to the middle of the track when the band kicks in a bit.
Invalid Link Removed
Yes, that is exactly what I'm experiencing. On my 2 band 'ray I have the bass turned up almost all the way (approx 80%) and no boom at all. Very meaty and punchy. If I tried that on my 3 band 'ray, I'm certain I wouldn't find the results quite as pleasing.
Oh, and your playing in that clip is wonderful.
Yes, that is exactly what I'm experiencing. On my 2 band 'ray I have the bass turned up almost all the way (approx 80%) and no boom at all. Very meaty and punchy. If I tried that on my 3 band 'ray, I'm certain I wouldn't find the results quite as pleasing.
Oh, and your playing in that clip is wonderful.
Thanks! Just sloggin' through an oldy moldy. However, it is cool how versatile the SR5 is, and yet how, even in this somewhat unusual context for an active, 5 string bass with roundwounds, that unique MM sound seems to come through, and IMO 'it works'. You can (at least I can
) immediately hear that it's a MM!Again, that natural MM you bought is just beautiful. As many have said, if an SR5 was available in 19mm bridge spacing, I'd still be playing one.
Yes, that is exactly what I'm experiencing. On my 2 band 'ray I have the bass turned up almost all the way (approx 80%) and no boom at all. Very meaty and punchy. If I tried that on my 3 band 'ray, I'm certain I wouldn't find the results quite as pleasing.
Oh, and your playing in that clip is wonderful.
Ken hit the nail right on the head.
also keep in mind the 2 band has a boost only bass control and a cut/boost for the treble with no center detent.
the 3 band is cut/boost with center detent for all three bands and seems much more closer to flat when everthing is centered vs. when 2 bands have the bass on minimum and treble approximately at the mid point.
btw, John East has some intresting insights on the 2 band preamp at Invalid Link Removed on the technical overview of his replacement stingray preamp.
