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Bongo 2026 Collection

Need Help!!!!

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captainde

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Feb 18, 2006
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7
Please forgive me this rant!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm really pissed off right now! I have had my SR-5 approx. 1 month now and i can't seem to get the hang of it. The string spacing sucks and something about this neck i can't get a handle on. Further, and this is the most fustrating, i can't get a sound out of this thing that suits me. Either i'm to muddy in the mix or i'm overboard hi fi which sucks!!!!!!!!!!

When i played this bass in the store it was hooked up to an Ampeg combo. The sound was sweet but through my GBE600 Genz the sound blows!!!!! Although this is my main rigging set up i also have a Mesa Walkabout Scout with the 15 and it sure sounds better through this amp.

I need help!!!!!! How do you eq this guitar? What settings to you have on your amps?

This is a well comstructed bass giutar and i know its got to sound better than what i'm hearing. What am i doing wrong?

Traded my G&L JB-2 passive bass for this SR-5 and i'm not pleased at all!!!!!

O.k., I know its me and this really upsets me! Maybe i should have bought a Sterling instead or better yet kept the G&L!
 
A word from someone who had owned WAY too many basses, if the string spacing and neck sucks, AND you cant get a good tone out of the SR5. Well my money says it aint the bass.

Seriously, if you want help, saying ill worded things about the basses we love really isnt the best way to go about it.
 
trade you GB for an AMPEG SVT CL.. or get a different bass. :D (LOL)

all kidding aside, if you are not used to 5'ers then go back to 4. some people just are'nt meant to play that extra low, phat string ;)

if it's the tone your most concerned about try starting with eveyrthing flat on the EQ and tweek from there.

hope this helps.
 
Thanks for asking for forgiveness right up front.

First of all, is this your first 5 string? Fiver's strings are usually spaced closer together than fours to keep the neck from getting too wide. Secondly, start with everything flat. Set the tone on the amp flat, set the bass tone knobs in the center detents and then start adjusting from there. Next, if this is your first active bass, don't dime the volume. It's not the same as a passive bass. Spend a little more time and hopefully you'll re-discover what you heard when you first tried it. We've all been frustrated from time to time but with some patience you usually find that things are never as bad as they seem.
 
captainde said:
The string spacing sucks and something about this neck i can't get a handle on. Further, and this is the most fustrating, i can't get a sound out of this thing that suits me. Either i'm to muddy in the mix or i'm overboard hi fi which sucks!
Click to expand...

I've been playing SR5s for a long, long time. The string spacing doesn't suck. It's something you become accustomed to on any new bass - they're all a bit different.

Set the EQ on the bass flat. Set the EQ on your amp flat. When the band gets cranked up, use judicious amounts of EQ (on the bass) to adjust. If you have any of the tone controls on the SR5 all out, you're probably not going to like it. But then that's just me.

When i played this bass in the store it was hooked up to an Ampeg combo. The sound was sweet but through my GBE600 Genz the sound blows!
Click to expand...

Well, there might be some valuable information in the above paragraph.

How do you eq this guitar? What settings to you have on your amps?
Click to expand...

Again, start from flat and try to subtract rather than add. Active EQs are much more powerful than passive EQs.

I know its me and this really upsets me! Maybe i should have bought a Sterling instead or better yet kept the G&L!
Click to expand...

Given how popular the SR5 is, I don't think you actually made a mistake. I think you just need to re-think your approach, maybe.

Jack
 
Just want to say ditto to all the above. It's exactly what I wanted to say, but they all articulated it a lot more nicely. You're not going to gain much respect around here by using adjectives like "blows" and "sucks". Also, do you expect us to say, "You know, you're right on that one."? We wouldn't be here if we didn't love these basses.
 
captainde said:
Please forgive me this rant!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Ok, I forgive you for ranting.
And as everyone else have already said, just forget everything you had to do to make your old passive bass sound the way you wanted, and start with everything set flat. The SR5 is a monster!

Oh, and shave your fingers if the string spacing continues to bother you:p
 
4 string bass is the classic. I love the neck width and string spacing on a 4 string. More is just more not necessarily better. Depends on what you dig.
 
The active electronics threw me at first as well. When I plugged my Sterling in at the store, the first thing I did was dime the volume. When the whole store vibrated, the guy at the store (who also plays a Sterling) showed me how he starts out setting his tone with the volume at or just less than half. Being used to passive electronics, I expected the tone to suffer if it wasn't all the way up. Not so at all!

Once I understood this, I started with the eq's at their detents and the eq on my amp flat. If I want to tweak, I just adjust the eq on the bass slightly. The hardest thing about learning the MM bass was unlearning the old stuff.
 
It's hard to keep up with the pace of technology, and I'm sure there must be a practical reason, but why would anybody make a bass with an odd number of strings? Is a 5 stringed instrument called a buitar or a gass?
 
At the risk of making this post sound like a 12-step meeting, Ill share my experience strength, and hope regarding my first months with a SR5.

I bought my first SR5 sight unseen, having never, ever tried one before. I just went on reputation, sound, and seeing some notable players use them live. I knew about them since they first came out, but never really wanted one until I had a Tony Levin experience.

Anyway, after being so used to my favorite brand of NYC custom bass they talk waaay too much about on Talkbass, the SR5 freaked me out a little. I didn't like the string spacing. In addition, I wasn't used to the centered tone of a 'Ray, which demands a more precise and deliberate touch - it occupied a different portion of the sonic spectrum than I was used to hearing.

I continued to play it anyway, knowing that so many other guys played them with no apparent problems. After hearing positive comments from people around me, and hearing how fabulous the SR5 sounded on recordings, I was determined to make it work for me, somehow. It wasn't better or worse than my treasured NYC bass, just different and certainly worth exploring.

In essence, time got me over the hump of the issues I had with a SR5, simply because I was willing to put the effort in to get used to it. Ultimately, any problems were with me and in my head, as opposed to being in bass with a proven track record and a solid, practical design scheme. It doesn't seem like there's any exercises or regimens one can do to get used to a new instrument, except to just do it.
 
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I've calmed down

Please accept my apology. I was really upset with myself earlier today and i knew i needed help which doesn't do a thing for my ego.

I have been playing bass for a long time and my SR-5 is my dream guitar. I guess i expected to much to quick. Actually, i've been doing everything wrong!

All the above posts is right on! I will definately try the aforementioned recommendations.

In truth, i still cherish this guitar and am very proud to own a SR-5. I've got some work to do and will master these problems!

Again, I'm truly sorry for some of the things i said.
 
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