Slightly embarrassed to be asking this, but...

[Huw Foster]

...I have some very basic questions about onboard EQ in active basses.

This mostly concerns my 4 string Stingray. I don't know whether this is pertinent to all Stingrays (well, 4 strings at least, as I think I'm right in believing the 5 string models have a different preamp), but I have found that my one is really, really bright. And I'm not as satisfied with my tone as I once was. I know strings will have something to do with this, and I'm going to give some other brands a go (I've been using ProSteels and I complain about how bright my bass is DUHHHH what an IDIOTHOLE. Gonna try some Hi-Beams I think - on another note, anyone got any links to order them online?).

But seriously, I've not really given much thought to onboard EQ until fairly recently. I've found that, particularly on recording sessions when I'm D.I.'ed, the signal is stupidly high-gain; I can hear so much fret noise etc. However, if I set all the EQ pots to the middle notch (which I assume means the EQ is flat), the overall sound is much smoother.

Am I just being an idiot? Is this the optimum setting for all situations with Stingrays/active basses in general? Should the onboard EQ be treated like the EQ on an amp (i.e. mostly flat, then tweak to reach desired sound)? Or, is there just something wrong with the preamp on my particular bass?

I hope this makes sense. Additionally, I hope this is actually worthy of a response hahaha.

Ta

[maxrossell]

There are no stupid questions.

The middle setting on a notched active EQ pot is usually even, with a cut if you turn it down and a boost if you turn it up. If you run them all high then you'll boost everything, so you'll get noise and nasty sound and all that. It's best to just set evenything flat and then tweak slightly where needed.

[BB3000S]

[quote name='Huwberry' post='670621' date='Dec 1 2009, 01:07 AM']Should the onboard EQ be treated like the EQ on an amp (i.e. mostly flat, then tweak to reach desired sound)?[/quote]
Yep - you nailed it. Don't think there's anything wrong with your preamp.

My experience is with 4-string Stingrays, and I too find that especielly the Treble needs to be handled with care, I usually just boost a tad or none at all. I'm more generous with the Bass and often land with the Mid boosted somewhere in between Bass and Treble. Or Bass & Mid equally boosted. Or pull back on the treble even for a more wooly sound. It's very versatile!

On fun setting is with Treble and Bass to the max and Mid to the min. Then put a dampening thingy between pickup and bridge, and voila! you have a really cool sound added to your arsenal. (No, I'm not kidding, it works!)

[Gareth Hughes]

+1 t the above, especially there are stupid questions. Stupid answers, yes, but not questions.

A thing to remember is that EQ is like seasoning food - after a while you'll begin to hear even the most minute of changes, whereas when you first start you heap on everything - turn it up to 10, drown the chips in vinegar. Sometimes all you need is a dash.

[Huw Foster]

Yaaaaay I'm not going insane! (Well, I probably am, but not over this issue)

Thanks for the swift responses. I have an additional question now - my other bass (5 string Schecter) has a 2-band EQ... however, I've found that setting the EQ pots to flat on that one equals a very mid-centric sound, at least to my ears... I'm taking a very simplistic approach to equalisation here, but surely that's just down to the character of the bass, isn't it? When I'm flattening the bass and treble, I'm not still boosting the mid-range am I?

Haha, that sounds so ridiculous when I think about it. Don't even bother answering that one, I'm actually being an idiot this time...

Edited December 1, 2009 by Huwberry

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Huwberry' post='670649' date='Dec 1 2009, 12:39 AM']I have an additional question now - my other bass (5 string Schecter) has a 2-band EQ... however, I've found that setting the EQ pots to flat on that one equals a very mid-centric sound, at least to my ears... I'm taking a very simplistic approach to equalisation here, but surely that's just down to the character of the bass, isn't it? When I'm flattening the bass and treble, I'm not still boosting the mid-range am I?

Haha, that sounds so ridiculous when I think about it. Don't even bother answering that one, I'm actually being an idiot this time...[/quote]

Again, it's not a stupid question. Some EQs are set up to produce more of some frequencies than others when set "flat". Look at the SansAmp line of preamps - they all have a mid scoop when set flat.

