Why does my 30th SR Sound More like my Sterling than my 2007 LE SR?

[Baird]

I put new strings (regular slinkys) in my 3 EBMM basses last night and did a little A/B testing (all basses are single H).

I found that the 30th Anniversary sounded more like my 2007 Sterling (maple board) than my 2007 LE SR (also maple).

The 30th sounds fuller and better than both, but I was suprised that tonally it resembled the Sterling more than the 2007 LE.

Am I nuts?

P.S. This was just in my basement at low volume, not a gig or rehearsal.

 

[mynan]

Probably the mahogony body on your 30th. I don't know, but I'm assuming that EBMM put the mahogony tone block in the 20th SR5 because it is more resonant. The smaller body on your Sterling is also probably more resonant than your LE 'Ray.

That's a guess based on nothing that I know to be 100% fact...but it sounded good in my head

 

[RobertB]

That's interesting & not what I would've expected, but then again I haven't played Sterlings much.

 

[MingusBASS]

I think you're crazy.

 

[Baird]

That's interesting & not what I would've expected, but then again I haven't played Sterlings much.

Do you find your 30th to be much brighter sounding than your 2007LE?

It is possible the strings I put on the LE are older stock or a bad set, but there is definately a big tonal difference.

 

[Baird]

I think you're crazy.

I guess putting the question out there deserves the response....

 

[RobertB]

Do you find your 30th to be much brighter sounding than your 2007LE?

No, not at all. My LE (Maple) has a much brighter, "attackier" sound (to use Jack's word) than my 30th has.

 

[oli@bass]

Wonder about differences in how basses sound copmared to each other? They're made out of wood, a material where no piece is similar to another and therefore each single piece and also combination of pieces will yield different sound results.

I think not even to go all graphite (which is a woven material with differences in sturcture and density as well) would provide 100% reproducible results.

The nature of the beast.

Some of them are good.
Some of them are better.
And some... well some are just not that good

 

[Baird]

No, not at all. My LE (Maple) has a much brighter, "attackier" sound (to use Jack's word) than my 30th has.

Thanks Robert.

I am going to bring both of them to my gig tonight. I think a gig or loud full band jam is the best way to tell.

 

[timmy5strings]

The 30th's are brighter and punchier than the stock. It is a StingRay on steroids. It does not remind me of my old Sterling, of course I do not have it anymore to A/B. I have the highs dropped, mids back off from center and bass boosted and I am getting a great Geddy like tone (think Hemispheres) that I'm really into right now. There is so much you can do with the preamp. The classic sound is there as well. It all depends on your amp as well. It is all good !!

 

[SLUGGO]

I find that my 30th is much brighter than my other EBMM's. I actually have to roll out of the highs a tad, plus a little low end boost.....wow.... Serious punch for daaaaaays!! If that is similar to the Sterling sound, I may have to check out the Sterling 5er's!!

 

[RobertB]

My 30th is punchier than my LE, for sure ... but "brighter", no. Maybe it's just a matter of how we're defining "brighter". My LE has a "thinner", more trebly sound. A very good sound, no doubt (especially with all 4 coils thumping, where it has a character my 30th doesn't get at all) just not as deep, not as smooth, and again, attackier. Overall I'd characterize my 30th's tone(s) as a higher quality tone ... but I like to keep that brighter, more "unhinged" tone I'm getting from the LE SR4 in the arsenal as well.

 

[Baird]

I gigged the 30th last night and the sound was brutal at first.

I am running a Markbass F1, through an Ampeg 2x10 and have a SansAmp RBI and a BBE Sonic Maximizer in my rack. For effects I use a MXR 10 Band EQ, MXR Auto Q, EHX Bassballs, A Sadowsky Pre and a Boss Chorus Ensemble.

My speakers were "farting" like crazy at first but my rig is EQ'ed for my Sadowskys and my 2007 LE SR.

