3-band Stingray 4 preamp

[eastcoasteddie]

I have a '94 3-band 4-string. Was wondering if the current 3-band is exactly the same or if it has been tweaked a bit over the years.

Although I love the bass (I bought it new), I'm finding that the tone controls don't have too much variation to them. The largest change in tone come just before or after the center detent of the pots, anything more than 1/4 of the way before or after yields very little change. It's someting that I've just lived with over the last 15 years and never really thought about, until acquiring a few more active basses that have a much wider range of tonal control.

Is this something that has been improved on over the years, or just left as is?

I've read that many like the 2-band a lot better, mostly because of this effect. Has anyone dared to desecrate their 3-band for a different preamp? Does EB offer any kind of swap-out if a wider range 3-band exists? I thought about changing preamps (like an OBP-3), but I fear that a preamp swap will hardly justify the change in overall sound of a bass....that it won't sound like a Stingray anymore.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

There's a simple way to figure this out.

Go to a music store and compare your 'Ray to one off the rack. Perhaps your perception, your amplifier, or your playing situation is where the problem lies.

If you hear an obvious difference between your bass and another Stingray, then have yours checked. There could be a fault in the preamp.

(My 2002's tone controls seem to have a full range.)