no low end?

[hands 5]

By "balls," I mean that a stingray can sound louder and fuller than a stock jazz.

I don't know what to tell you. The bass guitar, even one with a preamp, is a pretty simple machine. If you don't like the sound, then take it back and get something else that you do like. Didn't you play a Stingray before you bought one?

louder,hhmm- maybe,fulller IMO- NO !. no low mids no matter how it's equ'ed. I have both (well 3) a 74 Jazz-that is damn'er heavier than my SR5, but my Jazz is much fuller than the SR5, but there are those rare occurances that I like the sound of the Ray 5,because it's the 1 bass that I have that can do something none of my other basses can't do,(with the exception of my Jazz) and that's go head-up with an obnoxious guitar player,coming out of a Marshall stack.

 

[hands 5]

Ive always said if you cant do it with a StingRay maybe it aint the bass.

what if it's not the player's skill,but it' just that he or she doesn't dig the sound of the Ray. I mean I feel what you're saying,because when I got my 78 Sabre I felt the same way as you,but as I got older,and had got the chance to hear and play more basses, that broaden my scope ALOT !

 

[TSanders]

what if it's not the player's skill,but it' just that he or she doesn't dig the sound of the Ray. I mean I feel what you're saying,because when I got my 78 Sabre I felt the same way as you,but as I got older,and had got the chance to hear and play more basses, that broaden my scope ALOT !

I have owned MANY, MANY basses in my 7 years of playing, and its just too easy to get a good tone out of a StingRay. I just havent ever struggled to get low end from one.

 

[skabassist13]

this is funny. i went toguitar center and played a stingray and had a bit of trouble getting the low end in check.

 

[spectorbassguy]

What amp and cab are you using?

 

[spectorbassguy]

Also by nature when you play slap/pop you lose bottom end.

 

[BigStrings]

I'll tell you what. The first time I played my Sterling at home (had already played one in the music store) I loved the unique tone but was a little put off by what I thought was a lack of low end. However, it wasn't long before I started to appreciate that this is the bass sound I always really craved but didn't realize it until I stumbled on it. I also began to realize that my other basses may have been a little too full sounding and because of that, some of my well thought out, creative bass lines and patterns were hid beneath the mix, never busting through. I think that is this guy's problem, he's just not used to a bass sounding different than what he's been playing.

We never know how our bass sounds in the mix until someone (another bass player or someone really into live music) in the audience tells us. I've had enough good feedback to know that my Sterling is the best sounding (and playing) bass that I have ever owned. I'm thinking that as soon as people start telling this guy how good his bass is sounding (out there), he'll become a Music Man lover like the rest of us.

 

[Joshua]

the carvin has a jazz pickup in the neck and a mm style humbucker in the bridge position. has a really nice preamp. dangit. i don't know. i feel like it should have a similar sound.

Have you tried the Carvin using only the bridge pickup? The neck pickup adds lots of lows...

 

[tkarter]

What amp and speakers. Almost anyone here could tell you how to eq the thing with that information.

My SR -5 has all the bottom you can want and gets some of it EQed out. I run a Laney RBH 800 head into Ampeg 2x10 and 1x15. Don't boost the bass on the amp either.

I would be sure it is amp settings.

IMHO

tk

 

[hands 5]

Also by nature when you play slap/pop you lose bottom end.

I don't know about that ither.

 

[prickly_pete]

louder,hhmm- maybe,fulller IMO- NO !. no low mids no matter how it's equ'ed. I have both (well 3) a 74 Jazz-that is damn'er heavier than my SR5, but my Jazz is much fuller than the SR5, but there are those rare occurances that I like the sound of the Ray 5,because it's the 1 bass that I have that can do something none of my other basses can't do,(with the exception of my Jazz) and that's go head-up with an obnoxious guitar player,coming out of a Marshall stack.

Well, I have played and owned many Jazzes over the years -- the oldest being a cherry 67. The jazz has good mids with the bridge pickup soled but no low end, and a fat tone with both pickups wide open but with both pickups wide open, the sound is too round for me -- mids are not that great. A stock stingray will sound great plugged into most anything, from an SVT to computer speakers. A stock Jazz requires a nice rig to get a good tone. I love the Jazz bass sound, but the Ray is easier to get a good tone out of. IMHO.

