** Musicman bass suggested settings thread **

[Rod Trussbroken]

Is the bass knob actually cut/boost or is it boost only?

Bass control is cut and boost. But it doesn't have a central/mid position. In the full anti clockwise position the bass is cut. It's not a gradule cut from a mid position. As you advance clockwise from that position you begin to boost the bass.

 

[uOpt]

No, I just measured this morning, 60%/60% is closer to linear than 50/50. The latter still has a mid-bump. That is by distance, not measured with an ohmmeter, though.

The 2-band SR classic pickup always cuts the lowest bass and highest treble, it's part of the game. This EQ is very different from the other ones.

Sorry for quoting myself, I just wanted to deliver a bit more accurate information. After marking the pots and doing a more careful test the SR classic preamp will have the more approximation to linear with bass at 70% and treble at 50%.

That is 70% and 50% optical, as in how far you turn the pot, not as in by measured value on the pot.

The 70/50 will still give you a drop above 7kHz, however your bass doesn't do much up there.

 

[KevinM]

I always run my volume at 100% unless I'm fading out of the song. On my old P I could just let it fade by itself but the MM resonates forever so I have to slowly cut the volume.
100% so I can get the max signal from the instrument and so the soundman can gauge where my max is.
Any dynamics are done with technique.

 

[Mrrstrat]

I have found it hard to not want to use 100% vol on my MMSR5..but I have been pulling it back to 75% and boosting the bass and mid just a little as my go-to sound. Definitely the forward and middle switch pos are the ones I like. I do not seem to like to sit on humbuck position (all the way back). The tone is a little funky, but I am still getting to know how to dial in my sound with the bass.

 

[uOpt]

FWIW, I posted some EQ curves of some popular preamps over here (I can copy here if that's better but here is the link for now). The Stingray classic 2-band is in there.

EQ curves of common bass preamps (Music Man, Seymour Duncan, Warwick)

 

[sanderhermans]

Seems like you did a lot of work. And i get it but what can you use these for? Iow. Why would you need this kind of data? 5 good sounds samples would be alot more helpfull and propably less time consuming to make and to listen to. But if it helps for you then keep it up!

 

[uOpt]

Seems like you did a lot of work. And i get it but what can you use these for? Iow. Why would you need this kind of data? 5 good sounds samples would be alot more helpfull and propably less time consuming to make and to listen to. But if it helps for you then keep it up!

I was just curious, especially about the curve of the 2-band Stingray classic preamp.
I don't claim practical use

 

[Mrrstrat]

Been playing my MM SR5 for a while now at practices and am finding I have gravitated toward:

Vol=80 to 100% depending on song
Hi=flat
Mid=60%
Low=flat to 75% depending on song
Pickup= front select for 90% with middle used sometimes - never all the way back

This is what I been using for classic, alternative, and hard rock with the pass amp set 'typical'. By typical I mean kind of flat with a very slight EQ mid scoop. I like to use mid and high like seasoning and prefer to control this at the bass (for whatever reason).

I have a maple neck: is it normal to need to adjust the truss wheel time to time? My Geddy Lee has never needed an adjustment after setting it. It seems my SR5 needs a slight tweak...do MM maple necks need more frequent adjustments?

 

[Mrrstrat]

One question I have: each of the tone settings have a middle or flat setting: does the volume have a 'flat' setting? Is 50%volume flat?

I guess what I mean is at what level does the volume begin to boost?

 

[uOpt]

One question I have: each of the tone settings have a middle or flat setting: does the volume have a 'flat' setting? Is 50%volume flat?

I guess what I mean is at what level does the volume begin to boost?

I only did a short test running all the MM pickups passive but the volume was "the same", that means no boost.

I put "the same" in quotes because it's a bit more complicated, e.g. a modern SR humbucker has coils in parallel which makes the sound very thing and it doesn't sound full (or loud) enough to you unless you run it through the preamp.

 

[Mrrstrat]

So if I understand: the volume control is not a boost at all: it's just a normal pickup output volume.

