Stingray Replacement Pickup

[Chrisxedge]

I’ve got 4 American EBMM stingrays. One of them has some form of grounding issue with the pickup itself. So I’m actually interested in trying something completely different instead of a stock repair. (As I’ve got three other basses that still sound very much like stingrays) what are the best options out there for a full on replacement? The Delano, the Bartolini and EMG stuff caught my eye. But I’d love to get into a different sound if I’m gonna replace all the guts.

 

[kevins]

Nordstrand makes a reissue of the long pole 76 one! Though that might not be what you’re looking for, if you’re replacing a neodymium pickup I reccomend not doing it cause the preamp is tooled to that kind of pickup

 

[Chrisxedge]

Nordstrand makes a reissue of the long pole 76 one! Though that might not be what you’re looking for, if you’re replacing a neodymium pickup I reccomend not doing it cause the preamp is tooled to that kind of pickup

I’m fine with replacing the electronics. I was hoping to do something that sounded a little less stingray-ie because I have another three stingrays. But if there’s nothing great out there in that realm, I figured I may just buy a SD replacement pickup and make it passive or something easy. Two volume two tone situation.

 

[Golem]

I’m fine with replacing the electronics. I was hoping to do something that sounded a little less stingray-ie because I have another three stingrays. But if there’s nothing great out there in that realm, I figured I may just buy a SD replacement pickup and make it passive or something easy. Two volume two tone situation.

Before I ever had a MM the only fact I had was that its a desirable alternative to Fender. So natcherly I kept messing with them in shops, not really liking the sound, but I jept up messing with then and trying find the MM magic.

Then I messed with one and there was the magic that time, so I bought it. I didnt know MMs had proprietary PUs and preamps, so I just accepted that this one had all Seymour Duncan everything. It had the the MM 2-EQ chrome banana but manages 3-EQ via a stacked knob set up, plus a push-pull "funk switch" on the gain pot.

Point is that if you want to break away noticeably from the normal MM sound, SD will get you there. BTW it later went to a jazzer, not a rocker. He reeeeeally loved it and like me was unaware of any "cult of originality". It was a '93 SR4FL.

 

[kevins]

I’m fine with replacing the electronics. I was hoping to do something that sounded a little less stingray-ie because I have another three stingrays. But if there’s nothing great out there in that realm, I figured I may just buy a SD replacement pickup and make it passive or something easy. Two volume two tone situation.

oh yeah, so the nordstrand 76 clone might not work cause it might require routing a channel for the poles. youd have to ask the people sending the pickups, but it is a very different sounding pickup, so the pole pieces are a full 3/8 inch longer which means that a lot of the top end of the pickup reception is cut, resulting in less bright highs and a deeper bass response. gav probably knows the answer to that, i think the normal pickup can fit in the bodies designed for long poles but not vice versa. but it may also be the opposite i forget which one it is. the resistance on that pickup is lower too, which means a much more mellow sound
cant find it though right now, deffinitely exists i think lol

 

[kevins]

found it!

MM-Stingray

My version of the early 70’s MusicMan bass pickup with the long magnets, I can also do the shorter flush magnets upon request. This pickup speaks for itself. It is wound to vintage spec comes…

www.curtisnovak.com

looks like you'd need to route it which i highly dont reccomend! though the pre-eb ones that used the short pole pickups on the long pole bodies they used wood filler on those to convert them, i personally wouldnt do it unless you intend to keep it forever. id totally put that bad boy in a SBMM 10 times out of 10 though!
honestly probably cheapest options a rewind or a repair, even a rewind is only around 150

 

[kevins]

i mean if it was me and i had 4 stingrays and no way to get a 76-78 and my pickup was fried....i might do it lol