 

[mike jungle]

i usually play with the bridge humbucker soloed on the carvin.

i have an swr workingman 4004 with 2 10's and one 15. if anyone knows a good setting, by all means, let me know.

you guys are being pretty helpful. i hope you guys give me more input, it's helping a little along the way.

bigstrings, maybe what you're saying is right. maybe i just need to experiment a little with it and get used to the sound.

and i honestly don't think i suck. i know i'm no virtuoso, and that's something i'm trying to work on, but i can play. really, i can. haha.

so it's a no go on the buying a different preamp? there's a seymour duncan preamp for sale on ebay...they say you can pull up the knob for slap or something...don't quite understand it, but if anyone can tell me about it, i'd appreciate it.

 

[bdgotoh]

I've had two basses with the Seymour Duncan 3 band preamp. I'm not sure where the frequencies are for the 3 bands but neither of them sounded as good as my Stingrays or had as much low end. One had Jazz pickups the other Duncan soapbars. The slap contour is a scooped mids preset if I remember correctly, it didn't change the tone much.

This is a total YMMV bit of advice, but I've spent a lot of time and money on pickups and on-board preamps over the years. I recently realized if I don't like a bass tonally that swapping pickups or preamps only works if the pickups are crappy. If I don't like the tone/playability of a well-made bass with quality parts I just sell it and move on - nothing personal, it just doesn't "fit" me.

 

[LoveThatBass]

I agree with a previous poster....check the pickup height...raising it will give a bit more low end. Also, you might try raising the end closest to the neck. If you go too high it will get muddy.

 

[hands 5]

Well, I have played and owned many Jazzes over the years -- the oldest being a cherry 67. The jazz has good mids with the bridge pickup soled but no low end, and a fat tone with both pickups wide open but with both pickups wide open, the sound is too round for me -- mids are not that great. A stock stingray will sound great plugged into most anything, from an SVT to computer speakers. A stock Jazz requires a nice rig to get a good tone. I love the Jazz bass sound, but the Ray is easier to get a good tone out of. IMHO.

I agree to a certain astint ,because I don't run both pups wide open ither on ither of my Jazz basses. As for a Ray IMHO it doesn't matter what you play thru it's still going to sound like a Ray. however my former Ampeg rig did smooth out it's tone to degree,but to me the sound still didn't flatter me nor the engineer,but it was usable so all n all,it wasn't a bad thing.

 

[hands 5]

I've had two basses with the Seymour Duncan 3 band preamp. I'm not sure where the frequencies are for the 3 bands but neither of them sounded as good as my Stingrays or had as much low end. One had Jazz pickups the other Duncan soapbars. The slap contour is a scooped mids preset if I remember correctly, it didn't change the tone much.

This is a total YMMV bit of advice, but I've spent a lot of time and money on pickups and on-board preamps over the years. I recently realized if I don't like a bass tonally that swapping pickups or preamps only works if the pickups are crappy. If I don't like the tone/playability of a well-made bass with quality parts I just sell it and move on - nothing personal, it just doesn't "fit" me.

Exactly

 

[Bluesbob]

Shameless Plug

Hey, I'll be playing with Hadicus Road, my classic-rock band tonight at Chance's in Patchogue, Suffolk County, L.I. I'll be using my Sterling and an SVT II with SWR Goliath Jr. 2X10 and SofB 1X15 cabs. I'll let you know if it sounds bass-shy or if I blow the doors off the building. (I'm betting it'll be the latter.)

 

[mike jungle]

hello everybody.

i played the bass at my church using the amp there (a carvin 600 watt combo) and it sounded awesome. it's actually sorta weird, because no matter how hard i tried to get my carvin to sound good through it, i found it really hard to dial in the correct settings. but then again, when i take the guitar to the carvin store, it sounds great...these things are so variable, it's annoying.
SO i concluded it's the EQing on the swr, but i'm really at a loss at how to get the right settings on my swr for the rayray.

more suggestions?

 

[dlloyd]

hello everybody.

i played the bass at my church using the amp there (a carvin 600 watt combo) and it sounded awesome. it's actually sorta weird, because no matter how hard i tried to get my carvin to sound good through it, i found it really hard to dial in the correct settings. but then again, when i take the guitar to the carvin store, it sounds great...these things are so variable, it's annoying.
SO i concluded it's the EQing on the swr, but i'm really at a loss at how to get the right settings on my swr for the rayray.

more suggestions?

Start flat, figure out what's lacking.

 

[JB1]

Just play with the thing!

You'll find something in there you like. If not it's gotta be down the amp (unlikely) or you.

It's time, trial & error I'm afraid, no short cuts to be had here.