Just tweak it how you like it and don't worry about where the knobs are. If it sounds good on the record / in the club then you're doing it right.

[markdavid]

[quote name='Huwberry' post='670649' date='Dec 1 2009, 12:39 AM']Yaaaaay I'm not going insane! (Well, I probably am, but not over this issue)

Thanks for the swift responses. I have an additional question now - my other bass (5 string Schecter) has a 2-band EQ... however, I've found that setting the EQ pots to flat on that one equals a very mid-centric sound, at least to my ears... I'm taking a very simplistic approach to equalisation here, but surely that's just down to the character of the bass, isn't it? When I'm flattening the bass and treble, I'm not still boosting the mid-range am I?

Haha, that sounds so ridiculous when I think about it. Don't even bother answering that one, I'm actually being an idiot this time...[/quote]

It probably is down to the character of the bass (woods used etc) although it could be other things such as type of strings used, the character of the pickups (p bass pickups for example are very mid rangey), maybe the preamp has a slightly mid biased sound. To answer your last question when you flatten the bass and treble you are not boosting the midrange , however because you are reducing the bass and treble the midrange will stand out more (kind of like if you are playing in a 3 piece band and the guitarist turns his volume down , your bass will sound louder even though you have not turned up your volume) , on the other hand if you were to boost your bass and treble , the mid range will sound less prominent.

Edited December 1, 2009 by markdavid

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='markdavid' post='670667' date='Dec 1 2009, 12:56 AM']It probably is down to the character of the bass (woods used etc) although it could be other things such as type of strings used, the character of the pickups (p bass pickups for example are very mid rangey), maybe the preamp has a slightly mid biased sound.[/quote]

But it's got tone knobs, so don't worry about it.

Some basses have a very prominent tonal character (my Thumb bass is one) which is difficult to totally eliminate, but most really don't, and with a bit of knob-twisting you're good to go. Especially if you're going for a fairly common bass guitar sound.

[Huw Foster]

Well, I daresay I have learned something... thanks!

Although I've taken an interest in music production (I even started a degree in it, which I quickly realised was a mistake, but that's another story for another time), I've never really thought to apply the widely accepted approaches to EQ (i.e., cutting is usually better than boosting, only adjust in small amounts, if it sounds good then it's 'right') to my bass. I guess that area of my brain was in conflict with the juvenile side that demands that everything be AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE I MUST DROWN EVERYONE OUT... EVER. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons why I wanted an active bass when I was 14, haha.

Now I've come to the conclusion that active electronics are, for the most part, too complex for my simple brain, and all I want now is a decent vintage jazz, then a precision with flats. Ahh, bass as it should be.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Huwberry' post='670685' date='Dec 1 2009, 01:46 AM']Although I've taken an interest in music production (I even started a degree in it, which I quickly realised was a mistake, but that's another story for another time), I've never really thought to apply the widely accepted approaches to EQ (i.e., cutting is usually better than boosting, only adjust in small amounts, if it sounds good then it's 'right') to my bass. I guess that area of my brain was in conflict with the juvenile side that demands that everything be AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE I MUST DROWN EVERYONE OUT... EVER. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons why I wanted an active bass when I was 14, haha.[/quote]

Well with some active preamps (as you've discovered with your Stingray) turning everything up just results in overdrive when it hits the amp and it sounds like arse. But let's be fair to the poor Stingray here - that's really to its credit. It's got enough boost on each band of the EQ to potentially ruin your sound, nothing wrong with that!

[quote name='Huwberry' post='670685' date='Dec 1 2009, 01:46 AM']Now I've come to the conclusion that active electronics are, for the most part, too complex for my simple brain, and all I want now is a decent vintage jazz, then a precision with flats. Ahh, bass as it should be.[/quote]

They are nice sounds. I still use a Jazz with flats for a lot of stuff, it's just a really nice sound. But then I love the sound of my Thumb too and I'd never sell it. And sometimes I put that Jazz through so many pedals the only benefit I get from the flats is rock-solid note tracking. It's all good. But don't assume that active electronics don't work for vintage sounds, they certainly can, it just depends on the bass/circuit. I've played a Status strung with flats before that sounded pretty convincing with a bit of the top-end rolled off, and you don't get much more high-tech basses than that.

