SR5 HH & SR5 HS comments/questions.

[DJBenzBass]

2 weeks ago, I received my new SR5 HS. I immediately noticed it didn't have the "punch" or "cut" that my SR5 HH did. It sounds "mellow" compared to my HH. The HH actually sounds slightly clearer to me as well. Just last night, I was able to make the HS sound similar, but with a little less "beef", to the HH by boosting the Treble by about 75%. I've done many side by side comparisons, and that's what I've come up with using the same strings, amps, cable, etc. I don't like to use the knobs at all actually. Center indent is perfect on the HH.

For anyone who has both, the SR5 HH & SR5 HS, do you find the 2 basses compare the same way I did? Have you needed to make setting changes on your amp instead? I use the HH in my original Progressive Metal band, and I think the HS will be used for a Wedding/Party band I'm playing with next month for a Cancer Research benefit. The mellowness of the HS seems to fit more with Disco and Dance songs. I guess like a J bass should. The pictures below were taken very quickly the day I was so close to selling or trading it back for another SR5 HH. I'll take better pictures soon.

The craftsmanship and playability of my new SR5 HS is unbelievable. May all who work at ErnieBall get lap dances from Kate Beckinsale, Charlize Theron, and Jessica Biel. Thank you!

 

[Dr Stankface]

I'm an owner of SR5s in all pickup configurations and to an extent, I agree with your statement. Although while I do think the HS has a more more mellow sound, I don't think it looses any clarity or punch. I actually find my HS to be a bit more clear than my HH. Both of them are set up Stanky style and wear regular slinkies. I do run quite a different rig than you though. GK 1001RB-II + GK Neo 212 + GK Neo 115. I'm not familiar with alot of Ampeg stuff but is that preamp tube? I've played through a Berg HT322 and I must say you have one of the best stand alone cabs i've ever heard.

They're both amazing basses. I highly doubt any of the 5 SR5s I have right now will ever leave casa de Stanky.

And how are your SR5s so LIGHT??? My HH clocks in at about 11.5 and my HS comes in at bout 10.5.

Good Lord.

 

[bovinehost]

May all who work at ErnieBall get lap dances from Kate Beckinsale, Charlize Theron, and Jessica Biel.

I think Beth wants Tommy Lee Jones.

 

[DJBenzBass]

I'm an owner of SR5s in all pickup configurations and to an extent, I agree with your statement. Although while I do think the HS has a more more mellow sound, I don't think it looses any clarity or punch. I actually find my HS to be a bit more clear than my HH. Both of them are set up Stanky style and wear regular slinkies. I do run quite a different rig than you though. GK 1001RB-II + GK Neo 212 + GK Neo 115. I'm not familiar with alot of Ampeg stuff but is that preamp tube? I've played through a Berg HT322 and I must say you have one of the best stand alone cabs i've ever heard.

They're both amazing basses. I highly doubt any of the 5 SR5s I have right now will ever leave casa de Stanky.

And how are your SR5s so LIGHT??? My HH clocks in at about 11.5 and my HS comes in at bout 10.5.

Good Lord.

Thanks for your reply.
My comparisons also included using a great sounding Fender Bassman 150 combo amp. Same results. I even tried different strings as well as the Slinkys.

The Ampeg preamp actually has 4 tubes. 2 - 12ax7, and 2 - 12au7. Thanks for the Berg comments. It is an outstanding cabinet. Sounds like you have quite a nice rig yourself. Pretty light too.

My digital scale has an accuracy to .2 lbs, so each bass could be even slightly lighter. Moondog is very jealous of the lightness of both as well!

Thanks for the reinforcement of the SR5 HS. I took it to the Wedding Band practice last night. It is much closer to the Disco sound they need then the HH, so I'm happy. I may even just turn up the treble on it and use it at my metal band's show this Saturday. May take a little amp tweeking as well, but it should be great.
Thanks!

