Ou7shined Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1150209' date='Mar 5 2011, 01:42 AM']Me and EBS freak nearly ruined my (brand new at the time) EBS pre amp that's in my Jazz! It's a bit battle scarred but we managed to get onto a bit of something and taped it over, phew! Sounds ace too [b]there's always a risk when fiddling with delicate stuff but it's fun[/b].[/quote] Haha totally. It's an adrenaline rush. EXTREME SOLDERING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='skankdelvar' post='1150211' date='Mar 5 2011, 01:47 AM']I've been toying with the idea of a Sub Sterling (Jazz neck lover, y'see). Any views on how it compares soundwise to the Ray-type Sub?[/quote] I don't know much about them except there's no series / parallel switch. I guess it would sound close to a 3eq 'ray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Ta for that, Ou7shined Now to find one... Edited March 5, 2011 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckman67 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 How hard is it to rewire a SUB pickup & is there any diagrams on how to do it. Plus does it make any difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='Ou7shined' post='1150218' date='Mar 5 2011, 02:04 AM']I don't know much about them except there's no series / parallel switch. I guess it would sound close to a 3eq 'ray.[/quote] Hmmm, I wonder if the Sterling SUB has alnico series as standard... and maybe that's the pickup you showed a few posts earlier... (see, I couldn't sleep wondering what pickups went on SUBs ) They must have made pickups especifically for the SUB basses, because my SUB5 had an alnico parallel, at a time when real 5-string Stingrays had ceramic pickups! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='luckman67' post='1150516' date='Mar 5 2011, 01:22 PM']How hard is it to rewire a SUB pickup & is there any diagrams on how to do it. Plus does it make any difference.[/quote] If you mean converting the series pickup as Ou7shined showed to parallel... I can't imagine it's a hard thing to do. All you'd have to do is snip the little loop at the bottom joining the two bobins, and extend the two cables. Now you'll have your 4 wires, start/end for each bobin. Wire in parallel (start with start, end with end) and away you go. There is a noticeable difference betwen coils in parallel and coils in series. The series has a higher output and sounds "darker", many people fit switches to be able to choose parallel/series in their humbuckers for that reason. On a Stingray I really prefer parallel, so I would not bother. But one of the mods I love in jazz basses is to add a switch to wire the pickups in series. By default they are in parallel, when you select both pickups on. Putting them in series gives you a very nice boost, in my opinion. But yeah, it sounds different. Which one you prefer, is up to you of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckman67 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Thanks for that,I may look into having it changed so it's more Stingray like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) [quote name='mcnach' post='1150162' date='Mar 5 2011, 12:24 AM']...The SR5 comes along, and rather interestingly it's ceramic parallel (rather than a more Stingray-ish alnico parallel). <snip> Later on the SR5 becomes alnico parallel. Back into Stingray territory.[/quote] IIRC, the SR5 was originally alnico for the first few years, switchable series/single/parallel (as my old SR5 was). It was around 1992-93 that EBMM made it ceramic, and they introduced the phantom coil around the same time (to buck hum in the single-coil position). In 2008, they switched back to alnico to make it more like the StingRay (so that StingRay = alnico and Sterling = ceramic); they also ditched the single-coil setting and made the switch run series/[s]"Enhanced Parallel"[/s]series-with-filter/parallel. I've never actually tried an SR5 with [s]"Enhanced Parallel"[/s] series-with-filter... it'd have to be pretty damn good to live up to the loveliness of the original single-coil position. That was my go-to setting. Edited March 5, 2011 by BottomEndian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='1150598' date='Mar 5 2011, 02:43 PM']In 2008, they switched back to alnico to make it more like the StingRay (so that StingRay = alnico and Sterling = ceramic); they also ditched the single-coil setting and made the switch run series/"Enhanced Parallel"/parallel. I've never actually tried an SR5 with "Enhanced Parallel"... it'd have to be pretty damn good to live up to the loveliness of the original single-coil position. That was my go-to setting.[/quote] This conflicts with the up to date website spec and my own Ray5 unless they have swapped back since 2008 which I doubt, Middle position on a real Ray5 is still single coil with a phantom coil not enhanced parallel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='1150598' date='Mar 5 2011, 02:43 PM']IIRC, the SR5 was originally alnico for the first few years, switchable series/single/parallel (as my old SR5 was). It was around 1992-93 that EBMM made it ceramic, and they introduced the phantom coil around the same time (to buck hum in the single-coil position). In 2008, they switched back to alnico to make it more like the StingRay (so that StingRay = alnico and Sterling = ceramic); they also ditched the single-coil setting and made the switch run series/"Enhanced Parallel"/parallel. I've never actually tried an SR5 with "Enhanced Parallel"... it'd have to be pretty damn good to live up to the loveliness of the original single-coil position. That was my go-to setting.[/quote] Thanks for that. That would make sense: it means they used pickups they already had for the SUB5. There would not be a point in making a new different pickup for the SUB, when you think of the whole idea behind the SUB concept. I still have no idea where the 4-string alnico/series Ou7shined showed would be used, apart from the SUB4... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1150606' date='Mar 5 2011, 03:01 PM']This conflicts with the up to date website spec and my own Ray5 unless they have swapped back since 2008 which I doubt, Middle position on a real Ray5 is still single coil with a phantom coil not enhanced parallel.