Sounds great. Thank you for all of the reviews of all of the pickup and preamp combos.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Shawn! Glad you're enjoying them :)

Always a joy to watch these videos, you’re sense of humor and knowledge of bass is nice.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you :)

I'm revisiting this video and this bass sounds really really good.

At 14 minutes, best I’ve heard you play. U been practicing!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Love your reviews! keep doing what you're doing.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks CMC!

Great video series! Also... Christmas Eve gift!!!!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! So glad you're enjoying the series!

Wow great sound from this one!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ross!

Well, now I do like this one, the pickup has that real sweet warm alnico sound. The preamp isn't bad sound wise, bummer about the install issues. I think I'll have to do a ceramic vs alinco vid rewatch of all your vids just to narrow it down to my final 2 fav setups. Thank for all the hard work putting all this toghther. Ive never even seen anything close to what you did this week on any other channel. Well done sir! I still like the EMG over all I think, we will see.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ryan!

I just installed this pickup with the stock preamp last night. I was going to get the Aguilar, but I've used so many Duncan pickups in my guitars over the last 45 years - I decided to stay in familiar territory. Awesome improvement, the boominess and distortion with the E string is gone. Absolutely pleased!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Hell yeah Bob! Congrats!

The midst sound nice and burpey !!.. I like the growl on the ceramics. And the passive EMG is the best passive bass I have ever heard ever!!!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jeremy!

That preamp sounded pretty good too but... I don't know anymore too many choice of preamps I would have to listen to all your videos again. I think I'm gonna stick to my first thoughts which are EMG and John East, thanks for all your time doing those demos LowEndLobster!!!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Guy! Glad you're enjoying them :)

Merry Xmas eve lobster!!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

You too!

Slap mode sounds great!! Going back to these vids again 🤷‍♂️

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jeremy! Indeed, I didn't really set it up first time around (vid I shot a few months ago), but this video definitely shows the difference once the internal EQ was tuned (two trim pots)

@bassimprovjams3772

3 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster ya ypu were talking about those, I think with the emg it will be here tomorrow 😁😁🤘. I'm gunna have my bass tech add the series and parallel switch to it kinda like u did with mint o Ray if I'm correct how u used the jack as the know then made a jack at the Normal spot.

I had my repair guy put in the SMB-5A in my Stingray 5 while keeping the stock preamp. Had to change a few resistors, otherwise it sounded like it was put through a wah pedal stuck in the middle of its sweep. Was a strangely worded instruction manual, but my electronics guy figured it out!

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Nice! Hope you're enjoying the bass, craig!

This sounded better than a lot of the American stingrays i get to try!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

That's a good sounding mid frequency they chose for that preamp.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Indeed, 600 hz sits right in the middle of the others.

I've tried to use the SD Triple Shot circuit for one of my Kit basses. It comes as a guitar pickup ring and I would cut away the majority of the ring and keep the part with the 2 switches and circuit. Crazy delicate. I muffed the first one and I think I messed up the soldering on the second. Great idea -two tiny 2-way switches that allow you to isolate either coil or go Series *or* parallel... but it was so delicate you have to be super careful at all stages of installation.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Kirt! Yeah I think I'm gonna steer clear of any more SD preamps after this debacle lol

Love the shirt bro! 😂

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks man XD

Salutations Lobster! I hope all is well! I got me a Ray4 and I think I'd like a better pickup. I like the sound of this combo you made the best out of the other builds. Can I get away with using the stock preamp and this SM pickup? Or, which pickup do you think might work best with the stock preamp? I'm not really a stickler for having a vast range of tonal modulation at the controls on the body. I prefer the simpler set-up, in fact. Passives are my m-o but I like this guitar and I'm keeping active...because lol. Thank you, sir! I just recently found your channel. Your vids are awesome. Much love!

