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drTStingray

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  1. drTStingray

    cobolt

    Yes I will ask the question on the strings forum!! Should be interesting to hear what they say!! I must say I always end up cutting the end off long scale strings for 34in scale basses because they're so long!! How much short are they for the Dingwalls?
  2. drTStingray

    cobolt

    Several conflicting views here then - my MM Bongo 5HHp was strung with one of the first batch of these strings in the UK early in 2012..........and still is. I haven't noticed any particular change in tension from normal rounds, they haven't rusted and they are still as bright as they were when new, to my ears. Which is not as bright as brand new nickel or stainless rounds but still bright enough for me. I was so impressed I put a set on my Classic Stingray last year which I gig with very regularly. No fret wear, very loud, great harmonic content and a significant boost particularly in upper mids. I think they're great strings - I must confess the Classic Ray now has Thomastik flats but that is more to do with wanting a Bernard Edwards sound across the board than any problem with the cobalts - I would recommend giving them a try - the sound is great. And I have experienced no negatives with them.
  3. Whereabouts are you based? I'm interested in one of them.
  4. Not sure about an improvement over a regular SR5 - some people prefer the look but the SR5 has a lot more tonal variance. The USA Subs got specced with regular Stingray parallel pick ups (confirmed by EBMM in an email). My own view is the 5 ers may possibly have used the then SR5 standard pick up (series) - can anyone confirm they have the rounded edge glued pick up case? They are all textured - one of the two bassists with James Brown used a teal sub - it sounded phenomenal especially for slap. Some people have used the basses as a basis for an upmarket re fin. However they look good in original form and especially the white ones IMO. The poplar bodies used could not be used for trans finish as the wood was all sorts of different colours (see pics on EBMM site) - that said these basses sound and feel every bit as good as a regular Ray (well the active version) the poplar possibly being a little mellower sounding than the ash bodied regular Ray. The passive version has a little less power especially at the extremities of the sound range but are also good and even better for the battery/activephobes amongst us!!! A great choice secondhand - anyone want to sell me one preferably in white????!!
  5. [quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1374667281' post='2151499'] There are all sorts of ways to create a slight break up, he could have the gain turned up too much somewhere along his signal chain. Where did you see that there was a change to the pick up? This is interesting. I guess he could have wired the coils to series rather than parallel but his bass sounds pretty similar to my 78 apart from the slight break up and mine is stock (ie. parallel) [/quote] It's in one of the Louis Johnson bass tutorial things on You Tube. He says Leo made him about ten basses and that one has some special pick up magic - it sounds over wound to my ears. Rod Trussbroken's (Gav's) site talks about the EQ development - quite a lot of changes between 76 and 78 but none of other than practical importance since 79. Is this possibly a result of artist requests/feedback? Remember high profile people like Carl Radle, the guy out of Supertramp, Springstein's bassist, Tom Petty's bassist etc etc using them at that time as well as funk players like Bernard Edwards and Rick James etc etc. According to Sterling Ball Leo took a lot of notice of the country players in receiving feedback on instruments.
  6. Hi Dingus yeah I've been busy with other things - including a lot of bass playing. I see you have yet another classic avatar!!! V impressive! I agree with everything you say about the Bongo - fabulous instrument. I have one with 5 strings and a piezo but it spends too much time in its case. I have 3 gigs this weekend so I may give it an outing!! I also agree with your comments on the Classic v standard 2 band Ray. There are good deals to be had on the standard ones but the Classics are fabulous aesthetically and playing wise - amazing that some of the detail including figured necks and old fashioned chrome battery boxes appear to have come via forum requests while they were developing the models - and some of the initial colour options.
  7. [quote name='Kiwi' timestamp='1374663173' post='2151415'] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CslkVhOoE2U"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CslkVhOoE2U[/url] Hmm, are you sure? [/quote] Erm yes I've heard this and that Ray has a special pick up according to Louis - it certainly sounds pumped up. Im not Louis dont have his skils or ludicrously large hands for that matter but my Rays dont sound quite like that - they are less overdriven. Kiwi I'm sure you must have tried this before but the finger style to slap transition in Stomp seems so clearly to fit single pick up MM for finger style and twin pick up MM with that phenomenal scoop sound for the short slap solo as to be obvious - and just a switch click separates them.
  8. The Bongo has a lovely sound. And if you turn up that bass control...........wow - watch out any wall not capable of taking the blast!! I understand the Reflex is similar!! Note to self - must think about buying one of them.
  9. I had them on a fret less Stingray. The tension of the strings was fine and much better than some types of flatwounds which can be too tight for my liking. They give a similar sound to round wound but are less harmful to the fretboard on a fret less. All that said i have reverted to Ernie Ball flatwound group 3 on my fret less and prefer these. They have similar tension to round wounds and have sufficient bite and thump and give enough mwah for my taste. The solo bass had a little more bite and gave a little more mwah but were less kind on the fretboard.
