• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

Oldtoe

Intestinal Poltergeist
Joined
Sep 10, 2004
Messages
3,215
Location
Paris, TX
And on top of that, it's really not as big a deal as is being made here. Aural nitpicking more than a functional problem.
 

prickly_pete

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
708
The Stingray's output is smoother and more balanced than a Fender's. People who go from a Fender to a Stingray often think that the g-string is lower in volume, but actually it is more balanced than a Fender. Now the particular Stingray at issue here may be defective in some way.
 

jasone

Active member
Joined
Oct 10, 2005
Messages
44
I'm not here to bash MM, ( I have a HH SR4 on order as a matter of fact), but I purchased a new Sterling back in the early or mid-nineties, and it had a noticeably weaker D & G string. I tried to get used to it (and tried some of things mentioned in this thread), but ended up getting rid of it for that reason.

This is the first I've heard of a "thinner" G string coming from the SR preamp design. I thought it was a random/luck of the draw thing; or more appropriately, unlucky. Maybe in the extreme cases, there actually is a problem related to the wood resonance (I suspect this to be the case with my old Sterling), but in most other cases, it could be something that some players just can't get used to.

I hope I'm not one of those players, 'cause my honeyburst HH SR is gonna be pretty...
 

hankSRay

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 5, 2004
Messages
848
Location
Yonkers, NY
I would say its a wood/resonance issue if the G sounds weaker unplugged. I would have to agree with BP and say the thinner sounding G is a preamp thing ( I would guess and say he knows what hes talking about )
 

Morrow

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
469
Location
Halifax NS
Slightly bringing up the mid on the three band eq helps bring up the G. I also raised the pickup on that side.
 

tkarter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
5,921
Location
Kansas
What Morrow said. EQ changes the way any bass sounds.
IMHO don't really know but am really happy anyway.

tk
 

Steve Dude Barr

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 3, 2005
Messages
5,173
Or tap the fork on your forehead...


babyt-1.gif
 
Last edited:

kenito

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 12, 2003
Messages
71
What Morrow says is correct.

I have both a 2 and 3EQ. The 3EQ is more prone to a weak 'G' then the 2EQ but boosting the mids on the 3EQ helps balance the string volume. Also installing a graphite neck, as I did on the 3EQ, further reduces the problem, though its an expensive fix and the impact is minimal.
 

BradBassMan

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Messages
74
Location
London
Yeah i have this problem too with my SR4 2EQ with maple board. I initially noticed in the studio as live it wasnt as prominent... i have tried adjusting the pickup, this did help a small amount but not a considerable difference unfortunately....aah well.... :rolleyes:
 

Rod Trussbroken

Moderator
Joined
Jul 25, 2002
Messages
5,209
Location
Bris Vegas. AUSTRALIA.
I've never experienced with a 2 band but I have with the 3 band. With mid at 3/4 all's ok.

But some notice it and others don't. I think maybe a lot of it has to do with a persons individual hearing abilities at certain frequencies.
 

teonigil

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Messages
109
ebmuscmanlvr83 said:
Which is good to know. I mean why shouldnt you know more than the guy that runs the EBMM show. :rolleyes:


Because that's the plain truth dear ebmuscmanlvr83,
basses with the "G problem" can't be fixed. You can try to replace the pick-up, preamp, strings.... nothing really takes the problem away. I've been there and
so did a few other forum members as you can see.

If it's not the wood then I don't know what it is :confused:

BTW, you can find the same problem with other (not MM ) basses as well.

....and I have nothing against EBMM or BP, I love them both :)
 

bovinehost

Administrator
Joined
Jan 16, 2003
Messages
18,197
Location
Dall-Ass, TX
This is such a hot-button topic that I try to stay out of it. Everyone has an opinion about what it is, if it is, how it is....I can only say that I had one SR4 with a weaker G string, and it was fixed almost entirely by repositioning the pickup height and bigger gauge strings.

This is anecdotal and in no way meant to suggest that I have the ultimate answer to anything at all, but the manner in which my bass was 'fixed' led me to believe that it wasn't the wood.

Now that's just my story, and as far as I'm going to go with it!

Jack
 

Big Poppa

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
18,598
Location
Coachella & SLO, California
one mans g string is another's cowpilot thong....

You guys can argue subjective stuff till you get blisters on your fingers....how come we never hear the complaint on the Sterling, Stingray5, or bongo? Same wood. diffferent preamp. Thats not to say the different woods and preamps can react differently.
 

Mobay45

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
4,597
Location
Home of the Bongo Birthday Bash '06
It never really bothered me much at all anyway. It's such a miniscule difference. I've never played a Sterling, but I have noticed that I don't ever think my G string is weak on my SR5 or my Bongo.
 

tkarter

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
5,921
Location
Kansas
In my joking around only mood.

The reason you don't have a weak G on the SR5 is cuz it slips off the board before it can display that weakness.


Now not joking I love my EB bass and it has nothing the matter with it other than it found an idiot for an owner.


tk
 

teonigil

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 16, 2005
Messages
109
Big Poppa said:
one mans g string is another's cowpilot thong....

You guys can argue subjective stuff till you get blisters on your fingers....how come we never hear the complaint on the Sterling, Stingray5, or bongo? Same wood. diffferent preamp. Thats not to say the different woods and preamps can react differently.


See page 2 on this thread from jasone...
Looks like the same problem on a Sterling too.
 

Postal

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
24
<Believe it or not it was a complaint of mine in the beginning when I worked with Leo. >

That's what I love about this forum.
Where else does 'The Man' sit-in with the players ?
He tells it like he sees it.

BP seems adamant on the preamp being the issue.
His facts suggest , that the preamp is the culprit on StingRays.
The same complaints are not seen much on the other models.

My 30 years of personal experience forms my own opinion.

I think that tonewood does impact tonal response.
Examples:
1. Ash body wood is usually considered brighter then alder, (that's tonal response).
A rosewood board vs. maple another tone variation etc....

2. Once had an awesome folded bass cab from the 70's. It always reasonated much more on the low G note. The frequency there made the whole cabinet vibrate more. A sympathtic vibration. Illustrates that the wood reasonates .

3. Owned an old 79 P-Bass once.
Easy playing neck with the heaviest and deadest body ever.
Tried all the Hot pickups and still couldn't get the bass to speak. Sold it.

Back to the preamp...

Seems to me, that the wood would be a prime factor in it's tonal characteristics.
The preamp magnifies the response, for better or worse.

To say nothing of each individuals pair of hands. I just hit harder on any inherent weak spots. Hey, I came up playing Fenders.

I agree that the SR4 preamp likely has an issue according to BP's info.

I think the bodywoods vary and some inherently reasonate better.
Come to think of it, that's usually the hallmark of a great sounding instrument.
When you play it unplugged, and the bass is already talking to you.
I would think these get few complaints. My opinion.

My SR4 has an ash body, rosewood neck and 2 band eq.
I have no complaints about the G string.

Far be it from me to argue with BP's view from the top.
Just my 2 cents...
 
Top Bottom