Mr lobster 🦞, great review again . I have this same preamp in my traben custom. I like it alot but if I'm picking pickups and preamp combo, I have to say my favorite is 1. Nordy 2. Emg 3. Dark glass or seymour. Those are my top 3.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Dalton! :)

The Duncan combo sounds pretty good. I do like the idea of the tweakable slap preset in the preamp, even if you used it for something other than slap. I don't think they small savings is worth dealing with such a wiring headache so I imagine I'd pass on using the preamp but it definitely sounded pretty good.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks CZ!

@gordoneli3786

2 жыл бұрын

Instablaster...

I like this conversions sound the best. Wish you would have demonstrated stock sound each time you changed It. Are you planing to make vid of all bass's side by side?

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Hi John! Yes, the finale will have all of them side by side. I've done past videos on the SUB, and overall just don't like the stock sound.

Wow!! Sounds pretty good. Better than what I expected. Like the SDMM pickup; but blended nicely with the SD preamp. Need to improve their ‘wiring’ tho.😕🎶👍🏾

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

That sounds pretty much just like my Duncan equipped SUB. I went with the cheap blackouts 2 band eq , so I don’t have the tonal options of the three band. But still, it sounds very good

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you :)

This sounds pretty incredible. That really sucks it took forever to assemble but it sounds amazing. I really like this one, omg and norstrand.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Zachary!

Just ordered the SUB. Will probably go for this upgrade aswell. How is the stc2 2 band preamp from SD?

I installed that same model pickup into my Sub Ray 4, but I used the Mojotone 2-band MM preamp. It sounds like an authentic 70’s Stingray to me, and my bandmates keep asking me to play that bass now instead of my much more expensive ones.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

That's awesome Chuck! So glad to hear about your experience :)

This again does what you would expect. SD is well established in several form factors/types of preamps for all the most popular models. Close to p bass and jazz tones with a lot of pop/brightness, good amount of grunt/baby burps minus most of the spitty attack, and almost no sizzle (i am not much a sizzle fan, I think it's actually a way to handwave an unpleasant waveshaping) with no hints of getting anywhere near icepicky/earbleedy in any mode. I am working on novel preamp designs so I'm looking for candidates that are really great passive mode as well as take a boost nicely. Maybe there is some B roll with the different pickups in passive mode that would lend a quick comparison. I will probably need to buy a couple things as I'm already having trouble finding the original preamp/controls/pots/etc for the HEAVILY abused Hohner B Bass Pro V I just got. It feels and sounds so amazing, even unplugged, though. The somewhat functional husk (I haven't plugged it in but everything appears to be connected solidly, what is on it) has a lot of room hacked out of it so I've been considering dropping one of these in the cavity. www.korg.com/us/products/dj/nts_1/ I'll definitely make a video of the build (and other weird stuff that other channels may not be doing) but probably will just leave it raw unless someone really wants to see the whole thing. I have a couple theories on how to put the Brown Sound onboard a guitar by literal starved plate circuit but that's only in the past 5 minutes those arrived... :-) I see a lot of Wish basses around too, it would be great to see several of them demoed against each other and whatever other basses happen to be similar to the Wish bass you're demoing as they're all completely unique.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Noice! I have a similar project going but not with a korg ;)

So i just got an OLP MM2, the stock pick up has enough of a decent Stingray sound but I'm looking for more of that sound. It's passive and wired to split each coil with 2 master volumes and 1 master tone. I noticed it's just a two wire pick up. Do you think this pick up would work the same even though I would just used both at the same time or could I just wire it as one master volume and the master tone and just have one dead volume knob?

This combo sounded really good too. You haven't had a single one that was slacking tone wise yet. It's unfortunate the wiring is so cheap as I am considering doing one these mods myself. This is probably not my favorite of the lot but it still sounds pretty stellar, and with the much lower price tag it would seem to be the "bang for buck" winner so far. That is, if you didn't have a major headache installing it and having to buy a second one because of the cheap wiring.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michael!

