Just finished my first SXSW with a Stingray.

[aldelgreco]

Loved every minute of it, and I'm glad I found this forum.

I am in need of some guidance from EBMM pros, though.
Thanks to having only one overworked stage manager and 5 showcases, I found last night that I have not only lost my tuner, but also my Big Muff distortion pedal.

Previously, I had played a Fender Jazz Bass and a Conklin Groove Tools (still own them and use them only sparingly now that I have bought this incredible instrument). I bought a Stingray because I have always wanted one, and because of how light and awesome it felt.

But, I didn't really like how the Muff sounded with it. I like the simplicity of the on-board eq on the stingray and like the sound of the instrument with the bass turned about 80% max, the mids at about halfway and the treble at just below half. But, this configuration made the sustain of the distortion far too "drone-like" (does that make sense?) because of the active pickups, Im assuming. To get rid of the "drone", I have to turn the treble up on the bass and the tone way up on the muff, and that just sounds weak and kind of farty. I like a deep, subtle distortion.

What distortion pedals would some of you vets recommend for the EBMM Stingray for my purposes? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. You can listen to some of our songs at www.myspace.com/alpharev to get an idea of our sound. The songs posted on myspace are not really the ones I need distortion on, though.

It would also be greatly appreciated if you could tell me what strings you like and why. I have always been a fan of DR Marcus Miller Fat Beams for my Jazz Basses, but I'm not sure the sound will go as well with my Stingray.

Thanks very much for helping out a newb...and I look forward to hopefully being a good resource for the community as I grow with my new Stringray.

peace
-alex

 

[Joe Nerve]

welcome!

what's an sxsw?

 

[jongitarz]

South by Southwest...Huge event in Austin....Check out Brians posts. Good reading.

Check here..http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/22741-sxsw-day-2-bnb-blog.html

 

[aldelgreco]

ok..so does anyone have a suggestion?

thanks homies.

 

[jongitarz]

I'm not a bass player, but I'm sure somebody will have some great advice for you.

I just checked out your myspace page...I like the songs!

 

[oddjob]

Loved every minute of it, and I'm glad I found this forum.

I am in need of some guidance from EBMM pros, though.
Thanks to having only one overworked stage manager and 5 showcases, I found last night that I have not only lost my tuner, but also my Big Muff distortion pedal.

Previously, I had played a Fender Jazz Bass and a Conklin Groove Tools (still own them and use them only sparingly now that I have bought this incredible instrument). I bought a Stingray because I have always wanted one, and because of how light and awesome it felt.

But, I didn't really like how the Muff sounded with it. I like the simplicity of the on-board eq on the stingray and like the sound of the instrument with the bass turned about 80% max, the mids at about halfway and the treble at just below half. But, this configuration made the sustain of the distortion far too "drone-like" (does that make sense?) because of the active pickups, Im assuming. To get rid of the "drone", I have to turn the treble up on the bass and the tone way up on the muff, and that just sounds weak and kind of farty. I like a deep, subtle distortion.

What distortion pedals would some of you vets recommend for the EBMM Stingray for my purposes? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. You can listen to some of our songs at www.myspace.com/alpharev to get an idea of our sound. The songs posted on myspace are not really the ones I need distortion on, though.

It would also be greatly appreciated if you could tell me what strings you like and why. I have always been a fan of DR Marcus Miller Fat Beams for my Jazz Basses, but I'm not sure the sound will go as well with my Stingray.

Thanks very much for helping out a newb...and I look forward to hopefully being a good resource for the community as I grow with my new Stringray.

peace
-alex

How are you running the muff? Bass/muff/amp? Bass/amp/loop? Also amp type??? We'll try and get ya hooked up here

 

[fly]

i'm just gonna chime in on the string factor.


you own an EBMM.........you put EBMM strings on it.


as for gage.............up to you man.


good to see you here..........any pics of your baby?

 

[brooklynfall]

Alpha Rev - hey, I think I caught some of your set at Spill! Did you play Thursday or Friday? I think you went on after my buddy Joseph King, or possibly my band the Animators ... such a blur.

As far as advice - for a fuzz tone with the EB, I'm not a fan of the Big Muff. If you're in the market, give something like the Fulltone Bass-Drive a shot. With the boost channel engaged, it can get a great fuzz tone. And consider powering it with 18 volts instead of 9; there's instructions for that on the Fulltone site. This way you get a lot more headroom, which is necessary for the Ray - it's got a much higher output than any Fender. By the way, the extra output makes the Ray great for overdriving amps, which is my favorite form of OD, when possible.

Also, it's true what they say - EB strings and basses really do go together. I've never been happy with the sound of other strings, at least on the SR5.

Take care man, good luck with everything!

Phil

 

[Psychicpet]

welcome Alex!

good on ya for the SXSW I trust it'll be great for you guys.

as for fuzz, I'm just getting into that arena a little but if you can, try out an Ashdown bass distortion pedal, granted, they haven't gotten the best reviews out there and are a little quirky BUT they do have a cool sound. The Overdrive sounds pretty much like an SVT getting ready to explode.

anywho, have fun with the new 'tone quest'

 

[tkarter]

Ha ha Pete. Us old guys unplug and worry if anything sounds like a SVT about to explode.

tk

 

[EBMM7181]

Stick with Ernie Ball strings, and try out the Boss ODB-3 Bass Overdrive Pedal