Stingray Tone 3EQ

[BassAdder60]

On my new Sterling Ray34 3EQ I’ve found that to get a better sound ( less honk ) I’ve backed off the onboard mid control ( a lot ) boosted the bass and treble around centre 

 

Any other Ray users found it had too much mids ? 
 

In our band I found the Ray34 was a loud bass and very prominent but lacked the deep thump that a PBass gives you. 
Turned the mids down a lot and it sounds better in the band context ( deeper, fuller and less angry sounding !

[drTStingray]

Yeah I tend to use mine with the mids cut - gives a great sound and pretty close to a 2 band Musicman EQ sound. You can bring the mids back up if you need more clarity in the mix as well - depends what music you’re playing - the mid range gives the impression of loudness but it’s not really - it’s just enhancing certain frequencies which make the bass more audible (I find it helps me hear myself in a thick on stage mix where other instruments are playing in the same frequency range as me). 
 

Note that these controls actually cut below centre detent - I tend to boost my bass and sometimes treble a little (above centre) whilst having the mid range cut. 

 

I don’t subscribe to the view that there’s less bass than a P bass though - the 3 band does have a high pass filter which avoids some of the mushy and boomy low frequencies - not a bad thing, and tightens up the sound. However by boosting the bass there’s a ton more available. 
 

You’ve clearly got a lot more variation available also, and that’s before you consider the area you pluck the strings and the intensity you pluck them. 
 

If you want more thump you could think of changing to flatwound strings and/or use a piece of foam rubber under the strings (a piece of kitchen sponge cut to size works very well). 

Edited July 6, 2022 by drTStingray

[Old Horse Murphy]

I’ve never like the mids on the Stingray 3eq and generally cut them too. 
 

Apparently Gail Ann Dorsey dials hers in with the bass on full and both mids and treble all the way back. It obviously works for her and who am I to argue!

 

 

Edited July 6, 2022 by Old Horse Murphy

[uk_lefty]

6 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

Any other Ray users found it had too much mids ? 

I find the mid control the most useful part... For me I max the bass, have a smidge of treble and generally have the mids cut. But, if I want a more old school sound or something more prominent then I bring the mids up and roll the bass back down to just above the notch. I still get the punch of the big pup but I get a softer and rounder sound that works for things like Crazy Little Thing Called Love, for example.

[BassAdder60]

I was considering selling it today but … taking the advice from others 

back off the mids ( most ) lots of bass and treble slightly boosted I get a nicer fuller tone. 
It’s the sound I was looking for 

 

I’ve read the Mid control is 500hz but it’s already a mid heavy sound due to pickup location.

 

This change has improved things and I’m happier with the sound 

[drTStingray]

1 hour ago, BassAdder27 said:

I was considering selling it today but … taking the advice from others 

back off the mids ( most ) lots of bass and treble slightly boosted I get a nicer fuller tone. 
It’s the sound I was looking for 

 

I’ve read the Mid control is 500hz but it’s already a mid heavy sound due to pickup location.

 

This change has improved things and I’m happier with the sound 

Good - glad you made it work.

 

Having attended quite a lot of jam sessions recently and played through lots of different amps/combos etc I’m reminded how much some equipment colours the sound - notably Ashdown and Fender Rumble can have horrendously cut mids (vast scoop) - I’ve found the trick is to turn off all the pre sets and boost the mids - the Fender Rumble is still too cut for me. The mid control on the bass is very useful to overcome the problem as well. 

 

My favourite tone is the Bernard Edwards sound - I can achieve that with a 3 band Musicman set as above and a Markbass Little Mark 3 and 2 x 10 (tweeter on) - even gets the right pop/slap sound. On a Stingray Special the mids are voiced differently - I start with them on centre with those basses for the same sound. 

[la bam]

I start with everything centered in the middle. Roll off a little mids, add a little bass and its lovely. For extra thump I add some low mids on my amp. Great tone imo.

[Franticsmurf]

12 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

Any other Ray users found it had too much mids ? 

Yes, I am currently playing with the mids cut and the bass and treble centred. I love that there is some much variation possible but the downside is that it is taking a while to get the sound I want. 

[Killerfridge]

Man you guys are nuts, I boost the mids on my 3 band Stingray if anything. It's fretless though, so that might be part of it: 

[Guest]

The one 3-band EQ I ever had, the bass and the mids were like a see-saw: whichever was up, the other had to go down. With both up, it was just a mush. 

[lee650]

I'm wondering if the Sterling Stingray has the pick up wired in series ( I vaguely recall it does,I may be wrong, but would explain OP's mid heavy tone) my USA Ray 5HH has the back pickup in series and it has a darker more vintage tone with a lot of boosted mids. The paralell setting usually has a lot of boosted Highs and lows, thus scooping the mids.

