Stingray Special BFR 4HH (bridge pickup) vs 4H - Do they sound the same? - LowEndLobster Fresh Look 

I think there is something off with the pink one, you should probably just sell it to me for cheap.

Great demo! I just picked up an HH used and I've heard all the hype about how the H is a "totally different instrument" than an HH with just the bridge pickup engaged. I think this video shows that's complete bunk. Another thing to remember, unless you're name is Victor Wooten or Billy Sheehan, most of us aren't doing lengthy bass solos without a band playing. By the time you adjust the onboard preamp, your pedal board, your amp and cab (if you use one...I don't), then it goes out your DI to the board and through the PA into a room packed with people....does anyone honestly think any member of the audience...even a bass nerd....could tell a difference between the two?

Excellent presentation, playing the sounds back to back, short samples and with the configurations listed on screen! Yes!

Thank you girl! this helped so so much! love your channel

To me, the sound is extremely close. However, the double H (while stunningly beautiful), has a slightly thinner sound. Maybe it has to do with magnetic pull from the neck pickup, minor variations in the wood, or just coincidence, but the single H has to my ears a slightly fuller sound. Closing my eyes they are both unmistakably Stingrays. Just noticed a minor difference, with a smidge more bottom end maybe with the single H.

I can't tell any difference! Great idea doing this!

Totally selling the dual pickup model Stingray. Always was worried about the two pickup model sounding different from the classic config but those were pretty much identical.

Good comparison.At my age buying a new Stingray isn't a sensible option.But they sound so good.So I bought a very good SR kit and built my own.Switched out a couple of things like a better pup and bridge and it plays a sounds fantastic.Definitely gets that Stingray mid bite I'd love to see you demo the new Origin Effects Bassrigs preamps.OMG do they sound unbelievable.

I prefer the 4H Single Humbucker due to my playing style (Slap, Thumbing action). Great comparison but I couldn't really tell that much of a difference in sound. Another great video from LowEndLobster.. Thanks Bro..

I heard the the "classic" Stingray sound (on a special) is with the bass & treble boosted and mids completely cut and bridge pickup engaged. This is how I play with both of my two HH Stingray specials. That said, one day this year I'm probably going to go with a 4H so I can have the look of the original Stingray. Definitely don't mind that the new Stingray specials are nowhere near the weight of an original Stingray.

Beautiful basses!

That 4h looks so awesome

There was a guy who made the same comparison a while back, but he used Sterling stingrays and the difference was actually huge. The HH version had a mid focused tone with none of the signature MM presence. I'm happy that that's not the case here

I believe the regular Stingray has a little more body in it’s bridge pickup, and I think that’s due to the additional drilling in the wood, and the addition of the neck pickup on the HH.

Makes me want to add a pickup to my SUB Ray4. On that, I purposefully just listened to this video. Using my Apple Ear Pods, I couldn’t tell the difference.

Hey Lobster, thanks for this video, though it has been around for a bit, I am thinking about a MM bass and your work is very helpful. Having said that, I do not hear a great difference between the two basses. Certainly no more than you might hear between two Hs or two HHs.

Tough call. I like the single for that ‘stingray’ bite. But that double H has some nicer tones. I might consider getting a 2H stingray to add to my collection. I HAD a Sabre and like a dope I sold it. Didn’t realized the functionality of the bass.

Made my mind, 4HH it will be. Thanks!

The 4H sounds a bit “thicker” to my ear, more presence in the low mids. The extra pull on the strings and the small reduction in body mass on the double-buck likely plays into this, but I doubt that you’d be able to really hear the difference in the mix. As much as I like neck pickups, it just...looks wrong on a stingray :)

I think the only variable might be the pot values (500k pots 10% can range between 450-550k if they used cheaper pots could be 20% meaning 400-600k) same for the pots in the preamp but they are usually less effected by this sounds pretty darn similar to me though awesome video.. cheers I'm off to bed just got off work at 7am after being up since 730am yesterday.. but had to watch this before I could call it a day..

Thanks 🙏 man 👍🏻

A very fine line between both🦞... I`ll take the Single 4H... 💙👊😎

Has that signature lobster tone, conquering the 5th and 7th frets as always!

Ideal might be a HS (Humbucker + Single Coil) Stingray. Then you have a neck pickup, but it's not in the way when slapping.

