Music Man Stingray H vs HH - Which One Should You Get? 

Really appreciate that demo. I was one of the people who assumed that i wanted the HH, but after listening to this i realize that the single pickup model is the tone im looking for. Keep doing what you are doing. This is helpful to so many people. Awesome playing as always!

Repeat your test, but on fresh strings for both instruments. I've A/B'd these bases myself, and there's very, very little difference aside from the HH model being versatile. It's very clear to my ears that the H version of this bass had strings that were either completely different, or otherwise much newer than the HH version.

Just to note, there are 5 different tonal possibilities from different pickup configurations on the HH, not just 3. Really an amazing sounding and feeling bass.

HH doesn't bother me when I slap at all

Very insightful. Thank you! I play bass for solo/vocal stuff and in an R&B/ Soul/Jazz band and the HH seems to be more versatile for both cases! I noticed that it’s perfect for hitting across all frequency ranges for both situations. When playing in the band, the HH ALWAYS supplements the low end for the overall sound and the tone control is perfect for cutting through the mix when it needs to. With the solo sing/songwriter bass stuff, the HH fills the overall sound especially with playing chords and stingrays always provide a solid percussive sound with things like palm mutes and thumping! The H is definitely perfect for straight to the point lead bass sound, and perfect for more firepower in the solo bass world of slapping and tapping. It’s a perfect grab and go if that’s what your primary playing style is. But for me personally, the HH wins in the world of versatility and integration in all music. Although amazing in its own respect, the H is more a one trick pony and it’s very very very good at what it does. If I could own both I would! Lol

I lowered the neck pickup on my HH and slapping is not a issue anymore. Easy fix and aaaaawesome tone. HH all the way.

Yep I knew all about this having owned a 2005 Stingray 5H, I sold it to buy a Stingray Special 5HH which to me is a much more versatile bass, that still can do the classic Stingray stuff.... it just needs a bit of tweaking to get that classic slap sound (which honestly I don't do much any more) But the H and the HH are definitely different animals, and this was a great demonstration of that. I believe the tonal difference is more from the preamp differences and the way the EQ is built too. Nice video.

I'm all about the single H! Great demo and insights. I think that the single H is more versatile than players give it credit for! It works for funk, rock, jazz, R&B, and fusion. It's easier to mellow out the single H than to brighten up the dual H. Both are killer basses though!

Thanks for reaffirming that I juts bought the correct model! Should have my HH in 3 days! 🤩

Still for me the hh model is the best i like to take a lot of different sounds of the stingray for any style of music can't wait for the hh ray35 on white to be in my home studio 😍

To me H sound is better than HH one only for slap playing. I have a MM Stingray 5 Special HH and now I’m happier! Great video👍🏻

It's also worth noting that, on five string versions with a single humbucker, you'd get a 3-way toggle to go between parallel (default) and series modes, which would give you even more options. A single H Stingray is never a bad investment; just a different one than a HH.

Wow, there is a huge diference in tone! Didn't expect to be that much. I'm all in on the single H :)

The twin pickup musicman came out in the seventies it was called the musicman sabre bass.

I love how the double pickup looks and it’s good for what I play but the tone of the single is so funky I love it

Very interesting. The HH sounds more muted, but has a tighter sound. This makes sense with the additional magnets. I wonder if some additional treble would get the HH to sound more like the H. I must go and find out at the store!

A million thanks! You just saved me from making the wrong choice. I was going to go for the dual pickup one but after listening to your video I definitely prefer the single pickup version! THANKS!!!

The difference sounds like something a bit of eq could fix easilly.

Wow. The single H is way brighter. Very informative. I always thought about the neck humbucker on the HH getting in the way for slap.

You can really change the tone on the HH more than he did in the video. But I still love that single pickup, farty sound.

When you've got an EQ with a treble, bass & mid configuration, there's absolutely no way the single pickup version is a non-versatile bass. I've used my stingray for everything from blues to heavy metal.

The Dazz Band bassplayer used a two pickup musicman (slapping the bass in most of there songs.) Seemed to work. And don't forget that Louis Johnson slapped a two pickup bass on the song STOMP. Sounded great!

Something isn’t right. There’s NO way they could possibly sound so different. FAR more clarity in the H. Sounds like the HH has different strings (or they are completely dead).

No slap or funk for me, HH all the way. Way more body & depth to the sound.