That means there is no unity volume setting - or point that it begins to boost volume or cut it.

That does change the way I see how the preamp works. I know on my LTD Surveyor bass I maxed it's volume and used the cut/boost to dial in my sound.

One thing with my Humbucker position on my bass: instead of being a strong and prominent Humbucker sound my bass when switched to the back position (Humbucker setting on the SR5) sounds a little oinky like something is out of phase. If I had a guitar that sounded like this on Humbucker mode, I would think one of the coils was wired out of phase or was on a phase reverse setting.

When switched, it does not get much louder, just this pecilure tone. It's not the same Humbucker prominence I got out of a EMG Humbucked bass I once owned...

 

[sanderhermans]

So if I understand: the volume control is not a boost at all: it's just a normal pickup output volume.

That means there is no unity volume setting - or point that it begins to boost volume or cut it.

That does change the way I see how the preamp works. I know on my LTD Surveyor bass I maxed it's volume and used the cut/boost to dial in my sound.

One thing with my Humbucker position on my bass: instead of being a strong and prominent Humbucker sound my bass when switched to the back position (Humbucker setting on the SR5) sounds a little oinky like something is out of phase. If I had a guitar that sounded like this on Humbucker mode, I would think one of the coils was wired out of phase or was on a phase reverse setting.

When switched, it does not get much louder, just this pecilure tone. It's not the same Humbucker prominence I got out of a EMG Humbucked bass I once owned...

There is a huge difference between an emg set and a ebmm pickup and preamp. So they are not really compareable... *it. And when you have your*sr5*switch towards the bridge. Your humbucker is actually wired paralel. Look at it as 2 single coils combined, this is the reason you get the tone you discribe.*With the switch foreward you will get series wiring wich is more like a classic humbucker tone and propably more like the emg pickups sound.*

 

[uOpt]

So if I understand: the volume control is not a boost at all: it's just a normal pickup output volume.

That means there is no unity volume setting - or point that it begins to boost volume or cut it.

That does change the way I see how the preamp works. I know on my LTD Surveyor bass I maxed it's volume and used the cut/boost to dial in my sound.

One thing with my Humbucker position on my bass: instead of being a strong and prominent Humbucker sound my bass when switched to the back position (Humbucker setting on the SR5) sounds a little oinky like something is out of phase. If I had a guitar that sounded like this on Humbucker mode, I would think one of the coils was wired out of phase or was on a phase reverse setting.

When switched, it does not get much louder, just this pecilure tone. It's not the same Humbucker prominence I got out of a EMG Humbucked bass I once owned...

Out of phase of two coils in one humbucker would leave almost no signal.

I think your problem is that the coils are in parallel and that the electronics are not fattening it back up. I don't have a SR5 but the way it works in my SR4 is that the coils are in parallel which makes a useless thin sound without the preamp and the preamp creates a useful frequency response.

Are you sure you have the original EBMM preamp, e.g. did you buy used and somebody put in something different?

Also, it is possible that in your SR5 the coils are supposed to be in series, the preamp doesn't do the correction for parallel coils and a previous owner changed the wiring to be parallel because that what other stingrays do? I don't know whether the coils for you bass are supposed to be in parallel or in-series but from what you write it sounds like you will fix your problem by going series.

Could also be something outright broken making it thin. How do the other switch positions sound?

 

[Mrrstrat]

The bass has not been modified, I just think it's a different sound I am not used to. With the switch all of the way back I figured it would be like a Humbucker from hell sound, and it is only different from the other settings by being a little more hollow sounding and not a balls-2-the-wall roar.

Maybe I am not understanding what the bridge pickup should sound like..

 

[Mrrstrat]

There is a huge difference between an emg set and a ebmm pickup and preamp. So they are not really compareable... *it. And when you have your*sr5*switch towards the bridge. Your humbucker is actually wired paralel. Look at it as 2 single coils combined, this is the reason you get the tone you discribe.*With the switch foreward you will get series wiring wich is more like a classic humbucker tone and propably more like the emg pickups sound.*

If this is true, then this is the best explanation of what the switch does and how it should sound!

