Musicman20

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1357218439' post='1919208'] My main problem with the Streamliner was how it holds together. I could hear it, but like the TC RH450 (albeit not as severely) at volume it seemed to lose its shape. Something to do with the power management, maybe? I spent a year on it, tweaking it at every gig. All boooooom, and no b*****ks. In the meantime, plenty of other owners were posting about how much they liked it, so I just decided it wasn't to my taste. I'm back in the bosom of the Walkabout, which (in brochure-speak, at least) has nowhere near the output, but holds itself together with such steely resolve I don't have to be loud to be felt and heard. [/quote] Hmm, not sure what it will be.. I've had the Genz INCREDIBLY loud, and then RH450 (when I had it) was used in a few rock bands. I've also had the Genz Smax blasting out with a punk band I was trying to get going in the summer. I've not noticed a problem with transients, or a 'fuller tone'. I think the amount of power on tap with the Streamliner is quite ridiculous. It is like an absolute HAMMER. I do tend to make sure I get a really healthy amount of input gain, but obviously if it needs to be clean, its a case of a little tweaking. One explanation is obviously the Walkabout is perfect for you! Which it is for many. If Mesa ever decide to make a new version with speakons, a few more options on the DI, and perhaps upto 500W, then it would sell like CRAZY. Obviously they don't need to...as the Walkabout is a legendary amp. Another thing, which I might not have experienced as I was usually using practice room cabs, (quite large ones) is that the power of the Streamliner was causing your cabs to start to compress as they couldn't take the full whack, which is totally understandable for any 2x10. I'm very cautious with the Streamliner as it really is a hammer. Of course, you also might not like it, which again is why we have so much choice

I really like a tight low end. I'm not into boomy bass tones. I can't see, unless it bass specific, where the issue is with the bass control on the Streamliner. Simply roll it back to about 10 o'clock. Done. Mids at 1/2, done. That's pretty much flat. Plenty of scope to boost the mids to crazy amounts. The 'everything at 12' that Markbass seemed to make popular isn't really any different. I found that the low control on the LM3 was at too low a freq really, and the low mid wasn't setup for the 'meat' area of low mids. It might be bass specific. None of my cabs seem to have a mid dip from my playing before having the Streamliner.

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1357175482' post='1918836'] Headroom is tone, when a ran a 1.6k rig I did so because I wanted the sound of a 1.6k amp running at 160w - not because I wanted to kill small children with sheer volume [/quote] Potentially it does make a difference, but then others prefer an amp that's being pushed, so lower wattage,

They do make a HS Stingray SLO, but it would mean waiting for it. The other thing is that the Sterlinj has ceramic pups, and the Ray has alnico. If you don't mind tinkering with it, have a go, but i reckon the EBMM pups are the best pups to match their pre-amp.

Can this be used as an audio interface as well ?

[quote name='4 Strings' timestamp='1357166325' post='1918667'] 'Scooped' is not a word I'd use to describe my Streamliner. Maybe using it through the BF cabs makes the difference. [/quote] Me neither. A lot of classic tube amps have a slight mid dip...and it can be rectified by moving two knobs ever so slightly on the Streamliner.

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1357160208' post='1918498'] Music man don't make it easy for us do they the sterling bass in the first video....... Is it basically like a standard 4 string stingray but with an extra B string ? [/quote] Well, shape wise, SORT of. It's smaller. The pickguard is different...sort of. There is no chrome plate for the controls. The headstock is smaller than a Ray 5. The neck joint is a brilliant piece of engineering. The pups are ceramic, and its all in series on a HH/HS.

Great news! Can't beat that. I'm glad they are also better value than the La Bella's.

[u][b]Stingray 5 HS again:[/b][/u] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9Ef2CQZxXo

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1357158997' post='1918463'] Thank you , That is a really helpful post I think I would like to take a closer look at the sterling 5 HS at some point. Do you know if you can get a classic 5 sterling with the HS pups ? Or is the classic 5 a different beast altogether ? [/quote] Unfortunately not, however, the Sterling 5 LOOKS like a normal Ray, (as in not the extended normal Ray 5 pickguard) albet a bit smaller and with a BEAUTIFUL neck joint! The pickguard is very similar to a Ray 4...slightly different. For me, its good to have the 3EQ with a HS as the mids gives you a LOT of flexibility. [b][u]Sterling 5 HS:[/u][/b] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQJ7_OLqMu8 [u][b]Stingray 5 HS[/b][/u] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rp45IKy48U Note - not my demos and not my basses!