 

[armybass]

Beauty of a bass. I have been thinking of a HS SR5 after my first gig with my HH Sr5 last weekend. We are a big dance/funk/disco band and I would like to try the HS on some of many Earth Wind and Fire tunes. I only used the HH in the middle position with both pups full on because I dug the sound so much but you have me thinking about the tonal possibilities of the HS as well. Then maybe a fretless single H SR5 to boot.

 

[bovinehost]

Oh Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarmy.

Don't forget about your 20th SR5.

Just a friendly reminder!

 

[armybass]

Are they going to be available to independent shops or are they only for special orders? Not familiar with the special runs. The only ones we had were the Butter Cream and the Black Onyx Sterling. I don;t think we have ever had any Anniversary Models.


The blissfully ignant.

 

[SquidLizard]

You know, it seems to me that sometimes a bass sounds enough different from what we're used to hearing from ourselves that it's hard to get used to.

After I bought my Stealth Bongo HS I loved how it felt and played, and yet the tone was too barky for me and seemed to have some echo-y overtones. I changed the strings, which helped a little. But I still wasn't comfortable with it and it hadn't sounded good at band practice.

It sat in its case for a bit. And I realized I needed to pick it up again, really get to know it and also be open to a different sound. So I've been practicing with it exclusively at home and tonight I took it to band practice. My idea worked!! It sounds notably different from my other basses but it sounds great.

I believe our ears get accustomed to certain things and if the tone is different enough, it may not sound good. At least for a while.

Does that make sense to anyone else?

 

[bovinehost]

I believe our ears get accustomed to certain things and if the tone is different enough, it may not sound good. At least for a while.

Does that make sense to anyone else?

Yup. My ears are now so accustomed to what I think of as the "Music Man Family of Tones" that Fenders and whatnot sound downright weird, at least when I play them.

One of the most frequently asked questions around these parts is about the sonic differences between the SR4, the SR5, the Sterling, the Bongo, and while there certainly ARE differences, there is an underlying familiarity to each instrument, thus the phrase "Music Man Family of Tones".

I think this is why some people like Laklands and why I don't. There is no defining characteristic sound. This is not to say they don't 'fit' well within certain musical contexts, but they just don't have enough personality for me. (A case could be made for the Scheff with lipsticks, but let's not get BP going on THAT again!)

I played a P bass almost exclusively for years. I've had two or three over the last few years, trying to remember what it was they did for me, and I really have not a clue. Which is not to say that I can't appreciate a good P bass - but not in my hands.

It comes back to that ideal bass tone you have in your head as a reference point. If a certain instrument can't/doesn't fit the criteria within a certain timeframe, given that you're happy with the peripherals (strings, amp, drinks, etc), then off it goes. I'm glad you gave the Bongo a shot; they're so versatile, so capable of fitting into different styles while still maintaining that Family Tone.

I catch some flak about using flats on a Stingray - "It doesn't sound at all like Flea!" - and of course the Bongo is THE most modern design and how could anyone put flats on a bass like that?

But it's that reference tone in my head. It's exactly what I want. I spent a lot of years experimenting (geez, me with a Precision?), but it was Heinz more than anything else that convinced me that I was pretty close to right in 1978 with my first Stingray. All I had to do was add flats. Who knew? No one played flats in the 80s! It never even occurred to me. Doh!

Are they going to be available to independent shops or are they only for special orders? Not familiar with the special runs.

Just like the 20th SR4 or the 30th SR4, Scott. If the retailer orders one, the retailer gets one.

So what are you waiting for?

Jack

 

[midopa]

+1. I muy muy loves me that neck MM pickup on my Bongo (I almost always have the pan set to favor the neck a bit from the center detente) and whenever I pick up my SR5 or SR4, I'm always a bit confused about the sound (but that sound is kickass too ). Can't wait for my SR4 HS to get here.

 

[KennethB]

+1 to Jacks post.

Also: It's funny, when I play my SR it sounds like "me". When I play my J, it's sounds like me "trying to be someone else". It's really weird.....maybe it means I've found my sound?!?

 

[AnthonyD]

Another +1 to the "ears get accustomed" line of thought...