[/quote] I've just this minute downloaded this spec sheet from the EBMM website: [url="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/429522/Music%20bits/cfd_stingray5_alnico2008_h.pdf"]2008-current SR5 alnico single-H spec[/url] Middle position is actually described as "Coil 1 + Coil 2 + Filter". [s]The key gives "+" as meaning series (rather than parallel, denoted by "&"), so maybe "Enhanced Parallel" is really filtered series... strange. [/s] Edited March 5, 2011 by BottomEndian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='BottomEndian' post='1150622' date='Mar 5 2011, 03:12 PM']I've just this minute downloaded this spec sheet from the EBMM website: [url="http://dl.dropbox.com/u/429522/Music%20bits/cfd_stingray5_alnico2008_h.pdf"]2008-current SR5 alnico single-H spec[/url] Middle position is actually described as "Coil 1 + Coil 2 + Filter". The key gives "+" as meaning series (rather than parallel, denoted by "&"), so maybe "Enhanced Parallel" is really filtered series... strange. [/quote] Im not sure I dont really like that position anyway on mine although EBS Freak Russ does when he has used it at a gig, Horses and courses and all that. As for exactly how its wired the mystery continues........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I think what they are saying from the spec is series with switch towards neck, Parallel with it fully back and in the middle position its bridge half of the Pup with the neck half and its filter (phantom coil?) engaged. I thought it was the front half of the pup in single coil mode to give a more P bass single coil position but its the rear in a kind of Jazz bridge position I guess. I suspect it wouldnt be hard to change it to fully single coil if the hum wasnt to bad or with a 5 position switch to have even more options. For me though I would of been happy if they had left it off and forgot to cut the slit in the pickguard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomEndian Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Right, silly me: I've misremembered. Just been having a poke around on the EB forum (lawd help me) and Talkbass (er... lawd help me again). It's not "Enhanced Parallel". It's "Enhanced Series", or "Series with Filter" (there's some rumour it's a treble-cut). But there is genuinely [i]no[/i] single-coil setting of any sort on the current SR5. They don't shout about it though, do they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I have never been under any illusion that there was a genuinely single coil on any Ray5 and the proportion of pre ceramic pup loaded ones must be quite small. I guess the only way to tell if it alters the sound much would be to alter the wiring to pure single coil but I would guess the small amount of difference to the sound of the filter would be outwayed by the fact it cancels the hum and makes for a more even output with it included. Listen to me I sound like a right fan boi! Remember if it cuts treble the Stingray preamp is there if you want it back too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 (edited) Speaking as someone whos owned a 3EQ 2009 'Ray for a while before dipping my toe in the 2EQ SUB waters this week, I honestly think the quality and depth of the tone from the SUB is brilliant in comparison. Its difficult to compare exactly as my 2009 'Ray has flats on, the SUB has roundwounds. I would say (and it has been done to death admittedly) that the 2EQ has a unique depth to it, the 3EQ is more adjustable. Even after 4 days, I'm finding I'm whacking up the bass on the 2EQ to max, and adjusting the treble to taste. On my 'Ray, tend to adjust the treble and the mids more, while maxing the bass. Series, parallel whatever, the SUB is one awesomely fine value bass. Oh aye, piccy of my EBMM "collection": Edited March 5, 2011 by MattM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 I love my 2 band Ray MattM, Bass on full and use the treble pot as a tone control depending on finger or pick and to suit the mix easily adjusted mid song with your pinky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1150831' date='Mar 5 2011, 06:48 PM']I love my 2 band Ray MattM, Bass on full and use the treble pot as a tone control...[/quote] Yep, same here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 Aye, the one thing that struck me about the 2EQ is if you do the thing with the bass control and adjust the treble to taste, you can actually get a tone that works for picking, fingerstyle and slap without too much fannying about. Worth its weight in gold. There's a lot to be said for a simple "right" tone, some people would say "one trick pony", I'd say genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 [quote name='MattM' post='1150849' date='Mar 5 2011, 07:10 PM']Aye, the one thing that struck me about the 2EQ is if you do the thing with the bass control and adjust the treble to taste, you can actually get a tone that works for picking, fingerstyle and slap without too much fannying about. Worth its weight in gold. There's a lot to be said for a simple "right" tone, some people would say "one trick pony", I'd say genius.[/quote] I find it responds to right hand technique more than any of my other basses even the jazz where people rely on forcing a tone by switching pup positions rather than using that as a compliment to the actual technique IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted March 8, 2011 Share Posted March 8, 2011 perfect no nonsense bass full stop. bass on full,treble to taste-how simple-how rock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Bought MattM's S.U.B. at the weekend and WHAT A SOUND!!!!! Why didn't I buy one sooner. It has an amazing attacking thump I've only heard before when I damped my basses with a chunk of sponge at the bridge. It also has that toppy growl as well. Gigged it at the weekend at a sitdown quiet gig but can't wait to TURN IT UP!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted May 16, 2011 Share Posted May 16, 2011 Glad to hear you like it mate . There is definitely something uniquely brilliant about the 2EQ 'Ray sound, and the SUB is a brilliant bang-for-the-buck way of getting it. Enjoy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watchman Posted May 17, 2011 Share Posted May 17, 2011 [quote name='MattM' post='1233705' date='May 16 2011, 09:52 PM']Glad to hear you like it mate . There is definitely something uniquely brilliant about the 2EQ 'Ray sound, and the SUB is a brilliant bang-for-the-buck way of getting it. Enjoy....[/quote] I loved mine, but the neck never settled down on it Otherwise I'd have kept it. I gigged it for a few months though, and it worked great for rock and pretty much anything else. Good punchy agressive sound, ideal for bringing unruly drummers to heel :> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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