Help ! My Stringray doesn't have the typical Stringray Sound

[Peevee]

I bought in 2nd hand a stingray. IT sounds good but doesn't have the typical big sound. The sound is too poor, too clean. I compared it with new models in shops. It totaly different.

It's a 2005 Model 3Db.Eq Rosewood Dark Blue w/ black pickguard. Serial E39xxx

The instrument was checked by a specialist (I'm Belgian - I don't find the translation for the person who maintain guitars and bass - Sorry)

This person was not a Stingray expert, but he told me that all wooden part was OK, and all mechanical part also.


So is it possible that the pickup was defective ? Both rows of magnet give a signal when I touch it w/ a screwdriver. The is no distortion.

Or perhaps the new Stingray pickup has different sound ? I've notice that since 2003 the pickups have changed (round top border of the magnets)

Do you have an idea to help me ?
The pickup has mesured resistance of 1880 ohm. (seems to be correct)

What should I test.

Thanks

 

[82Daion]

Maybe the battery is going dead. Are you sure that the pickup is stock?

Also, the term for someone who maintains guitars and basses is luthier.

Welcome to the forum, and hope that this helps!

 

[Golem]

If the only StingRays you knew before were pre-Ernie Ball, there would be a distinct difference, but it should still be describable as a "huge sound".

It is possible that altho there are no flaws, it has a replacement pre-amp from another company, to suit someone else's taste. It is also possible the PU has been rewired to series instead of parallel connection, but that would also result in a "huge" sound.

Hopefully, someone on the forum knows an actual StingRay specialist somewhere in the low countries for you.

 

[Fuzzy Dustmite]

I was thinking the same thing about replacement pickup and/or preamp.

 

[Peevee]

The Stingray used for comparison was a 2004 or 2005 model

I've replace battery w/ new one. - No change

The pickup is wire in parallel.
I compared my pickup w/ those decribed on

http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/TOWN8019/mycustompage0019.htm

It's exacltly the same.
And of course the same result for the pre-amp.

I've mad another test : I compare the direct acoustic sound (without amplification)
and the the sound is the same

I think to either a defective pickup or defective préamp. But the sound is not bad, it only another kind of sound.

Do you understand my trouble ?

 

[Motojunkie]

Are the strings the same on the 2 basses that you are comparing? Different strings and string guages can make drastic differences in the tone of an instrument.

 

[Peevee]

Yes Both have Ernie Ball 105-45.

 

[Evil_Ernie_Ball]

same amplifier ?

 

[syciprider]

You have to feed the stingray inside once in awhile.

 

[oddjob]

Check the pickup height... if it too low then your sound will drop off tremendously.

 

[PaulMack]

Can't help you with your problem but the link that you posted is quite useful to me as I've been trying to find out schematics and such. Good luck

 

[dumpster bike]

the biggest difference may be the strings. theres a pretty big difference between roundwounds, halfwounds, and flatwounds.

also, the strings may be completley dead, rusted, bent in spots. a lighter gauge should yeild a sharper, higher end tone. try throwing on a fresh set of strings in an average gauge, or something close to the bass youre comparing it to.

also, check pickup height, that the knobs are wired correctly and turned all the way up, that the cable is good and that the string height is set at a decent height. strings set really high will be further from the pickup and thus weild a deader or less huge sound.

also, and this is often overlooked, if the pickup is set up TOO high (too close to the strings) the magnets will actually pull the strings and keep them from moving fully back and forth. this can lead a distorted or muted, or just bad tone.

try and keep as many of the things in your experiment the same (amp, cable, battery type, pick if used, etc.)

aaaaand, make sure youre always going into the same input. usually an active instrument goes into the lower rated input on an amp, so test them both at that input.

 

[Peevee]

I've already checked the string (new ones) Ernie Ball 105-45 on both instruments.
The pickup has already been ajusted by a luthier. Of course the sustain is longer when is let more space. But the tone doesn't change.


For me there is 3 possibilities :

The neck has made with a bad piece of wood (node, defect,...) but I don't really believe that MM let so big mistake happend.

The 2 others is PU or Preamp.

What I would like to to is to find a specialist an before buying new piece to try to replace one by one the pieces. But I don't find search a specialist in Belgium.

The ultimate solution is to sell it again and buy a new one....

Thanks for you help.

Patrick

 

[Colin]

is it possible to post a picture of the bass and the wiring? These guy's here will know straight away if it's original or not.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Sell the bass and buy another. Where's that smiley that ducks behind the wall?

 

[Dees]

Yeey, another Belgian
That was all, I can't solve the problem unfortunately, just check all of the above things

 

[Golem]

If you can compare it again to that other StingRay, and if the owner of the other Ray doesn't object, for testing purposes make yourself an instrument cable [bass to amp] with an amp plug on one end and a pair of clips at the other end.

Open up the controls section and use the test cable to send the PU signal [passive signal] straight to the amp input. Now you can compare the basses without involving the battery and the pre-amp/EQ sections at all. If they sound quite similar, blame the electronics in the faulty one. If they sound very different, I'd suspect the PU because you said that the acoustic [unplugged] tone seems to be the same between the two.