Help! Musicman Stingray 4 Classic

[joebedington]

I bought a stingray 4 classic a few months back and ever since i've had it, its had a buzz sound when the treble is full up and i'm not touching any of the metal parts, the buzz goes when you touch the strings or any metal parts of the guitar, now for a £1200/2000 guitar i wouldn't expect this. I've taken it to two guitar specialists, both of which couldn't find anything wrong with the wiring as we all suspected it being a bad earth. I've since had the pickup replaced with a Seymour Duncan ceramic pickup, as the one that came with the guitar was the lowest spec (according to the guitar specialist) however the buzz is still there. I've ruled out the amp and leads by using different ones.

The only two ways i can stop the buzz are turning down the treble (obviously not good as i want the high end frequency from it) or the other is to turn down the volume on the bass and crank up the amp. However both of these things are not ideal. I've dreamed of owning a stingray for many years, now i finally have one i'm feeling a tad disappointed with the situation . Any one out there have any ideas how i can solve this problem???

 

[nurnay]

Could it be your power source?

 

[joebedington]

If you mean mains power, no as it does it where ever i play, plus i've tried it on different amps but get the same. However if you mean the battery in the active pickup? What do u think would be the issue there? its just two wires and a 9v battery. Changed the battery and even tried it without and cranked up the amp, yeah the buzz stops without the battery but thats cos the active pick up that deals with the treble is off isn't it?

 

[drTStingray]

U

I bought a stingray 4 classic a few months back and ever since i've had it, its had a buzz sound when the treble is full up and i'm not touching any of the metal parts, the buzz goes when you touch the strings or any metal parts of the guitar, now for a £1200/2000 guitar i wouldn't expect this. I've taken it to two guitar specialists, both of which couldn't find anything wrong with the wiring as we all suspected it being a bad earth. I've since had the pickup replaced with a Seymour Duncan ceramic pickup, as the one that came with the guitar was the lowest spec (according to the guitar specialist) however the buzz is still there. I've ruled out the amp and leads by using different ones.

The only two ways i can stop the buzz are turning down the treble (obviously not good as i want the high end frequency from it) or the other is to turn down the volume on the bass and crank up the amp. However both of these things are not ideal. I've dreamed of owning a stingray for many years, now i finally have one i'm feeling a tad disappointed with the situation . Any one out there have any ideas how i can solve this problem???

I have had this problem before and it was specific to the rehearsal room we used - it didn't do it elsewhere - the guitarist had a Gretch Tennessee Rose (I think?) and it had the same problem. It was a wiring problem in the building.

By the way most people don't change the pick up in their Clasic Stingray because a) part of the classic Stingray sound is, unsurprisingly the pick up (in combination with other design and electrical elements) and b) many people will not buy a used one unless it's original spec (so it is likely to reduce resale value) - hoping youve kept the parts?

Anyway I hope this helps - it was very irritating when I encountered this problem (it affected both my 93 fretless and 2010 Classic) and I suspect any other bass I might have taken. The room was owned by a drummer..........no more needs saying

 

[drTStingray]

Ah you've answered the question whilst I was posting.

Your next best step - contact EB customer services.

 

[joebedington]

Ah you've answered the question whilst I was posting.

Your next best step - contact EB customer services.

Yeah kept the parts. Defo.

However buzz doesn't inspire me putting it up for re-sale anyway!!!

New pickup sounds lovely though buzz aside. Any ideas where to get genuine music man ceramic pic up? The one that was in it was low spec according to guitar engineer and it looks pretty crappy compared to it's replacement.

 

[uOpt]

In most electric guitar and basses this is how it is supposed to work. You are the shield, you are grounded via the grounded strings. Leo's idea.

Most Music Man instruments have shielded electronics cavities and uses shielded wires toward the pickups, but I guess the SR classic stays with what they had back in the day.

 

[liverbird]

New pickup sounds lovely though buzz aside. Any ideas where to get genuine music man ceramic pic up? The one that was in it was low spec according to guitar engineer and it looks pretty crappy compared to it's replacement.

Was the pickup in the bass actually a Music Man pickup or already a replacement? If it was Music Man, then it definitely wasn't 'low spec'. Also, I wouldn't put a ceramic pickup into a Stingray 4, let alone a Classic. It changes the character of the instrument.

Of course there will be some degree of buzzing/hissing when you boost the treble to full - with any pickup. (And, as others have pointed out, this could be amplified by the room.) It's a pretty powerful preamp. Try to figure out where the EQ's flat settings are and gently work from there.

 

[EdrisMunden]

i never have this kind of problem...the second i saw this thread, i though it was about the wire..but u said it was not about that...i think it should be some problem related to the power...anyway...guess only...

could you let us know what problem it is once u find it out.?

