Fat Rich Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) Hmmm, half of me wants to explore all 8 million sounds.... Half of me just wants to think modern or vintage sound? And then just pick up a Status or a Fender and adjust the tone with my fingers. I like the way Tony Levin only uses settings that could be achieved with a regular switching system (video part 3), and how come if these instruments do every coil combination imaginable they have a 2 humbucker version and a 1 humbucker 2 single coil version? (although maybe they're prototypes) Also it looks like the preset memory doesn't store the 4 band EQ settings which seems like an oversight. Interesting idea nonetheless, will be trying one when they come out. Edit: Reading jimmyb625's post maybe the EQ can be saved after all. Edited January 14, 2011 by Fat Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 There's a part in one of the videos (I think it might be 2, or 3) where Dave LaRue is talking about how he'd use it for recording work. He mentions that he'd have Bank A set to give him 5 good passive sounds, but have Bank B set for 5 active sounds. That's one of the things that appeals the most. I think a lot of people that get it will settle down with a few core sounds that suit them the most. Sure, it's not going to replicate the sound of every single bass out there, but it's not meant to. The upcharge is $500 official, with $350 estimated for 'street' prices, which means that over here it'll be around £700 more!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='jimmyb625' post='1089269' date='Jan 14 2011, 01:08 PM']There's a part in one of the videos (I think it might be 2, or 3) where Dave LaRue is talking about how he'd use it for recording work. He mentions that he'd have Bank A set to give him 5 good passive sounds, but have Bank B set for 5 active sounds. That's one of the things that appeals the most. I think a lot of people that get it will settle down with a few core sounds that suit them the most. Sure, it's not going to replicate the sound of every single bass out there, but it's not meant to. The upcharge is $500 official, with $350 estimated for 'street' prices, which means that over here it'll be around £700 more!![/quote] Lol. If they charge about £250-£300 I dont see why I wont try one out on a Relfex in late 2011. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignsOfDelirium_bassist Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I'm loving the idea of these, there's way more combinations and sounds than I would ever even think of using, but if I can get just 2 or 3 sounds that I like, even if it's possible to get them on other basses, then I'd say it's worth it. I've wanted to experiment with out of phase sound for a little while, and this bass would be a great way to just experiment with your sound Provided you can run it passive, I'm definitely gunna start saving up for one of these! I'll probably get one anyway, but if I can quickly flick it to passive, just incase a battery dies mid-gig, then it sounds damn near perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) I think it's fantastic! A great advance and certainly doesn't look too complicated for gigging and I like simple stuff! I think this might well be the next bout of gas. It certainly looks more elegant than the Enfield super8 pickup system basses which tried to solve the multi bass problem by having various J, P and MM configs on one instrument but by having one huge ugly pickup and a very complicated array of controls - well from my experience of a quick fiddle. Also, having the ability to share pickup configuration files with other people is great; imagine forum posts of the future asking about how to get a certain bass tone, is it a P, is it a Stingray, you just email them a file and they upload it to their instrument, job done! Edited January 14, 2011 by Sean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 obsessing over minute tonal variations which will be lost in the mix? No ta! I'd rather stick to a single split coil pickup and hold down the low end. But that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I still think my 82' is modern so maybe I will get one in 30 years time! 1 pup 3 or 4 knobs for me and I'm an EB fan boy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnozzalee Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1089380' date='Jan 14 2011, 02:32 PM']obsessing over minute tonal variations which will be lost in the mix? No ta! I'd rather stick to a single split coil pickup and hold down the low end. But that's just me.[/quote] Got to agree with Jean on this one, the idea is lovely and great fun for the bedroom player. I used to obsess about tone until everyone I knew couldn't tell the difference between 5 of my basses unless they played as well. Now I just worry about build/playability and if it cuts through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB1 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 MB1. I want my Musicman Stingray to sound like a Musicman Stingray and nothing else! Thankyou If It ain't broke, dont fix it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 and here you can get a taste of it... One ridicolously dressed up Sterling Ball (yeah he likes dressing up apparently, each to his own I guess) playing with Dave LaRue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I wonder if my missus would let me have that backdrop as lounge wall paper! He is one odd cookie that big Poppa... