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Help! Advice required: Pickup replacement for stingray 4 HH

A

aybaraydin

New member
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
2
Hi,
I'm new to the forum. I own a dual humbucker stingray 4 with a rosewood fingerboard. I'm completely in love with this bass. The second humbucker adds a whole new dimension to the sound and great tonal possibilities.
The only problem is the low output of the D and G strings.
I either have to play hard on those strings or compress to death which I don't want to do neither
I know this subject has been discussed a lot in the forum but I couldn't find a satisfactory answer. I want to preserve the original tone as much as possible, bu want an even sounding bass all around.
I play rock and postrock and occasionally reggae.
I would especially like to hear from those who have a stingray 4 with rosewood fingerboard.
Cheers
 
I'm starting to think that the low volume G string thing that some people mention must be something to do with roundwound strings, because I've owned 6 Stingrays and have never experienced anything like the issue that a small number of people post from time to time. I use flatwound strings, so I'm thinking that somehow the flats mitigate this characteristic.

And yes, I have a 4 HH too.
 
Mark, Maybe it's time for some "Scientific research" into your theory and strap on some rounds to see if you have any volume problems:p
 
Aussie Mark said:
I'm starting to think that the low volume G string thing that some people mention must be something to do with roundwound strings, because I've owned 6 Stingrays and have never experienced anything like the issue that a small number of people post from time to time. I use flatwound strings, so I'm thinking that somehow the flats mitigate this characteristic.

And yes, I have a 4 HH too.
Click to expand...

I don't believe it's the strings. both my SR's are TI flat converts that both wore rounds in their previous lives. In fact I think the G and D come threw louder with a fresh set of rounds. I do seem to loose some volume on the G and D when the treble and mid controls are set flat. I just roll them all the way up. Problem solved.
 
I have my pickups slightly raised on my HH torwards the D and G string, and they come through quite loud. I also have all the tone knobs turned all the way up, and and use my amp to control my tone. Sounds great for me.
 
Whatever you do, don't replace those pickups. And if you still do, do not get rid of the originals. You'll probably want to get back to them eventually.

I owned several 'Rays and didn't have that problem with any of them. That said, the D and G string have lower output, also when played unamplified -- which is how I practise most of the time. Perhaps I learned to compensate by plucking harder...
 
One of my favorite things about my SR5 is that the d and g strings are stronger/bassier than on some other basses. Lots of good suggestions above. A few more:

= EQ and amp settings matter a lot. Don't cut your mids, and a little bass boost or low mid boost on the amp helps.

= Plucking near the neck gets you a more bassy sound on the D and G, which is helpful in a band where you don't want the bottom to drop out.

= Heavier guage strings can give you higher output on D and G too...

Good luck! You can solve it.
 
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