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Stingray HT Feedback (I haven’t seen any!?!)

Chetsaber

Chetsaber

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Jul 31, 2022
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Does anyone have any feedback on the new Stingray HT guitars with the tunomatic bridge and the new HT pickups? There is one terrible “review” of the guitar on YouTube and other than that all I’ve seen are the marketing ads from EB. Does anyone have one? What do you think? I have a regular Stingray RS and a Kensrue Stingray and am curious if I should add the hardtail bridge to my life. Help!!!

Thanks
 
racerx

racerx

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Mar 10, 2021
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367
I have one, the BFR persuasion, from Mr. @PeteDuBaldo and I enjoy it. My only knock on it is the finished neck and binding isn't as comfortable as the oil/wax RS/HT models, but it isn't a dealbreaker. However the standard issue HT shouldn't have to worry about this. I imagine playability will be the same and tuning stability should theoretically be the same/better as your current RS.

The HT pickups are nice, they are very articulate and a bit hotter than the RS issues in my opinion. The boost option is nice because I like that for saturated single-note lead/solo runs without having to fuss with anything else.

edit/P.S.: If you want any specific demo of it, let me know and I'm happy to plug it into an amp sim and try to approximate your setup to get you a rough demo of what to expect
 
Chetsaber

Chetsaber

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Jul 31, 2022
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racerx said:
I have one, the BFR persuasion, from Mr. @PeteDuBaldo and I enjoy it. My only knock on it is the finished neck and binding isn't as comfortable as the oil/wax RS/HT models, but it isn't a dealbreaker. However the standard issue HT shouldn't have to worry about this. I imagine playability will be the same and tuning stability should theoretically be the same/better as your current RS.

The HT pickups are nice, they are very articulate and a bit hotter than the RS issues in my opinion. The boost option is nice because I like that for saturated single-note lead/solo runs without having to fuss with anything else.

edit/P.S.: If you want any specific demo of it, let me know and I'm happy to plug it into an amp sim and try to approximate your setup to get you a rough demo of what to expect
Click to expand...
This is good feedback. I do love the oil/wax neck feel but really like the look of the plum crazy BFR. I was concerned the finished neck and binding, as pretty as it is, would be less comfortable than what I’m used to with the RS. I’m currently playing out of a Badcat 30r and an Orange rockerverb 50 (this one is probably easier to SIM). Thanks!
 
Chetsaber

Chetsaber

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New York
Ok, so….. I was really really really expecting to absolutely love the HT Stingray. The tune o matic bridge was a huge draw for me as well as the great finishes. In my opinion, the pickups were a step down from the regular stingray pickups. I also disagree with the sentiment that lowering the volume knob cleans the pickups up. It does not.

If you want to play high gain or 100 percent distorted pickups these pickups would be great. If you want to cover ground on them then you should stay away.

Also, the HT technology touted better bass response. The bass response on my regular stingray SMOKED the HT out of my Badcat 30R. Same goes for the bass response of my Kensrue Stingray. To me, the HT was thin. Distortion in a pickup. Oh well. I tried.
 
C

Cable_Clamp

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Oct 21, 2021
Messages
4
I just got a Stingray HT Brulee recently. I also have a Stingray RS Sunburst. The HT is a real monster but it doesn't replace the RS for me. The guitar itself is top notch. I was lucky to find one of the crazy flamed maple necks for a reasonable price (here in Europe). Overall the HT feels more stable and vibrates a lot. Has more sustain and is quite a bit louder unplugged. This could be because of the wood or the tune-o-matic who knows but noteworthy for me.

Now, the HT pickups. I'm in line with some previous posts here. On one hand the HT sounds a lot bigger and more aggressive than my RS. It can do clean quite well but overall the sound can become "too much" for a lag of better words. The cleans are smooth but present, mids are a bit scooped and the bass is massive. Contrarily to the advertisements, to my ears the bass response is not that tight. It's spongy but big. The RS pickups sound notably more "vintage" and "honest". With a dialed in amp they can surpass the HT pickups for clean, blues and rock stuff. But anything which needs higher gain and some serious weight the HT delivers in any situation.

One note for the high gain fraction: What I noticed is that when palm muting the HT pickups pronounce the overtone register. So there is less focus on the root note. Quite similar to those typical high output passive pickups. Warpigs, Alpha-Omega, Nazgul-Sentient or the Titants.

However, I fell in love with the HT. The overall package is absolutely great and I don't regret the purchase at all. But a set of new pickups will come for sure.
 
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Sweat

Sweat

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Dec 31, 2006
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7,034
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Texas Finally!
I have one, love it, though I prefer hard tails. Mine is a BFR and has an oil/wax roasted neck and maple fretboard.

Glad I pulled the trigger on it!
 
jlf599

jlf599

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Sep 1, 2020
Messages
314
I got a Plum Crazy Stingray and I would put it at a very solid guitar but couldn't/wouldn't be my only guitar by a longshot. I do prefer the wax/oil finish so that did knock it down one step to me. The pickups are definitely hot but they pair well with my SLO30. My favorite humbucker is the Axis, so it's really not even close to a dealbreaker to have a hot pickup. :)

I'd put it at a solid 8/10. If it had a wax/oil finish neck, it'd be 9+/10.

I've not played a Stingray RS so nothing to compare to there for me.

I can't imagine I'll change the pickups out as having a little different beast is nice. Love the bridge. Love the color. Love the comfort of the guitar. If it had a roasted maple neck with the purple headstock, it might be 9.9/10. :)
 
C

Cable_Clamp

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Oct 21, 2021
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I wanted to share a little update about my experiences with the Stingray HT Pickups. So as I mentioned above I wanted to change the pickups which I did in the meanwhile. In fact, I went through a lot of pickups and I came to the conclusion that the HT pickups are really really good and perfectly voiced for this Stingray model.
I tried the following pickups: Dimarzio 36th Anny PAF/Fortitude, SD SH2/SH4, Bare Knuckle Rebell Yell Set, SD Black Winter Set. All good pickups but I learned to love the response and extended dynamics of the HT pickups. It's quite amazing actually. They also have a certain crunch to them which I really like and which is also present in the RS pickups but a bit heavier/fuller with the HTs.

So, the HT pickups are back in and I couldn't be happier. These pickups really grew on me.

I found my sweet spot by adjusting the pickup height with the following specs:

E to e:
Neck: 4,5mm-4mm
Bridge: 4mm-3,5mm

With this setup I god rid of the sponginess in the bass response while keeping the fullness. Maybe this is helpful for someone.
 
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