It was a pain to EQ as I had to reduce gain on my amp, Sansamp and a couple of the effects. One I got it EQed, it sounded great. I usually keep my Musicman basses set flat and flat for treble and eq and full for bass. With the 30th, I had to roll the treble almost right off and also cut the mids.

I played everything from reggae to Chili Peppers to ZZ Top to Springsteen to Sublime, etc. and it really worked well for all styles of music.

This bass is definately a keeper and can't wait to play around with it some more so my settings are perfect for my gig next Friday night.

As Robert posted above, I agree that the 30th is "punchier" (by far!) than a stock SR and not necessarily "brighter" as I initially posted.

P.S. As an aside, my 2 bass Hercules stand kinda collapsed when I was setting up and my 1997 MIA Fender 62 RI went for a spectacular fall. Luckily it was already pretty munched as it nailed my amp, slid down an old Trace Eliot metal cab screen, hit a mic stand and then a hardwood floor. It took a few large battlescars! Anyways, I managed to grab the 30th in mid air JUST before it hit the ground. If the 30th happened to be on the other side of the stand, I would be a very sad guy today.

 

[sloshep]

Good save!

I had to do little eq tweaking on my amp when I got the 30th. I went from playing a SUB 5 to the 30th. My settings were minor compared to yours though. Then again my signal chain is bass- amp post eq DI - house. You can't get much simpler than that.

Enjoy that bass.

 

[Baird]

After friggin' hours of screwing around with my setup to figure out why the 30th sounded so crappy... turns out that my SansAmp RBI is wonky and likely there is going to be a repair requirement.

I finally just plugged the 30th into a Markbass F1 into an Ampeg 2x10 cab and voila!... it sounds great.

The 30th is a bit punchier than the 2007 LE SR but now not by as much. I like the sound of the 30th a bit better than the Sterling or LE SR, but all 3 sound great now.

It is amazing how something this stupid can affect the sound of such an amazing bass in such a negative way!

I gigged the 30th last night and the sound was brutal at first.

I am running a Markbass F1, through an Ampeg 2x10 and have a SansAmp RBI and a BBE Sonic Maximizer in my rack. For effects I use a MXR 10 Band EQ, MXR Auto Q, EHX Bassballs, A Sadowsky Pre and a Boss Chorus Ensemble.

My speakers were "farting" like crazy at first but my rig is EQ'ed for my Sadowskys and my 2007 LE SR.

It was a pain to EQ as I had to reduce gain on my amp, Sansamp and a couple of the effects.

 

[oli@bass]

After friggin' hours of screwing around with my setup to figure out why the 30th sounded so crappy... turns out that my SansAmp RBI is wonky and likely there is going to be a repair requirement.

What was the problem?

 

[Baird]

What was the problem?

Not sure yet. All I know is the 30th sounds great with all of my other effects (or with none) but as soon as the SansAmp is involved at all, it sounds crappy. I will bring it in for a service look later in the week.

 

[oli@bass]

Let me rephrase that question: I didn't expect that you could answer what was technically wrong with the RBI, but to describe what you mean by the "30th sounded crappy", when the RBI was used. How crappy? My impression was that the 30th pumps out more midrange, and this might drive the RBI harder than other basses.

I wonder, because I'm using exactly the same combination of bass/amp/sansamp...

 

[Baird]

but to describe what you mean by the "30th sounded crappy", when the RBI was used. How crappy?

It was VERY middy and trebly and I thought my speakers were going to blow. After unplugging the SansAmp and rolling the treble and mids almost to 0, it sounded great. Rolling the treble and mids down WITH the SansAmp attached didn't seem to help.

 

[oli@bass]

Hm. It could be the setting on the RBI, because it reacts very sensitive to the singal fed at the input. However, I find the difference in the resulting sound between your 30th and the LE2008 a bit odd. Are these basses a lot different regarding output volume and mid to treble range when EQ is all set flat?

I found that the direct recorded sound of my 30th is not that far away from my DD or NAMM (both 3EQ single H) versions. And I can use similar amp settings with usable results (though I find the mids of the 30th a bit on the aggressive side).