Stingray questions

[highwayman]

A couple of questions regarding Stingrays please:

Mine has three controls, what's the fourth one for on other variants and what sound impact / difference does it have?

If the battery goes, will it still play? Can it be played in passive mode? (Stingray 'new' Classic).

Cheers

[RhysP]

Your bass has got Volume, Treble & Bass controls.
The extra control you've seen is a Midrange control.

I'm not 100% sure but I think a Stingray will still produce a sound without a battery, but the tone controls won't work & the sound will be generally weaker.
A Stingray expert will be along soon to either agree with me or mock me.

[stingrayPete1977]

Nope-silence!



Being a ClassicRay it's worth keeping a screwdriver and a battery (obviously) to hand.

Cracking basses though, I think we need a pic?

Edited April 12, 2017 by stingrayPete1977

[obbm]

Why not take your battery out and try it?

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1491999103' post='3277040']
Why not take your battery out and try it?
[/quote]

Yes, you can make sure the screwdriver to keep in the kit bag fits then too It still won't work though.

[Treb]

No battery = no sound. That said, there's at least one Stingray (gilded white) I know of that has a passive/active push-pull knob.

[matski]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1492010299' post='3277172']
Yes, you can make sure the screwdriver to keep in the kit bag fits then too It still won't work though.
[/quote]

Don't worry about it too much, the batteries last for years -- as long as you remember to unplug your cable when you're not playing it.

[highwayman]

Thanks all

Edited April 12, 2017 by highwayman

[highwayman]

This is the one:

Edited April 12, 2017 by highwayman

[badboy1984]

[quote name='highwayman' timestamp='1492012580' post='3277198']
This is the one:
[/quote]

Very nice SR

[stingrayPete1977]

Slab body
Birdseye neck
Strung thru body
String mutes
2 EQ
6 bolt neck
Wheel of fortune truss adjuster

What's not to like?

[lojo]

Anyone ever had a stingray go silent at a gig ?

2 Eqs enough for me , can't see what else id need to do to the sound

[MattM]

2EQ Ray is *the* sound. Mid controls and centre detents are for wooses.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1492017743' post='3277261']
Anyone ever had a stingray go silent at a gig ?


2 Eqs enough for me , can't see what else id need to do to the sound
[/quote]

I've had one totally dead at sound check and I've swapped to the spare between songs after hearing the tone going off as the battery was getting low.

[badboy1984]

[quote name='MattM' timestamp='1492022136' post='3277311']
2EQ Ray is *the* sound. Mid controls and centre detents are for wooses.
[/quote]

I use to own a 3 band EQ SR and then also own a Musicman USA Sub 2 band SR. The 2 band defnitely sounded better then the 3 band.

[Naetharu]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1492017743' post='3277261']
Anyone ever had a stingray go silent at a gig ?

2 Eqs enough for me , can't see what else id need to do to the sound
[/quote]

You'll hear the battery going long before it goes silent so don't worry there. If the signal starts sounding off and you get artefacts in the sound (like there is a low gain fuzz pedal on) you're coming to the end of the batteries life. But as mentioned above these things last a long time. A good quality battery will give you hundreds of hours playing.

As to the EQ, I think having a mid-range control is actually really handy as often that's the frequency that you're going to want to boost a bit to cut through to pull back on to avoid the harshness of your sound. However, I have heard that the 2-EQ and 3-EQ Stingray models sound different, and a lot of people seem to prefer the classic 2-EQ version.

[gazhowe]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1492017743' post='3277261']
Anyone ever had a stingray go silent at a gig ?
[/quote]

Yep, I had no problem during the sound check but then the battery started to die during the opening number causing my sound to distort and cut out. Luckily I was able to switch to another bass fairly quickly.

I didn't realise it was a battery issue at first so it made me quite nervous during the remainder of the first set in case it was a problem elsewhere.

[stingrayPete1977]

The 3EQ is more versatile for live stuff where getting a useable sound is more important but the two EQ is where that killer stingray tone is at!

[mcnach]

[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1492082347' post='3277762']
[b]You'll hear the battery going long before it goes silent so don't worry there[/b]. If the signal starts sounding off and you get artefacts in the sound (like there is a low gain fuzz pedal on) you're coming to the end of the batteries life. But as mentioned above these things last a long time. A good quality battery will give you hundreds of hours playing.
[/quote]

Not true with every preamp. The Stingray one just works until... it doesn't. There may be slight degradation but it happens so quick, you get no useful warning. My old Warwick Corvette $$ however started playing up and distorting well before it gives up entirely.

BUt yes, most preamps don't need that much juice. I change the battery on the Stingrays once a year, but I know they'll last a lot longer. It just seems that once a year is a convenient and safe interval

[highwayman]

"the two EQ is where that killer stingray tone is at!"

What settings of the 'Ray controls do you suggest for the 'killer' tone? (obviously amp, etc. come into play too).

[stingrayPete1977]

Bass up quite high, I used to go full but I'm more like 3/4 now then use the treble pot like a tone pot, juicy.

[stoo]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1492017743' post='3277261']
Anyone ever had a stingray go silent at a gig ?
[/quote]

Just once.... but that had more to do with me being trusting enough to leave it on stage between sound check and when we were due to go on. While we'd gone to go grab some food, some cheeky twunt had swiped the battery out of my bass!Valuable lesson learned!

[radiophonic]

[quote name='highwayman' timestamp='1492257742' post='3279033']
"the two EQ is where that killer stingray tone is at!"

What settings of the 'Ray controls do you suggest for the 'killer' tone? (obviously amp, etc. come into play too).
[/quote]

Irrespective of what amp I've used, bass wide open and treble wound back about 20-25%. I set my amp flat as default and tweak depending on the room. It sounds exactly as expected. I've got a bit tired of the Stingray tone tbh (the brittleness in the treble specifically), but I've yet to find another bass that is as comfortable to play. I don't know if I just lucked in or if they are all this good, but the neck on mine is absolutely perfect.

And the battery seems to last forever, before suddenly dying without warning. I always carry a spare and a screwdriver.

Edited April 16, 2017 by radiophonic

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='radiophonic' timestamp='1492326676' post='3279355']


Irrespective of what amp I've used, bass wide open and treble wound back about 20-25%. I set my amp flat as default and tweak depending on the room. It sounds exactly as expected. I've got a bit tired of the Stingray tone tbh (the brittleness in the treble specifically), but I've yet to find another bass that is as comfortable to play. I don't know if I just lucked in or if they are all this good, but the neck on mine is absolutely perfect.
[/quote]

I could've written that post!

Tone settings - same
Comfortable to play - very
Getting tired of the tone - yep, to the point that I'm considering moving it on or trading. Still an awesome bass though.

[Mykesbass]

Just something to add to the mix, different batteries behave in different ways. Some are designed to lose power gradually, some designed to fall off a cliff. This may explain the different experiences you guys are getting.