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Can a Stingray growl like a Jazz?


bubinga5
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I had a SR5.. but it didnt sound like this..i dont know why but a stingray is just appealing to me now.. sounds like a Jazz with more punch.. i played one once in a pub through an TE, and it sounded great, but the jazz at the time sounded better..

dont know why i havent noticed it before but the fatness of the SR4 is very cool...

1oopus posted this vid and the bass sounds so so good....

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StP0_zbDIMo&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StP0_zbDIMo...feature=related[/url]

i could be sold to an SR4...

Edited by bubinga5
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[quote name='bubinga5' post='1081627' date='Jan 7 2011, 11:00 PM']I had a SR5.. but it didnt sound like this..i dont know why but a stingray is just appealing to me now.. sounds like a Jazz with more punch.. i played one once in a pub through an TE, and it sounded great, but the jazz at the time sounded better..

dont know why i havent noticed it before but the fatness of the SR4 is very cool...

1oopus posted this vid and the bass sounds so so good....

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StP0_zbDIMo&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StP0_zbDIMo...feature=related[/url]

i could be sold to an SR4...[/quote]
get one get one get one. took me 25 years!

they growl but differently to a Jazz.

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I've noticed some people have gone out and bought instruments based on what they can hear from videos, records or live performances, only to get home and plug in and find that they cannot replicate what they were were hearing. Most of it is purely down to the fact that the bass you're hearing back from the performance you so admire has been recorded or subjected to processing from equipment you do not have, and sound men, engineers, D.I boxes, preamps and producers you don't have access to.

The second point is that I've played loads of Stingrays, both 4's and 5's and every time I have, it always sounds like me playing a Stingray. It also doesn't sound a million miles away sonically from me playing my Jazz bass, albeit with a bit of a bias towards the bridge pickup, but not much. My point is that there are going to be a lot of reasons that you don't end up being able to properly replicate a sound, but the most fun for me comes from creating something entirely your own.

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Well no its not, a stingray sounds like a stingray, a jazz like a Jazz a JD does (nearly) what an Alembic does ...a P bass sounds like...well...and so on..and so on.....
I think OP was talking about what different guitars sound like "dry" as such
not about what other enhancements do.
there has to be a starting point
Try a few out first.
FX/eq/studio/enginneers/valve preamps and the rest dont allways equal /make the sound, they shape it.
get out there, more young man.
Try lots of stuff first. :) and that

Edited by witterth
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[quote name='witterth' post='1081711' date='Jan 8 2011, 12:43 AM']Well no its not, a stingray sounds like a stingray, a jazz like a Jazz a JD does (nearly) what an Alembic does ...a P bass sounds like...well...and so on..and so on.....
I think OP was talking about what different guitars sound like "dry" as such
not about what other enhancements do.
there has to be a starting point
Try a few out first.
FX/eq/studio/enginneers/valve preamps and the rest dont allways equal /make the sound, they shape it.
get out there, more young man.
Try lots of stuff first. :)[/quote]

My point was that the sonic differences between basses aren't really as massive as is usually made out. Granted, a Stingray doesn't sound like a Jazz bass, or vice versa, and I also think that it's good to be inspired by a certain player using a certain instrument, but too much stock can be put into believing that just because one player gets one sound, that you'll end up getting the same.

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[quote name='witterth' post='1081711' date='Jan 8 2011, 01:43 AM']a JD does (nearly) what an Alembic does[/quote]
I'll have to disagree. I've owned both and they share very little in common apart from a basic similarity in the body shape.

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[quote name='risingson' date='Jan 7 2011, 11:43 PM' post='1081662']
I've noticed some people have gone out and bought instruments based on what they can hear from videos, records or live performances, only to get home and plug in and find that they cannot replicate what they were were hearing. Most of it is purely down to the fact that the bass you're hearing back from the performance you so admire has been recorded or subjected to processing from equipment you do not have, and sound men, engineers, D.I boxes, preamps and producers you don't have access to.

Got to agree.

There's a vid clip somewhere of Chris Squire playing a jazz and we were all shocked at how it sounded like Chris Squire playing a Ric.

