The power of the Stingray. Strings: EB Cobalts

[mcnach]

I keep coming back to it.

Ok, that doesn't surprise me. My Stingray and my SUB are probably the two basses I would save first from a fire. Lately the Stingray have languished and has not seen much action. Partly because when I bought the SUB, the Stingray needed a re-string, and I loved the SUB's punch courtesy of a humbucker in series (rather than parallel as on the Stingray), and partly because then I restrung the Stingray using nylon tapewounds. They are ok. You get some cool sounds. But nah, in the end, it's like you're castrating the Stingray.

So I've been using the SUB, with progressively deader strings (I like them!) after probably 7 months of gigs, and various others, usually Jazz or of a Jazz flavour.

Not long ago I finally restrung the Stingray, with Ernie Ball Cobalts, as I was curious about them.
My first impression was a bit mixed. Punchy. Oh yes. I noticed a higher output and more midrange. But I had mixed feelings. They felt a bit tougher/rougher than my usual D'Addario EXL170. I liked the basic sound, but they were too "clangy". Well, they were, playing at home at neighbour-friendly volume.

Today I took it to rehearsal.
The strings have been on for probably a month, maybe 6 weeks, but used little.
I took my TC RH450 head, into an Ampeg 8x10 of some description that I normally use there.

HUGE!!!!!!!

Big bottom, great definition... fantastic slap tone, not too trebly, the G string was fat, liquid...

I am in love again with my Stingray.

There are other basses, but for me, this is the one that does it. Two gigs this week... I think the Stingray will feature in both!

[Hobbayne]

I have these on both my Precisions. They need a few hours playing time to bed in. Still, they are meant to last a long time, which is just as well considering the price of them!!

Edited September 12, 2012 by Hobbayne

[LukeFRC]

The poor Stingray, sat at home while you frequented with the prostitutes named Jazz and Precisison, hell were half of them even Jazz and precisions or just look like them? and did you care.
Poor stingray

Edited September 12, 2012 by LukeFRC

[drTStingray]

Glad you love it again Mcnach - they work really well on 2 band as well, I suspect possibly not least because of the mid range boost they give.

I have them on my Bongo................it is not allowed out at public performances as I'm not insured for blowing walls out of venues!!! It is VERY powerful!!!

[mcnach]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1347562634' post='1802542']
Glad you love it again Mcnach - they work really well on 2 band as well, I suspect possibly not least because of the mid range boost they give.

I have them on my Bongo................it is not allowed out at public performances as I'm not insured for blowing walls out of venues!!! It is VERY powerful!!!
[/quote]


ha ha
you're not joking about the extra output. I had to turn down the input gain in my head last night.

One reason I took to my SUB without modification was that the pickup, wired in series, had more midrange, The 2-band EQ worked just fine with it, like you say, and never felt it needed anything.
My Stingray (in my avatar) was a 2EQ. But I felt it needed something on the midrange, and installed a John East 3-band preamp. Now, this is really a 2-band plus a mid-sweep module. With the mid-sweep in the centre detent, it does nothing and it's essentially a 2EQ. Having the mid-sweep control made me go from "I like it" to "I want to have your babies" about this bass.
Last night with the Cobalts, I didn't use the mid-sweep like I normally do. I still used it but at a much higher frequency, essentially like a lower treble control. The amount of mids was very good. The "right" type of mids (in the place I was).

I'll be leaving the house in a little while, with the Stingray. First gig for it in many months, and first ever with the Cobalts. This is at a bar I have played many times before... Let's see how it goes

Edited September 13, 2012 by mcnach