Project DIY Darkray - AWESOME Onboard Effects Using Off-The-Shelf Parts! - LowEndLobster Builds
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- Looking to snag one of these basses? Use my Reverb affiliate link!- reverb.grsm.io/lowendlobster
Hey everyone! My brain has been working overtime since music man unveiled the Darkray. I wanted to do a Stingray build that emulated the functionality of the Music Man Darkray.... but with a bit of a Lobster twist... Let's do this!
SBMM Ray34 Ash Black:sterlingbymusicman.com/produc...
Artec QDD2: www.amazon.com/QDD2-Quadra-Di...
Artec Gain Pot: B10k
Darkglass Tone Capsule: www.darkglass.com/creations/t...
Noble Stacked B50k Pot: www.bestbassgear.com/noble-eq...
Volume Pot: 250k
Control plate is off of a Stingray Piezo. Can be sourced through music man, and I'll try and get a scan together for easy CNC. I will not be producing any replicas of the control plate.
This bass and all my other basses with rounds are strung with MJC Ironworks Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at www.mjcironworks.com
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
Discord: discord.gg/dzrFMzD
Facebook: LowEndLobster
Twitter: @LowEndLobster
Instagram: LowEndLobster
Reverb Shop: reverb.com/shop/lowendlobster 
Видеоклипы
When you try to mod your bass to replicate the original ones for a cheaper price, but you've made it even better than the original.
Thank you :)
You made a more versatile DarkRay for 1k less than the USA version. I'm sold on the idea my friend.
I gotta say lobster. You got yourself one darker Ray or since it's so much more darker. I'd call it Dark Frankenstein Ray. Or Frankie Ray for short. That thing kicks major butt. I dare you to bring that to church. Ha, ha, ha!!!
How much more dark can it get?... and the answer is none... none more dark :P
I love the "holy shit it works" and that mod sounds fantastic.
Thank you XD! I have never been so surprised that something worked lol
I just watched a video from a year ago, and now this video. It’s crazy to see how much more comfortable you are in front of a camera and how much your quality has improved
Thank you so much Rex! I occasionally watch a bit of an old video and cringe sometimes hahahah (I'm not too hard on myself). I think I might do a reaction video to my 'first review' haha.
@@LowEndLobster that would be an awesome video!
These sterlings with the special finishes are out here looking more fancy than the USA models
I was thinking the same thing. I have a separate review of the unmodified version of this bass coming soon, and I definitely mention how examples like this are SBMM flexing a little bit and adding a little of their own flavor to the instruments vs just doing straight EBMM copies.
Agreed. Was surprised to see one in this colour, it's my favourite and being in the UK, I can't find any. Or afford any.
I own SBMM 34 with poplar burl satin finish, i think no others MMEB is cool like mine
@@russellzauner LMAO you made my day
@@russellzauner what do they have to do with this
Dang it, was gassing over a Tribute L2000... but then I see this video. Wow. Just...well...wow! What a great video, a proven concept, and can't wait for follow up videos. Cheers and thank you for sharing!
Thanks Daniel!
Damn Son…..you created a Frankinbass. I love it! Great job!
You've created a monster! I wasn't too impressed with the Darkrays, from what little demos I've heard, but this thing you've put together is one bad mama jama! That murdered out Sterling looks sexy as well. I'm a big fan!
Thanks Bizi! As soon as I got the idea in my head, I knew that the Ray34 Ash Black was the platform to build this on!
An integrated envelope filter would be cool.
damn man, you're definitely the mod maestro.
Thanks man! Sometimes I scare myself with my ideas hahaha
@@LowEndLobster “sometimes my genius is…it’s almost frightening”
@@LowEndLobster Yes, the "Evil Genius" that I have referred to in the past...lol!
IT'S ALIVE!!! You're a Mad-man, Lobster. You have the eyes of a hawk.
Thank you! I plan on doing a part 2 soon where we add a 'blend' control that many have suggested! :)
That’s the most ambitious mod yet!
