Weak g string on stingray.

#41
All of this, after having tried and owned tons of basses, experienced one trip to NAMM, and from "meh" MM experiences, are what led me to believe that MM has the most hype out of any line out there, aside from Lakland Skylines. :rollno: Like some have said, I, too, believe that EB followers just play them because they're popular. With all of the good choices out there, I do not get the complacency anymore. Every single US Peavey I've ever had, for example, and especially the three I have now, crush the hell out of any and all Stingrays I've tried.
 
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#43
delta7fred said:
I have no complaints about the strength of the B either despite the magnets being weaker. My guess is that the thicker string can stand a bit lower magnetic strength.

It is because of the G that the SR5 got dropped from gig duties (in preference to a G&L L-2500).
Click to expand...

An L2500 is a beast....makes a Stingray seem like a fawn.
 
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#44
I'm new to Stingrays -- only owned one for about two weeks now. I have lots of experience with pickups/electronics/repair though.

My Stingray 4H is a '94 with 3 band EQ. The A and D string pole pieces were way higher than the E and G pole pieces. The E and A balance was pretty good but G really low. I simply pressed the D pole pieces down and then raised the entire G side of the pickup (the G side is way closer to the strings than the E side) and all strings are very balanced now. It was really simple to do.

I know the OP said he'd seen the videos about adjusting pole pieces - but you also have to adjust the G side of the pickup much closer to the strings.
 
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#45
dmk said:
Here is Sterling Ball's response from 2005 regarding the Stingray's weak G string:

"This trait has been around since the first day of the stingray. Its is NOT a byproduct of wood. It is due to the active preamp used on the bass. The output isnt actually lower the response is thinner sounding or not as fat. IT is one of the things you get used to with a Sting Ray or not. Believe it or not it was a complaint of mine in the beginning when I worked with Leo. The emerging slap and the old school country click players loved it. That thin snappin G sound helped the Sr taked off. You can try flats and it will help, but chances are that you will bet used to it by playing ..."
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It depends on which way the wind blows.
This has been brought up on his site (many times) and he would ban anyone who loudly disagreed.
He once said that this weak G was simply not true and many suggested otherwise, myself included.
If you are sitting at a recording console, with slight compression, you will not see a huge difference on the VU meter but you will hear the low end loss.
John K said that Leo knew about this but didn't have the solution. John K also tried adding to the magnet and, as I recall, made it better but not perfect.

MM recommends Duracell batteries.
A Duracell is slightly longer and wider than an Everyready and is a very tight fit in both my 83' and 96'.
Someone asked about this on his site; I used a vernier caliper and sighted the difference in sizes and suggested not using a Duracell. I was reprimanded and was told that I didn't know what I was talking about.
I really don't like that guy and haven't visited his site in a very long time. Too bad as I think they make good instruments but the attitude is not worth the aggravation.

BTW, no amount of EQ or hand position will 100% fix this problem IMO/IME.
 
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#46
I have had the same "problem" with my MM stingray. Playing with bass and mid knob on 1/2 and treble on full solves it quite well.

songwriter21 said:
All of this, after having tried and owned tons of basses, experienced one trip to NAMM, and from "meh" MM experiences, are what led me to believe that MM has the most hype out of any line out there, aside from Lakland Skylines. :rollno: Like some have said, I, too, believe that EB followers just play them because they're popular. With all of the good choices out there, I do not get the complacency anymore. Every single US Peavey I've ever had, for example, and especially the three I have now, crush the hell out of any and all Stingrays I've tried.
Click to expand...

I can remember when I played for quite some time I wanted a better sounding and playing bass guitar. I didn't really knew about musicman basses. Although I went to a heck of a lot of music stores I never saw one hanging around. I think after about 200+ basses I have played (from fenders to Yamaha's, Lakland to Ibanez, hofner to Dan electro and vintage gibsons to the newest fiberglass basses) I decided to give up and stick with my father's cheap old Yamaha bass because I didn't want to pay an awful lot of money (I was in middle school) on a bass that wasn't "perfect". About half a year later I walked into a little shop about 2 hours away from my house and they had some weirdass bass with an ugly egg shaped pickguard. I picked it up and played it for fun and I directly fell in love with it. A month later I had my own "musicman stingray". Since I have this bass I have never really wanted to buy or play on something else than my late 90s MM stingray :D. Quite a love story isn't it? I hope the same thing will happen with a girl in the future...:roflmao::laugh:
 
#47
I recently picked up a beautiful metallic gold 2-band 4-string Stingray, and notice the same low volume issue with the G string. I have tried any and all combinations of EQ to bring it up, to no avail.

So what's the consensus on the best solution (other than buy a Fender or G&L)?

Thanks!
 
