Lobster! Wonderful. Your videos are indeed inspirational. Thanks !!

Wuzz up Lobb!!

I'm so glad I was able to walk the path that others had already made. I have a lot to be grateful for. I can't wait to see what you (and everyone else) thinks of my next video; I'm going to start doing some covers with the bass and see how close I can get tonally.

Absolutely one of my favourite bassists.

You are kind! I await the new body for the Wal, and now I am getting my act together with video production, will be able to do the next Wal video better justice...

Modding heaven!

Awesome. Mods for the win! Power to you..

Glad you enjoyed it! It took me rather too long to learn how to start getting lighting and editing sorted, but that's how we work things out, I guess...

I just ordered the mute kit.

@@marklongshore4860 It's fun, the mutes. Would be better if I had threaded bolts for them to screw into - I just drilled into the wood - but when I do use them, they are cool.

You’ll have fun once you’re all done. Hope it all goes well!

Glad you enjoyed it. I am finding a lot of joy in this. I just need more time to do it

Oh, and if you like it now, just try putting some flats on it! Whole new world of WOW...

You can do it...the problem would be finding the 5 string mutes I think though...

I live to serve! I am humbled to serve as inspiration. I hope it all works out for you. The pickup makes a big difference for this kind of mod; hopefully the stock pre suffices for what you have in mind... do a video!!

Stingray does not sound good on every amp. I cannot stand the stingray and fender amp together personally. Stingray ans orange amps give you that bottom end with better eq options.

It really is a perfect bass to mod. The EMG pickup tempted me too but the Aguilar wasn’t too hard to get at the time…I’ve wondered about Kent Armstrong’s MM pickups but could find absolutely no reviews anywhere.

Go Ray, go!!! Glad you like what I did.

@@SuperFunkyPete 😁👍👍

@@SuperFunkyPete Hey is there a video for installing the Mute kit Funky Pete?

@@SuperFunkyPete OK! What tool (or tools) did you use to drill the holes for the threaded screws? And did you drill holes with the included plate off? You are my only source Pete, and I appreciate it, in advance.

@@BassGods sorry buddy, I did this video a long tiem after I did the mute install.

Quite right that man. I realised my mistake when I typed up her link in my description...ah well. :)

Great to see you here Pete!! Miss you.

Great deal. I remember the OLPs, I think Tony Levin had a signature model…

Awesome….I’m going to go look into that. I can’t really use the bridge mutes because eventually if I keep moving them up and down the wood will wear out. If your way stops that, that would be great.

@@SuperFunkyPete I was referring to the side posts either side of the saddles. For the mute screws I drilled and tapped the bridge base and also drilled a small hole into the bass body to allow the thumb screw to travel down to the deck.

@@martinbeasley1540 ah, gotcha now. Apologies.

hi,,,Ive just got some string mutes,,,what is the thread size for the thumb screws? I was thinking ,M4 ?? or is it imperial, with it being American ??@@martinbeasley1540

Thanks for the props! You should be able to mod your way to joy....

@@SuperFunkyPete yes, I hope so...

Let’s see. When I emailed John East to get help on this, John said I needed to shield the pickup cavity and the preamp cavity, so I did that. Had to run a wire from both newly shielded cavities to ground. Then, when I noticed that touching the pole pieces also caused noise, I used some shielding tape on the underside of the pickup to connect all the polepieces together electrically, and then I soldered a wire to run to a ground connection from that shielding tape, similar to above. The hazards of ‘vintage correct’ pickups…!

Many thanks@@SuperFunkyPete

I remember hearing about the hot preamp issue. I agree the body wood does make a modest difference, but the resonant peak/voicing of the pickup and preamp is so strong that I don't even hear much difference between fretboard woods on Stingrays, and I can usually hear a big difference between e.g. maple and rosewood. On Jazz Basses it's easy to hear the difference...

@@SuperFunkyPete yes, I think sub rays 4 are great platforms for modding. There are other companies like tagima, harley benton, etc, which also make stingrays copies, but with better woods and slightly better hardware, some of them are passive by the way. However, when modified, those basses sound even better than the ray 4 modded, they sound like the ray34. Its so sad for guys like me ( left handed players) that sterling by musicman don't offer some other bass models, like the ray24 or 34, only the sub ray 4 and in limited colors. In the beggining, they offered the ray34 in left handed version, but nowdays, they don't produce those models Anymore. Great video and very informative for people who dont have much money and want some decent stingray sound, Thanks!

