Thank you! I’ll check that out I just ask because I love that sparkly bass and so if I can’t get one, I’d settle for the other.
Yeah re-watching that video, the one thing I would take issue with is that he seems to say that the HH is a poor choice for slap or funk. Some may prefer the H but plenty of people slap the hell out of the HH. You adjust to your instrument.
I just watched it. I haven’t yet learned slap bass but I’m intrigued by it. When I do learn, it’ll be on my Yamaha which has the neck pickup so I’ll find out pretty fast if that neck pickup will be an issue while I’m learning it.
I ordered the Ray 24H a couple of weeks ago and it should be in soon. The luthier is going to set it up and call me when it’s done. I wanted blue, but it was out of stock, so I’m getting Butterscotch:
That color is just great.
This reminds me more of an ESP LTD B-204 if you look at the headstock. I’ve got an ESP EC-401 guitar and the build quality is great on that one. I do hear good things about Harley Benton products that are a bit above the budget price.
By the way…found a Rick on craigslist…couldnt resist it…
And the Yammy as well!?!?
Haha, Christmas only comes once, I guess
BadAss, hope you like it.
Just FYI,
The neck on the Ray4 and Ray24 are different then the neck on the Ray 34
I actually prefer the one on the Ray 4 and Ray 24.
The difference is the width at the nut, and the more parallel profile down the neck or the taper profile down the neck.
The neck on the Ray24 and Ray 34, I CALL the Sterling neck, because it is the size neck they use on the EBMM STERLING model basses.
The nut width for the Ray4 and Ray24 is 1.5" (32mm)
The neck on the Ray34, just call the Stingray neck. Its like saying P neck or Jazz neck, in a way
The neck width at the nut of the Ray34 (and on most standard EBMM STINGRAYS is 1.69" (43mm)
I have both, I like them both, but
I love my Sterling necks and I just really like my stingray necks.
Have you seen all the sparkle colors they have on the current line up?
I am more drawn to the blue and the aqua ones
The charcoal is nice too.
I love the black hardware on many of the basses, like this yellow one as well, it just pops with the black hardware.
I wish they made it easy to get the black hardware, I would swap out the chrome hardware on 2 of my stingrays if I could get black.
Also…
I have both the Stingray 4H and Stingray 4HH. (the single and double pick ups, H is single, HH is double like in your picture)
I have to be honest, and, I don’t like my 4HH, and I only play my 4H’s. I bought it last summer, and I have played it about 5 times.
The different sounds you can get from different pick up selections does not impress me that well, it could be from cheap pick ups in the Sterling, so if you get the real Ernie Ball Music Man, the pick ups might be way better, I don’t know, I don’t have one of the EBMM, I only have the cheaper Sterling in 4HH
Also, I don’t like where the neck pick up is positioned. I used to play more basses with neck pick ups and using them as a thumb rest at times was OK, but I always felt them being in the way, in the way of my plucking fingers and my thumb for slapping and my other fingers for popping.
My first stingray was a 4H, with no neck pick up, and I just got used to it, so when I got the 4HH, I almost immediately disliked it.
I should have returned it, but I wanted to give it time, and by the time I made up my mind to get rid of it, it was past time to return, but its OK, It is in brand new condition, the clear plastic is still on the pick guard and other areas, so I can sell it as LIKE NEW and won’t lose too much on it.
HTH
Nice one
I went to the store yesterday and they let me play them both and I honestly couldn’t tell the difference in sound between the 5H and the 4HH. I’m still a newb tho, but they both sounded pretty damn nice so I’m gonna break the piggy bank and see what I can do to get that baby. I’m going to go for the EB Special stingray 4HH in charcoal sparkle. I’ve heard about the slapping issues with the neck pick-up but if I really want to slap, I have my other Yamaha bass for that.
I would not tried to compare the 4 string to the 5 string, or is your reference to a 5HH a type, or just the only HH they had in the store?