Hey Lobster, I know your feelings on the EBMM Bongo but, I am very interested in seeing a comparison video on the EBMM Stingray Special H vs the EBMM Bongo H. I am interested in hearing the difference between the two pre-amps and pickups as well as the difference, if any the body wood species makes. Thanks in advance.

I demand a full review of the BFR!

Lobster, thanks for doing this little test. To me they sounded nearly identical but I thought the 4H sounded slightly more transparent when you had the mids turned up. I had to wear my headphones to hear this and in a live situation this difference would get lost in the mix. This is a bit surprising and goes completely against the other u-tube I had mentioned where a Sterling 4H and 4HH sounded quite a bit different. I was pretty much sold on the 4H after watching that u-tube so bought a EBMM 4H Special when I had all the time been leaning towards the 4HH. I guess it goes to show when you move up in the line to the EBMM Stingrays any conclusions you draw regarding comparisons of lesser basses no longer apply. I told you that I just recently picked up a gorgeous Tectonic Blue Sparkle 4HH Special so have done the comparison myself, but in my case the new 4HH has an ebony fretboard as opposed to rosewood on my 4H and they do sound quite a bit different because of the fret board woods. I love them both but I'm really digging that ebony highly focused piano like hard attack. In your test with them both being maple necks it was a valid test. As usual well done and thanks again my man, stay safe.

Hey lobster, as a prolific pj pup fan. Have you seen the Jacksonbacker? The unholy union of 80's metal and classic 60's styling. Def would be interesting to see.

They both look good and sound great too. It's the price that's the problem.

4H had slightly more umpf but it might just be the result of a lower action.

Right on dude .

With headphones I could barely hear any difference. Thanks for the comparison.

I also thought they sounded pretty close. The only drawback w the HH is it interferes more w your RH, esp w a pick (which I prefer). Still...the extra beef and versatility is more than worth it. I can pick between the pups and adjust the tone accordingly w the knobs.

Very subtle differences, if any, especially in any setting where you would be playing with other instruments in a mix. Plus with Pinky you get so much more with the neck pickup and 5 position switch options. You would also have to admit Pinky is much prettier and that counts for something too!

Double humbucker Stingray has the best scooped killer slap sound when both pickups engaged. Unfortunately, the neck pickup is in the way when you try to double pluck etc.... I'd prefer the old Stingrays with 21 frets over the new ones with 22 cause the gap between the neck and front pup is wider for a comfortable slap. I don't get why they did not think about this when redesigned this iconic monster.

Now repeat the exercise with some slap so we can really be conclusive ☺, seriously. How do the weights of those 2 basses compare? My 4H Special is right at 8.5 lbs but my 4HH is over a pound heavier. I sit anyway when I play being in my late 60's so it's not big a deal to me and actually I'm of the theory that added weight puts out a more focused and heavier punch. Just a theory at this stage. Keep em coming! Thanks for doing this little experiment.

Nice video, Lobster. One video I've never seen is a comparison between an SR 4HH and an SR Special 4HH in all the various settings. Any chance you could borrow an old 4HH and do such a video?

Really appreciate all of your comparison videos. Do you (or someone else here) now, if all stingray special do come with a roasted maple neck? According to my dealer's website, the special in raspberry red is just normal maple, but according to the MM website, it should have a roasted maple neck. Thank you very much in advance!

the single humbucker is better for me, for slap and agressive fingerstyle it’s perfect, i tried a HH Ray34 and it’s kinda cool only if you need that double humbucker, if you want to buy a StingRay but you don’t know what is the best option, check 2 things. -Do I really need a HH? -Is that neck pickup going to make playing hard? If still in doubt, try the HS StingRay, maybe it’s the right tool for you, or if you want a H StingRay but more tonal options, look for a Sterling (not the Brand, the model) you have a switch to go from Parallel, Series, Series Single Coil and another one that i forgot. (i’m dumb XD) The StingRay HH is kinda hard to play because the pickup is right where i put my middle finger to slap. StingRay H - Best for slap/agressive fingerstyle and just normal playing overall StingRay HH - Best for tonal options and playing with a pick. Hope you find whatever you need, random stranger reading my comment! Have a nice day!

The 4HH sounds slightly deeper than the 4H. You can't noticed the difference with the first configuration but the brightness of the 4H became obvious in your 2nd and 3rd knobs adjustments. My 50 cents.