I have no idea what I'm going to do next XD! Thank's Lhaley! :)
In the words of Colin Clive from the original 'Frankenstein' - "it's alive, it's alive!" I always knew you were a mad scientist at heart Lobster. I'd love to hear the most aggressive setting with a pick. I also noticed that your cats were nowhere to be seen. Were they frightened off? Just kidding. Another great video Lobster. Cheers!
Hahah thanks Chris! Yes they actually were scared off hahahaha. The last 3 OD settings at full gain shake the house ahahahaha
Awesome job. CLIFF BURTON would be proud of the 5th setting. . Start a production line and sell the pre made pre amps 🤙
Thanks Stuart! :)
@@LowEndLobster load up a power wah into the thing and have the bass plug straight into an expression pedal lol
Holy cow! I mean...Holy lobster! I almost bought a new DarkRay yesterday but panicked and got cold feet about the price (even though I was offered a killer deal) and potential reliability/battery-eating issues.....but doing this on a less expensive bass is...GENIUS.
Lobster you're absolutely mad and I love it!
IT IS ALIVE!!!!!!! Aaahhhhaahaaa!!!!!!!!
ring ring.....
“Salutations.....”
“Hello, Mr Lobster....Indonesia calling....we are pinching that like button.....”
:D THANK YOU TOMMY!
@@LowEndLobster No! Thank YOU!!!! I think we are only just beginning to see you shine. You are going to do greater things. You are a superstar. Cheers
Well looks like you were 2 years ahead of SBMM on this one 😂. Awesome build!
I believe Artec is the producer behind the Bartolini MK1 pickups and preamps.
Thanks Dmitry! That's really interesting info!
Damnit boi.... sheesh
XD I don't even know where we go from here
i learned a lot more knowledge here compared to a regular class session lol
XD You've earned your diploma in Crustacean Bass Studies
LOLs as soon as I seen Dark Ray come out was waiting for the DIY 🦞 version... you certainly delivered! You delightful mad professor you! 😊👍
Thank you Boomer! I think my hair length has a direct correlation to my madness XD
You are on the fence of insanity and genius. God bless you brother, never change.
Thank you Jon! XD It's a balancing act for sure hahahaha
Great build! Sounds better than the dark ray and much more affordable option. Thanks for the build video. I could watch those all day.
Thanks Speener!
Love it! I think you should try putting the overdrive after the pre-amp. To me this sounds the best only because you can kill the treble and get a synth sound. Just squeeze a 2 way switch on the plate so you can have both options. Great job!
Thanks Meyers! Damnit you got me pondering again ahahaha. That's a great idea!
@@LowEndLobster at this point it’s just a 2 way you need to solder in. You have done the hard part already.
I contacted guitarheads, and that's the install they recommend after the pre-amp. Makes sense, the dirt is always near the end of the pedal board...
This is amazing!!! hahahaha
Thanks dude! I'm so glad it works and am so stoked with how it came out! I had my doubts about fitting everything in the control cavity, but I (barely) did it!
All the gain!!!!!!! And on the most aggressive setting with a pick. Also bring back my mids please lol
Damn that's awesome to dial in some hot drive right from the bass no matter what your plugged up 2
super cool bass!
Lol, years ago saw a demo/clinic by Brian Bromberg when he was endorsing Peavey and he got out the piccolo bass and said every bass player secretly wants to shred. I think you helped prove the point.
Hahaha he is 100% correct!
Awesome job! Truly inspiring!
😲 Bad ass dude!!!
Dr. Lobsterstein strikes again! Man, I love your ideas for projects. What's next? A disel-powered oboard genny :D
Thanks Breakit! I have no idea where my mind will take me hahaha
You read my mind Lobster, thanks for diving into this project. I'm super stoked!!!
Love the graunchy tone of the DIY Dark Ray. Nice work.
Ooooooooo, so clean :)
Thank you Zahir!
