String balance on Sterling SB14

[XM Ian]

Afternoon all,

So, I'm getting the gear ready to go back to practice and gig when it's advisable. I love my SB14 - the narrow neck and middly sound (but with the 3 way active EQ) just works for me and my style.

But... The bottom E string is waaay louder than the other strings.

I have already tried :

- dropped that side of the pickup away form the string - but that decreases the volume of the A string as well.

- rolled off the EQ in the helix below about 80 Hz - also, affects the A string.

- got a set of heavier strings on order (currently using 40-95, ordered 50-105) and I'll leave the 95 on when I change)

So other things I am thinking about.:

- see if there's adjustable pole pieces in the stock MM/Sterling pickup. MM haven't got back to my query after a week so....

- fit a new pickup with adjustable poles.

But, Is there anything else I can be trying?

advTHANKSance,

ian

----

[ebenezer]

Quite common issue with the ray....I replaced my pickup with an Aguilar ag4m which has flat pole pieces..., D and G not raised as on stock pickup, this helped to a degree but not entirely.

[drTStingray]

On 30/06/2021 at 14:35, XM Ian said:

Afternoon all,

So, I'm getting the gear ready to go back to practice and gig when it's advisable. I love my SB14 - the narrow neck and middly sound (but with the 3 way active EQ) just works for me and my style.

But... The bottom E string is waaay louder than the other strings.

I have already tried :

- dropped that side of the pickup away form the string - but that decreases the volume of the A string as well.

- rolled off the EQ in the helix below about 80 Hz - also, affects the A string.

- got a set of heavier strings on order (currently using 40-95, ordered 50-105) and I'll leave the 95 on when I change)

So other things I am thinking about.:

- see if there's adjustable pole pieces in the stock MM/Sterling pickup. MM haven't got back to my query after a week so....

- fit a new pickup with adjustable poles.

But, Is there anything else I can be trying?

advTHANKSance,

ian

----

I think it’s likely to be caused partially by the string gauge set you have there. The strings Stingrays ship with are 100,  80, 65, 45. Have you tried resetting your EQ to flat (both onboard and outboard?) also - and then starting from there, perhaps with the controls on the bass guitar first? 

Another issue with this design of bass is that the string heights (as well as the pick up pole heights) should follow the radius of the fingerboard (in other words the A and D saddles should be slightly higher than the E and G, with compensation for the different string sizes) - people often set these completely flat to each other which not only affects the height of the strings over the fretboard but also the height they cross the pick up. You say you’ve already adjusted the pick up so that’s covered (the Musicman bass factory set up dimensions are on their website under FAQs). 

I once used a set of strings of the gauge you have on a Stingray - I didn’t have the problem you’re experiencing but I did find the bass sounded much more 80s sounding, especially for slap (somewhat thinner) - although the G was thinner than yours (possibly 35). 

Finally some string makes do tend to accentuate the sound of the lower strings as well, in my experience, whilst anyone playing in a band or situation where one or more players fills all the sonic space (eg guitarists/ drummers/ keyboardists), then you may have to be careful about whereabouts you play on the fretboard/which octave you play in to avoid the bass sound simply mixing in and being lost. In some cases this is what happens when several otherwise bedroom players play in a band and haven’t learned the skills of band/ensemble playing (or find it difficult to play hearing anyone else but themselves). 

A good example of choosing whereabouts to play on the fretboard is Dave Swift in the Jools Holland Orchestra - Jools Holland is a renowned musician but also play boogie woogie piano on some pieces - this has a busy left hand bass on piano. Dave often plays in a higher octave where Jools is playing the heavy boogie left hand. 

I hope you find changing your strings helps. The SB14 is effectively a budget Sterling bass, which differs from the Stingray in having a ceramic magnet pick up, series /parallel/single coil setting as well as a three band EQ. I think the SB14 has a mahogany body which will accentuate lows a little. However the Sterling (along with the Stingray 5 (early 90s to 2008 model)) can be made to cut through mixes very effectively as well as having great flexibility with the pick up settings in combination with the EQ - they also respond greatly to whereabouts you pluck the string, so a significant amount of this is in the hands of the player. 

Finally it may be worth checking the pick up is functioning correctly - you can certainly find out if all the poll pieces are functioning by pressing strings against each individual one - they should click. If it’s not then Sterling would probably do a replacement on an exchange basis or you could go for one of the aftermarket one. 

Best of luck with getting it how you want. 
 

 

 

[Martin E]

I bought my SB14 new when they first came out. It has been my main gigging bass since. Initially with a light gauge set of Stadium Elites and for the last few years with TI flats. I've  never had an issue with string balance and don't think I've ever needed to adjust the pickup. I think you must have a fault somewhere.

Sorry I can't  be more helpful.

Martin

[Lozz196]

Not on just Music Man basses but on all my basses I lower the height of the pickup under the E so that at home practice levels through my 15 watt 1x8 combo it is a bit quieter than the other strings. I then find it’s at equal volume at rehearsals when I’m using bigger cabs that handle lows better.

[XM Ian]

Gotta thank everybody for their feedback here - lots of useful info. I'm just off to restring with heavier top to see if it makes a difference and I'll get back to you. Also, I've dragged my old 5 string from under the bed (Overwater/Tanglewood Aspiration Elite 5) and fixed the issues and I'll see if its a) any better and b) I can pay the songs without being a string out ;)

[Mike99]

Hi I have an sb14 and looking to upgrade the neck. I have my eye on a USA sterling 2001 neck will the neck be a direct drop into the sb14? Believe the nut width are the same thanks