I just listened, didn't watch at first, and couldn't tell when you changed. Not really surprising. Honestly, changing pickup height would have bigger effect than the difference between the two

They sound like you said the same both being good. But my real question is where do you get some of those colors? and are you out of St. Louis ?

Another interesting take. Maybe a little off topic, but what is the deal with Ironworks bass strings? What do you like about them? They sound good on the videos, but not certain that I can tell much from videos. How would you compare them to other bass strings. I usually use NYXLs, but I haven't tried a bunch of different kinds of strings. Keep up the good work!

It sounds like the strings are a bit older on single humbacker Ray, or just played more than on the other one.

Just almost the same, but still can be distinguished with a good headphone. but I don't know if I could make it in a blind test lol

I'm shopping for my first bass....can you ad more tonal range to a single with a decent amp head? Or are these tones what you get.

Are the Necks from the Special different in compare to the regular EBMM Stingray in terms of nut width/shape 🤔

Are both wired in either series or parallel? I know that the major difference with the bridge soloed tone of the Ray4HH and H is the parallel H and Series in positions 1,3,5 on the HH. I rewired my HH to be parallel in all positions. This is how it should’ve been done all along. Tone MONSTER.

Wow they both sound great, I can't really say anything but cause I have never played one!or it may just be you the player who makes them sound so good!!?do you play completely by ear or did you take lessons or something like school of some sort or do you read music too??thank you 🙂

Is there a reason they don't make a Stingray with just a neck pickup?

You should review the Vintage V4M and compare it to your MIM P-Bass.

They both sound about the same. Personally, I'd go with the double humbucker for tonal versatility.

I would say pinky sounds a tad brighter. :-)

They were pretty close. The difference was small, but I don't think one sounded better than the other. I think in a mix, you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference at all. Probably should compare with a similar equipped 5 string Stingray, for Science!

The stingray is much better than the fender jazz bass. I bought the Elite JB which costed 2000$ and got so disappointed, Stingray fixed that feeling !!

Hello lobster can another type of Bridge work on Music Man sterling 5 String Bass Guitars ? I don't like the factory Bridge. Thanks

Does the forward pickup impede slapping?

For me personally I choose the 1 humbucker stingray because having the second pickup makes it harder to slap and gives the strings an extra magnetic pull which effects the basses tone

classic stingray = mid cut ;) the best........ ...thanks so much for this comparison...

To me they sounded about the same though the white one looks larger to me. Maybe the color? 🤔

They sound the same. Not identical, but the same. Nobody would ever hear a meaningful difference between them in the studio or on stage. Nice demo.

the difference is so small it really doesn't matter. If I had to pick which one I like better thoug it would be the HH. I am surprised.

Both sound the same. Do they also slap the same? Or is the neck pickup in the way?

Hi LEL🦂. Good video as always Your thoughts. Buy a new Sterling Stingray HH or a 10 year old 2nd hand EB stingray HH ? Price is similar slimmer neck or standard neck in your opinion . I play fonder and pick. No slap . Stay safe . Stu and

They sound close enough in that if you played two different H's back to back, there would be just as much difference between those. Any differences here can be easily EQ'd out. I closed my eyes and could not tell any appreciable difference.

They are way too similar. If there was a difference but you really really have to pick it apart to hear it. Honsetly I love my 4h because i have more space for pick hand placement and the classic stingray look. But pinky sounds so good!

I like the BFR more

Close enough. Which one do you like to play more? and which of all your basses (if any) is the one that you go to, when you “just want to play”, the one you really compare all basses to. The one you’re grabbing (possibly before your pants) in a Poltergeist: “GET OUT” situation? Cheers

I think they pretty much sound the same, but they probably feel different Nice video comparison 💪🏿💙