I’ll be honest, I think you might have a potential side hustle here. Buy a bunch of these circuits, throw them in a control plate and sell them as a kit. Only soldering would be to just wire it to your current pick up. You’re a smart dude, get a Lobster into a Shark Tank 😎
Thanks Captain! If my day job wasn't so lucrative I'd absolutely think about it hahaha
Awesome,thanks!!!
:)
This is awesome! Anyway to add a clean blend to it
So cool, man! That bass sounds mean. You never disappoint with your content.
That is an awesome upgrade!!
Thanks David!
Wow amazing 👍👍
Thanks Paul!
Very well done, fun to watch and a really cool project! And finally, the dog is represented. Best shirt yet.
Thank you so much for taking the time to test this. You rock!!
Thanks Pablo! :)
Cool project, right up my alley. Thanks Lobster 🦞
Thanks Sparks!
Wow! I would love to build one of those!
This is the video I’ve been waiting for lobster, can’t wait to to do this to my SUB!
Thanks Nick!
Excellent mod well done:)
Thank you!
Very nice! 👍
Thank you!
This was amazing! Well done!
Thank you Kyle!
OHHH you had me at Ray, Lobster! Amazing project.
Thank you Nano!
Impressive sounds 💯⭐️
Thanks Pwo!
My god that's amazing. IMHO it sounds better than the Darkray cuz this one can go bunkers on the sound. Thank you so much for this Video as it inspired me to do something like this myselfe with an BTB someday :D
Thanks John Bob! So glad you enjoyed this. Very fun project that can definitely be applied to any bass if you have the control cavity space
This is why I tell people that open source software is better - if you don't like it or it doesn't do what you want, you can just change it so it does.
@@LowEndLobster I actually had a conversation a year or so ago with the Kiesel folks and their routing - in the ads it said some models came routed for MIDI, processors, or effects, and I was trying to ask if they would just route it and leave it EMPTY so I could make adapters to stuff my own modules in there...
They didn't understand andor didn't want to talk about it.
Hey I should ask Aaron up at Warmoth! Maybe they have a standard route already programmed that makes a large control cavity...
@@russellzauner My experience with Warmoth is that they generally don't like to deviate from the standard programs. However, I'm thankful to have connected with Dave Taylor of D.Taylor Basses (the guy who built my Strat body). He's down for whatever weird shit I come up with hahaha
Great job... I feel this is better
Thanks iAn!
Wow .. Lobster your a genius..that sounds awesome..great video.👌
Thanks Phil!
Great stuff 🦞
Thanks Dalton!
DIY done to a professional standard is excellent, you get control, save money, broaden your skill set, i'm always working or thinking about 'projects', many thanks!
Best bass content on RUclips 🤘
Thank you Taco! :)
That's pretty awesome!!!
Thanks Todd!
Thanks for the video
This is the best mod you’ve done so far, IMO.
Thank you!
This is my favorite mod you’ve done man! It’s absolutely KILLER! I might do this myself too!
Thanks Francisco!
This is awesome. I want a darkray. But was waiting for a 5 string model. But hell I think I like this idea better. Now I just need to get a stingray with an ebony fretboard
Oh the beauty!
Thanks Georgie!
Great Content!!!! Saludos desde Chile!
Excellent!
Thanks Vincent!
@@LowEndLobster I really like my Ray34 TBKS but this makes me seriously wanna mod it. All thanks to you man!
I have been interested in those basses but was curious as to how the finish actually looked. I was stoked to see this video pop up. As always great content.
Thank you Basturd! I have a full review of the unmodified version of this bass coming too. The finish definitely varies from example to example. A member of my Discord channel bought one and has barely any grain. Thing is also a BOAT ANCHOR like my last one (actually heavier). Full review coming soon, but I couldn't wait to get this video out hahahaha
You are amazing man! Make me want to buy this bass and do the same. That last distortion is pretty mean and I'm super surprised that it doesn't loose much low end. Very very nice!
Thanks Frederick! I think the key to maintaining the low end was putting the EQ after the distortion circuit. I'll do a more in depth vid on this and play more with the OD settings and EQ sometime after NAMM :)
I like your videos.they are realy good😉
omg it is great, i love it. I would like try with a bass compressor. wow
Thank you!