The 4H and 4HH would be what I was talking about for comparison
Did you play with that pick up selector switch? If you did not, then there is no way to tell the sound difference because the only pick up that would be turned on is could have been the bridge pick up, making both sound the same, logically
What you would be comparing between the H and HH would be the Pick Up selector switch. to hear the bass coming from different areas and different combos in those areas to get different tone.
It is a 5 position switch that is on the HH
It lets you select between (position one all the way to the bridge and position 5 all the way to the body)
1 - 2 coil (humbucking) bridge pick up
2 - single coil bridge pick up
3 - blend 2 coil bridge and neck pick up
4 - Single coil Neck Pick up
5 - 2 coil neck pick up
Now, each selection SHOULD have a pretty distinct sound, but I found on mine, that position 1 sounded pretty much like the standard stingray as it should
but
position 2-5 to me sounded like different muffled versions of position 1, not very good. Now that could be because mine is the budget model in the Sterling line with the cheapest of pick ups they use in all their instruments
In your case, if you DID play with the pick up selector switch, and if you can’t really hear the difference now,
OR
If you liked the sound you were getting with the different positions, and it didn’t sound muffled, then you will probably be fine with the 4HH.
Plus - If you start playing the 4HH with a Neck pick up to start with, you should get used to it, and it will probably feel RIGHT to you after you play it a while.
AND
The EBMM Stingray 4HH probably has WAY better Pick-Ups & Pre-Amp / 3-band EQ then what I have played / heard, and there might be no issue with sound quality at ALL.
But if you did not play with the pick up selector, You might want to go back and toggle that switch a bit and see if you like it better or not.
So I ordered the Stingray special 4HH but when the store inspected it, they noticed it had some dings in it. So that wasn’t gonna happen cuz they were very noticeable. They were willing to give me a discount, but I wasn’t having any haha. So he found me a 4H at another store which is $150 cheaper than the other one.
I did play with the pickup selector on the 4HH I tried out the other day and it was fun, but I’m planning to get the GT1B Bass processor so that will give me some more cool options as far as sound good. Thanks for your input It’s much appreciated. I’m still a newbie when it comes to basses.
Hey Toby @T_dub,
I had my switch set in the middle position when I did Angle of Harlem, that blend of both pickups worked best
I played through the amp before recording directly into the DAI and tried all 5 positions.
Cheers Brian
Yeah, you have good pick ups in your EBMM Stingray, I have the El Cheapo ones.
The ting for me, is I already don’t like the position of the neck pick up, I can’t be as free with my plucking hand, it limits is some, and I really like tho open area on my single pick up versions.
So for me to dump $250 for 2 new pick ups and find out if I like the sound better i the other positions is not all the worth it.
I still might not like playing it, it may sound better, and there is almost no resale value in selling that budget model with upgraded pick ups.
Of course, I could just pull them back out and upgrade my two other stingray’s.
My SBMM Ray34 would benefit from the upgrade, but IDK if my EBMM Stingray Slo Special would get much boost from it.
I looking forward to pictures of EBMM Stingray Slo Special.
Yeah, that is for the most part, what the difference between the 4H and 4HH, the extra tones you can get from the extra pick up and how you combo them. There is a slight sound difference between the 4H, and the 4HH when it uses the bridge hum bucker. They sound almost identical because both basses are using the same pick ups in the same position relative to the bridge and neck, but because the body density is altered when the 2nd pocket is routed out, and the extra hole drilled for that line, and having the 2nd pick up there will change the sound a little, but I can honestly say that I probably could not tell the difference, as I am not that experienced yet.
Getting the GT1B will give you god options for effects, and other tone shaping patches within, but you can use them in tandem with the tones you get from using pick ups in different locations and the combo between them.
I do have other basses and have had many others that have had 2 pick ups. I love my back up go to bass, my ESP LTD B4-E, and it has two humbuck pickups. It does not have the selector, it has a blend knob, I love that bass, and ofter run with just the neck pick up, or a blend of the two. I also slap on that bass with no issues, the pick up does not interfere with my hand on that bass.
