Bigwan Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='782400' date='Mar 22 2010, 10:00 AM']Probably the start of another thread/argument. But... why-oh-why... when discussing a bass, the first thing anybody says is always "it's no good for slapping" or "it's great for slapping". Unless I've been living under a rock for the last 30 years, slap bass is so spectacularly niche that for 99.99% of player it doesn't matter a stuff if a bass is good for slap or not. Still, each to their own More flames.... here they come [/quote] I agree wholeheartedly - but if that's somebody's only reason to disregard a bass like the Bongo HH then I'll argue with it cos it's tosh! I agree with most of what you said about basic sound - my Lakland JO is my go-to bass in a no soundcheck situation because it just works. Having tried a 'ray in the same situation I don't think it works as well (for me) - it had a habbit of disappearing in the mix. I haven't had the same problem with my Bongo though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagguy Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 some really good advice has been put out here, in the end i'll have to try both and see what suits best, if the warwick has a jazz like neck then i'll give it a miss. i got a jazz in a trade recently and it was traded the day after i got it, neck was far to thin, but saying that the warwick streamer i had before was great apart from the pickups and from the searching i've done so far, seems a little more reasonable price wise especially secondhand, seen one for £650, i think i'll keep the atk for now and punt my sandberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Some very good points here - Basically, to cut a long story short, the Stingray whether H or HH etc, will give you tone in spade-fulls. They're also a full on funk machine capable of the scooped sound or something more aggressive. The unfinished necks are the only real minus, but that's easily fixable with a good luthier and a little money. Pick up a good Corvette/Streamer $$ & you have all that, but with coil switching between series and parallel (also available on the HH Ray). The Warwick will perhaps be a little less soulful, but the sheer power of the things makes up for it in a myriad of ways! You could always buy a bolt-on Status-Graphite S2-Classic in a similar price range to these two. That would bury the pair of them in terms of clarity and definition & will certainly be a very adaptable bass for all situations. I use mine all the time. In fact, anyone wanna buy a piezo Stingray? It never leaves the house, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagguy Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share Posted March 22, 2010 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='782826' date='Mar 22 2010, 10:10 PM']Some very good points here - Basically, to cut a long story short, the Stingray whether H or HH etc, will give you tone in spade-fulls. They're also a full on funk machine capable of the scooped sound or something more aggressive. The unfinished necks are the only real minus, but that's easily fixable with a good luthier and a little money. Pick up a good Corvette/Streamer $$ & you have all that, but with coil switching between series and parallel (also available on the HH Ray). The Warwick will perhaps be a little less soulful, but the sheer power of the things makes up for it in a myriad of ways! You could always buy a bolt-on Status-Graphite S2-Classic in a similar price range to these two. That would bury the pair of them in terms of clarity and definition & will certainly be a very adaptable bass for all situations. I use mine all the time. In fact, anyone wanna buy a piezo Stingray? It never leaves the house, LOL![/quote] that piezo ray' sounds good don't think i could afford it though, probably couldn't do it justice either never heard of status till i started on this forum, if i'm honest i've stuck my sandberg up at a bargain price so hopefully i'll have cash to grab a ray or a warwick will be putting my esp up aswell which is very rare so might have a tasty bit of cash to play with soon fingers crossed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 [quote name='budget bassist' post='782088' date='Mar 21 2010, 08:42 PM']warwick corvette $$, can't go wrong[/quote] Oi stop it Oh and while you are being quiet, can you change your avatar, its killing me One last thing, I found out today that for an extra £91, I can get a Streamer $$ with an Ovangkol neck rather than the maple neck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 (edited) The $$ neck is nothing like a jazz! Relatively thin at the nut, but quite a large profile, a bit clubby as people tend to say, personally i love it [quote name='Linus27' post='782883' date='Mar 22 2010, 10:46 PM']Oi stop it Oh and while you are being quiet, can you change your avatar, its killing me One last thing, I found out today that for an extra £91, I can get a Streamer $$ with an Ovangkol neck rather than the maple neck [/quote] Haha, got GAS? The maple neck is lovely by the way, doesn't really feel/sound much different but looks great! Mine has a particularly nice flame. Edited March 22, 2010 by budget bassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 [quote name='budget bassist' post='782894' date='Mar 22 2010, 10:52 PM']Haha, got GAS? The maple neck is lovely by the way, doesn't really feel/sound much different but looks great! Mine has a particularly nice flame.