garyt

I play a Stingray V and use the Ernie Ball Cobalts, which seem to work well for me.  The low B string is definitely a lower tension to the other strings, and I've always found you have to go easy with it as it can overpower on the Stingray.  I think you probably just need to get used to how you play the string as well, as they say tone is mainly in your fingers, so try altering hand position, where you play the string, attack, how hard you play the string - a bit of trial and error to see if you can eliminate the source of the muddiness before setting off on an endless quest for the perfect string .   

I have played a few 5 strings , and one of my favourite "Bs" is on the Dingwalls - now they really sound good.

I have never hated a bass because I've always tried them in the shop before buying.  There again, I haven't bought a bass since 1991 (MM Stingray V) but have just ordered a Sandberg with a 6 month lead time (approx).   So about June/July this year I'll get my first bass that I've bought, that I haven't tried the stinky poo out before purchasing, so who knows ...

Admittedly before the Stingray, I'd always bought the best bass I could afford , and then sold on to afford the upgrade , so guess if you gave me my old Westone Thunder 1-A now I'd probably hate it, but at the time I loved it. 

I always find that a 'nice' bass sound doesn't cut through the mix, and you have got to make sure the mids are up.  Your EQ looks like the mids are cut, so if you are scooping mids on your amp and bass, this could be a double whammy - tone sucked.  I'd start with everything at 12 o'clock and go from there, but then I'd be inclined to ditch the EQ unless you're using it as a boost or to change tone mid song (that's me though, I'm sure it's great). 

You seem to have the drive pedals toned down as well but I'm sure you have your sound right.  I run my drive pedal through a line selector so I always have a totally clean bass in half the mix , and then can tweak the drive to suit the song.   The line selector might be a good bet for you, as you could have one drive in channel A, and the other drive in channel B, with the line selector set on A-B mix, opening up a ton of options.

The other thing I have found is that a some guitarists don't like bass players with pedals.    But they'll have no problem whipping out a board with  12 boutique effects pedals, 4 guitars .....

If you liked the Mark Bass gear, you'll probably love the little mark tube 800W.  I have the LM3 and can't fault it, but have a friend who raves about his Tube 800W (which doesn't help the GAS)

^{I have a Roland Cube for practice and it's fine.  I even use it for rehearsals, even with drums,  if we're not cranking it up.  Nice sound as well for £200.} 

Has anyone played one of these?  Any reviews?

I've played a few Sandberg basses and they are all great, but I really like the look of this model.

On 21 December 2018 at 23:32, mingsta said:

Yup the fanned frets freaked me out but I can see how you'd quickly adjust. I'm not a big fan of how the bass looks, but it was bloody amazing to play.

Did you see that £7k Warwick? They're brave just hanging it on the wall like that. 

Yes, I saw the £7k Warwick.  I did think about playing it, but then thought better not - I could afford the deposit and the interest free payments are just about manageable (that's the mental thoughts that we're going through my brain as I thought about playing it, luckily sanity kicked in).

I will go back for another play on the NG2s .  Love that low B . 

What about trying to get hold of an Animato pedal.  I believe the originals are impossible to get hold of, but Gromtech do a clone. That is the early Muse bass sound. 

I played a load of basses in Andertons the other day, and the Dingwall NG2s were probably my favourite.   It just seems wierd when you look down. 

I played a few 4-string  Specials the other day, and there must be something wrong with me.  I actually prefer the older Stingrays 4s. I did think the action was set quite high on the Specials and was advised that was the factory set up.   I definitely preferred the 5-string Specials over the 4s, but the Stingray V 30th anniversary model stood out for me. 

I use an overdrive with an LS-2.   Overdrive in loop A ,   A+B mix setting.  Loop B is then just dry / clean bass guitar.   I use the overdrive just to add a bit of crunch , not out and out fuzz, and channel B is completely clean bass.  I appreciate the blend controls effectively do the same thing, but there always seems to be some loss of bottom end.  With the LS-2 , I don't really have to worry about it.  Like all audio , there's probably an element of placebo going on, but it has worked on me (plus it's got a few other settings so plenty of other tricks in the box).

I think I've settled with EB Cobalts now.  They don't sound amazing immediately out the bag,  but have a really nice tone.  They do keep well though , so tone is fairly consistent from new to say 5-6 months playing.  

I love the sound of Rotosounds round wounds when they are new, but they seem to lose their edge after a few sweaty hours playing. 

