Old Stingrays vs New Stingrays

[mike jewels]

I have loved the sound of Stingrays since dinosaurs roamed the earth. (O.K. maybe not that long )

My question is: How do the earlier Stingrays differ in tone compared with the newer ones. I've asked this question at another forum, but, the only responses I got were like: "You just can't compare the two," and "The older ones were much better."

Can anyone give a more detailed explanation? Was it the two band EQ, build quality or ...?

Oh, and do you think the newer ones sound cold? The owner of a very high end repair shop told me he could install such and such a pickup in my bass to make it sound warmer, like the old 'Rays. I think my bass sounds plenty warm as it is.

BTW, I bought my Stingray in December, 2001.

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[thumper]

Hey Mike

I own alot of pre ernie (10 to be exact will send photo if you would like to see them.) and alot of ernie stingrays and sterlings(6 stingrays 2 sterlings) One day i will be divorced but as long as i have my basses i'll be alright...LOL....There are major differences IMO between the 2. First off the sound of a pre ernie stingray is very snappy and bright...If you roll the tone knob off a little you can great thumping sounds of an old P Bass....The neck plays great..(i love the finnished necks) and the string through body design contributes to the sound immensely...Ernie ball stingrays are just fantastic!!! as you know you own one.....I have no problems dialing in any sound i want to create with my ernie stingrays.....I really think they both are awsome basses....But i prefer the pre ernie ball stingrays a little more ...I like the radius off the fretboard better,and for some reason you cant get a pre ernie ball sound out of a ernie ball stingray again this is just my opinion...YMMV.....

Thumper

 

[Augusto Lopez]

Hi there,
I own an ernie4. I've always been fond of it's sound since I was a teenager, but after buying it noticed there was a lack of bottom end(somehow), so rewire the pickup in series and fit a Seymour Duncan preamp, to my taste the sound improved dramatically. I'm a firm believer that if you pay a moderate price for an instrument, you should'nt have to spend more money improving its sound, but in this particular case it was well worth it.
On the other hand I have also tried the pre-ernies and agree that the polished neck feels much better.

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

>>>>>I own alot of pre ernie (10 to be exact will send photo if you would like to see them.)


Hey thumper, why not paste them here on the forum....I like pics

 

[thumper]

>>>>>I own alot of pre ernie (10 to be exact will send photo if you would like to see them.)

Hey Rod,

I would love to,but how do i do it???? I tried once and it said my file was to big.....Is there a way i can reduce the size????? Any Help would be greatly appreciated.

Thumper

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Ok...email me one family pic and I'll see if I can host it for you on the forum.

 

[thumper]

Cool......I will send it when i get home from work...Thanks Rod.


Thumper

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

WORK!!!!....oh no, I think my bad back's a commin on again.

 

[Augusto Lopez]

I don't know how some of you guys can own so many instruments, and remain married unless you're doing really well in the music industry (in which case chances are you'll be endorsed) gear adquisition remains a hot(read tabu) issue in a relationship.
Just a thought
Gus

 

[SWR_n_EB]

I agree Gus, except, i'm not married, i'm just young, i don't see how everyone has like 10 MM's, they are easily a grand a piece new...

I can barely even affored a new amp setup, i gotta research for the lowest prices in dollars, not like hundreds, or what i can get my hands on. it sucks!

 

[ebb soul]

Back to the subjest at hand, most pro's say the prime difference being the neck pocket/bolt pattern. Most say they like less bolts, feels less stiff, more resonate. I for one don't really know what most pro's mean by this. My G&L has but 3 bolts, and the G&L guys are say'n the same thing. Less is more?

 

[SWR_n_EB]

To tell you the truth, i can't see how such small things really affect feel and stuff. I personally think these people really must play like 12hrs a day to get that kind of a feel. I've been playin music for awhile now, and i don't see how someone could "feel" a difference in the amount of bolts. But on the other hand, i do like neckthrough basses, ie the Warwick Thumb bolt-on................who knows..i think it's all confusing as it is...

and i know already this statement of mine probably pissed off allot of people. but who cares!

 

[Augusto Lopez]

Just a quick reply regarding purchasing MMs, they won't loose they value as much as other brands, if you look after them; still 10 of them.....

Bye for now

 

[thumper]

Im a glutton what can i say..... I like my stingrays... I collected them over the years and well before you know it you have like 30 or so basses.....God Help me......im outta control...still what i have is peanuts compared to alot of people....a mear bag o shells....But i find it hard to get rid of any..


Thumper

 

[Augusto Lopez]

I only own one SR4 but I'm not using it much since I bought a G&L2500. Couple of days ago I considered selling it to upgrade other gear that I have, since I have reconsider.
On another subject, have any of you guys tried an Aphex Bass Aural Exciter or a Sadowsky outboard preamp?