Good video. I have a few Rays. EBMM 2002 classic and 2014 SLO Special, as well as SBMM Ray 34 and Ray 4H and Ray 4 HH. I know the are not quite the same the Ray 4H and Ray4HH compared to the two Basses you just sampled, but between the Ray 4 and Ray 4HH I have, it is hands down the Ray4 for me. I don’t like the Ray4HH, and can’t get myself to like it. I actually have it listed for sale. It’s a bummer cuz of all the 2020 colors for Ray4 and 4Hh. Love this olive green best, but it’s HH so I just can’t get with it. I had high hopes. Yes I get pretty much stingray tone from the bridge pickup in hum buck mode, but the rest of the positions just sound like playing thru an amp with different thickness blankets over the speaker. To me it is not improvement on stingray tone, and almost does not offer any other quality tones that I would want to play, which was my hope. I also don’t care for having the 2nd pick up for my plucking Andre slap either. I just got used to the one pickup on Ray’s and that’s how I like it. I have modded my Ray with an Aguilar pick up (after doing side by side comparrison) and that was a great mod, even with the stock pre amp. But I am not about to drop $250 for pickups, and possibly another $150 in pre-amp for a $380 bass that I don’t like playing much. I may decide to remove the top pick up out, pop a different pick up in the bridge and get another pick guard to cover the hole of the missing pick up. I love that color, but still, I already have a go to Ray4, so not sure I really want to dump any money in the Ray 4HH. I just hope it sells and I can put it towards another bass, possibly something from your reviews. Thanks for the test today. The better electronics in the EBMM stingrays you tested don’t sound as bad as the Ray 4HH. But maybe you can do another video and test the Ray 4 vs 4HH, or a Ray 34 vs 34HH, or even to some pick up and pre-amp mods to some Ray4HH’s, maybe you will get a combo I like enough to change my mind and Keep it and upgrade it??? Thanks again Lobster, always love your videos.

I feel the white one is less middy

Sounds to my ears like there's a little more high end on the H and a little more mid on the HH... but they are incredibly close and I don't think it matters in practice. Nobody's going to accuse you of having shown up with a precision bass.

Can't stop staring at that Spector in the corner.

Legal ... Soão bem diferentes ... Mas pelo timbre o com 2 humbucker acho que eles são paralelos suas bubinas tem um grave mais magro e um agudo mais brilhante enquanto o tradicional deve estar em série com grave mais aveludado um pouco menos de brilho e mais midranger ... Mas os som de ambos são maravilhoso top

but do they feel the same?

Very similar if not the same.

I have an 2007 HH and just do not like the ergonomics of neck humbucker placement for slap. The. Bridge pickup sounds harsh. I would swear the separate pickups are in series or something. The slap only really opens up in the middle position. I only want the bridge pickup. Most Soundman will go crazy adjusting every time you do a pickup selector change. To my taste the HH has too many choices. The bass needs to drive the bus with subtle alterations in eq, not drastic pickup configurations.

i like that white one.

Not that much of a difference. I think the neck pickup might could get in the way when playing slap bass. Other than that it's probably a matter of preference.

The single pickup Stingray has slightly more snap and presence to me, but the 5 way switch on the double pickup model would lead to many more tones not possible on the single. I slap at the neck and don't notice the neck pickup getting in the way for my style of playing. I kind of like having a thumb rest on the neck pickup for fingerstyle also... Slapping a jazz is similary configured.

BFR HH all the way !

I actually heard a slight difference between the two, and I thought the classic one pick up stingray actually sounded a lot more full and better, the double hamburger almost felt like they were trying to simplify And or even cut corners with the full depth and tone of the original

Sorry, but that riff was starting to drive me crazy. There are some slight differences. The standard 'Ray seems to sound a little more full/midrangey. Otherwise, they’re about the same.

Sounds pretty much the same but I like the way Pinky was lookin' at me

I couldn't hear any differences. I suppose if there was anything noticeable, the differences would be so minute that you could say it was the construction of the bass itself - not the electronics - that caused them. Regardless - "pinky" just looks cooler.

No difference in sound to me. Besides, anytime I pick up a bass I tweak the knobs until I find the tone I'm want. Now compare a Bongo with a Stingray Special- both 18v, both neodymium pickups... THAT would be interesting ;) (Keep in mind the Bongo H has a 3-band preamp where the Bongo 4H has a 4-band).

HH was notably treblier

Sounds to close to be called different sounding. Both sounded great in all settings

I think there were very slight differences between the two, but nowhere near enough to make a real world difference. For all intents and purposes they were the same.

The HB MM-4 sounds better! 🤪

I think the preamp is'not the same

😭😭 love your champagne. Should be censored 😅😅

Two basses have never sounded closer. If you want a single H stingray go for it, that's perfectly fine and you don't need to make up nonesense to justify that

This is probably your shortest video yet lol

Do you want music/instrument store? Or just an owner of a million amazing basses????

Sounds the same to me +-

I think he bullsh!t’n I believe he can play with the lobster claw hand lol

They sound the same...

In slap they never sound the same

Not different enough to make a difference