Stingray mods (to make the purists twitch!)

[nosnowking]

Hi all,

 

I'm going to be modding my Ray from single H to HH. Before all the purists start, I'm never selling the bass so future value is of no interest to me. I also don't have £2,500 lying around to buy an HH (and quite frankly don't want another MusicMan) 😛

 

Bit of history, the bass is a 1992 3 band and the preamp has finally gone south...cutting in and out, microphonic feedback, picking up radio/phone interference etc. The pots are rattly as hell, the jack has been replaced at least once already... I will be sending it back to EBMM for a replacement at some point but in the meantime... This is my main gigging bass and I want more versatility from it for a more old-school thump/classic rock sound.

 

I've ordered an Aguilar OBP3, a preamp I know and like having used it on a Spector with an HH configuration.

 

There are four holes in the control plate so the controls will be vol/vol, then mid (with push/pull frequency select), and finally bass/treble stacked pot.

 

My dilemma is, which pickup to drop in there. I might as well reuse the original, but do I leave this in the bridge position and put something identical in the neck, like a Seymour Duncan or Nordy 4.2? Or, do I move the original pickup to the neck position and put something beefy and ceramic in the bridge? Say, a Nordy Big Blademan. That way I can get everything from mellow alnico neck tones to mid-forward growling bridge tones.

 

Thoughts on pickups welcome...anyone got any stories or tried any of these pickups? Recommendations (apart from "leave it alone!") 😉

 

 

Edited August 24, 2022 by nosnowking

[warwickhunt]

Not an irreversible mod so it makes sense, especially if you like the actual bass itself.  

[nosnowking]

2 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

Not an irreversible mod so it makes sense, especially if you like the actual bass itself.  

Sorry, I was having techno-fear and posted only half the text by accident when you commented! 

 

Yes, it'll be reversible apart from the dirty great pickup cavity I'm about to have routed into it! 😂

[warwickhunt]

2 minutes ago, nosnowking said:

Sorry, I was having techno-fear and posted only half the text by accident when you commented! 

 

Yes, it'll be reversible apart from the dirty great pickup cavity I'm about to have routed into it! 😂

 

Now you see, that makes me look silly now!  LOL

 

[neepheid]

Your bass, you do you.  I have nothing useful to add as I'm not a Stingray guy.  At least if you don't do the neatest job of the neck pickup route it can be hidden with the pickguard.  Best of luck. 

[itu]

The original Sabre had two pickups. Leo wasn't purist, why should you be?

[Chiliwailer]

Years back I did this to a 95 Ray, though I now have it back as a single H. At the time I had a standard EBMM Stingray pickup in the neck. 
 

IMO the aftermarket MM style pickups are quite different to your original pickup, so they won’t technically be ‘something identical’ as you mentioned. The newer pickups tend to have a different tone and better string to string balance, including the G string pole position being corrected. I now have an Aguilar in mine, which is more compressed than the original, sounds sweeter, and feels ‘tidier’ to me… just my opinion. (It also has flat poles, so not raised on the A and D like the original). 

 

A potential issue of using 2 different pickups is they may now blend well when on together. This happened when I once tried the Aguilar with the standard MM pickup. It just sounded wrong to me,  compared to a usual MM sound with 2 pickups on. 
 

Not sure if that helps regarding going traditional or not, that’s about all my experience right there 👍

Edited August 24, 2022 by Chiliwailer

[Maude]

I wasn't sure at first but then saw the picture. If a second pickup replaces that sticker then go for it! 😉

 

Don't overlook cheaper pickups. 

May I suggest moving the original to the neck and putting a Warman in the bridge position. 

The Warman, although cheap is a great authentic sounding pickup. 

[tauzero]

You don't want to go vol & blend then?

[tommorichards]

Id try and find a pickup with a similar resistance to the one currently in the bass to keep the volumes balanced. I'd probably go with a seymour duncan alnico MM pickup. I'd also keep the original in the bridge position, and put the new one in the neck position. 

[ebenezer]

Don't right off cheaper brands!...were it me (and it isn't)....I would order two donlis alnico mm pickups, based on Seymour Duncan items apparently, well made and cheap as chips....not many reviews of bass pickups,but plenty for guitar!.... just a thought 👍

[Baloney Balderdash]

If I was you I'd probably move the stock pickup to the neck position and install a Nordstrand Big Baldeman in the old bridge pickup cavity.

 

Or, actually.... If I really was you I would make a middle position pickup cavity (traditional P pickup position) and just relocate the stock pickup there and call it a day, but that was not what you asked about, so...

 

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by Baloney Balderdash

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

How much versatility is required? To squeeze out all the versatility and then some, I'd remove the stock pickup and chuck in a pair of Sims superquads.