[/quote] You're not helping my GAS with comments like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 Sorry, i'd better not tell you about the superb build quality, tonal range and MASSIVE sound then eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 [quote name='budget bassist' post='782906' date='Mar 22 2010, 11:00 PM']Sorry, i'd better not tell you about the superb build quality, tonal range and MASSIVE sound then eh? [/quote] HEHEHE you don't need to. I have a one of the last german standard Corvette's which I bought new at the beginning of the year and is my first ever Warwick. I am blown away by the build quality, tone and wonderful sound of it. Whats even worse is I played a Corvette $$ and its the nicest sounding bass I have ever heard. I had no idea at the time what the dials and switches did but however I set them, it stayed sounding amazing. Anyway, we must not hijack this thread anymore. Stingray's are awsome basses and have always been my dream bass. You really can't go wrong with them which ever one you get. A 3EQ with give you more tonal options over a 2EQ but both are amazing. Big in your face tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 (edited) [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='782387' date='Mar 22 2010, 09:34 AM']People talk a lot about "versatility" like some sort of holy grail but I've never cared that much. As long as you get a good basic sound then I'm not sure it matters too much. The MM basses (along with the Precision, the Jazz and so on) fall straight into that niche of "it sounds like a bass". You can get up, plug it in and play and know it's going to sound good and you're not going to look like an idiot. Job done. If you're (like me) playing in pubs and clubs where a sound check is often impossible and eq problems have to be sorted as you go then a good no-nonsense basic sound is a huge benefit.[/quote] Thats exactly what i think and my experience. I only ever take one bass to gigs, and in fact i dont really own more than 2 at a time. I just dont need them. What ive found over the past 6 years with my two covers bands is it really doesn't matter what i use. Ive done P's, Jazzes, 5 string P and 5 string Jazz. Ive used my Sub for a few recent gigs. All did the job and no one complained. I admit these are pretty standard basses but will anyone really care (other than me) what i use? Nope, not in my experience. I tend to not touch my EQ during gigs, and its pretty flat on the amp anyway. Like you say, one good tone will go a long way. I know some people have to have the right bass for the right tone and i can understand that, im not knocking it at all but i think its a personal thing, not a necessity. Im now trying to switch form a P to a 3EQ MM because i can see i will get more variety out of the bass, but thats just a personal thing and i cant really say its going it do a better job. Edited March 22, 2010 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 (edited) I think if (like me) you can only afford one bass, versatility is a good thing. I really only use one sound from my streamer $$ most of the time as it's my sound and i like it, but it's nice to know that should i want something vaguely fenderish, then it's there. Versatility isn's everything, but it is nice. Edited March 22, 2010 by budget bassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='782939' date='Mar 22 2010, 11:25 PM']Im now trying to switch form a P to a 3EQ MM because i can see i will get more variety out of the bass, but thats just a personal thing and i cant really say its going it do a better job.[/quote] Quite right, Dave. Too many variables inevitably lead to disaster! Do you want a coffee or a tall no-whip skim mocha with squirrel sh1t? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 (edited) Oh yeah, its nice to have. I must say im very impressed with my Sub. It seems to fit in with every thing we do and i was mostly surprised at how good it sounds for our old Rock and Roll songs. Bass up, treble down and played over the neck give s an almost URB tone. Im hoping i can make the switch form P to Ray but either will work so im not too worried. Ill still only use the one bass. Edited March 22, 2010 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagguy Posted March 23, 2010 Author Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='budget bassist' post='782945' date='Mar 22 2010, 11:31 PM']I think if (like me) you can only afford one bass, versatility is a good thing. I really only use one sound from my streamer $$ most of the time as it's my sound and i like it, but it's nice to know that should i want something vaguely fenderish, then it's there. Versatility isn's everything, but it is nice.[/quote] I've been fortunate to have alot of basses, but i think i'll get what i've got sold and try some real quality stuff out im quite impulsive and thats been a downfall bought alot of gear on a whim one quality bass should be enough for anyone and the more i look at them the more the warwicks tempting, saying that linus has a beaut of a ray that if i had the cash would be on its way to me decisions decisions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Yeah, i've been the same, then i bought a $$, loved it, traded it for a stingray HH thinking it would be similar, they weren't the same at all, got another $$ and i'm pretty happy with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Years ago I was looking for a s/h Stingray 5 but couldn't find one. I decided to get a Warwick FNA Jazzman 5 instead. Big mistake. I hated the feel, and the sound wasn't anything like the Stingray. I eventually found a lovely Stingray 5, but in a fit of mid-life crisis decided to sell it and get a Bongo 5. Huge mistake. Bongos do not sound like Stingrays. IMO, I would go for a 3-band Stingray (and that's being really honest, as I have a 2-band for sale!