 

[Mrrstrat]

So if I understand:

The volume knob on a SR5 single Humbucked bass works as a normal passive volume control, except it is feeding a preamp that can cut/boost the sound. The volume knob is not a preamp output knob: it is an input volume control to the preamp.

If this is not true, please tell me.

 

[sanderhermans]

If this is true, then this is the best explanation of what the switch does and how it should sound!

This is only true for single humbucker sr5. If its a dual humbucker you will have a 5 pos. Switch wich just selects different coil cobibations all in parallel.

 

[uOpt]

So if I understand:

The volume knob on a SR5 single Humbucked bass works as a normal passive volume control, except it is feeding a preamp that can cut/boost the sound. The volume knob is not a preamp output knob: it is an input volume control to the preamp.

If this is not true, please tell me.

No, the volume control does not work like in a passive bass. In a passive bass the volume pot also changes sounds lightly. Because it ends up changing the effective load impedance and the passive pickup reacts to that by lowering the amplitude of the resonance peak.

In an active music man instrument you have a low impedance volume control pot that is behind an impedance changing circuit. That means using this volume pot only changes volume and does nothing about the sound characteristic.


As for data on boost, here is the closest I have, comparing the pickup from my 2000 vanilla SR4 in two situations:
- with its own preamp
- passive mode, but in a Bongo and with different strings
- string height has carefully be made identical

That is will all pots neutral except volume which is full open.

bongotangerine_105-Sboomers45105-Psr2000pickup-Wneck-passive500-bass3-z.wav:
Samples read:           1699072
Length (seconds):     19.263855
Scaled by:         2147483647.0
Maximum amplitude:     0.276062
Minimum amplitude:    -0.314117
Midline amplitude:    -0.019028
Mean    norm:          0.025197
Mean    amplitude:    -0.000015
RMS     amplitude:     0.036824
Maximum delta:         0.033569
Minimum delta:         0.000000
Mean    delta:         0.000354
RMS     delta:         0.000835
Rough   frequency:          159
Volume adjustment:        3.184
Integrated loudness:    -27.0 LUFS
Loudness range:           7.2 LU
Integrated threshold:   -35.1 LUFS
Range threshold:        -47.4 LUFS
Range min:              -32.6 LUFS
Range max:              -25.4 LUFS
Momentary max:          -20.8 LUFS
Short term max:         -25.2 LUFS
sr2000_112-Shibeams45105-actionabithigher-bass3-z.wav:
Samples read:           1671040
Length (seconds):     18.946032
Scaled by:         2147483647.0
Maximum amplitude:     0.193542
Minimum amplitude:    -0.350525
Midline amplitude:    -0.078491
Mean    norm:          0.031468
Mean    amplitude:    -0.000014
RMS     amplitude:     0.044991
Maximum delta:         0.142975
Minimum delta:         0.000000
Mean    delta:         0.000501
RMS     delta:         0.001204
Rough   frequency:          187
Volume adjustment:        2.853
Integrated loudness:    -25.0 LUFS
Loudness range:           2.3 LU
Integrated threshold:   -33.3 LUFS
Range threshold:        -45.5 LUFS
Range min:              -26.6 LUFS
Range max:              -24.3 LUFS
Momentary max:          -21.3 LUFS
Short term max:         -24.2 LUFS

 

[Mrrstrat]

Too cool!

So does anyone use the parallel mode (full switch back on a SR5 single Humbucker)? It has a weird sound to me.. Not bad, just odd.

 

[sanderhermans]

Too cool!

So does anyone use the parallel mode (full switch back on a SR5 single Humbucker)? It has a weird sound to me.. Not bad, just odd.

The parallel is the most used sound in stingray history all sr4's are wired this way and always have been. Only the sr5 and the sterlings can be wired in series. I used to really like the series sound, in fact i recorded our entire album with my sterling in series but i really prefer the parallel mode now and i get the extra bite and clarity out of my preamp. Imo the series sounds just a bit sterile while parallel sounds smoother and less agressive.