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Maybe some of just have better ears for hearing the differences between pup styles and a lot of the people who say they all sound the same use things like ashdown amps that steal the natural sound of the instrument. Through a clearer amp or direct through a pa none of my basses sound the same not even slightly, my P compared to the pre EB stingray couldn't sound more different to each other.

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[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='1081781' date='Jan 8 2011, 07:42 AM']I'll have to disagree. I've owned both and they share very little in common apart from a basic similarity in the body shape.[/quote]
Well...ok that was pushing it a bit but,you get me?
different basses have thier own signature regardless of player FX etc
I know there's a you tube clip out there, where some guy ID's a good few different basses played by Mark King ( I think ) on dutch telly, without looking.
I'm sure someone else here has seen it.
and I do think most of us could do the same.
having said that,....... :) ...Id have sworn Flea played a MM 'ray rather than (alleged wal) on that early chillipeppers album
(which was it?)
So...

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I can tell where the wal is used over the rays and most people class mothers milk as early when the first album is from 84' the bass is very harsh and has none of the subtle tones until maybe some of mothers milk then much more prominent on blood sugar sex magic which is most fans favourite from the bass sound to the album sleeve! The people who say it's all on the wal just say it as if MM owners will cry themselves to sleep if he didn't use one , I like Flea but I like rays, Bernard Edwards a John Deacon more anyway, In fact I would say JD uses one more than many folk think in the studio but liked to be seen with his P's on stage. Another one bites the dust had to have him on the ray for the video even my sister would of said that's not recorded on a p bass!:)

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[quote name='bubinga5' post='1081627' date='Jan 7 2011, 11:00 PM']I had a SR5.. but it didnt sound like this..i dont know why but a stingray is just appealing to me now.. sounds like a Jazz with more punch.. i played one once in a pub through an TE, and it sounded great, but the jazz at the time sounded better..

dont know why i havent noticed it before but the fatness of the SR4 is very cool...

1oopus posted this vid and the bass sounds so so good....

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StP0_zbDIMo&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StP0_zbDIMo...feature=related[/url]

i could be sold to an SR4...[/quote]

Agreed, do like the sound of the Ray in that vid. Sounds a bit like boosted treb on the 2 band and maybe a dose of compression?
I couldn't get that sound on the SR5 - guess it was down to the different pre and ceramic pup, I tended to find it a bit smoother and less 'in your face' than the Ray4 2eq.

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[quote name='Chris2112' post='1082076' date='Jan 8 2011, 01:40 PM']To me, that previous video would be a good advert not to buy a Stingray! Horrible flat, clanky sounding E string, quiet and harsh sounding D and G strings and some pretty hideous playing too. Luckily, I know they cna sound much better than that![/quote]


yes.........way too much, plus too many guys use the pre full on which does indeed cut through but what an awful sound.
It was the reason I took the pre out as the rest of the bass playing-wise was fantastic. It was an early 80's though.

Not a very subtle pre amp IMV...and East can be the same, but who runs them flat out, FFS..!!

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[quote name='martthebass' post='1082109' date='Jan 8 2011, 02:12 PM']Agreed, do like the sound of the Ray in that vid. Sounds a bit like boosted treb on the 2 band and maybe a dose of compression?
I couldn't get that sound on the SR5 - guess it was down to the different pre and ceramic pup, I tended to find it a bit smoother and less 'in your face' than the Ray4 2eq.[/quote]

This is one of the reasons you need to know your models when comparing used prices or new old stock , there have been a lot of comments about used sr5 values (chris2112 was one the other day) but the new sr5 have what many including me class as the proper pup and pre amp making them less common used and more desirable to many and worth either buying new if the deal is good or paying a premium over an earlier (2008?) Sr5 IMO.

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[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1082259' date='Jan 8 2011, 04:19 PM']This is one of the reasons you need to know your models when comparing used prices or new old stock , there have been a lot of comments about used sr5 values (chris2112 was one the other day) but the new sr5 have what many including me class as the proper pup and pre amp making them less common used and more desirable to many and worth either buying new if the deal is good or paying a premium over an earlier (2008?) Sr5 IMO.[/quote]

Too right Pete. I for one prefer the sound of the ceramic pup on the fretless SR5 (it seems to suit the fretless sound somehow) to the alnico buts thats just me. I guess there is such a thing as a Ray sound but there's lots of differences variations on the theme across the different models.

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