As a matter of fact, the ONLY basses I have ever had that only have a single pick up are my 3 stingray 4H’s, every other bass that I have ever had was dual Humbuck, of split P/J.
For me, it is about the bass itself, and I just like my stingrays with the single bridge pick up.
Whoops, I have a Dean MetalMan that has a single pick up. I have actually never really played it, and only plugged it in once to test it before paying $60 for it.
I bought it for wall art, because My all time favorite guitar player “DimeBag” played Dean Metalman Guitars. This is the Bass version of that same guitar, so when it got cheap enough on Offer Up, after not selling for a few months, I got it to hang on the wall, and possibly make a BEAD bass out of it in the future.
Also @Retta75, is there a particular reason you are choosing the Boss GT-1B for your effects?
Many of us here have used, and still use to some extent, the Zoom B1-Four, or B1x-Four or B3n. The Zoom B1-four is under $100.
These are hugely capable little processors, somewhat configurable thru an online app, and very customizable for your patches of effects.
Not only is it a HUGE value for a great effects processor, but it also have almost unlimited value as a learning device. It is one of the best ways you can learn about effects, from Drives, Compressors, Distortion and Fuzz, to Chorus, flange, Trem, Reverb, and Cab and Amp sims, and you can really learn by building your own patches, and experiment with the order you put them, to see the different results you get.
If you ever plan to get a pedal board, and get specialized pedals to help create your own sound, this teaches you about them, and how they react when you place them in different orders, plus it lets you sample almost every type of general effect that is available in pedal format.
Of course, there are some very crazy and out there pedals that do very strange and specialized, unique things, that you will not get in most any multi effects unit, but often, you may never really want those anyway.
I stilll have my Zoom B1x-four, and I have a Zoom MS-50B on my pedal board, and I have a full pedal board that I built after learning what I wanted from the Zoom B1x-four.
I use my pedals alot for fun, and I still use the Zoom for various other reasons.
I use it as a practice Amp / headphones with Aux in, and Drum Machine, a tuner, I did the whole B2B course with my bass plugged into it, and my ipad plugged into the Aux in, and I was able to hear Josh AND my bass at the same time, while not disturbing anybody else in the house.
I won’t ever get rid of it for the fact that I can take it with me, and use it for a practice headphone, or hook into any amp and play with others, and I keep it for my daughter who is starting the B2B course over again soon.
The Zoom units have paid for themselves about 100 times over for what I can use them for, and how much invaluable information I learned from it.
There are several threads about the Zoom Multi Effects, or Zoom B1-four that you can search and read what others have to say about these, if you don’t already have the GT-1B, and as long as it is not something you have already agreed to buy from somebody, you may want to read about the zoom line and see if it is something that would work for you as it has so many others here.
Or you can get one and chain it with the GT-1B and get more from both uints. LOL
I have not taken any yet, I have one from the Add, but it does not really do it justice. But I will try and get some pictures this weekend when I break it out and start playing bass again. It is actually White Pearl with a tortiouse pick guard (reddish) that will be replaced at some point, to customize it and make it mine, It has roasted maple neck and fretboard, and headstock, with chrome hardware.
It is not a flashy bass, but when I get a good pickgurad on it, it will be something that makes it POP a little. I might get a red pick guard and try to get one of the White Pick ups, or I may get some other design, IDK yet, I have not looks a lot, but I will do something to it.
It is very special, because it has a Sterling neck on it as opposed to the Stingray neck, which is like having a Jazz neck instead of a P neck. The neck is what med me decide not to pass it up.
I have an american performer Mustang bass with the Yosemite PJ pickups. It was my first purchase after Ibanez Good 190. It’s pretty sweet. I’ve been drooling over the music Man stingray shortscale bass. I also want to try out a Marcus Miller Sire bass, they just came out with a new line of passive short scale basses.
Ibanez has their premium series SR2400 that I tried in the store while selling my Gio. It’s sound captured my heart. It’s also got a more jazz bass like fast unfinished neck and is super light and thin!