I HAVE A MUSICMAN CRISIS!!!!! calling all stingray players

[billinge]

Hi Everyone, I'm Matt and i've been playing bass for about 6 years. I'm a huge fan of Flea in particular and have recently bought a Musicman Stingray 4. It's a fantastic bass, awesome playability/ sound e.t.c.

Theres just one little thing nagging me...

I play in a band (kinda punk/hard rock) and use both a plectrum and fingers. I have a 350W Hartke VX3500 combi amp with 4 10" speakers. AND... I just don't know what the best settings both on my bass and my amp should be for that sort of music

Obviously I want it punchy and easily heard through the mix but I thought i'd ask for your opinions because i don't really know. Given, it beats the sound of my old yamaha bass 100 times over, but i thought that you lot seem to have more experience of musicman tone e.t.c. so I would really appreciate your views.

Matt

 

[mammoth]

if only you'd bought a Bongo... sigh



I can't help with stingrays but welcome all the same!

 

[EBMM7181]

Hey man, I like the sound of the EQ on the StingRay better than the EQ on amps, so I just usually set everything on the amp flat, and adjust my sound with the EQ on the bass.

If you wanna sound like Flea, just keep that Stingray and get a Gallien-Krueger bass amp, and your set.

 

[sandman@midlife]

Hey man, I like the sound of the EQ on the StingRay better than the EQ on amps, so I just usually set everything on the amp flat, and adjust my sound with the EQ on the bass.

That's what I do, and I can sound like whatever I want.

 

[todd4ta]

On a 2-band Stingray, I set the bass at the midpoint and slightly cut the treble.

On a 3-band, I'm still trying to find an EQ setting that hits me just right. I usually start with a flat EQ and usually bump the bass a tiny bit, and cut the treble slightly. The mids stay flat, but may boost or cut as needed.

I tend towards a flat EQ and boost the volume about 95% on the bass.

 

[EBMM7181]

PS - Welcome to the forum.

 

[PocketGroove82]

yo matt, i love when people use the word plectrum!
So I'll offer some advice.

You should listen to as much music in the style you want to play as humanly possible.
Try to learn the basslines of the guys who you like, with both pick/fingerstyle.
Experiment with your EQ while playing along with the songs you learned and try to make your sound match the sound of the bassist on the record, then try to figure out why at particular EQ works so well with the style/band you're listening too.

You may not be able to find a good setting on your amp that will give you what you want for both plectrum (hehe) and fingerstyle, so you may have to change your amp/bass eq before/after different songs.

and most importantly, buy more EBMM products! (lol)

and post a damn pic of your bass!

 

[adouglas]

Some general guidelines, all of which have been stated before...try a search.

- Tone that sounds good in a band setting doesn't necessarily sound good soloed, and vice versa. If you EQ your bass so it sounds great when you're playing alone, often it gets lost in the band mix. A good EQ for a band mix can sound a bit nasal/honky if you're playing alone. Avoid the "Smiley face" EQ (boosted bass and treble, cut mids). This sounds great soloed but pulls an amazing vanishing act the second everyone else starts playing.

- To cut through, mids are the key. Getting lost in the mix = not enough mids
- Too muddy, too boomy (this is really common) = too much bass
- Too zingy, too sizzly = too much treble

Slapping requires different EQ than fingerstyle.

Frequencies below 100 Hz or so add mud. Frequencies around 125-250 Hz add punch. IMHO the "bass" knob on most amps should be labeled "mud."

Avoid extreme EQ settings. If you find yourself with one EQ control cranked all the way up and the one next to it all the way down, chances are really good that you're doing something wrong.

Trust your ears, and listen to the WHOLE band, not just yourself. Stepping away from the amps, as far as possible, will give you a better idea of what's going on.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jim_F]

I agree -
set the amp eq parameters flat and use the Stingray -
start with the eqs on the bass all flat (middle indent, you'll feel it when you turn the eq knobs) - then play around until you get the sound you want ...
try boosting the bass eq first then play around with the treble.

and welcome to the forum - you made the right choice of bass...

 

[JustinP]

Ive found to get a "Flea-ish" sound on my SR4 HH I use the bridge pickup with all of my EQ flat but with a slight treble boost.

 

[Rano Bass]

Just don't go crazy with EQ, either on bass or amp.
Try to keep everything close to a flat sound as you can and you'll be alright.
IMO.

 

[billinge]

thanks guys thats ace

appreciate that!!

damn good advice

=)

 

[bassmancb]

Good advice,it even helped me. EB Basses are not your average bass, once you get comfortable with them they're awesome!

 

[hankSRay]

another big thing that gets confusing is the fact that your stage tone and the tone of your bass that the audience hears are 2 different things.

 

[kompressaur]

I've found most drummers and guitarists have an idea on what sounds hot and whats not on bass tone coming out of the speaker.ask them for their opinions too
Komp

 

[Ostinato]

Yeah...Stingrays need some care when it comes to EQ, otherwise the singer may be turning back at you yelling "where's the bass?" when you start slapping the high strings.

 

[billinge]

yeah good call, will bear that in mind...


another thing...

this sounds dead trivial but its something i could do with knowing, How long can I expect the battery to last on the bass because tbh I have no idea as my last bass was passive

last thing i want is for my battery to go mid set!

 

[adouglas]

According to the FAQ:

http://www.ernieball.com/faq_content.php?subjectcode=mm_basses

average battery life is supposed to be 3 months. That's really pessimistic in my experience, but it depends entirely on how much you leave the bass plugged in. (The battery drains whenever a plug is inserted into the jack on the bass, whether you're playing or not. This is also true even if you unplug the other end of the cord from your amp....so unplug it when you're not playing.)

I change the batteries on my Bongo with every string change, which is to say every six months. Speaking of which, I'm due in a week....

 

[DRF]

Hey man, I like the sound of the EQ on the StingRay better than the EQ on amps, so I just usually set everything on the amp flat, and adjust my sound with the EQ on the bass.

+1 ---and keep your strings fresh

 

[stretch80]

My experience w/ fingerstyle vs. pick/plectrum...

- The pick gives you more high end and less bass, so I typically boost the bass EQ and cut treble when I pick up the pick. When I switch back to fingers, I just reverse it -- usually I have just a tad of bass boost on the bass. My finger sound works pretty well for slap, but I'm more into the old-school sound than the Flea sound.

I also always have some bass boost on the amp -- my SR5 is bright, but mids and treble are flat (on an Eden amp)

I agree w/ listening to CDS and matching tone -- you can learn a lot about tone that way. But you'll also find that when you're in a room with a band, the setting that worked at home may not work in the band. But SRs are great in a band mix, so you're in luck!

Welcome!