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Yeah, the stand has a theme each year. This year it's people who changed the world (to fit in with the GameChanger idea). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 This [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1089380' date='Jan 14 2011, 02:32 PM']obsessing over minute tonal variations which will be lost in the mix?[/quote] Soloed, multi toned basses sound very impressive, but put them in a band situation and no one, not even the player, can hear the nuances. Been there, done that. Clever idea none the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1089532' date='Jan 14 2011, 04:58 PM']One ridicolously dressed up Sterling Ball (yeah he likes dressing up apparently, each to his own I guess) playing with Dave LaRue[/quote] Bizarre. Got to say that whilst I love EBMM products (I really do consider the Stingray to be a timeless and brilliant instrument), Sterling strikes me as an incredibly difficult character to like. Having seen the way he conducts himself on his forums, his unwillingness to answer any critics of his products without taking it as a personal insult, and the fact he seems to revel in surrounding himself with sycophants does sometimes make me think twice about buying into his most recent products. As the head of a company he should probably have a considerably better attitude, maybe take a leaf out of Roger Sadowsky's book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='1089380' date='Jan 14 2011, 02:32 PM']obsessing over minute tonal variations which will be lost in the mix? No ta! I'd rather stick to a single split coil pickup and hold down the low end. But that's just me.[/quote] Yep, that's it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='risingson' post='1089647' date='Jan 14 2011, 06:35 PM']As the head of a company he should probably have a considerably better attitude, maybe take a leaf out of Roger Sadowsky's book.[/quote] Definitely dont want to start any kind of 'he does this' type of argument, but im sided with EBMM instruments and theyve changed my perception of how high quality things can be without going totally custom (and paying less). But, what I will say is when Ive emailed Sadowsky, the responses were less than 'satisfactory'/helpful, in fact they were almost rude and arrogant. Every single email to S&T UK or Ernie Ball Musicman USA have been very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='Musicman20' post='1089757' date='Jan 14 2011, 07:44 PM']Definitely dont want to start any kind of 'he does this' type of argument, but im sided with EBMM instruments and theyve changed my perception of how high quality things can be without going totally custom (and paying less). But, what I will say is when Ive emailed Sadowsky, the responses were less than 'satisfactory'/helpful, in fact they were almost rude and arrogant. Every single email to S&T UK or Ernie Ball Musicman USA have been very helpful.[/quote] Roger Sadowsky has always been interesting and level headed during interviews I've seen with him whilst Sterling Ball's attitude has been at times outright alienating. But it is definitely within a company's interest to keep clientele and potential clientele happy with enquiries and such so I'm glad to hear that MM's customer service has been helpful as I'd still consider buying a Ray in the future. They just sound too good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='Musicman20' post='1089757' date='Jan 14 2011, 07:44 PM']Definitely dont want to start any kind of 'he does this' type of argument, but im sided with EBMM instruments and theyve changed my perception of how high quality things can be without going totally custom (and paying less). But, what I will say is when Ive emailed Sadowsky, the responses were less than 'satisfactory'/helpful, in fact they were almost rude and arrogant. Every single email to S&T UK or Ernie Ball Musicman USA have been very helpful.[/quote] Roger Sadowsky has always been interesting and level headed during interviews I've seen with him whilst Sterling Ball's attitude has been at times outright alienating. But it is definitely within a company's interest to keep clientele and potential clientele happy with enquiries and such so I'm glad to hear that MM's customer service has been helpful as I'd still consider buying a Ray in the future. They just sound too good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 [quote name='Musicman20' post='1089757' date='Jan 14 2011, 07:44 PM']Every single email to S&T UK or Ernie Ball Musicman USA have been very helpful.