That's an awesome idea of yours! Since the darkray as been announced, I want to do a similar thing with my Ibanez EHB1005, maybe someday I try to replicate your line of work! Thanks for the amazing video!
This is amazing!!! I've had some Dark Rey lust since I saw a demo, but I can't afford or justify another bass at the moment. I do have a Jaguar bass with a stock preamp that I never use. I don't even have a battery installed I also don't need the pickup switches because I only like them running in series. I've measured the routed space and have plenty of room for a Darkglass preamp. There's a company that makes blank Jaguar plates, so I can drill the holes for whatever pots I want to include. Maybe I can call it a Dark Jag. 😂
What is that?? It really Works! Awesome mod Lobster, the MusicMans Guru!
Thank you Marcio! I was shocked too that it worked hahahaha
I've got an old ibanez SRKP4 which has its own on board distortion circuit, it also has a korg kaoss pad attached to the body so alot of FX in just one bass! The distortion circuits on this project completely blows my ibanez out of the water when it comes to distorted tone. Great job!
Thanks Michael!
Hey Lob! Thanks for doing a DIY on one of my favorite bass guitars!! Of course you know, but I don’t know if you do so I’m assuming (not trying to make an ass out of you or I) but I wrote in about my Frankenstein I made out of my Mitchell MB200GM. I did the most easiest installations that you can do, EMG PJX pickups, that I put in it. Like Frankenstein, it’s a Monster now!! Hahaha!!! IT’S ALIVE!! ALIVE!!!
NICE! That sounds awesome :) Thanks for sharing!
You did well my fellow "low ender". I'll bet there's a huge savings between this and the cost of the authentic.I envy your soldering talent.Because mine are the world's worst I've become somewhat of a "preamp pedal affectionato".and in owning many I can get almost any distortion-overdrive or any other nature of fuzz.I have grown extremely enamored with these pedals and the many ways to use them.My latest addition to what has become a bit of obsession is a Sushi Box FX,Sunday Drive,( Sunn Model T preamp circuit clone) very nice indeed.Stay Crusty!
Thanks Kev! I really appreciate that. My soldering has come a LONG way since my DIY P bass video from early 2020 (the first one, not the Fender one). Before that vid, I hadn't soldered in like 10+ years hahaha and I was never good to begin with. Doing these vids has definitely helped me build up my confidence. Your project sounds sweet!
This should be labeled LobsteRay. Nice set of mod skills you have!
Thank you Tom!
yes have some!
Great job👍 I hope you could still squeeze in a blend knob. For me that is the most important part on the dark ray.
Thanks Din, I'm going to try in the future. I have the concept in my head hahaha
Very cool idea and it sounds great. Although the Darkglass pre-amps aren't cheap, they're a lot cheaper than splashing out on a Darkray.
Thanks Hague! Indeed.
Great project you got there LowEndLobster, I'm not sure I catch everything but nevertheless very interesting!!!
Thanks Guy!
This 100% sounds better than the DarkRay, which I think also sounds incredible. This just sounds better and gives you so much more fuzz to play with. I’d like to play setting five through my Fat Fuzz Factory and scare my cats and dog. 😂
If you ever want to sell this bass or a pre-wired control plate, please let me know, Lobster!
That came out sounding great!
Had a thought for future concepts:
Instead of a traditional blend knob like the dark ray has, it’d be cool if they used a crossover knob. All the way to zero, the distortion gets all of the frequency, turn it up, it gets more clean. Or vice versa!
Then it’d be like the Darkglass x7 in an onboard preamp!
Thank you! I have an idea of how to get the blend/crossover working. Utilizing a "true" blend via a noble concentric vol/blend pot (dual gang for blend, single for vol), I think it will give us the desired effect. I have a diagram written up on a talkbass thread, will probably give it a shot after NAMM
I wonder if Darkglass will release the Distortion/Fuzz circuit in wired form from the DarkRay like the on-board Tone Capsule/Harmonic Booster preamp. This is a really cool mod Lobster!