#49
I was kicking in the distortion channel on my MXR M80 on a couple songs and on high passages recently. The overdrive/distortion channel automatically kicks in the contour which has an upper bass boost. A month ago we were doing a 1 hour benefit slot with a vocals only PA. I was playing my Jazz bass and on Satisfaction the high A in the verse was thin so I kicked in the overdrive channel, with the drive and blend way down, and played the rest of the show. So the next week I played my 1990 SR5 with the bass eq on the MXR dialed back from 2 to 1 o'clock and hit the overdrive channel. I added a little midrange with my zoom to make up for the mid dip in the contour. I am set now with the D and G strings a lot beefier and the low notes are still solid. I have the bass eq on the bass about have way up from the midpoint. Just dont crank the bass eq all the way because it will dial in huge lows, but everything else will be thin in comparison. Also, I play with a pick and keep my amp gain high and play with a light touch so I can dig when needed.
 
#51
Hambone70 said:
I recently picked up a beautiful metallic gold 2-band 4-string Stingray, and notice the same low volume issue with the G string. I have tried any and all combinations of EQ to bring it up, to no avail.

So what's the consensus on the best solution (other than buy a Fender or G&L)?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
1. Choose your EQ wisely and find a tone that is acceptable without bringing out this weak G string issue.
2. Use compression
3. Alter your right hand position when going for the G. I find I do this instinctively on a Fender beacuse of the C# or D dead spot (on the G string).
4. Post this question on their website and ask if anyone else has this issue.
You will quickly find that you are incorrect and that you should be ashamed for even making this claim.
Sometimes the truth hurts to much to admit...
 
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#52
I have a Stingray that started as a SBMM Ray34, and I've since replaced the neck with a Status carbon fiber neck (MM heel block, J nut width), a Nordstrand MM4.2 pickup (individual pole pieces), and a John East MMSR preamp. When I play it without any effects the G string is perfectly audible and balances well with the other strings. When I play it with most of the effects on my board the G string is perfectly fine. However, when I play it with my 3Leaf Chromatron (envelope filter) or my 3Leaf Doom (fuzz) the G string does not trigger the effects as well as the rest of the strings. This is a complete non-issue with every other bass I own. It's an odd thing for it to be perfectly audible and yet seemingly not capable of getting an envelope filter to open properly like my other basses, even when EQ'd to sound as close to the Stingray as possible.
 
#53
Jim C said:
Great Post
John K once posted that Leo told him he wasn't sure why that happens with the Stingray.
I found that it wasn't so much as less volume but rather the tone thinned out on the G making it seem quieter.
Do you still get the Stingray sound with a the active EMG and no pre-amp?
I had wanted to try a different pre with the stock pup but my 83' is the last year before the tyrant took over and is too valuable to modify.
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Speaking of John K (@johnk_10), here is something he did (with Leo F's help) to strengthen the D and A string response on early Stingrays. Maybe the same technique could be used to strengthen the G. My apologies if this was touched on previously. (The URL looks strange, but this should take you there - see Comment #5 in "Marcus Miller Uneven Tone/Volume".)

Marcus Miller uneven tone/volume
 
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#54
I had a '94 Stingray I ordered from Manny's back in the day. Had the same weak G issue. Eq'ing, strings, PuP height, nothing worked. Sent it back to EB since I though it was a flaw. Came back the exact same way. Sold it for way less than I paid since I couldn't stand it and never looked at an EB for a long time. Found a Sterling (oooh that neck...) at a shop that I couldn't put down. That G string rang loud n' proud, in both series and parallel mode. Replaced the pickup with a Nordy alnico to get a closer Stingray tone and the G was still loud. So....I guess that's the nature of the iconic beast. Not for me, but obviously other millions dig it. Although I'm a Pbass man these days, I do find myself smiling when I hear how well the Sterling sounded on some recordings I did and miss it.
 
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#55
The E and A on this Stingray are awesome. I'm moving most of my playing down a string and up five frets, as the lower strings are so much fuller, and it's also easier as the frets are closer together.

This really makes me want a 5 (assuming the B string is as good as the E), but perhaps a Sterling 5 would be a better option than a Stingray 5, assuming the new Stingray 5 Specials still suffer from a weak G.
 
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#56
Interesting thread. I did not realize this was such a common problem. I just noticed this, this weekend on my Peavey Cirrus. I posted for some help in the same forum today. I don't know about the EBMM as the used one I just bought has a preamp issue in that the output of the bass is only about 10%. I hope to run a multimeter on it tomorrow and see if we can't pinpoint the issue. I am considering ridding myself of the preamp and turning my 2001 Stingray passive for the old school sound if you will.
 
#60
delta7fred said:
Hang onto the preamp if you do go passive, EB will not sell a new one unless they receive an old one back.

(I tried mine passive but soon put it back to stock, the magic is in the preamp.)
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Good plan, I will definitely and will check with them, although they did send me an email today and said that the assembly had not been manufactured in 10 years. So I guess if I do go passive then I will have an open hole in the assembly plate. Small price to pay :)
 
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