how does a MusicMan StingRay Bass sound passive with bypassed electronics? 

I could not agree more with you, Belman5. It is such a simple and useful feature. MusicMan only did it on one of their rare Anniversary StingRay Model. Like you say, they did it on the BigAl and also on the Reflex Basses (and the 25th Anniversaries, which later became the Reflex). Maybe they are worried that people might hate it on a traditional StingRay model - who knows?

I think Leo Fender just never thought about it. The active electronics was this new big revolutionary thing and detrimental to the sound and "versatility" of the Stingray that it just never occurred on Leo's mind that people might've want both an active and passive sound

I guess it's about application really. One of the things Leo was always good at was gauging what musicians wanted - he spent a lot of time talking to players and getting them to try out his kit. I guess that when bassists got their hands on the Stingray none of them wanted a bypass control, they could get the sounds they wanted with the EQ, especially as it would have probably been the first time many had experienced active tone controls. A lot of the amps of the era would have been cut only so the active boost would have been game-changing.

thank you Jose. I am glad you found useful information in the video. All the best to you. Ollie

It is a pretty low output though, those pups are approx 1,950 Ohms with 2 coils in parallel. Doesn't make it unusable, but Stingray has never been a hot output bass, unless you crank the EQ (more so on the 3 band, due to mids). With EQ flat-ish, they're about on par with passive P basses. I usually bump the EQ on my 3 bander just a bit (all 3 frequencies) to get a slightly higher output, and a bit louder signal than my EMG GZR Precision bass (which is a vintage spec pickup). So, in short, passive Stingray would be unusable to me.

The people who love Stingrays based of the groups and forums I find are kinda "stingy" when it comes to modding if it's for resale value which I understand. But modding is entirely your personal preference especially if you're keeping it for a lifetime, so why not mod it? ^_^

Did you ever work it out?

What do mean by “stratisitis”?

Thank you Darrell, glad you like it and find the info in the video useful. All the best Oliver

Hi Juan, good question. There actually is not too much of a volume difference between active and passive. However, especially the active bass control does supply a quite strong boost, if dialed in 100%. I usually back it off a bit anyway, so there is no volume difference. If both active EQ controls are turned up full, then I simply turn down the volume control a notch (which is only working in active mode) to adjust active and passive sound to the same level.

Vielen Danke für die Antwort Oliver.

Glad it offered useful information. Best wishes !

:-), wußte gar nicht, dass Du Dich für StingRay Bässe interessierst :-D

Did you ever get to do this modification to your sterling? Sound’s quite interesting… 🤔

A lot of time has passed my friend lol. I ended up going a totally different direction and outfitting it with an audere 3 band preamp and an Aguilar musician pup. It sounds killer!

@@KaltOhmalso, fodera stainless steel strings.

@@KaltOhmalso fodera stainless steel strings

@@eknight101 oh cool! It’s really a great bass!

Yes, the Joe Dart sign. bass is completely passive, but it does have a different pickup mith ceramic magnets. The old StingRays had alnico magnets and the new ones have neodymium magnets. So they all will sound a bit different. However, listening to some recordings of the Joe Dart bass, it seems to sound pretty similar to the bass in my video, so in general the passive characteristics don't seem be too different from each other.

Passive SD ceramic PU, tone control removed, flatwounds e.g. Thomastik Infeld.

hi, I honestly don't know how different the pickups are in comparison between StingRay and Bongo. However, the models which followed the Bongo, the Big Al or the 25th Anniversary/Reflex all had similar pickup configurations like the Bongo and 4-band EQ and were equipped with an additional passive mode. So, in general I'd assume that nothing speaks against the Bongo to be retrofit with passive mode as well - but that's just me guessing. However, the tonal options of the Bongo are incredible already with just the active mode, I find.

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 thanks for the reply! I believe the pickups are almost the same. I agree that it already sounds wonderful but I wish mine had sometimes independence from batteries

I agree, they are really great instruments and fun to play

I have a 04 as well and love it soooo much, something about them ceramics!!

Hi Reinhard, as regards the new neodymium pickups, I would still assume that they work pretty well in passive mode, but that's just me assuming it. Other than that I honestly have no experience in modifying electronics and pickup configurations. In fact, this little passive bypass switch being presented in this video is the only modification I ever did to one of my bassguitars. Good luck with your ambitions and it would be interesting to learn about your experiences once you may have proceeded with modifications on a StingRay like the way you have described. all the best Oliver

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 Thank you!