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steviedee Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 I have three stingrays two 3-bands and a 2-band. I've had the 2-band for centuries and I think it's an amazing bass, very versatile, dunno if it's just been wrecked over the years but I can get a very warm mellow tone as well as the more characteristic aggressive vibe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassnut62 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 [quote name='josh3184' post='782384' date='Mar 22 2010, 09:29 AM']I know what you mean about the sound, my $$ never managed to get the Ray tone but it never needed to, every sound it put out was just fantastic in a rock context and it could hold its own with other styles too. I'd say its much more mid-rangey (not a word) but less top end, didn't really have the zing of the Ray, and in my experience that's not a bad thing. Sometimes I spend age trying to EQ the zing away All changed when I got the pre-EB Ray though, much stronger towards the lower end than the more recent Rays, and the neck cannot be beaten. Its a genuinely brilliant bass, feels like you can't pklay a note wrong[/quote] +1 re pre-EB Ray. From 1984 to 2000 it was my only bass and I never found my sound didn't fit into many different contexts. Also none of the EB Rays come even close to it for sound, playability, looks, etc. Almost however much it costs to get a pre-EB Ray, it would be worth it for both enjoyment and future resale value IMO; although like me you will probably never want to sell it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nottswarwick Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 This has probably been said, but, I love the basic 3eq Stingray, mainly for it's simplicity, reliability, and good solid tone. It is not exactly no frills (I would not call 3 EQ "totally simple"), but I always know that whatever the venue and situation, however difficult, I will get a good sound, with very little hassle. All personal choice though, but whenever I strap something else on, I miss what the SR 4 (or indeed 5) gives me. I do like Warwicks, and would like to try a $$, but for me, the Stingray is where it is at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Try all the basses you want, but make sure you try a Stingray. I must admit not to have played an HH but the sound must be huge. Just roll the controls back for control. I am slowly being converted to a one bass trick, its to my Stingray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Try a few warwicks before making a judgement on them, for instance I doubt my old Streamer stage one is that much like a new streamer $$, they will be different. That said if I had to have just one bass I doubt it would be my Warwick. Dunno why, just sometimes, like at the practice I was at tonight I want that P bass tone and the way the notes sound. I should try a stingray somepoint too. What didn't the sandberg basic do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 warwick basses are a love or hate thing. I havn't yet found one that iv liked and i dont like the tones. But i have a stingray because it has a great tone that seperates it from most other basses. But again it isnt very versatile unless you get a really nice one like the 20th anniversary stingray 5 HS... had lots of cool gadgets yet the amazing feel of a stingray, trouble is they seem rather rare AND EXPENSIVE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Try and play everything you can before you [b]make your own decision[/b]. Again, I think the atk is as good as most of the single H 'rays I've played/owned. Don't disregard G&L basses either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hagguy Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 [quote name='LukeFRC' post='784127' date='Mar 23 2010, 11:57 PM']Try a few warwicks before making a judgement on them, for instance I doubt my old Streamer stage one is that much like a new streamer $$, they will be different. That said if I had to have just one bass I doubt it would be my Warwick. Dunno why, just sometimes, like at the practice I was at tonight I want that P bass tone and the way the notes sound. I should try a stingray somepoint too. What didn't the sandberg basic do?[/quote] if i'm totally honest the sandberg is so close to being perfect, but i love maple fingerboard rays i think till i have one i'm always gonna gas for one, in the future i would get another sandberg double mm pickups maple board in white but i've priced it and it's new stingray money for one, if i try a ray and its not as good as i'm hoping, i'll order a sandberg, i've discount the warwicks for now they look ok but nothing stunning imho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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