Sterling Sub5 plus Stinger

[Norris]

A couple of years ago I decided I wanted to move to 5 strings, so I bought a Sterling Sub5 from the for sale forum. However it didn't quite sit right in the band mix, and was supplanted by a new Sire PJ 5-string which suits the band better.

 

So I had the Sub5 kicking around looking lovely but not really being played. I put it up on the forum where it got a couple of likes but no bites and I eventually withdrew it.

 

Wondering what to do with it, I did a bit of searching into maybe getting a new pickup to try to give it a bit more punch. As luck would have it, a lot of search results were for old Basschat threads. In a couple of them I saw that some people recommended a preamp upgrade rather than the pickup. A lot of them recommend the Retrovibe Stinger preamp, being a copy of a 1977 Stingray preamp.

 

Roll forward a couple of weeks and the new preamp arrived and I fitted it this afternoon. Wow - it's transformed the sound. So much nicer, I can't wait to try it out on a gig.

 

I've always loved a Stingray sound but never got on with the fat neck that most of them have. Having since moved to 5 strings and hence changed my technique a bit, I'm a little less fussy about a fatter neck - although the Sub5 is actually narrower string spacing than my Sire.

 

The Stinger preamp sounds great on a 5 stringer. Hopefully I now have more than one 5-string bass of gig-worthiness

 

 

[asingardenof]

Good to know! A Sub 5 is on my radar for a 5er if the plan to acquire an L-2500 Tribute falls flat, but while it's nice to play I agree on the tone, so would definitely be looking to upgrade the preamp having had a taste for it with my V7, so it's good to know this is a solid plan.

[Norris]

The Stinger preamp has absolutely transformed the bass. Twang, growl, heft - it's all there.

 

Happy chap 😁