Musicman Stingrays - Overrated ?

[mcnach]

46 minutes ago, danny-79 said:

https://nordstrandaudio.com/products/the-bigman-4

thats the pick up I’m using in both StingRays 

 

I love the description of the pickup...

Quote

The BigMan emits sonic imposition, subtlety slaying energy, and kinetic congruousness that encompasses animalistic muscularity and power.

and

Quote

History: The BigMan design came to be through the clairvoyance of an old Nordstrand comrade. The idea came to him in a dream; the bass gods handed to him the visceral embodiment of its tone, making it clear that if its sonic enormity was to ever impact the physical realm, it would be up to him to construct an apparatus that could contain its looming immensity and power. When he awoke, he took the amorphous blueprint bestowed upon him to work, and after a few mistakes and failed models, the BigMan was born. This Nordstrandian comrade of ours has since departed ways from the shop, but his presence — akin to the tonal nature of the pickup he graced the shop with — lives on through the divination that resonates each time a note is amplified by influence of the god-given BigMan.

[mcnach]

31 minutes ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

Quizá 

 

Sin duda

[danny-79]

1 minute ago, mcnach said:

 

I love the description of the pickup...

and

See cosmic awsom pick up 🤪

[stingrayPete1977]

5 minutes ago, mcnach said:

 

Sin duda

Me gusta piezas de metal brillante 

Edited December 30, 2018 by stingrayPete1977

[stingrayPete1977]

5 minutes ago, mcnach said:

 

Sin duda

Me gusta piezas de metal brillante 

[mcnach]

8 minutes ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

Me gusta piezas de metal brillante 

 

como un cuervo?

[skankdelvar]

5 hours ago, WHUFC BASS said:

I've never seen anything like that on a Gibson or Fender forum where criticism and discussion of aftermarket parts is positively encouraged.

That's a fair point, particularly in respect of the fan sites. Moreover, Gibson have in the past been tolerant to a fault in permitting savagely critical posts on their product web site, though this may change under the bright-eyed marketing wonks who've just taken over the reins from Unhappy Hank.

Thing is, every brand attracts fervent adherents, a microscopic proportion of whom appoint themselves Defenders of the Faith. I'm sure it's just the same on washing machine forums ("People who don't like Miele's new crease-free drying programme are just, you know, stupid and evil") and for years I informally attributed this blind, defensive zealotry to psychological illness. Nothing serious of course, just a case of the mental sniffles. 

I was forced to reassess my position when I read a paper in The Lancet which links this kind of erratic, emotional and slightly womanish behaviour with low or depleted testosterone levels such as might be encountered in both pre-pubescent and elderly males. Extensive fieldwork reveals that a small subset of sufferers have evolved a rudimentary cure, this being to self-administer oral doses of prostatic fluid milked by hand from the loins of those industrialists they have set upon a pedestal.

The problem is revealed to be physiological rather than psychological; but the afflicted deserve our compassion whatever the cause. The only thing sadder than a brand fanboi shrieking at the wall is seeing an old teddy bear wired to the front of a bin lorry 

Edited December 30, 2018 by skankdelvar
Orthography

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 2, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[skankdelvar]

4 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

the manly musk of my heaving scrotum

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 2, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[skankdelvar]

5 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

this time I just laid it out on the table

[Ricky 4000]

It's right though, and out in the field, from what I've observed, Stingray players are universally pretty bloody good... I dunno what happens when another stag walks in the room wearing a G&L... Probably only one walks out alive. 😲

[stingrayPete1977]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

como un cuervo?

Cuervo fue una nueva palabra para mi, pero si, además "like a magpie" es más popular en Inglaterra.

¿Magpie en español?  🐤

Edited December 30, 2018 by stingrayPete1977

[LukeFRC]

50 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

It's right though, and out in the field, from what I've observed, Stingray players are universally pretty bloody good... I dunno what happens when another stag walks in the room wearing a G&L... Probably only one walks out alive. 😲

Hence the headstock shape - evolution and survival of the fittest and all that 

[drTStingray]

2 hours ago, skankdelvar said:

That's a fair point, particularly in respect of the fan sites. Moreover, Gibson have in the past been tolerant to a fault in permitting savagely critical posts on their product web site, though this may change under the bright-eyed marketing wonks who've just taken over the reins from Unhappy Hank.

Thing is, every brand attracts fervent adherents, a microscopic proportion of whom appoint themselves Defenders of the Faith. I'm sure it's just the same on washing machine forums ("People who don't like Miele's new crease-free drying programme are just, you know, stupid and evil") and for years I informally attributed this blind, defensive zealotry to psychological illness. Nothing serious of course, just a case of the mental sniffles. 

I was forced to reassess my position when I read a paper in The Lancet which links this kind of erratic, emotional and slightly womanish behaviour with low or depleted testosterone levels such as might be encountered in both pre-pubescent and elderly males. Extensive fieldwork reveals that a small subset of sufferers have evolved a rudimentary cure, this being to self-administer oral doses of prostatic fluid milked by hand from the loins of those industrialists they have set upon a pedestal.