Thank you! I'm curious as well
Omg! 😍🤘🏻
this is amazing ! ppl can agree with me that the darkrays didn't impress people that much , personally I only like the clean mode in the darkray. this my guy , makes your feel such a surprise and puts a sinister metal smile on your face , amazing project !
Way cool
Thanks Olav! Glad you liked this
Fascinating! For some reason when you were demoing I had a big smile on my face! Looking forward to followup.
On a different note, been reading on TalkBass and wondered what your thoughts were on moving the wires on the ehb1005 for the boost or differing preamp. Thanks.
Thanks Matthew! In regards to the Ibanez preamp, that's something I should definitely explore. Thanks for the suggestion!
Lobster this is absolutely amazing my friend!! I sure would love to see a 5H version, I'm sure up have already seen people ask about a 5 string dark ray, I think you should make one!! Again absolutely awesome brother!!! Shes a dirty gurl lol, I Waited all day to sit down and watch this one 🤣
Thanks Jeremy!.... Damn you and your good ideas. I plan on doing a 5 string ray mod at some point
@@LowEndLobster awesome!! Your the man!!
Feel a clean blend would really make this pop... Using another duel pot on the gain
Thanks Nick! I have the blend planned out. I have a concentric Vol/Blend pot from noble, and the blend is a true (dual gang) blend. I leave for NAMM tomorrow, but I'll definitely be giving this a try when I get home!
@@LowEndLobster awesome can't wait! Didn't even realise we had a namm this year. Have fun
Next step add in a small stone and a silent tuner and I can just sell off my pedal board haha. Sounds awesome.
LOL Thanks Basturd!
It’s very clearly not your first time soldering lobster
Very nicely done
Hehehe I've had a little practice ;P. Seriously though, before last year when I did the DIY P bass build (not the Fender one from this year), I hadn't touched a soldering iron in like 10-15 years... and I was hardly anything close to competent with one back then hahahaha. Practice with all these projects has helped, and each one I do I feel like I get better and better. It was interesting getting Project Mold Smoothie back from the owner for a new pickup and looking at how far I've come since I'd built that (I fixed it up nicely for the owner!). No time to start like the present!
This is amazing. I've been thinking of a way to squeeze a Source Audio Aftershock (or another deconstructed pedal) into my next bass build ever since the Darkray debuted.
Thanks abouc! Yeah I've been contemplating similar projects. The Ray control cavity is definitely a constraint, and I see why they did the HH style control mechanism in the real Darkray (rear route and 3 way switch allows for room in the cavity for activities).
I can see the spark & shine of mod curiosity in your eyes Lobster. We're on the same page man :).
Excellent mod - I especially liked the idea of replacing the trim pot with a normal potentiometer. I've got to try this into my DIY stomp-box version John East preamp. The only missing thing would be a compressor but I couldn't find any ready-made, small compressor circuit boards out there.
Thanks Marios! Dude I was doing some research into small LED rings and LED controllers... definitely can't fit that into this control cavity ahahahaha
@@LowEndLobster An acoustic bass Lobster. An acoustic bass is what you need hahaha.
@@MotoGreciaMarios LOL
Love this concept, and there's so much further you could push it and experiment with it! A couple of things I'd love to see with this:
1. Splitting the signal before the distortion module so that you can add a blend control, blending between the original clean signal and the distorted signal before then running into the pre-amp.
2. To build upon point 1, adding a controllable high pass filter to the distortion chain (post-signal split, but pre-distortion module) to keep the low end clean and tight
Thank you Fray! Great minds! I have already been planning out a stacked Vol/Blend control and have the parts ready, just need time to experiment. I'm hoping that the blend will add another dimension to the different distortion flavors. We shall see! Suggestion two would be a bit more difficult, the control cavity is TIGHT right now.... but the stacked Vol/Blend is something I'll hopefully have done in time for an in depth vid on this bass
@@LowEndLobster Excited to see more!