[/quote] Yep same here they get a slagging off by people that have never contacted them from what I can see, Serial number to exact build dates and spec within a few days, Free set of strings including fiver sets when you register the instruments. Big Poppa's a bit odd and I dont frequent their fanboy site but the team are good in the office IMO and IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 It seems odd to me how many people obsess over the minutiae of pickup config sounds and as soon as something this radical comes along that seemingly provides everything you could wish for the herd turns against it. I'm a P/J man totally but this system looks fantastic especially for anyone who uses different basses live. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 The integrated circuit based switching system has been done by others...but its certainly never been marketed in this way before. I have my Spectors modified for 10 different coil combinations and I only use 5 at the most. I think its a gimmick, EB are clearly targeting bedroom players who don't have enough playing experience to know what they don't need to buy in order to sound good. Honestly, Steve Morse and Dave La Rue just come across as A-grade bullsh*tt*rs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Johnston' post='1089578' date='Jan 14 2011, 05:43 PM']Ahh what exactly is going on there??? [/quote] Yeah.. like... did the game change for you? or... did the earth move even? I couldn't tell a game change from a dramatically out of phase setting which BP kicks in near the end of that torture, only for him to change it back ever so quick because it just didn't cut the mustard and sounded like pooppa! Judging on that video, I know this much: all my game's gonna stay unchanged, thank you very much. Edited January 14, 2011 by Grand Wazoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1089880' date='Jan 14 2011, 09:33 PM']The integrated circuit based switching system has been done by others...but its certainly never been marketed in this way before. I have my Spectors modified for 10 different coil combinations and I only use 5 at the most. I think its a gimmick, EB are clearly targeting bedroom players who don't have enough playing experience to know what they don't need to buy in order to sound good. Honestly, Steve Morse and Dave La Rue just come across as A-grade bullsh*tt*rs.[/quote] I tend to disagree with the gimmick tag and the fact that it's targetting bedroom players. Reading the thread on here regarding G&L vs EBMM, one of the criticisms directed at the stingray was that it was active only and there was no way of changing to passive. Now they've brought something out that will let people have both active and passive presets. It's still very early in the development phase, but I can see a whole load of possibilities that will follow on from this. I'd think both Morse and La Rue would have more integrity than to rave about something they didn't think was a worthy product. Edited January 15, 2011 by jimmyb625 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 It probably is a worthy product and a great piece of engineering, I don't think your average gigmeister would have the time or inclination to mess about with it live. I do think you can have too many 'tones', after a while they all merge and you forget which ones you liked imo of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb625 Posted January 15, 2011 Share Posted January 15, 2011 [quote name='tom1946' post='1090121' date='Jan 15 2011, 07:38 AM']It probably is a worthy product and a great piece of engineering, I don't think your average gigmeister would have the time or inclination to mess about with it live. I do think you can have too many 'tones', after a while they all merge and you forget which ones you liked imo of course. [/quote] If you're using it in a live setting, you haven't got gazillions of options to switch between. The idea (as far as my understanding of it goes) is that you spend some time prior to the gig, recording session, practice in your bedroom in front of some bored family members etc, playing about and finding tones you like. You then load these 10 presets into the guitar and away you go for world domination. The quotes about all of them sounding the same are interesting. Pretty much every guitarist (and quite a lot of Bass players from what I've seen) obsess over 'their' sound. Sound men get criticised for wanting to DI and control levels of bass in the mix, people embark on life long quests to find the perfect combination of amplifier, cabinet and effects, some people even spend huge amounts on cables (ok, these are mainly Hi-Fi enthusiasts who buy from Russ Andrews!) but you get the point. Don't get me wrong, I think there are going to be some truly awful sounds within the various combinations and I also think there will be some that I won't notice the difference between, but I'm still not ready to write off something I've never even heard for myself, let alone tried. You can't base anything off the Namm video as far as audio goes though, it's difficult enough to hear that they're actually playing the bass, never mind individual settings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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