 

[joebedington]

Here are two pictures of the pickup i took out, theres nothing on it to say if its an official EB part... I'll let you know if i ever find out what the cause is... sounding to me like most people say you have to deal with it, if thats the case thats awful for a guitar of this status considering my £300 ibanez before never had this issue... I'm hoping i get it sorted as i've lusted after this guitar for years, and would be gutted if this is the case... dreams broken

 

[uOpt]

If the noise gets (much) better when touching the strings the wire that grounds your bridge (and hence you) is OK.

That doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the noise is OK. Honestly I don't recall right now whether a classic has a shielded cavity and/or a a shielded wire to the pickup. You could also have some other defect such as a pot casing disconnected from ground or the shield wire.

But if the noise is OK when touching the strings that is how much electric guitars and basses operate by design.

 

[sanderhermans]

I would suggest trying the bass at a friends rig or at a local music store, and see if the problem still occurs. if it does, then yes the bass is the problem, if no then you can continue the search. you should always use good cables and steady power supply. I have a classic sr4 and it is the best bass ever!!! replacing the pickup or anything on it is really a shame! you should try contacting customer service for further help.

 

[Golem]

`

It's not likely to be the mains supply in the multiple
sites that have been reported. In the USA, you might
actually play in any number of rooms with backfeeds
or current leakage on the ground side of the supply.

Countries with 240VAC mains [virtually everywhere
outside the US] have tighter codes and inspection
regimes cuz 240V is a LOT more dangerous than 120.

 

[sanderhermans]

`

It's not likely to be the mains supply in the multiple
sites that have been reported. In the USA, you might
actually play in any number of rooms with backfeeds
or current leakage on the ground side of the supply.

Countries with 240VAC mains [virtually everywhere
outside the US] have tighter codes and inspection
regimes cuz 240V is a LOT more dangerous than 120.

Thats the spirit! Blaim the usa!

 

[Golem]

`

The few remarks above that seem to accept noise as a normal
element of electric guitar/bass sound got me to thinking, cuz I
don't offhandedly agree. So I test 1/2 dozen basses, in my own
music room. My apartment is in a huge formerly single family
house thaz got crazy wiring and plumbing, serious backfeed on
the neutral side of the AC lines, etc etc.

I set my amp to "flat", or whatever 12 o'clock on all the knobs
really means. Every active bass was set "flat" except the treble
was set to the max. Tone knobs on passive basses were set to
max treble. Results as follows ....

EBMM SUB Sterling 3-band: Very Noisy, possibly as noisy as
the SR described in the OP.

EBMM SR4 HH: Almost zero noise at all 5 switch settings.

Warwick $$4 2-band: Twin humbuckers, ser/par switching,
coil splitter switches, PU fader ... IOW, PU config is not factory
limited as it is with the 5 choices on the dual PU EBMM basses.
Messing with all the knobs and switches, this bass varies from
verrrry noisy to absolute zero noise.

Guild 902 PJ Barts 2-band: Minimal noise, slightly more than
"almost zero". This bass has above average gain [loud ax].

Ibanez passive PJ: Minimal noise, even when soloing the J PU.

Clement passive J-J: These "J"s are Bart's J-form humbuckers.
Absolute zero noise at any PU blend including soloing either PU.

Sooooo ..... noise is not an inherent element of electric guitar/
basses, but it IS fairly common, in varying degrees WHEN THE
EQ IS TREBLE MAXED. Normally, NONE of these basses has a
noise problem, including the SUB Sterling and the Warwick $$,
which are the only 2 basses that earned a "very noisy" rating
under the specified testing conditions.

Some of the basses in the test even have nylon flats, which
means there is no noise reduction from fingers touching the
strings, yet they are all quiet enuf for the job I put them to,
which require a reasonably quiet bass. All these basses, except
the SUB, are FL and are played at dinner gigs, with no drums
to cover up any noises.

I wonder if the Classic is a poor choice for a noise conscious
player who boosts the treble. Not so much the Classic as the
2-band in general. While I do NOT boost treble, I do boost mids,
and dial the lows to LESS than the mids, and usually cut treble.
IOW, I play a bit on the brite side. When playing a 2-band, I
emphasise the mids the only way available [my usual gig amp
has no EQ]. To briten a 2-band, but avoid excess treble, I just
cut both bands [often to maximum cut], which unfortunately
lowers the overall output of the bass ... but, hey, it's a dinner
gig, so who needs a lotta output ?

My experience is that a 3-band offers much better control over
a rather brite tone, cuz you can juggle both non-bass bands to
get just where you need to go. Acoarst, if your amp offers EQ,
thaz also a good way to boost mids without excessive treble