la bam Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 Hi all, A new change of direction and band and I find my self in a dance / disco set up where I'm kind of at the front (rest of band is keys/technical and drums - so I'm the only one stood up!). So, on one hand I want a stingray for that tight funky groove, and I want it to be outrageous and eye catching. But, eye catching apart - the virus situation has hit my finances extremely hard. So I'm wondering what my options are for a good stingray ish bass at a budget price. If it's a crazy colour or style even better! I've also never played a stingray, and struggled with pick up placement on jazzes and a g&l m2000 (....actually as I wrote that, it just dawned on me a g&l with the stingray pickguard may be a good option!!) so I'm thinking low budget in case I simply cant play it! I'm open to straight buys, or budget then upgrades - any ideas really. Any help appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 (edited) Best copy - Musicman Sterling SUB. Yes the naming system is crap but these can be had for around £200 or less. Does everything it says on the tin. Runner up would be the older OLPs. Also around the same price second hand. Edited March 20, 2020 by BassApprentice 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 (edited) Double post - please ignore Edited March 20, 2020 by BassApprentice Double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 (edited) Vintage do a range for under £400. Should be able to pick one up second hand quite cheaply. New £296 on eBay. Edited March 20, 2020 by Grahambythesea Added content Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 OLP Tony Levin sig 5 string. They come in orange. Great basses too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 (edited) Might be worth considering an Ibanez ATK. There have been various versions and models down the years, available second hand from around £300 upwards depending on which model. Tends to be aesthetically quite divisive, especially the huge bridge/pickup plate but generally regarded as one of the better stingray inspired basses out there. Edited March 20, 2020 by Cato 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 On the subject of the ATK, pretty sure I saw one of the most basic version, the Gio, for sale on Gumtree for about £70. Obviously depends where you live etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 20, 2020 Share Posted March 20, 2020 3 hours ago, Grahambythesea said: Vintage do a range for under £400. Should be able to pick one up second hand quite cheaply. New £296 on eBay. Given how good their Precision range is I’d expect these also to be very good, would certainly be where I’d start looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Sterling Sub Ray 4. Cheap as chips, and really good basses. I got one because I wanted to explore the Ray vibe, and I think it sounds and plays great. If the colours don’t please you, spray it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 I had one of the OLP 5-strings for a while, and it was a very good bass. The only reason I moved it on was that the string spacing at 16.5mm was a bit tight for me. They're a good starting point for upgrades: the John East pre-amp will fit and Nordstrand make a 16.5mm spacing 5-string pickup. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Does it have to look like a 'Ray? If it's only the sound that you're after, have a look for some Warwick Streamer Pro M models or Fortress Masterman.. They'll all be late 90s instruments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Vintage EST96a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 (edited) 17 hours ago, Lozz196 said: Given how good their Precision range is I’d expect these also to be very good, would certainly be where I’d start looking. I have the EST96a and it’s really good - punches way above its weight Edited March 21, 2020 by Geek99 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merello Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 Sub is a no brainier. I sold my black and maple neck one for £160 and it was brilliant. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontalste Posted March 21, 2020 Share Posted March 21, 2020 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143554229377 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted March 22, 2020 Author Share Posted March 22, 2020 (edited) Thanks for your help all. It's looking like I'll eventually go for a sub if I can find one at the right price. I had considered the cheap hatley Benton as well, but with thomann being abroad and this current situation I decided against it. However, I'm very impulsive..... I did see this. I've always wanted a Sire v7, but being in a tribute act i had to play what my counterpart did, but now i can play whatever i want. When i saw this, i simply had to get it. It will give me more tonal range than the standard p basses I've been using, and looks amazing (to me anyway!). Matching headstock. Active and passive switch. 3 band eq. Tone and mixable pick up control. And it's the modified version 2 v7. Hopefully (couriers aside) it should arrive tomorrow. Edited March 22, 2020 by la bam 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 22, 2020 Share Posted March 22, 2020 On 20/03/2020 at 21:46, Cato said: Might be worth considering an Ibanez ATK. There have been various versions and models down the years, available second hand from around £300 upwards depending on which model. Tends to be aesthetically quite divisive, especially the huge bridge/pickup plate but generally regarded as one of the better stingray inspired basses out there. They're nice (I owned one for a while) but they're often quite heavy and it doesn't do the Stingray thing very well... although I do like what it does. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Atk didn't really do the stingray thing imo of previous owning one think it was a 400, plus working on a couple more. Lower and Higher end versions. Certainly doesn't feel like a ray either. Sub ray 4 electrics in old versions are not great imo, due to clipping issue. You have to lower the pickup extremely low or mod electrics for eq to be fully useable. I've played an older one and a newer one. Other than that there alright, lovely slim neck, tone isn't bad, looks and feels like a ray. Seek out later China ones or newer versions with sterling on headstock and not large sub lettering if possible. These are ones with the better electrics. Might be best option if on budget. The original Ebmm USA sub stingrays are pretty much the real thing, made in same factory, made with many of the same parts sounds like any other modern 2 band eq ray. Prices range from 300 to 500. Although people are trying to get as much as possible for them these days, might be a bargain still to be found. Used sterling 24 or 34 models of course too. You could mod any number of ray copies with the exact same pickup position,style electronically to get that sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 I’ve got a pdf of the Sub Ray mod if anybody wants it. I haven’t tried it yet, but plan to. Carry on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverinebass Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 17 minutes ago, songofthewind said: I’ve got a pdf of the Sub Ray mod if anybody wants it. I haven’t tried it yet, but plan to. Carry on. What mod is that? Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) I like the Vintage - played several and they do a nice 5 string as well. If you want an affordable Stingray-type bass, the SBMM Sub does it very well indeed. This young lady seems to manage well with one. Bear in mind the newer ones are even better - I read somewhere that the Ray 24 and Sub have an EQ based more around the Okd Smoothie version. http://youtu.be/iK1LEt7wr5g Edited March 24, 2020 by drTStingray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Really nice sound on that too, is that very representative of a regular 2-band eq Stingray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) I'd say they do reflect the 2 band sound - the full fat MM can be smoother and probably has more versatility, dependent on how you play. There is some good technique there (including muting and note length) but it does sound good IMO. However a 3 band Stingray, although more versatile, can get very close to the 2 band sound with the treble and bass boosted a touch and the mid cut say 50% from centre detent - the major difference is the lack of the high pass filter on the 2 band - removes boomy frequencies from the 3 band. Go and try a Stingray Special if you want to hear major bass boost - much more in the realms of a Bongo in that context. Edited March 24, 2020 by drTStingray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 10 hours ago, Wolverinebass said: What mod is that? Just curious. It was posted on Talkbass by a guy who used to work for Sterling (I think). The mod uses a 250k volume pot and a change of wiring to the preamp. It looks quite simple, and I hope to get round to it soon. Also on Talkbass folks recommend cheap Chinese Alnico MM style pickups as a substitute. The lower output sounds better. The SUB Ray 4 seems to be a popular modding platform over there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted March 24, 2020 Share Posted March 24, 2020 Here it is. I got the pot value wrong in my previous post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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