Sounds great, but (from what I remember) I slightly preferred the Aguilar set-up. I wonder if Lollar makes replacement pickups for this bass? I'm in-love with Jason Lollar Pickups.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michael! I agree, the Aguilar was tops (along with Nordy) when it came to that classic Stingray sound. Lollar stuff is great! Not sure if they make any MM stuff

@michael_caz_nyc

2 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster Once I got my Suhr Strat with Lollar's - my search for the Perfect Tone ( ended right there - honestly ). Phenomenal Sounding pickups. That man is a genius. oNe LovE from NYC

I have this same exact bass and I'm considering installing this combo and wanted to know if you placed the preamp underneath the control plate or under the pickguard next to the pickup ? , Thanks in advance

Will the Seymour Duncan Alnico pickups work in a Musician Sterling that's made in Korea? Just wondering whether it works on the imports.

Hi, just wanted to ask: if i swap only pickup in my sub 4, for this one, does it solve that "overdrive" volume? Its making a bit mess on E string with my Ashdown

Hey lobster!!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Heyo!

I've new one but stc3p, unfortunately i got pushpul A500k volume, diferent with factory A10k vol pot..so i must fully open the pot and its bad for me to control the tone..i will change but i can't get A10k push pull pot in my country,,hey loobster is it ok to change with A25k vol pot?thanks

Ive been playing a custom bass with smb4a pickup in passive for years. Gonna put in a preamp now. Do you recommend the STC-3M4 (same as Stc-3m3) but for 4 knobs which i have? Or can I use another one of those preamps for this pickup, what do you recommend? I do like this sound though. Can the push pull be turned into series/parallel ? Any wiring diagram for that? Thanks, great reviews.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Michael! The Duncan is a great preamp, though I did have some frustrations due to the thin and brittle wires they use. You can use any preamp here. My favorite is the John East. In regards to a series/parallel switch, you're probably better off doing a physical switch as opposed to a push pull on most of these preamps. Most of the preamp circuits are all encompassing. The only one I can think of where a push/pull series/parallel would work is the Darkglass as you provide your own Vol/Tone/Blend for that. Hope that helps!

where does the grey wire go and also i have the aguilar pick up for my sterling is the symour duncan compatable for this pick up thr name is stc-3m3 please help

hey mr lobster :-), I recently got a sterling ray 4. I replaced the stock pickup with the SD SMB-4A. I wired these in parallel. How did you wire the pickup in the video, in series or parallel? Parallel would be like an original music man. I have not replaced the preamp. nice videos, best regards.J.

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

I believe I wired this in parallel

Is there any other aftermarked pickup that sounds better than those Seymours?

I've had to re-solder Seymour Duncan preamps as well due to those thin wires and bad factory solder joints...and the treble can get tinny and hiss when boosted. Let's see how Tone Monster stacks up!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Bass Clef!

I noticed you placing your thumb on your plucking hand, down on different strings. What is the purpose of that?

The infamous SD SUB

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

It's cursed I tell you... CURSED

anyone got a good wiring tutorial on these? I've been trying to decipher the manual but it's very unclear

What changes did you make to the slap mode contour?

@LowEndLobster

10 ай бұрын

I believe there's a little trim pot to adjust the EQ scoop. It's been a while. TBH I hate the preamp because the wires are too thin and it sucks to install.

I actually felt was this pickup louder than rest ? It is really good for price I must admit...slap mode sounds like a Yamaha actually :)

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I think it was a little spicier, nothing else was changed in the environment levels wise

Mid targeting? I think the musicman pickup location alone is a mids bullseye! Preamp is icing.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jon!

Hi. Did you do anything other than the instructions said? I am asking because SD states on their site that the two are not compatible. From SD website under the SMB-4A: NOTE: this pickup is designed for use with the stock Music Man pre-amp and selector switch intended for a 3-coil system. Will not work with our STC-3M3 or -3M4 preamps.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

The switch goes into the preamp. Triple coil is for sterlings but it will work. They don't want people to try and wire up the triple coil direct to the pre

@paulsenfly

3 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster So my Sterling SUB which has a SMB-4A already, will have no problem using the STC-3M3/4 preamps? Do you recommend another preamp that will do the trick? My old preamp is busted, and running the pickup straight to the jack is NOT versatile at all :) Thanks you for your videos, they are really good!

