Some time back, I decided to sell my Sterling by MusicMan Ray4. I had bought it new in 2013 because I needed a lighter bass. I was about to have my first lower back procedure and the doctor told me not to lift anything heavier than 10 pounds. I liked the bass, and loved the neck as it was closer in width to a Jazz Bass neck than a P Bass or regular Stingray.

What I did NOT love was the tone. The pickup was too hot (ceramic magnet) and the preamp tended to be overdriven easily and seemed to have odd center frequencies for the tone circuitry.

I encountered LowEndLobster's pickup shootout on YouTube to find the pickup(s) that sounded most like the original Stingray pickup. Those turned out to be the Nordstrand MM4.2 and Aguilar AG 4M pickups. I decided to use the Nordstrand as it was well reviewed, sounds great, and is considerably less expensive than the Aguilar.

Being a retired electronics technician with a LOT of experience modding basses and amps, I decided to build a clone of the original 2-band preamp that came in basses like my '77 Stingray. The Stingray gets most of its "classic" sound from the combination of pickup characteristics and preamp design choices. You have to have both to recreate that Stingray sound.

So, searching the Internet, I found plans for building a clone of the pre-EB 2-band preamp. I had the circuit boards professionally made, and ordered high quality parts, including the hard to find reverse-log 1Megohm pot used for treble control.

I ended up selling that bass, as I generally just play 5 string basses these days. The woman who bought it had this to say - "The tone is incredible. Bud did a great job defretting the neck and wiring up the preamp and Nordstrand 4.2. This thing is a beast."

Since that upgrade worked so well, I decided to upgrade a couple of other Sterling Ray4s and Ray5s, using the same preamp and the Nordstrand MM5.2. Fabulous results!

There were a couple of people selling pre-EB 2-band preamp clones. One of which was Mojotone and the other was a firm in England whose name I cannot recall. They called their product The Stinger. In any event, it appears that they no longer sell the preamp.

Figuring that other players besides me might want to improve the sound of their Sterling by MusicMan series basses, or their OLP series of basses (which are mostly passive), and other inexpensive basses that look similar to the Stingray, I had a number of circuit boards built, and am now offering them for sale.

The preamps are furnished all wired up to the volume, treble, and bass controls, and the battery snap connector wired to the preamp and to the jack so that inserting the guitar cord turns on the battery, while removing it turns it off. This is the method most "active" basses use to preserve battery life.

The only component no longer available from reliable sources is the original op-amp. The design of this preamp is around 60 years old, and the original LM4250 is no longer available from reputable sources. There is, however, a modern equivalent which I used instead, the NJM4250D, has highly similar characteristics including low current usage so that battery life can be measured in years, rather than hours or days and has no affect on altering the sound.

Here are the approximate characteristics of the preamp:

Treble Control (+20dB/-16dB @ 10kHz):

This is more treble boost than treble cut. This gives it that "sizzle" associated with the Stingray.

Bass Control (+14dB/-7dB @ 40Hz):

The boost curve rises towards the lower frequencies without flattening out at any frequency. The cut response is shelving, flattening out at 30 - 100Hz when fully cut.

As you can see, the preamp is not at all typical - there is no "center detent" on either treble or bass control as there is no actual center point. Leo Fender designed it this way for optimum response coupled with his custom-wound Alnico V pickup.

Volume Control:

Rather than run the output of the pickup directly to the volume control, which would adversely affect pickup loading and frequency response, the control is placed in the circuit before the output goes to the output jack. This way, the entire pickup response reaches the preamp. This means a high impedance load on the pickup while providing a low impedance output to your pedal board or amplifier input.

In addition to the preamp circuit board, almost everything you need to install this unit in the bass of your choice is provided including:

A 25K log. potentiometer used for volume control

A 100K linear pot. used for the bass control

A 1M Reverse log. pot. used for the treble control

A high quality battery snap connector

A battery holder

A Stereo Jack, used to be able to turn the preamp on or off by inserting or removing the guitar cord.

Most other sellers only provide the populated circuit board, but I am providing all the components you need. The only exceptions would occur if you had to mount the controls on the bass itself, rather than through the pickguard or on a control plate. It might be the case that pots with longer shafts might be required.

If you mount the preamp in a bass with no metal control plate or metal shielding in the control cavity, there will not be a common "ground" for the circuit, in which case I have soldered a ground wire from the back of the volume control to the middle (ground) lug on the output jack. If your control plate is conductive (i.e. metal) you can remove that wire. Leaving it on won't hurt anything.

Also, if you decide to side mount the jack, you will need to use a different jack long enough to go through the side of the bass (not provided).

Different pots and jacks are available from a variety of sources. The only difficulty you may have is finding a reverse log 1M control with a longer shaft or in a larger physical size. If you need to do this, let me know and I will help you find alternative parts sources if I can.

Each preamp is tested after being assembled and also tested again before shipping. All parts are brand new prior to assembly.

If you feel like experimenting, I made that easy by installing a socket for the op-amp instead of soldering it to the board like the original design. There are a number of alternative op-amps that will work. You can find these by doing an Internet search such as "op-amp choices for MusicMan Stingray preamp" or something similar to that.

I do NOT accept returns or refund requests as it is way too easy to damage the preamp if you have little to no experience working with sensitive electronic circuits.

I also include some documentation with the preamp, just in case.

Unlike other sellers, I DO provide a ONE YEAR warranty on both parts and labor. The only cost to you will be covering shipping in both directions (usually $7 or less).

Please note that returns for service must be approved before you send the unit back. If you use or change parts (other than the I.C.), or solder on the board itself, that will VOID the warranty. Changing the pots or changing the I.C. is okay. If the preamp doesn't work,or stops working then you must send EVERYTHING back. That way I can send you back a unit that is all ready to be reinstalled.

If you have any questions, or need to see more pictures, please ask before bidding, making an offer, or buying.