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NBD: New Bass Day

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  • NBD: New Bass Day

    So I was in my local Guitar Center today as I was in the area and they just reopened after remodeling. They had oodles more pedals and quite a few more amps on the floor than they have had in the past, but that's besides the point. I have decided to try and get seriously into bass and as such needed to buy my first bass in a darn long time. Enter Stingray:

    Click image for larger version

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    I hadn't originally intended to buy it, but as it was the closest thing to the PB I had back in highschool, I decided it was a good starting point. I picked it up and thought "dang, there's no way that this $300 bass feels so good in my hands, it must be I forgot how nice basses feel in my hands." So then I grabbed several other nicer basses to see if I could find one with the same magic; no dice.

    After going through 6 basses I decided that I had remembered enough bass lines that I wouldn't feel like an amateur for plugging in. The same thing that happened with the feel happened with the tone. This $300 Indonesian Sterling was outperforming every other sub $1k axe that they had, from 2 Squier CVs to an Epi Thunderbird Pro, to an Ibanez SR650.

    And another thing, the two band boost/cut EQ on this thing is hella flexible. It might just be the nature of the instrument, but I have achieved more easily dialed-in tonal variety in a stock single pickup bass than I have with at least 4/5ths of my guitars.
    You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
    Whilst you can only wonder why

  • #2
    Re: NBD: New Bass Day

    Very nice! I'd love to try those out. Sterling is killing it.
    Administrator of the SDUGF

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: NBD: New Bass Day

      Oh, and while I'm here, has anybody tried the Zero Mod thumb rest for Stingray? With only one pickup, the only places I can rest my thumb are bridge pickup and the neck, giving a wide range of tones in between that I'm missing out on.
      You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
      Whilst you can only wonder why

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: NBD: New Bass Day

        Great choice.
        Originally posted by King Buzzo
        I love when people come up to me and say “Your guitar sound was better on Stoner Witch, when you used a Les Paul. “...I used a Fender Mustang reissue on that, dumbass!

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: NBD: New Bass Day

          Really nice bass there, enjoy!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: NBD: New Bass Day

            Originally posted by Chistopher View Post
            So I was in my local Guitar Center today as I was in the area and they just reopened after remodeling. They had oodles more pedals and quite a few more amps on the floor than they have had in the past, but that's besides the point. I have decided to try and get seriously into bass and as such needed to buy my first bass in a darn long time. Enter Stingray:

            [ATTACH=CONFIG]92660[/ATTACH]

            I hadn't originally intended to buy it, but as it was the closest thing to the PB I had back in highschool, I decided it was a good starting point. I picked it up and thought "dang, there's no way that this $300 bass feels so good in my hands, it must be I forgot how nice basses feel in my hands." So then I grabbed several other nicer basses to see if I could find one with the same magic; no dice.

            After going through 6 basses I decided that I had remembered enough bass lines that I wouldn't feel like an amateur for plugging in. The same thing that happened with the feel happened with the tone. This $300 Indonesian Sterling was outperforming every other sub $1k axe that they had, from 2 Squier CVs to an Epi Thunderbird Pro, to an Ibanez SR650.

            And another thing, the two band boost/cut EQ on this thing is hella flexible. It might just be the nature of the instrument, but I have achieved more easily dialed-in tonal variety in a stock single pickup bass than I have with at least 4/5ths of my guitars.
            Very nice! Love the color too!!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: NBD: New Bass Day

              Great choice. I have one too, in Fiesta Red. Outplayed many of the basses on the wall at the GC I got mine from. The only one I was close to pulling the trigger on other than it was the Yamaha TRBX304. But in the end, the Sterling won out. Great feeling bass. The nut width feels like a Jazz and higher up feels more Precision.

              I recently swapped out the pickup for a Duncan SMB-4A. What a difference. The stock one had too much boom to it. I needed smoother and the SMB-4A delivers.

              These are probably the best $300 basses out there. I've picked up a bunch more in different stores to see if mine was simply a fluke and all of them have been consistently on par with the one I got. Pretty much can't go wrong.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: NBD: New Bass Day

                I'm fine with the electronics in mine, but I was talking to my band's resident bass player and he suggested a Delano MC4 Alnico with John East MMSR preamp if I do ever decide to replace the electronics.

                Does anyone know anything about the wood on this thing? They say its basswood, but the grain looks like walnut. Is it like a veneer or something?
                You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
                Whilst you can only wonder why

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: NBD: New Bass Day

                  Originally posted by Chistopher View Post
                  I'm fine with the electronics in mine, but I was talking to my band's resident bass player and he suggested a Delano MC4 Alnico with John East MMSR preamp if I do ever decide to replace the electronics.
                  I was recommended that as well from a friend in addition to several others like Nordstrand and Aguilar. With my budget and what I was looking for, the Duncan SMB-4A fit the bill.

                  Originally posted by Chistopher View Post
                  Does anyone know anything about the wood on this thing? They say its basswood, but the grain looks like walnut. Is it like a veneer or something?
                  The body is basswood. There's most likely a veneer on top. The finish on yours is satin walnut after all.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: NBD: New Bass Day

                    Originally posted by ErikH View Post
                    The body is basswood. There's most likely a veneer on top. The finish on yours is satin walnut after all.
                    That's what I figured.
                    You will never understand How it feels to live your life With no meaning or control And with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist And they burn so bright
                    Whilst you can only wonder why

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: NBD: New Bass Day

                      Originally posted by Chistopher View Post
                      I'm fine with the electronics in mine, but I was talking to my band's resident bass player and he suggested a Delano MC4 Alnico with John East MMSR preamp if I do ever decide to replace the electronics.
                      Originally posted by ErikH View Post
                      I was recommended that as well from a friend in addition to several others like Nordstrand and Aguilar. With my budget and what I was looking for, the Duncan SMB-4A fit the bill.
                      I ended up buying another bass, but was considering a Sterling for a while. The recommendation I saw most was a Nordstrand MM4.2 with the East MMSR preamp, but the Duncan SMB-4A was suggested as an excellent second option if the Nordstrand ended up being too expensive or otherwise unavailable.
                      Originally posted by crusty philtrum
                      And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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