It sucks about the wiring, but this thing sounds really good nonetheless.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed, the wiring quality was my only knock. Everything else was stellar!

Sounds pretty similar to a top end MM stingray.

Could you make one with the ceramic version?

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion Xavier! Not this time around, but next time we explore some Stingray pickups we'll go for some more unorthodox choices.

💙👊😎

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

:)

I have this preamp! I still can't deside if I like slap mode tho. Also, what's are the settings for the slap mode?

@jonsidell3338

3 жыл бұрын

In the cavity there are 2 trim pots that control the amount of boost for the bass and cut for the mids. If you set the boost and cut to their minimum you get a very usable tone. The slap boost is 80hz, verses the bass control at 20hz. Gives a more in the gut punch. If you miss the mids that get scooped you can bring them back in. If the bass is overwhelming you can reduce the 20hz bass and give your amp a break. Have fun!

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jon! Nailed it

@nathanchalcraft6919

3 жыл бұрын

@@jonsidell3338 reducing them to minimum. That seems like a good idea! I'll try it!

@chuckhollins9891

2 жыл бұрын

Hello John I have the same question as Nathan Chalcraft regarding the settings for the slap contour , thanks for replying back with the info and I appreciate your videos they're very helpful and hope you continue to make more of these , thanks !!

I am getting this combo tomorrow. Does anyone have any tips for dealing with the small wires?

@LowEndLobster

10 ай бұрын

Don't mess up LOL! In all seriousness, take your time and don't put any unnecessary strain on the wires

@samuelbrainsample

10 ай бұрын

@@LowEndLobster soldering is so 20th century. Gotta be a better way.

@LowEndLobster

10 ай бұрын

@samuelbrainsample EMG, pickups of the future! Hahaha

@samuelbrainsample

10 ай бұрын

@@LowEndLobster yeah, I see what you mean. I want/need a three knob (really 3-hole) system. Since stuff is coming today, I'll just have a long look at it.

Seems to me highs are set a bit too high - they seem detached from the rest of the frequencies. Just like with the EMG set, it sounds best with bass and treble centered and mids boosted a bit. Overall not bad, but nothing to be crazy about either.

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeah I agree, it's a nice set but is a bit on the bright side. This was definitely in the middle ground for me of like it/hate it with the thin and cheap wiring bringing me over the edge to 'meh'.

I t must be asked: Did you already film *ALL* these demos on one day and then space out their release, or are you just throwing back on the same outfit every day as you record? Ya know what, nvm I don't wanna know...

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Lol yeah most are in one sitting. I can film like 5-6 vids in a day ;P

@russellzauner

3 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster needs to invest in green suit/hat/wig/etc

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

@@russellzauner Who says I don't have em already? ;P

Are you gonna mod a sub 5er?

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Great question! Short answer: Yes... BUT the SUB5's are a little less mod friendly due to the different pickup shape/sizes for the Stingray 5's. Some of them have the little elephant ear nubs around the screws, but others are just a rectangle (USA Ray5) with no nubs. The Ray4 IMO is more straight forward to mod overall.

Is the pickup passive?

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

Yes

do u have the wireing video

@LowEndLobster

2 жыл бұрын

Not for this one. This was before I started doing that style of video

your reverb link does not work

No idea how anyone can fit that preamp into that cavity

@LowEndLobster

3 жыл бұрын

It was a squeeze for sure, but we got it in there! However the thin wires on the preamp definitely presented some challenges as well.

@michael_caz_nyc

2 жыл бұрын

@@LowEndLobster That-alone would give me hesitation to go Seymour Duncan. I'd go with the more Reliable components.