Yep, it’s all stock. The East pre is a quality unit, though not cheap.

Nice. I wondered what those sound like. Do a video!! :)

@@SuperFunkyPete yes when i receved the new parts ...

@@SuperFunkyPete hello see the litlle viedos sub ray 4 upgrade with pickups alnico and 77 preamp retrovibe kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jNKlg8mStdLPXas.html

It’s absolutely ideal for that kind of mod. I nearly went that way myself with the Wal-ish bass project…the Ray4 is really a phenomenal mod platform.

My Ray 4 experienced a tuner failure, also. I replaced mine with Grover open gear tuners. They fit really well, three screw holes lined up perfectly, one slightly off. However, that hole is covered by the tuner. I had to purchase two different sets, as the Music Man "3+1" set up is not offered. To get around this I ordered one set of "4 in line" and 1 set of "2+2", ending up with two complete sets of "3+1". So I have a spare set, should ever decide to purchase another Sterling.

It's the player, not the bass....I keep trying to tell myself....but it is true.

@@SuperFunkyPete it's both but yes I get to

I did have to drill through the existing bridge plate, 4 holes, to allow the thumb screws from the mutes to screw into the wood. I would have preferred to put in metal inserts in there for the adjustable mute screws to go into, but couldn’t find any that would fit. I hope that answers your question..

@@SuperFunkyPete thank you! 👍🏽

I’d say the strings line up very well over the polepieces. The magnetic field is very strong around the polepieces anyway, and you’d have to be very far out of alignment for it to matter - but that’s not the case here. It all works out fine. You could modify an Ibanez SR, but the cost of routing it out is probably more hassle than it’s worth. Plus you’d ruin it for resale value. I’d buy a secondhand Ray4 and modify that, it’s just way more practical/economic.

Sure. I marked out 4 spots where the thumb screws go through and then used a metal drill bit to drill through the existing bridge plate. 4 holes to allow the thumb screws from the mutes to screw into the wood. I would have preferred to put in metal inserts in there for the adjustable mute screws to go into, but couldn’t find any that would fit.

That’s a winner. I’d have done similar if I wasn’t so picky about nut width.

I'm thinking that's an issue because my others two basses are a fender jazz and a fender precision with a jazz neck, but in the end that's not really an issue. I started playing a squier pj so I learned to play on a 41mm nut, my sencond bass was my main, the ray34 from 2013, with a 43 mm nut, and i can say that's a slower neck but that's not really bad, not at all. I did play a ray 4 and the nut is perfect but the finish is really bad and i can't get my hands on that neck, really a shame. I think the best option would be a ray 34 ca but they're pretty rare nowadays... By the way i'm going to swap my humbucker for a nordstrand mm 4.2 to see if i can get closer to the pre-eb sound. If this isn't the case, i'm going to replace the preamp with the 4 knobs john east one, but i have to save a little amount of money First... Let's see. I have to change the pickguard too because the ray34 has a different pickup shape and i can't find a 1 ply pickguards for stingrays... I hope one day i'll get a pre eb Stingray, by the way, that will be "the bass"

Apologies for this, but this is not my area of expertise...I did this work to my bass a few years back and didn't film it. Most tech work I now hand over to an actual tech these days. Time is just too short. Sorry!

@@SuperFunkyPete Hery, sorry for the really late acknowledgement of your kind reply. I didn't get YT notifications for months for some reason amnd then hundreds at once. That's cool. No need to apologise! I may have found a tech locally who can do it anyway. Happy playing! 😊

I blush, sir!

‘If you just lay down your tracks!’

I don’t think it’s yours in particular. The 2 band EQ is different. I think it’s meant to be that the bass and treble knobs are interactive - they behave differently depending on how the other band is set. Or so I understand.

Yep. I’d be fine with a nice USA 2 band too if it was the right finish and the right nut width…but the Ray4 does a mighty fine imitation with the mods here…

Ooh, that sounds great. By any chance do you have any clips? Would love to hear the Bosko preamp…

it's not quite a fair comparison because the Sub has whole new set of strings and the Stingray has the same strings that have been on it for a while,I haven't done any recordings in a long time, but maybe I'll post some on youtube in a while, but I'm mainly slapping, I've also made that comparison with slap style.I like those musicman things on your bridge,maybe i will do too.