  10. I've been following this debate/ruck with interest. I have an early 2010 Classic Stingray and it is without doubt a fantastic instrument. It has the same pre as all post 79 2 band Rays with the addition of a couple of features to stop you frying the pre (listens for all the vintage guy's sharp intakes of breath and cries of its not original then - all I can say is whatever floats your boat - and I know what floats mine). Pete I'm also shocked. I had a 79 ray bought new in 79 - it's what turned me against fender basses - to this day!! And the 2010 is everything the 79 was but built better, with more consistency and a rather good after sales service. The biggest sound shifter with these basses is your amp,it's settings and the strings. You can lose the top end shimmer easily just by cutting or boosting your tweeter. To get the Louis Johnson slap sound you need a sabre or two pick up ray and have both pick ups on. I have an HH Ray and love it totally. I get a lot of compliments about the sound of both instruments and one is played sometimes in a classic genre populated by the most anal of anal retro gear and instrument buffs. They often concede that the 2010 Classic (it is fitted with flat wounds and sometimes has the mutes on) sounds live how an old Precision sounds recorded - or possibly compliments the music even better. For me it's one of the best bass sounds known to man. As a self confessed Musicman enthusiast I don't currently have a pre EB. That they are good there is no doubt - I used one for about 10 yrs so I know. The modern basses do everything the old ones did but have the advantage of great build quality and possibly broader sounds plus you get that 'new car' feeling and vibe from them. I'm afraid a brand new car has always done more for me than a tatty vintage one but that's just my personal view!!
  11. Love your classic SR5 - nice trade. PS before you think about selling that SR5 - I took mine out for a gig on Friday night - I honestly forgot how good that bass is - flicking between series parallel and single coil gives a whole range of v usable tone options. Mine also has Marcus miller fat beams which add another dimension!
  12. I emailed EBMM customer services when the debate about US MM Sub pick up wiring surfaced on Basschat and I still have the reply - they're recorded as all parallel - so that is the official view. However the latest twists in the SR5 pick up and EQ story on the EBMM forum have shown there are several variants through the 90s so who knows - maybe the Sub has a similar story - bear in mind there were Sterling Subs - quite rare - and the stock Sterling pick up, like that period SR5 has a series pick up - maybe there were too many Sterling Sub pick ups left over so they put them in the Sub Ray for a while.
  13. You should keep your rays IMHO - if that's the bass sound you hear in your head then nothing else will suffice! The classic 5, if the 4 is anything to go by, will be stunning. My 4 has TI flats - and I still managed to get a decent sound for aeroplane by RHCP in a gig last week - it even surprised me - then back to the thud for some Beatles covers!!
  14. Excellent - theres something magical about the sound of a Stingray - it would be really interesting to see how one of the Stingray versions sits within the whole song mix - call me a heathen but I prefer the ray to the p any day - especially with flat wounds - I suspect the ray would sit rather better than the P bass in an overall mix if you're going to play it in hi fi rather than on a dansette.
  15. Fabulous - bet it sounds killer. I wouldn't repaint it - for one it looks great as it is and secondly I think I remember reading that colour is quite rare as they only introduced it towards the end of the run of subs. But it's your bass, your call! Subs are all supposed to be wired parallel according to EBMM but I always wondered if the 5 string version would use a basic version of the SR5 pick up - which would be wired series - it certainly doesn't seem to make sense to wire special pick ups for the sub when they were a budget instrument made at low cost. All that said Subs are notorious for having had after market mods done to them. Fiesta red looks good if you're going for a refin.
  16. [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1369420276' post='2089167'] I have had the odd battery that was tighter than a nuns chuff for the EBMM holders too, also it might be worth extracting the whole thing carefully and bend the little tabs back up if they have become stuck in a position where they are not pressing against the battery terminals properly, give them a good clean and look for any loose connections at the same time obviously. [/quote] [quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1369483005' post='2089670'] [size=5][sup]The other thing not mentioned yet and sometimes worth a try - make sure the contacts are bent up to touch the battery on the base - this is a problem some people have had.[/sup] [sup]Duracell is your best bet but I've never stumbled over the battery too big fit issue, but will avoid said makes!![/sup] [sup]Finally, does anyone else find their batteries seem to last almost forever these days? I rarely change mine - reckon they last around 12 months.[/sup][/size] [/quote] [quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1369485121' post='2089693'] [/quote] Oops - sorry about that, Pete - I never got past the nun's chuff, if you see what I mean plus the site turned my message into miniscule 6 point stuff lol
  17. [size=5][sup]The other thing not mentioned yet and sometimes worth a try - make sure the contacts are bent up to touch the battery on the base - this is a problem some people have had.[/sup] [sup]Duracell is your best bet but I've never stumbled over the battery too big fit issue, but will avoid said makes!![/sup] [sup]Finally, does anyone else find their batteries seem to last almost forever these days? I rarely change mine - reckon they last around 12 months.[/sup][/size]
  18. I agree with everyone else - it takes a little while to get used to but the rewards are worth it. You learn to play with your ears and the dots on the top of the fretboard are an invaluable guide! You could try one of these - great value used (which is how I got mine - a 93 in mint condition, now strung with EB Grp 3 flats).
