Classic Rock Tone on MM Stingray

[CrazyFingers]

I'm a guitar player who picked-up bass about 1.5yrs ago. I play in a classic rock band with three guitars. I use a Stingray through an Ampeg B1RE and sometimes an SVT. 4x10 cab. I love the tone of the SR for some music, but when playing classic rock with the band would like to get a more "classic rock" tone from it. I primarily play with a pick.

I'm sure there are a billion things I could try. Can anybody suggest a starting point wrt settings (e.g. boost mids, cut treble) or set-up (e.g strings, effects) that may be worth trying? The world of bass tone is relatively new to me.

Thanks.

[Brian Scherzer]

Depending on the amp you're playing through, perhaps boosting the lowest frequencies and "low mids", plus a cut in the treble, would bring you closer to the sound you're looking for.

[Funky Chicken]

Flatwound strings will bring a StingRay much closer to p-bass territory.

[Ishouldbeking]

Funny, I was asking this question not too long ago over at talkbass... I agree that flatwounds are a good place to start, but you might want to try them out at a store first because they're more expensive than normal strings and they take a little while to used to. Some people just don't like them. They will give you the thump you're looking for, but they feel quite a bit different and you'll lose a lot of the high end that you're used to (which can be good or bad, depending on your taste). But if you're using stainless strings you should definitely switch to nickel (ernie balls do work very well on stingrays).

A 15" speaker will give you more bass also, but again there's a trade off with definition. I still haven't decided which I prefer between 10" and 15" cabs, course you could always use both ;-)

Something else to try is playing with a different pick. Seems like most bass players i know (that use picks) usually just play with a thick Tortex pick, which is fine but can sound a little scratchy. For whatever reason I've found myself playing with the little red Dunlop jazz picks. The black picks are fine too, but the red ones have a softer less abrasive attack due to the thick nylon material. They're tiny and might not suit all players, but I like having a tiny pick when i play bass for some reason. Or, learn to use your fingers, as that will gave you a thumpier sound right away. I still can't put my pick down though...

Regarding EQ, for rock n roll "thump" on my 'ray I usually boost the bass all the way (or most of the way), roll the treble off about halfway down, and adjust the mids to my taste (usually just above or below mid-point). After all this it still won't sound like a p-bass, but its a little closer.

A last thing to consider is that if your amp or cabinet can disable the tweeter, you should try that, as that will kill off some of the clanky high end that stingrays are known to produce. Good luck!

[CrazyFingers]

Great suggestions--thanks!

Again, I'm not looking to make my Stingray sound exactly like a p-bass, just trying to move tone in that direction.

The suggestion about picks is a good one.

Re strings: I don't like flats on guitars so I suspect I won't like them on the bass, but it may be worth a try. Sounds like a better "first step" may be the Ernie Ball strings you suggest.

FWIW: I greatly prefer 10" speakers. I've tried 15, 10, and both. Just my opinion. There's nothing like that tight response when you're synched with a good drummer!

[Ishouldbeking]

I'm not looking to make my Stingray sound exactly like a p-bass, just trying to move tone in that direction.

Understandable. I think the thing with the stingray (which I wrestle with daily) is that with the single pickup placement and the active electronics the sound tends to be low on bass and the treble can be "rattly" when played with a pick, which lends the bass a great modern sound, but can be tricky for classic rock. Unfortunately that's probably always gonna be the case with this bass (i rhyme!), and my above suggestions are really just minor things to help tame that treble and possibly boost the bass. Best of luck!