Great breakdown of the two Basses. Great Basses at a great price point. Cheers.

I own both. HH for the smoothness , and H for Slap and everything else.

Great info I was on the fence couple weeks ago if I should get the 4H or 4HH. This video helped me to decide on getting the 4H. I can’t be happier.

After this video I figured which bass I wanted n bought it 😂 thank you! For the awesome video.

Appreciate you making the video. It answered a question I had, whether the neck pick up would get in my way. After watching the video, I'm definitely going to the single pickup, because of the sound and slap-a-bility.

I thought that was just a noisy thumb-rest they'd installed in the neck position. We live and learn ;)

Good review and breakdown of the differences btwn the two Stingrays. Also great choice of showing Louis Johnson thumping on his Star Licks series video.

Excellent video and great playing, Marcelo - as always! Thanx for this great comparison ... but maybe you should point out, that we're talking Sterlings (Ray34s I believe) in this video, which certainly differ from the modern EBMM (Special) Stingrays in body wood and Humbucker magnet type ... probably another reason why some differences appear more obvious. To me, the Sterling H sounded more "treble-ish", something I haven't noticed when comparing my EBMM Stingrays (Special 5H and Special 4HH).

HH looks bad ass but man..that sound of the single pickup is wild man. Im shopping for a new guitar as we speak. Single H is the way to go for me.

All I can think of is a Sabian hand hammered stingray now. Rise up drum-bass gang.

Marcelo, did you measure the resistance of the two and make sure that they're both wired the same? Most likely both should be wired in series (unfortunately this is the default for most SBMM basses), but I've heard that some were wired in parallel. The resistance is significant as the variations in the pickup winding will affect the tone. Unlike the premium EBMM Music Mans, SBMM pickups vary in their construction and I've seen series resistance as low as 6650 ohms and as high as 6980 ohms. Given the likely series wiring and the fact that the StingRay preamp was designed for resistances more like 1750-1850 ohms these variations can make a noticeable difference. LowEndLobster did the same test you just did but with EBMM Special 4H and 4HH basses and there was no noticeable difference. Those basses are wired correctly in parallel and the winding counts are standardized.

The single has way more punch. I own both but, then I’ve thing about the HH is that you can convert it into a single if you really want to. New pick guard and you’ll need to rewire it but that’s an easy swap.

Thank you been waiting for this one!

I am shocked! The HH has a totally different sound! Single H I prefer

I don't slap a lot, but I still found the HH model's neck pickup to be in my way during finger style playing. I've owned both H and HH. Once I learned this, I sold the HH.

Thank you for steering me clear of the two pickup model. Absolutely no doubts! 👍

Really looking at getting the single. Love the finish and clear pick guard. Great video man!

Marcelo, very great video ! Thankfully I already have a 1976 MM Stingray, so Im gnna add to his new lil brother, the MM Stingray HH!

Thank you so much for this man. I have a Squier Jazz and PJ bass and am looking to buy a 5 string stingray but was torn and uneducated as to the differences for the single pickup vs HH versions of the bass. This has helped me beyond words thank you so much man!!!!! God Bless!!!!!

Extremely familiar with both- good video, thx. Playing purely finger style as I do -the extra pickup just seems to clutter up the striking area. Playing live and cutting through a drum mix, a mid pup can also muddy up the sound, very very quickly.

the look of the single is so iconic and used in so many genres. i wanna see a comparison between the stingray hh and bongo bass hh. love the versatility of the HH, but the H has so much attack to it. i really cant decide on what i like better. i grew up on punk and loved the attack a single stingray did

Mark thanks for sharing your knowledge.You helped make my decision easy .I took order of the two pickup black sparkle version after testing it because I play all types of music.

Definitely a decent review. Even though I already decided on the HH, I was still a bit torn between the two. Also, I appreciate the fact that you mentioned Reggae and Ska, 'cause being a Jamaican bassist & Instrumental Artist, it can be difficult at time to find bass reviews that consider those genres as well. Give thanks, Marcelo.

I had 2012 Stingray HH (not Sterling), it was nice and I was able to play slap easily (without double thumb). But 90-95% of the time I was playing bridge pickup only, so I think 1 pickup version is still best choice for most of situations.