Question to all owners of the 2018 Stingrays - what's the verdict?  Average , good, excellent?    And how do they compare to previous models?

i have a early 90s SR5 , and it has a birds eye maple neck that is to die for.  But I really really want a 4-string, so one of these beauties looks just the ticket.

I have a Super Twin and it's a monster sound, but sometimes a sledgehammer to crack a nut in smaller venues.  It sounds like you like the Midget, so if you added a Super Compact (when you get the dough), you'll have 3 cracking rigs.   SM, SC, or SM+SC.

I appreciate your dilemma - I need a new bass but the one I want is slightly out of range, but I will wait rather than accept a compromise and spend eternity in the equivalent of bass gear hell. 

The ratio on the LMB-3 can squash your sound too much.  I have the LMB-3 permanently on, but very subtle.

level - 12 o clock

enhance - 9 o clock (any more and it's too much hiss)

ratio - 9 o clock (subtle compression only)

Threshold - 3 o clock

If a pedal doesn't sound good I won't use it, but on these setting, I honestly think there is a subtle improvement.  The enhance circuit is lethal though - it does make the bass sound good, but there's too much hiss when you're not playing and it sucks the life out of the bass when mixed with drums and guitars. 

Everytime I see one of these Stingrays I can see the money falling out of my account.  I daren't try one as I know the outcome.   Oh, go on then. 

I have the LM3 and Barefaced SuperTwin, but never got it out of second gear, so Super Compact would be ideal with the LM3.  LM3 - Control the gain, all tone controls at 12o''clock, and both filters OFF - excellent sound. 

You have a Bass Centre strap from when it was in Wapping?  And it's a bit tired?  Blimey!  If you can make a strap last that long, money should be no object.  Good job. 

On 15 July 2018 at 16:24, shizznit said:

My pedalboard setup changes frequently depending on the gig, but this is how it looks this week (with the addition of a fan whilst we endure the heatwave!)

 

What do you use the SYB-5 for?  And do you have any favourite settings?

I use it for a couple of Muse covers but am thinking of ditching it.

Keep searching then.  You can never have too many basses.

Do you think it is possible to find the perfect bass on all fronts?

The SR5 is my favourite bass ever and I've yet t find anything that plays as well.  Plenty of basses sound nearly as good though. 

No boutique pedals here.  I've changed the order a bit since this photo, but think I've exceeded by floor space allowance on stage. 

Have you tried playing around with the settings and your playing style?

Stingrays are certainly lively.  If I need to calm the sound on my SR5 - pickup in series position , SR5 EQ all flat (you can then boost bass, mids, high to suit with a tweak), play close to the neck.   Strings make a massive difference. 

Saying that, if you have the money and space for a Jazz, why not?   I doubt the string spacing will make a big difference but the neck thickness will be noticeable.    I always noticed the jump from a Stingray to a Jazz , the neck feels too thin.  They sound lovely though, as do P basses.   But not as good as the Ray.  It's all personal opinion though, so you've just got to play a load until you find your favourite (and then convince the better half that you need another bass :-) ). 

Some strings sound super good out the bag, and rapidly decline.  Nowadays I use Ernie Ball Cobalts, they don't .  There is no wow factor on day 1, but they hold their tone and feel for a long time.   My current set have been on for 6 months and are due a change, but they still gigged on Friday no probs.   I will probably change them soon, but I gig about 2-3 times per month so that's not bad going.

Sweat and other crap is the real killer.  Definitely wash hands as much as possible and wipe strings regularly.  At a typical pub gig I'll wash my hands before start and during the break.  I reckon wiping strings with a clean cloth would probably be fine, but I do use Fast Fret.  Every string change I give my bass a thorough clean and polish with the strings off.   

If you have the luxury of a 2nd bass, practice on that at home to preserve string life on your main bass.  Use your main bass for rehearsals and gigs.

Keep your bass in its case as much as possible .   Leaving it out is a killer for dust. 

This may sound a bit silly, but lowering your expectations helps.  The top pros seem to have that zingy fresh strings sound all the time.   Unless you're loaded and getting paid top whack for gigs, you probably don't have that luxury.  

Go for it.  If you have the desire to learn to read music, then follow it through as the experience will be really rewarding.  Apart from being able to play stuff off sheet music, it's also good to be able to 'hear' it when reading (bit like reading a book).  Basically you have nothing to lose trying, and everything to gain if it works out, 

TU-3 for doing its job plus acting as a kill switch.