  19. [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1367953702' post='2071573'] The only issue(s) I have with Ashdown are their appalling visual design[/quote] Aw come on - a little colour co-ordination is a great thing [attachment=134317:very blue.jpg] ...............maybe not if one of the band members has a clinical aversion to the colour blue (as I have recently found out - he admitted it after separately dissing my Ashdown set up and later my blue Stingray)!! I have nothing but praise for Ashdown equipment - they even rebuilt my ABM in front of me after I fried it (coat over the fan) once - for a very reasonable price! The ABM set up sounds great to my ears - I liken it to the sound I had with an Acoustic 370 set up in the 70s, but with the dialable tube giving the possiblity of a varying/good levels of drive, and the sub harmonics giving a good octaver - I think they're awesome. And the Mags aren't that bad at all either - I know someone who uses a PF500 with a Mag 4 x 10 cabinet and it sounds awesome. In fact I know of a particular 4 x 10 Mag that has had 10 yrs of hard gigging and still sounds great. I think you do get people dissing Ashdown (possibly more on Talkbass - or maybe not recognising their existence there). Although I generally use Mark Bass now (for weight/back reasons largely) I've kept my ABM set up and will use it if the occassion suits. I have also had rude comments about MarkBass equipment (eg I see you're endorsed by JCB these days etc etc).
  20. I have major GAS for one of these. Probably a sunburst one with black plate. Interesting that the neck pick up has 16 pole pieces - and the coil selections include bridge H and neck single coil in combination (ie an HS), and a single coil at the neck - making it quite different from the SR4HH (the 2 band EQ also is substantially different). I saw the Merchant City one - they posted pictures on the Musicman bass forum - it's a stunning bass and the neck is unbelievable - however they would need to drop the price somewhat to interest me.............and I'm sold on the trans white/sunburst or diego blue variants anyway.
  21. [quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1367953601' post='2071570'] I'm old enough to have seen Jet in his prime so no history lesson needed but thanks anyway. [/quote] No history lesson intended - just wasn't sure where you were coming from. BTW I played one of the Japanese re-issue bass V1s of one of these guys - it was quite interesting.
  22. [quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1367943339' post='2071348'] Did you read the thread that i suggested? It will probably be a lot more help to you than this one is at the present. Oh and for those who don't think it's a bass............ [media]http://youtu.be/CKDuevCr90Q[/media] [/quote] Interesting use of it by the latter incarnation of Soft Machine - sounds fine against the sax solo and sparse keyboards. However, are you suggesting its use by Hank and Jet isn't famous - as someone who plays in a Cliff and the Shads tribute band I hear about this point in the instrument's history on a regular basis - indeed many of the afficianados (generally guitarists) have them
  23. [size=5][sub]Those are absolutely gorgeous - wouldn't mind one.[/sub][/size] [size=5][sub]If Trevor Barry can play a gold sparkle one on Strictly Come Dancing (and sound great as well), these are fine by me![/sub][/size]
  24. Surely it's a baritone guitar - the bass tag on these has always seemed a bit wide of the mark to me. And perhaps the most famous users have been Hank Marvin (playing deep sounding guitar solos), Jet Harris (playing deep sounding melodies) and possibly the one I really associate with this instrument - Wichita Lineman (presumably Glen Campbell playing it?). They're not exactly famous for bass players using them to play bass parts - I would imagine they would be marginally better than someone playing bass parts on a regular guitar, but not sure they would be suitable as a bass per se? But I may be totally wrong! Worth being aware what they're famous for though.
  25. [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1367867628' post='2070464'] IIRC.... The traditional EQ on a MM was +15db on the bass, boost only, and +-15db on the treble.. If you maxxed out the controls you'd have that awful typical MM sound. [/quote] This is not actually correct - the 2 band Stingray has boost and cut on both the bass and treble controls - problem is if you boost them both you can lose comparative mids - now that sound works excellently in some situations, but probably not the sound saturated environment the OP is referring to, where it's likely mids will be needed to overcome the bassiness of the guitars (or one of them by the sound of it) [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1367867628' post='2070464'] They will have to learn to band EQ themselves for the greater good... and not blanket the mix with a gtr wall of sound. You'll sound better if you layer instruments to the common good,.. inc drums...and it will make things far easier ..AND quicker to set up. [/quote] I agree entirely with you on this - and if the band is not playing with PA assistance with proper monitoring, I have started to ask other band members whether they can hear the rest of the band - one of the bands I play in has a rhytmn guitarist who is very much in the 60s idiom (relentless rhythmn) - and I walked over to his side of the stage one day only to find I couldn't hear anything but him - which expained why he missed half of the drum cues - so when it appears to be getting loud I now ask band members whether they can hear everyone else, and if they say no, the first issue is that they are probably too loud themselves - so must turn down - why is it that many guitarists often start (even in rehearsals) at searing volume - I suspect part of it (although there are no doubt other issues) is hearing loss (in which case they're also likely to hear the bass too loud in relation to their own volume anyway and compensate by turning up). As I said before - the bass is probably quite audible out in the audience but the sound on stage may be compromised - it's awaful if you can't hear yourself properly.
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