Hi, yes I know. My apologies for that. This video was my first attempt fiddling around with a youtube video and it must have happened while rendering/exporting the video with the level being set a bit too hot.

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 still an interesting video though , thank you

Hi Jay, Thank You for your kind words ! I actually never thought about this, but I am pretty sure that my StingRay's scratchplate is original. As far as I know some of them came with a clear scratchplate, especially those basses from the company ownership transition period between 1980 and 1984, like the bass you can see in the video. As far as I know, the company that still makes the original scratchplates is called Chandler, which is based in California. You can check on this website which pickguard you need, then check the colorcode and order - or best you get in touch with them directly via phone or e-mail. I am sure they can help you get the scratchplate you are looking for: www.pickguardplanet.com/music-man-stingray-4-string-basses/ good luck and fun with your DIY project and all the best Oliver

Vielen , if the 3 band eq/preamp isnt what you want , the Mojotone '78 2 band preamp clone is amazing. I have one in one of my '70's Stingrays and it sounds identical, basically. Drops straight in. www.mojotone.com/Pickups_x/Mojotone-Bass-Pre-Amps/music-man-clone-2-band-bass-3-knob

Nah, people just think newer is worse even though the design has only been improved throughout the years

Not all of us! My favorite bass only has 3 knobs: volume, treble and bass! xD

@@FunkadelicFlea well same here lol, but I would be cool with the GnL L2500 it has the treble active boost, that is bad ass

Hi Raymond, mine definitely is not flat when rolled all the way off. I am not sure about older pre Ernie Ball models (the ones with three neck bolts). I did another video, in which I show the positions of the tone controls which come closest to "flat". Here is the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DDeCHOv7Rqk.html All the best Oliver

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 3 bolt Pre EB's were designed as a cut and boost preamp, so ideally, the half way point is roughly flat, as long as you have the correct pots installed. Thats the way they were designed from the start. :)

@@thebutton7932 , thanks for the info. The middle position is not flat on my bass, which is an early 80s, 4 bolt. You can see/hear that in the other video I did about the StingRay: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DDeCHOv7Rqk.html best wishes Oliver

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 the taper of the pot DRASTICALLY affects the way this plays out. I had the wrong taper in my treble pot (1meg log taper) when I bought it, and that made ALL the adjustment occur in a very small area. The Stingray pots have unusual, values . These pages (categories at top of the page) cover your bass as well as through early EB . . all details , worth a look, imo www.musicmanbass.global/sr4-pups-and-preamps-pre-eb-eb-part-1/

Hey I have the same issue with the treble pot adjusting only in a small area, what did you replace it with?? Thanks!! ​@@thebutton7932

Dear Russell, I am not sure if I understand your question correct. If it means "can you make the active preamp sound passive without actually having to add a switch", then my other video might be helpful for you, in order to find a position which equals passive mode: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DDeCHOv7Rqk.html all the best Oliver

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 I mean can you make a passive bass sound like an active bass with a tube preamp?

@@Spritsailor aah, now I got it. Thank you. Yes, you absolutely don't need an onboard active circuit. Instead you simply use an external preamp, of which there are tons on the market, whatever suits your taste. Tube preamps are great, however they do not necessarily make your bass sound "active" (whatever one may define as an "active" sound). A typical example what to use to simply enhance the sound of a passive bass is the outboard "Sadowsky" pedal. Another typical example for a classic tube emulation pedal (without actually using a tube) is the SansAmp Bass DI Driver. But there are so many more on the market these days. It really depends what you are looking for. A great tube preamp/DI I have just lately found is this one, which I can highly recommend: shift-line.com/olympic

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 I figured they invented the Stingray when most bassists were already buying solid state.

@@Spritsailor I think what was the initial idea behind the active circuit on the bass itself was a) to give it a different sound in general b) give the bassplayer more sound control on the actual bass and not just the amp c) give the bass a signature sound colored by the electronics. d) change the impedance of the bass output, helping to avoid typical frequency/signal loss using (unbalanced) guitar cables The StingRay definitely achieves it's signature sound through the electronics (more so than through the actual pickup, which the video reveals), many other bass guitars do also achieve that. I think there is a real division between two philosophies. One favouring the sound of a passive bass and then getting all coloring and tweaking from external devices, the other one putting a focus on a "all in one" solution, getting it all out of the bass, which has its advantages, especially if you favour more linear sounding equipment in the following chain. I love both approaches - the joy of variety :-)

Hi Josh, no, not in my modification. It is just a pure bypass switch, directing the pickup signal straight to the output jack. This way there are no electronic elements between pickup and output jack. I suppose, if you wanted more control over the passive sound, you could add a passive tone control, but this was not the intention behind the idea in my case.

