So I am proud owner of a Sterling By Music Man Ray34. I Have had it for a few months now and so far so good. Dig the over all feel and sound. My background is mainly a guitar player who just messes around on bass here and there but as of lately I have been playing a lot more bass. My question is, would swapping out the pickup improve anything? As mainly a guitar player I have always swapped out pickups to bring out the top performance of the guitar for my style. In this case would it help out or should I just leave well enough alone? If so any recommendations?
Question Pickup Question?
- Thread starter NoUse121
- Start date
I think I speak for many on the forum when I say, you can't improve perfection! 
Unlike most brands of guitars/basses, EBMM definitely doesn't skimp on the pickups and electronics. You can feel good knowing you bought a bass with the best hardware already installed from the factory. Enjoy your Ray!
Unlike most brands of guitars/basses, EBMM definitely doesn't skimp on the pickups and electronics. You can feel good knowing you bought a bass with the best hardware already installed from the factory. Enjoy your Ray!
oli@bass
Well-known member
Some of the magic and main sound characteristics of the StingRay stem from the pickup and preamp. Many third party providers try to get that sound but hardly anyone acheives it. Would be hard to get anything that sounds «better» (except perhaps if you could swap the SBMM electronics for EBMM originals - which are unavailable as replacements). The point is rather: If you like the 'Ray sound, play a 'Ray, otherwise look at a different model or make.
Bottom line: It's easier to improve on your playing than your MusicMan Bass. ;-)
Bottom line: It's easier to improve on your playing than your MusicMan Bass. ;-)
Thanks guys! Like I said, I dig the sound. It was just a thought that came to me. I think in just about ever over seas made guitar or bass I have had I have swaped out the pickups. Just in my research I have not found many replacment ones out there.
Holdsg
Well-known member
Welcome to the dark side.
It's more common for the guitar players to want to swap pickups, its kind of a rite of passage thing. Lots of swapping go on for certain brands (note the fair number of replacement pickup manufacturers on the bass side) But its much less common, if not very uncommon for EBMM bass players to do that. Look at the SBMM as your gateway drug. You'll be back for the EBMM sooner or later, and it will be waiting for you, as patiently as possible.
It's more common for the guitar players to want to swap pickups, its kind of a rite of passage thing. Lots of swapping go on for certain brands (note the fair number of replacement pickup manufacturers on the bass side) But its much less common, if not very uncommon for EBMM bass players to do that. Look at the SBMM as your gateway drug. You'll be back for the EBMM sooner or later, and it will be waiting for you, as patiently as possible.
cellkirk74
Well-known member
Did you switch the battery? (Some SUB's are active)
Rano Bass
Well-known member
That is not normal, have your bass checked by someone who knows better about electronics.
Also check the battery if your bass uses one.
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Ian Perge
Active member
Both my SUB Sterling (Active) as well as my SUB 5 (Passive) are as loud, if not more so than any of the rest of the Basses in my collection. In fact, the low-B on my passive SUB 5 comes dangerously close to "farting out" my speakers, and I'll be physically backing off the string from the polepiece to see if that balances out the string-to-string volume. I'm with everyone above: first thing replace the Battery, check for any obvious wiring or input jack issues like a loose connection, and after than bring in a profession or a fellow player with a good amount of history in technical matters.
fender1
Member
My sr4 is loud apart from the "g" string, no matter if i raise or lower the pick up it is quite "feeble" even if i use my compressor pedal to even smooth the levels out
Check the ax unplugged. If the G is unusually feeble unplugged,
then it's that particular G-string ... so you'd just change it out.
Also, when amped, if you're EQ'ed for a boomy tone then ANY
G-string will be rather feeble, as they just don't participate in,
or contribute to, anything you'd call 'boom'.
`
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MattOfSweden
Well-known member
^^ *nail being hit squarely on the head*
fender1
Member
sounds okay unplugged and when i put the bass through my 16 track with all controls centred and and no effects etc on the 16 track i.e no added effects etc it is still feebly quite,i play with a middly punchy tone. when i tried the same with my passive jazz is not tlike it.
Can the poles be adjusted to maintain an even sound?
Can the poles be adjusted to maintain an even sound?
adouglas
Well-known member
fender1 -- Try starting with the basics and take a clean sheet approach.
Fresh battery.
Known good cable.
EQ checked and verified to be flat on both bass and amp.
Fresh strings.
Setup to factory specs (INCLUDING pickup height and string height), which are posted in the bass FAQ on music-man.com.
Be rigorous about this stuff… assume nothing and never overlook the obvious. Pretend you've just been handed a bass that's been mucked with by a complete stranger who doesn't know which way to turn a trussrod.
You do know what happens if you raise the pickup too high, right? The magnetic field can damp the string, making it too quiet. Logic tells me that this would affect the G string more than the others because it's lighter (less massive, less inertia), but I don't know that for a fact. Same thing will happen if you lower the string too much at the bridge.
If the bass still isn't right after you've done your due diligence, call Customer Service. Word has it that they're superb.
Fresh battery.
Known good cable.
EQ checked and verified to be flat on both bass and amp.
Fresh strings.
Setup to factory specs (INCLUDING pickup height and string height), which are posted in the bass FAQ on music-man.com.
Be rigorous about this stuff… assume nothing and never overlook the obvious. Pretend you've just been handed a bass that's been mucked with by a complete stranger who doesn't know which way to turn a trussrod.
You do know what happens if you raise the pickup too high, right? The magnetic field can damp the string, making it too quiet. Logic tells me that this would affect the G string more than the others because it's lighter (less massive, less inertia), but I don't know that for a fact. Same thing will happen if you lower the string too much at the bridge.
If the bass still isn't right after you've done your due diligence, call Customer Service. Word has it that they're superb.
adouglas
Well-known member
I ride a motorcycle, and this kind of thinking is routine in that community. People go out and buy a 120-horsepower beast that can go 0-60 in less than four seconds out of the box and kill you faster than you can blink an eye. What's the first thing they do, even before they've broken it in? Spend hundreds or even thousands to make it even quicker, when any rational person would realize that the stock machine is more than capable enough and probably way more than they can really take advantage of anyway. It's change for change's sake, not to actually accomplish anything meaningful.
I've done the whole mod thing myself in the past, throwing money at a bass trying to improve it. Once I switched to EBMM I realized that these guys know a hell of a lot more than I do about what makes an instrument sound good. Now I spend my money saving up for the next EBMM, not trying to mod the one I've got.
bovinehost
Administrator
As to the original question, switching the pickup in a SBMM? I have a collection of USA EBMMs and one SBMM Ray34ca. I wouldn't change the pickup in the SBMM for anything. It sounds GREAT.
MK Bass Weed
Well-known member
The Reason I play EBMM...in the first place is right out of the box..(then case)...they fulfill any pro level requirement, stage or studio.
In my case...it's more than enough!
Learn a whole tone scale instead...alot more fun and productive.
In my case...it's more than enough!
Learn a whole tone scale instead...alot more fun and productive.
JayDawg
Well-known member
Like others have said, I will never mod any of my Music Man basses. I simply don't need to. Even if I were to pick up a Sterling by Music Man Ray-34, or a SUB, I would leave them stock too as they also sound great.
fender1
Member
i have done the pick up heights on my jazz and have an even volume across the strings.
The ray i think i will reset to factory spec and re-adjust and see where it goes from there
The ray i think i will reset to factory spec and re-adjust and see where it goes from there
