Old Horse Murphy Posted June 24, 2012 Share Posted June 24, 2012 I've just taken delivery of a MM Stingray 5 String and it is easily one of the best basses I've ever had the pleasure of playing. Playability is superb, but I'm a little underwhelmed by the preamp. Coming from a background of playing mostly passive basses and in particular P basses, I am looking for a warm sounding, not too boomy sound (particularly on the B String) and I don't seem to be able to dial in the sound I have in my head. Are there any replacement preamps out there that could give me the sound I'm looking for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilmour Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Not much help I know, but you're not alone. I love my SR5 but have become increasingly frustrated with the lack of tonal variety. And have often thought about swapping out the pre in order to get a deeper low end. Trouble is if you do that it stops sounding like a 'ray. I've also toyed with adding in a second pup, but can't bring myself to do it! Might be worth dropping OBBM a line, he has a beautiful SR5 I'm pretty sure he's changed the neck, pup and pre, so will have some insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) I think the most highly regarded Musicman replacement pre is probably the John East/East Electronics one. I know a few on here have them so i'm sure someone will give you more details soon. Liam Edited June 26, 2012 by LiamPodmore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) [quote name='gilmour' timestamp='1340700953' post='1708170'] Trouble is if you do that it stops sounding like a 'ray. [/quote] Take the 'ray pre and put it in a pedal. Change to a John East and ask for an additional clean output (or stereo output with one side clean), merge the two signals in a box with a blend and ultimate 'ray sound How's that? Edited June 26, 2012 by charic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 [quote name='charic' timestamp='1340707415' post='1708265'] Take the 'ray pre and put it in a pedal. Change to a John East and ask for an additional clean output (or stereo output with one side clean), merge the two signals in a box with a blend and ultimate 'ray sound How's that? [/quote] That's an awesome idea... and I did not see it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Nick Unfortunately the MM pick-up and the pre-amp work together. If you change the pre-amp to anything other than the MM then you'll lose the coil switching. It is possible to replicate the coil switching using a multi-pole switch but you'll get a volume change between settings and you need to rewire the pickup slightly. i.e. separate the coils and add an extra wire. I went through several combinations (East, OBP3, Duncan, Bartolini) and settled with an Alnico Nordstrand MM5.3 pick-up and a stock MM pre-amp. It works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Is it worth the money and hassle? I fitted a U Retro to a Zoot bass that had a MM Bassline pickup, I fitted a multi-pole switch to get the coil combinations and it did sound fantastic but it's a lot of extra cash involved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 [quote name='bartelby' timestamp='1340731028' post='1708823'] That's an awesome idea... and I did not see it... [/quote] I got a bit inventive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted June 26, 2012 Share Posted June 26, 2012 Stick it into an MXR 80+ G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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