When playing a HH or HS Stingray, you use...

[Bart B]

Hi guys,

Playing my Stingray HS I noticed that, most of the time, I keep going back to the classic humbucker sound, and only using the SS setting in few songs/situations.

For those who have a Sterling/Stingray HH or HS, or HSS 25ths, what do you play the most?

option1: keep going back to the classic H

option2: full load: both HH's or HS

Option3: going away from classic mm sounds and using the neck H/S the most

and why?

 

[Bloodfist]

I have an HH stingray. If I'm playing with my band and using a pick, I usually stay in position 1 (humbucker next to the bridge), and switch occasionally to the 3rd position (both humbuckers). When I'm not playing with my band I play finger style and go through all 5 positions quite a bit depending on the tone I want to have. The thing to keep in mind, is although you may not be using the other settings much, they are there if you need them. How does that old saying go, "its better to have it and not need it than it is to not have it and to need it."

 

[syciprider]

It's loud and it's angry. I love that bridge HB.

 

[drTStingray]

I voted HH - it's a smoother version of the classic H sound, but the slap sound is just amazing.

I also use the single H a lot.

I use position 4 (coils 1 and 4) sometimes - to get a sort of F Jazz bass vibe (strangely enough sounds v good on jazz - I recently got asked to play a couple of Miles Davis numbers - So What and All Blues - this setting sounded v good for that)

Position 2 (coils 2 and 3) gets a good P bass vibe - great for Stax soul and Motown - gets a good early Rose Royce type of slap sound (the Single bridge H also does this well but is much more aggressive)

Position 1 (neck H) is great for dub reggae.

All of these settings retain an MM vibe though. I think the HH Ray is a v versatile bass. (PS sorry if I've numbered these switch positions the wrong way round - not sure what the convention is)

 

[guenter]

I bought my StingRay because i wanted the StingRay-Humbucker-sound. At first i wasn't too excited about the additional single coil neck pickup, because it's simply another world if you want that bridge humbucker sound only. (I have to add that the StingRay was, when i bought it in november 2009, my first bass after an inactive bass player period of 25+ years. It was no question: it had to be a StingRay. So i was kind of Humbucker-hungry when i bought him )

...but it happened on saturday when i was on a concert where i heard a thick, fat, full, smooth, rich, non-growling, non-aggressive sound of a non-MM bass (some kind of P+J) which woke up my interest. I was asking myself during the concert if it would be possible to let the StingRay sound like this one... Yesterday i tried and i was able to set-up a very similar sound with my StingRay HS.

I ended up with the following settings:
Position 4 (S+S; coils 2&3)
Treble -30%
Mid flat
Bass +30%

That's really a nice sound with a fat bottom. Especially if you pluck the strings between neck and single coil.

To make it short: The bridge-humbucker is 100% StingRay DNA, the neck-singlecoil is a (very-)nice-to-have option which is able to provide some interesting sounds.

But i the end i'd stick with the bridge-humbucker.

 

[cellkirk74]

On my SR5 HH I use positions 2 and 4 most of the time, sometimes 1 when playing with a pick.

I am especially a fan of position 2 (coils 1+4). It is not as loud as the others, but that is why your amp has a volume knob....

 

[ivbenaplayin]

I voted HH - it's a smoother version of the classic H sound, but the slap sound is just amazing.

I also use the single H a lot.

I use position 4 (coils 1 and 4) sometimes - to get a sort of F Jazz bass vibe (strangely enough sounds v good on jazz - I recently got asked to play a couple of Miles Davis numbers - So What and All Blues - this setting sounded v good for that)

Position 2 (coils 2 and 3) gets a good P bass vibe - great for Stax soul and Motown - gets a good early Rose Royce type of slap sound (the Single bridge H also does this well but is much more aggressive)

Position 1 (neck H) is great for dub reggae.

All of these settings retain an MM vibe though. I think the HH Ray is a v versatile bass. (PS sorry if I've numbered these switch positions the wrong way round - not sure what the convention is)

I'm with you... I find myself using positions 2 & 4 more often than position 1 lately, but it all depends on the room we're playing. Sometimes it just HAS to be position #1 straight bridge 'bucker...

 

[keko]

Bart, does Sterling HS vote counts too?

 

[Sting]

For a long while I favored position 4 (coils 2 & 3) but now I use position 1 (traditional Stingray bridge humbucker) about 80% to 90% of the time on my SR5 HH. I have used every position at one time or another, it's nice to have those other tone options but lately I've been rediscovering the tone that originally drew me to the SR5 to begin with, the single bridge humbucker sound.

I think now I would have been perfectly content with the original single pickup model, I can get about anything I want out of it between the eq and technique, but having the extra options is quite nice.

 

[Bart B]

Bart, does Sterling HS vote counts too?

Ofcourse

 

[MadMatt]

I usually switch to the neck pu on my 25th for ballads and songs where a need a more "old school" sound. Sometimes I forget to switch and the 25th still sounds good

 

[keko]

Ofcourse

OK, I voted for bridge H most of use and that's the true, just occasionally use all coils of my HS SL 5 for some slapping, or coils 2+3 for the same thing, depends of space where we playing!

Time after time I use bridge single coil + phantom for some special songs of my band's set list, or all night long in bad sounding spaces with lots of feedback and echo!

All I wrote above is for live gigs with band and PA support, but at home for practice, I use all switch positions!

 

[BassMent]

I couldn't vote for any of your choices. On my HH I almost exclusively use the 1+4 and 2+3 coil combinations. Why? I love the way they sound!