Question: What Music Man bass for a very modern cover/corporate band?

[melvin7822]

Since nobody recommended it, I would say the Big Al H can do that job just perfectly. According to BP, it bears the BEST pickup they have made so far. And it covers a lot of ground just with that one pickup and the active / passive and series / parallel switches.

Compared the the Sterlings I have played, my BA 5 has significantly more low end growl, which may have to do with the mahogany body. With the active EQ, you can go from very smooth and rich to very aggressive and hard sounds.

Having quite an arsenal of basses and some others alongside my EBMMs, I ended up using the BA 5 in passive mode for about everything from Stax to modern hardrock /metal tone to reggae or R'n'B.

And it liberates you from the pain of choice, because it only has one pickup.

So try a Sterling HS, but please also try the Big Al 5 H. I think it is highly underrated.

That said, I thing every MM bass will do it just fine. A friend of mine, member soul 24-7 uses his classic 5 in a Jamiroquai cover band and it does fine there.

I certainly haven't forgotten the Big Al 5 H as my decision seems to be between the Big Al 5 H and the Sterling 5 HS primarily. To me the Big Al 5 H seems to be the safest bet. Having one pickup means less to mess around with and when you're transitioning from one song to the next, you have little time to make changes on the instrument.

When I used the Big Al SSS while waiting for the Bongo 5 HHp, my biggest problem was differing volume levels between pickup selections. It makes for a tough time setting up your effects (and compressor). So typically, I usually like to find a tone and just vary EQ and hand position. That's why I originally chose the Bongo 5 HHp, because of there being many tones to use and very little volume variance.

I really appreciate finally having some comments on the Big Al 5 H. I just wish I could try either of these basses to make an informed decision. The Sterling 5 HS is still appealing as the 5 position switch is more friendly to tone changes than the pickup buttons and at the same time the 3 band EQ offers more simplicity over the 4 band EQ. However, it doesn't have passive. And while I can simulate that on the Markbass, I always prefer to make all the tone changes on the bass since I have very little time to walk back to the amp.

So as it stands, the Big Al 5 H would be the safest bet that I know would work without fail and the body shape is more my style. But the Sterling 5 has versatility to spare, I'm just not terribly familiar with the tonal profile in general.

[keko]

I was hoping you could offer me some input on the Sterling 5 HS you used to have. Your video demo was what I previously used for a reference as it seemed to be the only extensive one in existence, but sadly no longer exists.

Sterling 5 HS was my first EBMM love, but unfortunately I sold it , couldn't afford two basses at the moment, ...it's in a good hands now and in use (another wedding/party band), it's excellent bass anyway, so You can't miss with SL HS!!!

I made that demo video private 'cause don't own that baby any more , it's still on the YouTube server and only I can watch it, ...if You are really interested to watch it send me a PM, I'll unlock it for a few days and than I'll make it private again!

[melvin7822]

I'd like to thank everyone for all the helpful comments. Prior to starting this thread, I really thought I was going to go for the Sterling 5 HS, but I decided that the Big Al 5 H will be my choice. It's plenty versatile and a lot more point and shoot so to speak, which is great since I have very little time to mess with tones between songs. However, I definitely do see a Sterling HS in my future as well.

[Oldtoe]

Simple pattern going through pickup selections with a Sterling HS.

Lisa's DD Sterling H:SC by oldtoe on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

[tunaman4u2]

Totally bad ass !

I love my HH but if a HS ever came up... I dunno man, thats awesome

[Movielife]

Simple pattern going through pickup selections with a Sterling HS.

Lisa's DD Sterling H:SC by oldtoe on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Sounds great! I think this should go in a 'Musicman tone demo' section.

I have to go and play my Sterling 5 HS now...love that bass.

[Movielife]

Totally bad ass !

I love my HH but if a HS ever came up... I dunno man, thats awesome

A 5 HS to compliment your 4HH! :P

[stu42]

Ben...totally love all those clips you recorded. Great playing and really nice recorded tones as well. Beautiful!! Thanks for posting.

[five7]

I'd like to thank everyone for all the helpful comments. Prior to starting this thread, I really thought I was going to go for the Sterling 5 HS, but I decided that the Big Al 5 H will be my choice. It's plenty versatile and a lot more point and shoot so to speak, which is great since I have very little time to mess with tones between songs. However, I definitely do see a Sterling HS in my future as well.

Plus it looks way cooler!

[keko]

Simple pattern going through pickup selections with a Sterling HS.

Lisa's DD Sterling H:SC by oldtoe on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Nice work, great tone, ...but I like also this (down in a right corner) Bongo Hp fretless tone demo!

[cellkirk74]

Simple pattern going through pickup selections with a Sterling HS.

Lisa's DD Sterling H:SC by oldtoe on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

Very nice groove and playing! Again prove that you can not really go wrong with any of the current EBMM line.

[cellkirk74]

I'd like to thank everyone for all the helpful comments. Prior to starting this thread, I really thought I was going to go for the Sterling 5 HS, but I decided that the Big Al 5 H will be my choice. It's plenty versatile and a lot more point and shoot so to speak, which is great since I have very little time to mess with tones between songs. However, I definitely do see a Sterling HS in my future as well.

I believe you will like it a lot. Good choice!

[dmarotta]

I also play in a 10 piece corporate/ cover band every weekend while not touring. I have used the Sterling HH, BongoHH,
25th HH and Big Al SSS with this band. While I loved the sound onstage of all these basses, our front of house mixer, for whom I have great respect prefers the Big Al because of the many sounds and the way it cuts through such a large band.
The only time I have experienced any hum was because of bad stage lighting.
Also,on Big Poppas recommendation ,I now use the passive circuit quite often. Sometimes one forgets the many options available on the SSS.
As for slap .... for me, this bass kills it in either passive or active mode.

[melvin7822]

Thanks for the input Dave. I did enjoy using my Big Al SSS with my corporate band as well and I think the Big Al is the reason why the Bongo HHp did not work out for me. I was spoiled by it's extreme versatility and it's ability to cut through the mix. As for the slap tone, I still prefer the Music Man humbucker slap tone. Having said that, I don't do a lot of slapping and I think active mode with coils 1 and 2 in parallel gets the job done.

I'm thinking I'll still bring the Big Al SSS along with me as the majority of the material can be accomplished on a 4-string or at least in drop D. I've also thought about stringing my Big Al SSS with Power Slinky strings and tuning to D standard. So I guess between my Big Al SSS and Big Al 5 H there's no ground I can't cover. I'm now considering trading my Bongo 5 Hp fretless towards a Big Al H fretless. Then I'll have a family of Big Al basses.