[chris_b]

Between my amp and bass I've got 20 different controls that I can twiddle, press or flip to change the tone but I only slightly change 2 of them and by only 1 or 2 clicks each. If you need to use extreme EQ then there is something wrong with your set up, or your ears.

[BigRedX]

Not all pre-amps are cut/boost. I believe that the Sadowsky ones are boost only?

Also any circuitry in the signal path will alter the sound. Even on passive basses, having the volume and tone controls on max does not give the same sound as leaving them out and connecting the pickup directly to the jack socket.

[noelk27]

[quote name='Huwberry' post='670621' date='Dec 1 2009, 12:07 AM']I've been using ProSteels and I complain about how bright my bass is DUHHHH what an IDIOTHOLE. Gonna try some Hi-Beams I think ...[/quote]

Made the change from Pro Steels to DR string earlier this year. Found that the Hi-Beams were significantly more supple than Pro Steels. Hi-Beams are also bright, although not as harsh as ProSteels. I found that Lo-Riders, which have a taught-ness between Hi-Beams and ProSteels, a slightly more subtle tone, but with bright slap/pop characteristics, suited active basses more. And the Lo-Rider Nickels have a more 70s tone, if you're thinking classic StingRay.

[keving]

[quote name='markdavid' post='670667' date='Dec 1 2009, 12:56 AM']kind of like if you are playing in a 3 piece band and the[b] guitarist turns his volume down[/b] , your bass will sound louder even though you have not turned up your volume[/quote]


How do you know that? Has this EVER happened?

[markdavid]

[quote name='keving' post='673197' date='Dec 3 2009, 01:59 PM']How do you know that? Has this EVER happened? [/quote]

I did laugh when I read this , perhaps I could have come up with a better example

[gafbass02]

Hah hah, classic!

[OutToPlayJazz]

If you're after a really thick sound from your Stingray, try adding a lot of bass boost on the preamp. I tend to run mine at full bass with just a touch of treble. Obviously, results will vary from bass to bass, but the Ray is a very trebly beast. If you want to reduce fret noise, try some coated strings like DR black beauties or suchlike. I use DR fatheams on mine as I like a bright sound, but want a rounded thickness as well.

I don't know if the preamp is different in the five string Ray, but the main difference between the two is that the fiver uses ceramic magnets like the Sterling, as opposed to the alnico magnets in the four.

[Rayman]

Well it's all been said above really, but [i]for me[/i] I had my Stingrays with the EQ set flat and a set of Ernie Ball Super Slinkys, and they sounded the mutts nuts. Turn the treble boost up at your peril , it will turn your bass into a noise monster. Try turning the treble boost up full during a gig, and watch the audience wince in pain, it's hilarious.

[OutToPlayJazz]

[quote name='Rayman' post='673451' date='Dec 3 2009, 05:37 PM']Well it's all been said above really, but [i]for me[/i] I had my Stingrays with the EQ set flat and a set of Ernie Ball Super Slinkys, and they sounded the mutts nuts. Turn the treble boost up at your peril , it will turn your bass into a noise monster. Try turning the treble boost up full during a gig, and watch the audience wince in pain, it's hilarious.[/quote]

Quite true in a lot of ways. At the end of the day, all preamps are different. For instance, the Status preamp operates at a very different frequency, so maxed treble and bass is very rich sounding and not unpleasant at all. My Sadossky pre is different again. 50 percent boost on treble and bass is ample for all situations and anything more is harsh and distorted.

The bass boost on the Stingrays is quite creamy so it's nice sounding when used amply, but the treble frequency as others have said can be an ear splitter.

Interesting how all these pres are tuned to different frequencies, eh?

[karlthebassist]

Yeah, its like the trebble control on the ray sits WAAAAYYY up in the frequency range rather than the smoother voicings of say Ibanez or G&L pre-amps. Like Rich, I tend to welly the bass pot up and only a touch of trebble. I tend to only set the trebble pot just up out of its center dent as any more is ear shattering. the mid control is just awesome though in my opinion.
im gonna have to try some different strings too soon, as ive been using elites for about 4 years and want a change.