@@LowEndLobster Did I miss the blends knob video? I was thinking that a three way switch instead of blend so 1. bypass dist circut 2. blend 50/50 3. All In. The benefit/idea here is you can define what distortion you will be using before, inbetween songs, , and when its time to kick it in its a flip of a switch away, instead of dialing in the desired setting and gain structure, it will be preset , gain and setting , for the Chorus of a song for example. Just another option.
Nope, this project got a little too complicated with the limited space in the cavity and I abandoned it. Sorry! I should make a note in the description
@@LowEndLobster I am grateful for all your contributions to our community. You are a bright light in a dark ocean. I have done this modification to my Sterling Music man Stingray, with the tone capsule, oh and the gain knob too, The gain knob is clutch.
I digress, but I could go on, mostly about my appreciation for you and your work. I would love to see you perform.
Keep up the good life.
My PJ bass sounded just like that when I cranked up my amp, but then I replaced my broken speaker and it sounded good again.
Thank you Ziltar!
Hello Lobster, new sub here. Actually not sure why I wasn't subscribed earlier. Bass player for over 20 years here. My next bass I want to get is one of those Sterling double humbuckers. Very good work on the modifications. I've had good luck with Artec stuff. You should also check out another company called Guitar Fuel. They have dropping preamp kits with three band EQ and variable mid shift with a fixed Q. I think they're most expensive unit is like 70 bucks USD. I have one in my five string Fairlane, it was a very good inexpensive alternative compared to my 6 string Peavey Grind with 45 DC EMG and the BQS system EQ.
Ohhhh Yeah baby.
This is awesome. First off, my absolute favorite Sterling by Music Man Stingray Ray34 is the Black Ash. I also like the natural Ray34, and some colors are OK, but none of them really are awesome like the Ernie Ball color selections.
But that Black Ash Ray34, is so freaking cool, I love it.
BUT
Sorry, I have to take of the clear pick guard, and put a real colored one. Even if just black or white, I need to have the teardrop pick guard. I would loe to get an orange or orange pearl for it, but super hard to find.
any of the colored Pearls could look good, Red or Blue, white, etc….
IDK, if its just me or not, but I need the teardrop,
Now, all the extras you are putting into this, AMAZING.
I wonder how many people willl copy you, considering the limited number of Dard Rays they are buuilding. 50 I think.
Plus they are doing three Tim Commoford signature stingrays. Regular, short and passive I beleive, but they are making onoy 50 of each of those too.
They all have ramps on them. I have been meaning to try out a ramp, and heard they are really nice to have, so since seeing his signature models come complete with a ramp, I am getting one for my Ray4 to try out, for sure.
Anyyway, back to this Dark Ray mod, great, awesome, amazing, excellent. So cool, thanks Lobster
Thanks Toby! Yeah this is a great looking bass and I 10000000% agree on the pickguard. It looks super cheap in person too lol. I'm going to do a follow up on this where we add the 'blend' control. I have the schematic in my head, just need to find time to do it hahaha
@@LowEndLobster Hmm, looks like my comment about WD Music pickguards was deleted. If I broke a site rule, I apologize. Should I not post URLs in comments?
@@goosegaskins wha? I didn't delete anything. Sometimes the filter puts them on hold. It's a weird bug. I only delete hate comments and bot spam, anything else is fair game my friend!
@@LowEndLobster I’m sorry if I came off accusatory-didn’t mean that at all!
Glad to know I got algorithm’d, rather than breaking rules. 😂
Well, you can always use a separate preamp and separate overdrive pedals... but having everything at hand without any additional cables, power adapters etc. is so useful. I have some basic pedals, but rarely use them because plugging straight into an interface is much easier and quicker.
Maybe I should mod my ATK ;)
Update: I did the mod yesterday. The QDD2 sounds great with the ATK :) It's the best sounding and at the same time the simplest overdrive I've ever had.
Sweet! That sounds awesome! Congrats on the successful mod