I expect we all get comfortable with a certain sound - putting it away for a bit and coming back to it with fresh ears is a good way to ensure an unbiased perspective.

 

[b-unit]

When I first brought my SR5 home, the parallel mode sounded thin and too bright to me with all knobs set flat. I was a little worried that something was amiss. I soon realized that my rig was set up to be very bright to compensate for my other basses which had a muddier tone.

I spent a little time with the amp I had and then moved on to an Eden Navigator and power amp combo. With all knobs on the amp set flat and my SR5 set flat in parallel, the tone is exactly what I have been waiting for all my playing days!

I have two different cab setups, one setup has horns (pair of Ampeg single 12 cabs SVT12HE) and an Ampeg SVT810E which has no tweeter. I dont even have to readjust anythign between these two setups on the amp or bass as the tone is simply ideal no matter what cabs I'm using.

I am having a really hard time playing any other bass for more than a minute or two before switching back to the SR5. It is clearly "my sound".

 

[Big Poppa]

ive said this many times...when people get a new bass they plug into their rig with eq and gain settings from their last bass and then get frustrated. Start with both the bass and the amp flat and go from there....

 

[bovinehost]

As bassists, we are living in fortunate times. There is something out there for everyone, and at all kinds of price points. Budget basses, to an extent, and if you know what you're doing, are so much better than they were when I was a teenager.

And if you happen to be a Music Man addict, could it get any better? I was thinking about this earlier because of a post by Colin. When you think about what's been going on since the summer of 2005 or so, you'd be hard-pressed to ask for more excitement and models and options to choose from.

I told BP the other day that if all my other basses were gone and all I was left with was my single H Bongo 4 (the BP Bongo), I'd still be extremely grateful to have such an amazing instrument.

Cheers, Fellow Forumites! Hope your weekend is going well.

Jack

 

[Big Poppa]

if you didnt have the single H bongo I WOULD STILL HAVE IT.

These have been very exciting times for all of us....The team just keeps getting better whether long term or new. I cant single out people but we really have a lot of talented passionate people and the forum mirrors it

Think about it ....it's one thing for company personnel to be on the forum (rare) during normal business hours but look at how many team members...(trendy touchy feely word s for employees) post at night and on weekends........

Remember ....we not only make the Kool Aid....We drink it too! YUMMMMMMMMMY

 

[bovinehost]

if you didnt have the single H bongo I WOULD STILL HAVE IT.

And Dargin tried to convince me that it was a BAD IDEA when I wanted to buy the damned thing. "He'll come up with some gig and he'll want a bass, and that's the one he'll want."

You don't look like you're enjoying the thing, frankly. It looks PAINFUL.

Boss, I'm not telling you anything you don't know when I say that the effin' thing just KILLS. I love the bass. You got my email? Then you know. I'm just smart enough to know how fortunate I am.

These have been very exciting times for all of us....The team just keeps getting better whether long term or new. I cant single out people but we really have a lot of talented passionate people and the forum mirrors it

The Peanut Gallery gets it. We really do.

As always - thanks.

Jackie

 

[Ken Baker]

I believe our ears get accustomed to certain things and if the tone is different enough, it may not sound good. At least for a while.

Does that make sense to anyone else?

Makes perfect sense, Lisa. I'm an EBMM n00b with a new Bongo. I knew intellectually when I bought it that it sounded good, but it still didn't knock my socks off like my L-2000. So I cased up the tookay and played nothing but Bongo for awhile. Took some knob twisting and tweaking, and it does sound WAY different than my L-2000, but it now removes my socks just as well.

What I've also found is that the exercise has actually made me appreciate all the various tones I get from all the various basses we have here at the house.

Ken...

 

[Big Poppa]

you know when you are on a steady diet of cardboard, a nice filet just doesnt taste right....

 

[SLUGGO]

You don't look like you're enjoying the thing, frankly. It looks PAINFUL.

Do Bongos give you constipation???? (Sorry BP!)