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1357153641' post='1918318'] Oh no !!! Don't get me started !! I have had some really bad trapped GAS for a stingray 5 with the HS configuration for nearly 2 years now !! How do the Sterling HS & Stingray HS compare tonally? [/quote] Easy to put into words, for once! Sterling - HS and HH versions ALL in series mode. Pickups are ceramic. Both these elements mean the Sterling is one aggressive bass! Very middy and bitey, with the classic Musicman bottom end and treble snap. The pups seem hotter to me compared to a Ray 5 (the CURRENT Ray 5's) and the EQ seems to have more effect. Stingray - HS and HH versions ALL in parallel. Pickups are alnico. Classic Stingray tone. The HS is now the ONLY Ray 5 you can get that will allow you to solo the single coil in the bridge pup.

No real explanation needed. More speakers = louder. A very high wattage amp just gives you a lot of headroom. Fantastic if you ever need it. But, ultimately, it should come down to tone. When using my Orange AD200b, it creates a huge wall of sound even at low volumes with the right cabinet. More watts than I need. Sounds lovely as well!

In other news, I've been practicing solo with my Ray 5 HS for a long time. I've come to love the ergonomics. Usually, its very clean and pristine through a Genz SMax 9.2...so barely any colour. I used the same amp, flat EQ on the bass, with a VT Bass V2 pedal. Yowza. That pedal is something else. Instant Ampeg fat warm tones, or very grindy aggressive Flea tones, all the way to all out distortion. My favourite setting was the bridge single coil solo'd with some grit. Very middy and aggressive!

The Sterling 5 SHOULD be lighter overall...on average, but my Ray 5 HS and Sterling 5 HS are both stunningly light. I'm guessing the Ray 5 is less than 9lbs.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1357142536' post='1918044'] I think ( well actually I know for a fact ) that Fender are careful to keep the best colours for the more expensive guitars . They could easily offer Fiesta Red , Dakota Red , Sonic Blue ect but they don't on purpose , so they can keep these very attractive classic custom colours for the more upmarket Custom Shop and Vintage Reissue instruments . From a marketing point of view , you can see why they would do so- if you want a premium colour you have to buy a premium guitar .. [/quote] Aye, I thought they might have a reason behind it. The Charcoal Frost is actually very pretty up close. Almost like BMW type metallic grey.

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1357140522' post='1917987'] Just had a look at the Mystic Red . What's mystical about it ? Personally I didn't like Candy Cola , but I cannot see why Fender would discontinue it to replace it with such a similar colour . Someone such as myself who wouldn't have bought Candy Cola will now be able to not buy Mystic Red . Mystifying . [/quote] Haha! Sometimes Fender really don't get it. Why not introduce something more interesting colour wise?!

God I love a good speaker tech chat

I spent 15 minutes with one of the Charcoal Frost Pz above during my lunch today. It’s safe to say I won’t be going ahead. Heavy, lots of swirling in the paint and a few minor scratches, a tiny crack in the paint near the neck joint, and a pretty ugly piece of wood for the neck itself. I also found it very uncomfortable to play. That is probably a setup issue though. The neck joint was good quality, and the pickup placement/string alignment was perfect. As it should be. I’m not sold on the new pups yet....but again I was probably too quiet on the amp to hear what it has to offer. I’m also confused as to what they coat the back of the neck with now. It doesn’t seem as easy to play as my 2009 version of the same bass. It seems to stick a little. Hmm. It just seemed very dry, but unlike the dryness of a Musicman neck, it wasn’t smooth and fast. I sometimes feel like the P and J I currently have are the cream of the crop. I’ve played loads of shoddy American Standards since. I’m probably spoilt by Musicman’s QC and attention to detail as well. Finding another P has been a long journey that still hasn’t ended. Its worth bearing in mind that as of Jan 2013, the Charcoal Frost Metallic and Candy Cola have been discontinued, so shortly all stock will go down to around £899 in the stores, (for a 2012 Fender....I presume the 2011’s will be even cheaper soon). Oh, and the new colours are.....de dahhhh! Mystic Red and Mystic Blue. Take a look on fender.co.uk. AWFUL. They look like the low end Squier colours. C’mon Fender, bring back the pastels!

If it was the P I'd have it!

Bongo 5 will get close to a Ray 5 tone and be cleaner and more modern. But, I agree, I love the Ray 5.

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1357071350' post='1917203'] Yes, he said on Facebook that it is ticking al the boxes for him at the moment, it's a regularly USA standard P5 [/quote] Interesting...considering he could use a £2.5k Dingwall or Fender for about £1.1k, the normal passive Fender holds its own.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1357070002' post='1917165'] I think mine was broken as it never sounded the same as Dave Swift's ;-). I do hanker after another, I've settled on P basses now. [/quote] New Year's GAS!

...and yeah, The Hives brought the energy.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1357065131' post='1917072'] Yeah, same as my old Fender P5. God, i wish i still had that lol. [/quote] Yours was one of the first on here! Loved it. I played one recently and was thoroughly impressed.

P bass or Ray. Love the Jazz tone but I think it's harder to stand out in the mix with both pups on full.