One comment, from the jump he stated he lowered the neck pickup to “get it out of the way”. Always thought the H Stingray was a one trick pony. Having said that, I wish I still had my 70s Stingray. Don’t shoot me, I’m the bass player 😊. Wish he had played a 5 string version of the HH at the end. The pickups are placed differently with the neck pickup closer to the neck.

I love that Single pickup one! However, I´m missing the deep low end of the HH. Thanks for the Slap comparison! Great video as always!

It's incredible how different they sound, even on the same bridge pickup. Thanks for this Marcelo!

Great video. I have owned both, but I stuck with the Stingray H model.

Thank you for the clear-cut explanation! I'm window shopping for my second bass right now and this has really helped me out! :)

Thanx for the comparison between this two pick ups in the bridge position. Now I understand. I wanted to buy HH version but now I changed my mind👍🏻great video. Greetings from Poland, Wizz🤘🙃

This was actually so insightful! didn't think i needed this video but i did and learned a LOT of valuable info!! thank you so much :)

Excellent demonstration!!

Probably one of the best honest comparisons and contrasts between stingray H and stingray HH. Concise and complete, very nice. Would be cool to add the new 2018 Special into this video. I have a Special 4HH and a pre-Special 4HH. Very similar, but slightly different tones even between the two. Excellent comparison and explanations!

All right, this was very clarifying bout getting one of those beauties. Thanks a lot.

Really amazed at how much even with identical settings the H version MM Stingray sounded more acoustical, scooped, touch sensitive, and the HH version sounded a lot more muffled and with more midrange presence. This video has helped me to make an informed, and finalized decision, and I think I would go for the H version, because I already have an Ibanez SR300E GVM, which has HH, a 3-Band EQ and pickup balance knob. It gives me tons of variety. I don’t think that the Music Man Ray34 Natural Ash M-2 comes in a HH version anyway ?? This one I’m buying to see the differences in creativity it can pull from me as an artist and musician, in opposition to the aforementioned current bass. It is also essentially the bass that my stepdad had and played in his band for over 30 years, ( 1970’s Ernie Ball MM Stingray Natural with maple Neck) so there is a bit of nostalgic draw. I hope everyone finds what they are looking for. Thanks Marcelo!

This video give the reason why marc bought a new H special one, not a HH. Maybe H style is more important for you. Love your video,Thanks Marc!

Thank you. This was EXTREMELY HELPFUL. I am planning to add a sting Ray to my other basses for the slap sound and was going to buy an HH . Now I will buy a single H version.

I've long felt the same about putting a jazz bass pickup in a Precision. I did it to my 70's P and the magnetic pull took some of that nice loose feeling away. It also took some of the wood out of the body. It never sounded or felt the same, I hated it and ended up selling the bass.

One thing I'll say about the Ray 34HH is if you rewire the pickups to parallel it will sound exactly the same as a regular musicman pickup.

A very clear explanation about the tone difference..2 thumbs up..

I just bought the exact single H bass today, loving it 😁

Cute that the photo of Leo Fender was of him holding a G&L L-1000 hehe

Thank you for this. I was one who thought they were the same at the bridge.

When you said they’re two different instruments, I thought you were saying that like when Gibson purist say weight relief chambers make a night and day difference, but damn you’re right. The scope is totally different. No one would suit my taste that much, but I sure love that HH Stingray. Luckily, I can’t afford it lol

Wow! The difference is so obvious. A really helpful video bro. You're doing great!!!

damn you... now I want both... :D Thank you for the detailed explanation and a short demo!

Single Pickup all day long. Great Video! Thanks for doing it. Are those The Indonesian Sterlings?

As far as I know, a difference in sound is also due to: single pickup model = alnico magnet, dual pickups = ceramic magnet

I’ve been thinking about getting this or an Ibanez or Jackson, since I’ve been looking for a humbucker bass that reminds me of the dark and aggressive tone of a Rickenbacker 4001. This video has seriously made me consider purchasing a Music Man.

Great work. Love to have a Stingray. Stingrays are SO dope!!

Thank you for playing finger style, with a pic, and slap to really give us a good idea of what both vases sound like. I do a lot of pop punk stuff so it helps when you play with a pic because most video creators only play slap or without a pic so it was good that you did all three.

I got the 4 string HH yesterday wanting to get some Justin Chancellor-ish tones out of it. It does deliver. Plenty of tonal variety. I only slap bottoms, so I'm happy with it so far.

