I love my basses. A SBMM short scale Stingray and my recently aquired Harley Benton JJ-45OP. I really dig the Stingray, but I can’t seem to replicate a lot the tones I hear in recordings, videos and in my head with it. It sounds a bit flat to my ears no matter how I EQ’d it. The first pluck on my long scale and I realized I was missing a lot of the sizzle and growl that I couldnt coax out of my Stingray. I’m assuming, I could be wrong, but I think I hear more happening with each note plucked. Are those called overtones? I’m not sure, but the Stingray has been restrung with flats for that Motown, Beattles, old school rock tone and my Harley Benton (which was way inexpensive, but sounds fantastic and feels really good in my hands) is sticking with roundwounds for that gritty more hard rock tone.
Thank you for letting me know I was using the correct term. I really dig my short scale Stingray, but most of what I like to play is 70’s and 80’s classic rock and hard rock… Sabbath, ZZ Top, Kiss, Eagles, Metallica, Judas Priest, AC/ DC, Dio, Ozzy, etc., and my long scale with roundwounds seems to get me closer to that sound.
A Jazz is also getting you closer to those sounds than a MM. Cliff Williams, Ian Hill, and Robert Trujillo all play jazz. Well, Hill is Spector now but played a jazz for decades.