The preamp is what I could get a hold of easily that had good reviews…I listened to the Lobster videos about modding his SBMM and he rated the East as the best system. So I went with that. Since I’m in the UK it was cheaper than many other options!

@@SuperFunkyPete Ok, I may do the same as you. I have a StingRay erni ball 92 and the input jack attached to the electronics produces a lot of noise and a luthier did not know how to repair it. Then they ruined the pickup by adding glue, in an attempt to insert the sharp magnets. I was thinking of buying that bass because of the preamp, and the Sterling StingRay 34 because of the pickup. I think your option is cheaper. Thank you!!

The Aguilar pickup replacement is all you need bro.

​@@JustNodIfYouCanHearMe77 update 😀, I picked up another blue stained SUB for $160 and my Aguilar Pick up ($90) is coming in Tuesday . I will eventually need new tuners because one of them it literally grinding but it stays in tune. There is also a perfect fit aftermarket bridge i think by Albridge which ie beefier but it's like $160 which I don't know if I really need it for that price 🤔

@1thess523 I've been using my SUB for recording and some big live gigs. If you can get a good set up done making sure neck is straight etc, this pick up brings out the beast. I have the maple neck. Those blue ones have Jatoba I think? There may be a slight warmer tone due to that. But the stock pre Amp boosts so much treble already. I hope you like it bro cheers

I’ve never heard of that preamp…I’m going to have to go check one out! I’ve heard good things about the Seymour Duncan pickup too.

I hadn't heard of the Bosko. There used to be several people making vintage 2-bands, but as of recently John East was the only game in town. These are much cheaper and easier to get than a John East, which typically sell out within hours of a drop.

As a matter of fact, I’ve owned 2 of those and an SB14, the cheaper copy (made before the SBMM series). The necks were all fantastic. The body was too small for me to comfortably rest my arm on for playing. Annoying. I’ve never seen an SLO Special Stingray out in the wild, which would have been the other 4 string alternative. Ah well. This way was cheaper anyway :)

@@SuperFunkyPete That's too bad! The body is a perfect size for me. The nice thing about the Sterlings is how the brand confusion means they tend to sell for cheap. I got a USA Sterling in pristine condition for 450£ recently!

@@xdoctorblindx that’s a smoking deal. Well done!

Make a video!! 🤓

@@SuperFunkyPete I’ll attempt to. I’m kind of new at this lol.

@@SuperFunkyPete what’s your twitter handle. I’ll post a picture.

Right back at you Michael. I love NYC.

No problem. I got mine in the UK from Bass Direct - www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/The_BAss_Mute.html. Not sure about the USA if you're there - I guess I'd start with shop.music-man.com/stingray-classic-4-string-mute-kit.html

If you like the neck, then those basses can be great deals! Plus more finishes on offer.

lol. Fair!! They do have a very strong sonic signature…and what a sound it is..

Those were Hipshot Ultralite Licensed tuners. Cheap but effective!

I did the same with Precision necks - took me years to figure out I hated the nut width. I'm less sensitive to depth - up to a certain point - and D vs C necks etc is all fine too - just nut width!!

No worries at all. Depending on your point of view, it’s either Rapper’s Delight, or Good Times. Lol.

You’re right! Luckily I just finished shooting one earlier this week. Editing now. Sorry about the delay, I was ill for a bit, which was a nuisance. Getting back on track now!

@@SuperFunkyPete I hope you're feeling much better. Medical issues are something I don't wish on anyone. I hope all is well and thank you for your videos! We appreciate you!

Oh yes. It wasn’t much fun though.

I like them too, and would have gone with Nordstrand at the time if it was available. But, couldn’t get one, so Aguilar it was.

@@SuperFunkyPete also, another fine choice.. Aguilar was a close #2 for me

Nice find! I didn’t have that as an option when I originally did the project. Only the Ray4 had a Jazz width nut then..

Yeah the Ray 34 CA is quite old as well. Long out of production there are actually two right now on reverb in the 500 range. If I needed a spare..