The problem is revealed to be physiological rather than psychological; but the afflicted deserve our compassion whatever the cause. The only thing sadder than a brand fanboi shrieking at the wall is seeing an old teddy bear wired to the front of a bin lorry 

Bwahahahaha! 

I'm presuming the article explicitly excludes from its terms of reference any deity-like adulation of Precision basses on the basis its creator (the most holy) is no longer alive and the current curators are a non-descript corporation. 

Apparently, a study reported in Psychology Today discusses how a similar effect works in reverse - but serial detractors need to vent spleen on a specific living figurehead on whom to heap their scorn, whether relevant or not to any product available in the market place (hence vitriolic attacks on individuals associated with, well every major manufacturer except Fender!!). Occurred in early days of the industrial revolution with people having claimed to have been insulted or ignored by the likes of James Watt, and counter claiming their inventions simply didn't work. Thankfully common sense prevailed and the steam engine became that wonderful thing that was still in daily use at the time of invention of the Precision bass. 

😂😂😂😁

Edited December 30, 2018 by drTStingray

[LukeFRC]

The Fender precision bass wasn’t even the best precision type design Leo came up with - he perfected it with the L1000 

[No. 8 Wire]

21 hours ago, danny-79 said:

I don’t. The preamp is a John East. Three band with the stacked mid pot (sweep between low and high with the bottom control then either cut or boost it with the top pot. Leave the top pot at centre dent an all mid control is totally bypassed so it’s now effectively a two band) 

the pick up is a Nordstrand Big Man. Quick google search will get you all the information you need 

Where did put the series parallel switch on the bass?

[mcnach]

14 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

Cuervo fue una nueva palabra para mi, pero si, además "like a magpie" es más popular en Inglaterra.

¿Magpie en español?  🐤

 

urraca  That works too.

[danny-79]

1 hour ago, No. 8 Wire said:

Where did put the series parallel switch on the bass?

In between the volume and tone pot, small on/on/on switch. Not got a photo on phone I’ll sort one out at some point 

[funkle]

I’ve owned a few Stingrays, an Anniversary 5 string HH one which was absolutely gorgeous and a 5 string HS version. 

I didn’t hear the weak G string issue though was aware of it from forums. Both had excellent build quality - no complaints about the hardware from me. Loved that doohickey for adjusting neck relief, every bass should have that. Fretwork good, lovely fast necks, etc. 

Pickle for me was the sound. Loved how they recorded, but never found a way to be comfortable with the sound through an amp. No matter how much I tweaked the pickup selection and EQ, there is a fundamental quality of Stingrayness to the sound which is inescapable. For want of a better description.

I realised the problem at that point was me. Great basses but not for everyone. Horses for courses. They sound great in other player’s hands. OK in mine.

(Plus I never got to try a 2 band Stingray. That might have had a warmer sound.)

I liked the Sterling SB14 and the full on Sterling dual HH I had at one point though. Such outrageously ballsy basses. Even more aggressive than the Stingray. I feel like if I decide to pick up an EBMM bass again, I’ll just try another Sterling. Just outrageous, those basses....what a snarl.

 

[Ricky 4000]

I've just suddenly become a Stingray fan

Don't know why it happened, it's just weird... 😁

[totorbass]

On ‎24‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 11:44, WHUFC BASS said:

I tried them with a trace elliot stack, SWR Workman combo and a Trace Elliot GP7 1x15 combo. Just couldn't get the bottom end that was instantly available on my 62 reissue Precision and a Status S2 that I also had. In fact every other bass in my collection really. 

I've had  lots of Stingrays, and very few lacked bottom end. More often they can lack body and sound a bit hollow comparing to a PB for example, but this is more about mids than low end IMO.

 

[danny-79]

14 hours ago, Ricky 4000 said:

I've just suddenly become a Stingray fan

Don't know why it happened, it's just weird... 😁

See Stingrays perfect eye candy 🍬 

[danny-79]

On 31/12/2018 at 08:59, No. 8 Wire said:

Where did put the series parallel switch on the bass?

 

On 31/12/2018 at 10:06, danny-79 said:

In between the volume and tone pot, small on/on/on switch. Not got a photo on phone I’ll sort one out at some point 

 

[mouthmw]

On 26/12/2018 at 16:08, No. 8 Wire said:

Lo and behold I noticed a year or later they changed their official setup guide from about 1mm height difference on each side of the pickup to drop the E to the pickguard!  Only took 30 years to admit the problem.

You're wrong.

From EBMM's FAQ:
" If you have a single pickup bass set the pickup height to 6/32" from the plastic pickup cover to the bottom of the G string. Adjust the bass side of the pickup to be parallel with the pickguard. "

So that's around 4.76 mm from the G string to the pickup cover on the G string side, and you don't drop bass side of the pickup to the pickguard - it has to be parallel with the pickguard which means, the pickup has to be straight. I keep mine slightly slanted towards the G (I'm using Nordy MM4.2 and the original 2 band preamp, I prefer Nordy's stagger to the original pickup's stagger on the pole pieces, plus the pre-eb tonal vibe I'm getting) and I don't really have issues with the G string. It's not a Fender sounding G string, but no issues. I did have to tweak my setup for months and months when I started playing a Stingray, but now I've pretty much perfected it.

Edited January 18, 2019 by mouthmw