I pull the mids right back and boost the bass and treble, it gets me close to the parallel tone. When I use both pickups on though, it has a modern slightly Ken Smith esq tone and I have to push those mids back up.

[BassAdder60]

I’ve improved things by putting 45/105 roundwounds on it 

 

Adds to the fullness of the tone and less mids dominating the sound 

 

Did notice the string tree on the headstock has slots that don’t quite fit 85 A string gauge 

Edited July 7, 2022 by BassAdder27

[Vanheusen77]

I’m new to Stingrays so I’m still trying different settings. So far mostly with mids centred, bass 3/4 up and treble between centre to 3/4 up. It seems a lot of high profile players actually max out the bass which to me seems a bit extreme but I’m trying that next… 

[BassAdder60]

1 hour ago, Vanheusen77 said:

I’m new to Stingrays so I’m still trying different settings. So far mostly with mids centred, bass 3/4 up and treble between centre to 3/4 up. It seems a lot of high profile players actually max out the bass which to me seems a bit extreme but I’m trying that next… 

I’m finding bass maxed, mids backed off and treble centred works but depends on amp settings etc

my 45-105 Elixir strings have improved things no end 

[roger]

On 06/07/2022 at 23:36, Killerfridge said:

Man you guys are nuts, I boost the mids on my 3 band Stingray if anything. It's fretless though, so that might be part of it: 

Nice, I got room for that!!!😀

[gjones]

I like the aggressiveness of my 3 EQ Stingray.

 

I have Precisions and Jazzes and got the Ray specifically for that Stingray sound.

 

I have a tendency to try and make all my basses sound like James Jamerson's precision.

 

If you do want a deeper, thumpier sound, I recommend buying a USA built SUB. I owned a couple a few years ago and the 2 band EQ gave a great thump. I used to describe the sound as a Precision with the sound of a kick drum behind it.

[Killerfridge]

5 hours ago, roger said:

Nice, I got room for that!!!😀

Haha, that's amazing!

[garyt]

My preference on my Stingray 3-band EQ is everything maxxed.   I’ve tried tweaking, but the max setting is almost like a magnet. 

[Vanheusen77]

9 hours ago, garyt said:

My preference on my Stingray 3-band EQ is everything maxxed.   I’ve tried tweaking, but the max setting is almost like a magnet. 

The mids too? Isn’t that just a bit like the “middle” setting on everything but louder?

[BassAdder60]

10 hours ago, garyt said:

My preference on my Stingray 3-band EQ is everything maxxed.   I’ve tried tweaking, but the max setting is almost like a magnet. 

I’ve tried that and don’t care for it 

Far too much mids going on unless you’re playing an overdriven metal tone ?

Also the treble maxed makes too much hiss through the horn 

[garyt]

15 hours ago, Vanheusen77 said:

The mids too? Isn’t that just a bit like the “middle” setting on everything but louder?

I guess if you played around with the gain on your amp, it might be the same, but everything maxxed provides a great Stingray tone, and I could never quite get the same tone on the “middle” settings.   I would definitely be one of those customers happy with just a volume control. 

[garyt]

14 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

I’ve tried that and don’t care for it 

Far too much mids going on unless you’re playing an overdriven metal tone ?

Also the treble maxed makes too much hiss through the horn 

Understand that, it’s all personal preference.  I saw Gail Anne Dorset explain her set up, where she has the treble completely off, and she has an absolutely fantastic sound. 
I don’t have a tweeter in my cab, so maxing the treble doesn’t really create any hiss. 
I like driving the mids when playing with other guitars, as it makes the bass sit well in the mix.  

[Lozz196]

Bought a 3EQ ‘Ray earlier, from our very own @alexa3020, tried it out through his ABM600 & matching 210 and it sounded awesome, even at living room volume. Gonna use it in my classic rock band I think.

[alexa3020]

6 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Bought a 3EQ ‘Ray earlier, from our very own @alexa3020, tried it out through his ABM600 & matching 210 and it sounded awesome, even at living room volume. Gonna use it in my classic rock band I think.

Yep it did sound great. First time I’ve heard it through a cab with a tweeter too & the top end sounded great! May end up regretting selling that one!

They have such a distinctive sound and are instantly recognisable. I liked to scoop the mids slightly and boost the bass. I’d also knock off a bit of the treble with new strings to get rid of the clank

[Guest]

Given how the three ranges of treble mids and bass overlap, when you two-bob all three knobs the two areas of overlap are doubly boosted, and so this isn't just a louder version of flat.

 

Two humps at either side of the mids: a bactrian camel.