Tricky. It’s kind of been drilled out already! It wasn’t very exact either…I just laid the mute kit over the top of the bridge, used a centre punch to mark the points where I wanted to put the screw in mutes, drilled through the bridge and into the wood, and then screwed in the mute screws. Measuring took longer than the drilling…!

did you tap out the bridge plate ? if so what thread size? M4 or are they imperial ?@@SuperFunkyPete

@@stevepatton703I didn’t have threaded inserts to use - I couldn’t figure out the sizing, although I tried. So I ended up just drilling holes in the bridge where the thumbscrews go through and screwing them directly into the wood. It worked out, but I probably can’t keep screwing the mutes up and down, as the basswood body is probably too soft to withstand much of that.

No, it was pretty crude. I measured many times, used a punch to mark my spots for drilling through, and used a standard metal drill bit. I was still off a tiny bit but it worked out fine. The bridge metal is easily powered through by my cordless drill.

Awesome thanks for the reply

The Sterling is a great bass. The body is a little bit too small for me to comfortably rest my right forearm on - it ends up in a funny position. I need a slightly bigger body. The neck is perfect though. It’s a shame, the USA Sterlings are top notch.

@@SuperFunkyPete I get it. Thx for the response.

I like the Ricky tone but the edge binding is so uncomfortable. Plus where the heck are you meant to pluck? All these pickup covers in the way.

@@SuperFunkyPete and it had NO purpose whatsoever, without it the bass looks even better, I joked with a friend saying that it was a bass for guitar players, I'm also a guitar player, but I don't like that concept, those are two different instruments and should be played as such.

Could be...the price on them looks good. I like the value on offer. However, I have a feeling that folks might still want the iconic Stingray look, and while the Sire echoes it, it doesn't quite nail it.

@@SuperFunkyPeteI ordered the mute kit for an identical bridge. I assume you drilled and tapped threads into the bridge for the mute screws. Do you know off hand which size tap kit would I need? Thanks for your help!

@@JasonGutierrez bad news....I just drilled them straight through the bridge into the wood....eek...

@@SuperFunkyPeteI thought about that option as well but figured you would need some threaded inserts in order for the thumb screws to actually be adjustable.

@@JasonGutierrez you do...I could never find the right size...

You bet!! I could get a custom made for me for that money.

Before buying it, I had the idea of buy the sterling 34 but checking the differences and the price.... I think that famous brands do the same. Gibson specially. They change epiphone pickups by gibson pickups and the increase the price 500$.... Yep. You can check some parts from the bass and it is enough. Another thing is that you want tonbuy a jewel... Then the stingray is perfect 😅

These are round core steels - DR Hi Beams, 100/80/65/45. I like steel round wounds a lot for the highs to get this type of sound. To be fair, I use nickels on other instruments, and the older Stingray 5s with ceramic pickups (as opposed to the warmer alnico one here) sound great with the standard Ernie Ball nickel round wounds.

@@SuperFunkyPete Thanks for sharing! I actually also wound up doing nearly the same build after watching Lobster (except I went 3 band) and love toying with different strings but they're often demo'd on P's or J's, so the sound comes out different. I usually go nickels, but the only steels I've tried were Ernie Ball, which seemed too cold for my taste

Strings are a big frontier to cover. I keep trying out different sets and finding interesting differences. DR Fat Beams are some of my favourite steels; they have just a bit more mids than Hi Beams and D’Addario Pro Steels and can add just a touch of needed warmth to that ‘steel sound’. I used Hi Beams here but on my Celinder (see my other video, plug plug lol), Fat Beams are perfect.

So I keep hearing!

There may be a solution…lol…you can definitely do it yourself!

They are worth about $2500 now, so you can always get another one and not feel too bad.

I always heard they were good. Never seen one in the flesh though!

Lol, yes, hence the text correcting ‘Stingrays’ to ‘Ernie Ball basses’ at that time point…and I am ashamed to admit those were only the basses I had photos of…there was another Stingray HS, a Neptune Blue Stingray Special 4, and others….!!

@@SuperFunkyPete they sure are all beautiful. I just found your channel. I'm a huge Julia fan and Lobster fan. I've modded my sub like you did! Except the mutes.. now that's going the extra mile right there! I could never go with the Ray 34 neck for the same reasons as you. Keep up the great work my friend!

That’s a plain P in the background…?

It appears to have a J pickup on the bridge?

@@ushnicyuvnikof2748 ah, I see the confusion, that’s an adjustable foam bridge mute system.

@@SuperFunkyPete Oh sweet! I hate PJ'S sorry, but a P Bass I'd my favourite bass!