Cool comparison, marco. 😎🤘🏻🎸 I do like what I hear from both basses and considering that I play rock and metal, I don’t think I can go wrong with either of them. And I will agree that rather if 2 pickups are better than one is not really the case. It’s really about preference on rather if a single pickup or a double pickup bass stingray is suitable for your style of playing. Either one is very suitable for metal. And they sound killer with distortion.

This video came at the perfect time for me. I've been bouncing back and forth whether I wanted an H or HH for weeks now. I'm dead set on a Stingray and I think you helped me decide. I'm in love with that single H and will probably be pulling the trigger on getting one soon. Thank you for the insight!

I have the HH version with the 5 way switch and I love it. I don't care for or play slap so the Neck pickup does not bother me at all. For me, the HH is like having a StingRay and a Jazz bass in one and it can do more.

I have the 4HH. The neck pickup doesn’t get in the way if you take the time to get used to it. I also have a P and a J bass and guess what? They all have 2 pick ups. The double pickup MM has way more versatility. Which is great if you want more than 1 sound.

I think that's a fair assessment. IF you're primarily slapping, and don't need different colors to paint with , get the H....but if you need more flexibility, the HH( I have one) has more to offer in that department , and I can still slap well enough for the majority of material audiences want to hear .The average audience listener can't tell the difference anyway....

Okay, that was really really helpful. I've been in love with the M.M. sound since I saw Louis Johnson. After playing friends MMs and some at the store I finally bought one in 2010 and I got the Singray 5 HH. I LOVED the tones I got and found because of the tonal variety, I could dial in A LOT of different tones that'd work I all kinds of music I wrote and recorded. However, 3 things I realized. 1) I HATED slapping on that thing! Slapping is a big part of my playing and I just couldn't do it comfortably. 2) I felt like I was only getting about 85%-95% of that Music Man sound and it just wasn't totally there. I'd even wonder if for some reason they changed the pick-up. 3) I got rid of my HH and a few years later I went back to MM and got a H. Obviously the slap thing was no longer an issue but I quickly missed the tonal variety of the HH. Lately the tonal variety got me thinking about going back to the H.H. but now after listening to them side by side, that thought has been laid to rest. As a player I LOVE Music Man Stingrays but I will say that I feel that they are one of the harder basses to play. What I mean is playing fast slap riffs or really fast licks are harder to do than on most bases. If I was a shredder (not my taste), MM would not even be on my list, but if you want your sound to have HUGE personality, have a great voice and you want your groove to cut through anything? Then Music Man Stingrays can't be beat. Thank you for your great videos!

This was very helpful. I'm new to bass, but I've got my eye on this bass and wasn't sure which one I would want, and since I might want to learn slap bass, looks like the single pickup will be the winner. Thanks :)

Thank you for the enlightening video, it actually helped me a lot to choose which StingRay was right for me.

Thanks bro, you open my eyes

Great video, thanks. You just helped me decide on the single pick up version, although they’re both nice but different like you said. Rock on!

Single was my fav by far. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for making this video I have now decided I need both

Thank you for this great comparison!

Maybe not exactly the Same sound but it still has that Music Man Vibe to it, even if I close my eyes ahah!

thanks, helped me decide on the single

Thanks, it really helps

Love the video. Fact: Louis Johnson played the Sabre on "Stomp"..:-)

Did you have both pickups selected everytime you played? When playing basses with two pickups I would generally just use the middle one for most styles, especially when using a pick. Sure the bridge pickup is better for slap but I stick at slapping, when playing metal however I will use both at the same time to overdrive the top end a little bit.

Both are the best! Musicman basses are amazing! I wish i could have one huhu

Thank you, now I know that I need H type :D

So basically, no pun intended, the H can be made to mimic the sound and tone of the HH, but the HH cannot be made to mimic the H. Is that a fair assessment?

I was wondering if the setups are really the same and if the pickups are the same. Same magnets and coils? Parallel vs. Series? The big difference I'm hearing is more highs from buzzy strings. I don't see that just another hole in the body can be doing all that. Are the component values for the pre-amps the same? The same mechanical design can definitly be made to sound different by changing electronic, if one is out to make them different. Well... there is the extra damping from the magnets. They're right in a spot to do that.

Victor Wooten's signature Ying Yang Fodera has two humbucking pickups and that doesn't slow him down. Also it looked like the switch was set on the single coil bridge pickup selection.

Fantastic demonstration. Thank you!