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 Its a great idea. Ive had a Music Man Stingray since 93 and its probably one of the hottest active basses Ive ever owned. The bypass switch is a great add on. To bad they dont ship from Ernie Ball that way

@@joshbaker5403 yes Josh, they only once added a passive Push/Pull Pot to one of their rare anniversary models. It's a mystery to me, why EB don't add a passive switch as a standard, especially since it is so cheap and easy to do. The Reflex basses for example come with passive switches and tone control and it is a great feature. You could argue "oh, they don't want to mess with the tradition" but they have done so ever since introducing the 3-band EQ and many other changes, so why not a passive switch? Maybe one day :-) ....

​@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758thanks Oliver for your post. Could you please share a wiring diagram to solder the pickup directly to the output ( no tone control )? Thanks

Hi Matt, forgive me: What do you mean by "EQ at detente"? I never heard that term, so forgive my lack of knowledge

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 Sorry, it's spelled "detent" with no e at the end. It's the middle or neutral position of the knob that clicks into place.

@@mattfoley6082 , ah, thank you for the explantion. My bass has no neutral position click or mark. I don't think any of the old MM Basses had that. However, the position with the both EQ controls set at ca. 50% sounds allmost the same as the sound in passive bypass mode. I hope that answers your question. Best wishes Oliver

@@oliverposchmannsbassguitar758 In the first 33 seconds of your clip, what are the EQ settings ?

@@anpcm , the EQ Settings in the first 33 seconds are both active controls (treble & bass) full on 100% hope this helps, cheers Oliver

Dear Paolo, thank you ! That is a very good question. I should have thought about that when making the video. I might do a short one to proper illustrate the answer, but for now I simply try to answer your question here: If you think of the controls like the center of a clock, they rotate only from 12 o'clock (full/open) backwards to just about 2 o'clock (down/closed) - if you look at it from the front, going anticlockwise. That means the full range of a control goes around approximately 80%, not 100%. If there would be a mark on the knob, pointing to 12, while full up/open, the setting of the active EQ sounds equal to the passive bypass mode, when both controls (bass & treble) are set down to 6 o'clock (half circle turn down). Therefore I would say that the EQ sounds "neutral" at around 40% of the full control range. At my bass, the screws which fix the knobs to the poti-axis are set exactly at 12 o'clock, which makes them a good marker/reference point. That means the screws point towards the player, while looking down at them when the bass is strapped on. If I now turn both EQ knobs, so that the screws are pointing 180 degrees down to the opposite side (6 o'clock), this is when you achieve the same sound like the bass set in passive/bypass mode. Therefore I can say, neither is the EQ sounding neutral in zero position, nor in 50% position. A proper detent position would have to be set at around 1/3rd of the control rotation towards the closed position. I hope this was clear enough? I'll make a video, showing this in detail, as soon as I find the opportunity to do so. Wishing you all the best Oliver

Thanks Oliver, this makes sense. Although it seems bass knob is boost only (in other words, neutral when turned all the way ccw) and treble is cut and boost, but with the centre detent not exactly in the middle. It would be wunderschön if you could confirm this...

@@paolozak3014 Paolo, I don't think the bass control is boost only. The pickup in bypass mode delivers way more bass as in comparision to the bass control set to zero. The bass needs to be dialed in around 30% to make it sound equal to the bypassed passive signal. Hard to say about the treble EQ, but again: If it would be cut and boost you would logically assume it should sound neutral at around 50%/middle setting, but it does not. Like the bass control it must be set lower than 50% to match the bypassed passive signal. I will do some recording with it and add it to the channel.

Ok, I see. I have a 77 Stingray and indeed it sounds neutral to my ears when bass it at ca. 30% open and treble at ca. 50%. But I play Labella flatwounds, so I'm not completely sure... really interested in your nächste video 😉

@@paolozak3014 , I'll do it :-), give me a few days. cheers Oliver