rodney72a

Tort looks good on pretty much everything apart from blues and greens.

An investor would want a return. A collector - not necessarily.

Why unplayable?

If there is a better bass shop in the country, I'd sure like to know. Have been a customer since 2001. Sold instruments on commission, bought amps, strings, bits and pieces, had lots of setups and repairs done. Always top-notch service from Martin, John, and now Charlie. The best.

Nice! Was yours a new order? Just wondering whether they actually still make the Chocolate Burst ones... Great basses.

Oliver Poschmann is the bassist on Motown The Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre. He also did Rock Of Ages in the West End and the German production of We Will Rock You for many years. Brilliant player!

Yes, terrible.

A B027XXX serial number usually means the instrument is from 1988. Those B027XXX serials generally aren't in the EBMM database, however, you could try submitting the number without the 'B' prefix - that might produce a match. Other than that, you can take the neck off to check; there will be date stamps in the neck pocket and on the neck heel. Pots are also stamped with a date code although that's less accurate as they would sometimes use up stock from previous years. Often there is also a sticker on the back of the volume pot with a handwritten date on it. I agree with drTStingray about values. Condition and originality are key. OHSC is definitely a plus, if it is indeed the original one. You don't see many StingRays from those years with the original case, at least if they were originally purchased this country. Someone from Strings & Things who already worked for the company back then once told me that in those days the instruments were usually imported in a fortified shipping box/container and held in place by some sort of neck brace. Other importers/distributors may have handled that differently - for instance, my 1992 Sunburst SR4 bought from new at a shop in Germany did come with the original case.

That brings back some memories - my first StingRay was a 1992 Sunburst, 2-band, rosewood. Quite weighty, but what a bass! Great sound, very comfortable neck, quite slim back to front. Lacquered, which I prefer. Lots of wear, marks, dents etc. Still have it, I don't think I could ever part with it. The 3-band on the SR4 started in 1987, by the way. As for neck profiles... I have measured the depth of some of my necks and there are definitely some differences. I can't really comment on the very recent SR4s though - my youngest 'standard' SR4 is from 2007, all the newer ones are Classics or Old Smoothies and they have a different profile anyway. The new line looks fantastic - I have spent a lot of time over the years trying to find light(-ish) SR4s and SR5s, so this weight reduction programme is most welcome! Will be interesting to see how the new preamp, magnets, bridge etc will affect things. Can't wait!

A.J. from EBMM Customer Service going through the new colours: Early favourites for me are Aqua Sparkle, Envy Green, Chopper Blue but hey - they all look great! There will be orders.

Pick-up cover ties in with the binding. Works great.

[quote name='LoneFurrow' timestamp='1507893397' post='3388596'] I'm a massive sucker for a tort pickguard. You can put it on pretty much anything and I'll be drawn to it :-) [/quote] Apart from greens and blues, obviously. Works especially well with blonde finishes and variations thereof. Never been a big fan of the EBMM tort but they got it spot-on with this one!

[quote name='LoneFurrow' timestamp='1507881448' post='3388464'] Done - album updated with more pics - [url="https://imgur.com/a/1sVFX"]https://imgur.com/a/1sVFX[/url] After further study last night, I can see there is a subtle amount of grain visible, but it's almost impossible to pull out in photos. Geeky details... Nut width: 45.23mm Depth at 1st fret: 21.50mm Depth at 12th fret: 25.02mm String spacing: 18mm Weight: 4.460kg / 9lb 13.3oz I'm only aware of one for sale at the moment - The Bass Gallery in Camden have a maple 'board version, although it's not on their website. It was certainly in stock when I was in the shop on Tuesday this week. I'm sure there are others around, but couldn't hazard a guess where! Hope that helps. [/quote] Great pics, thanks for posting!

[quote name='LoneFurrow' timestamp='1507801280' post='3388005'] Mine isn't particularly "transparent" in terms of body, but it's still very lovely. Not sure if Imgur works, but a few pics here - [url="https://imgur.com/a/1sVFX"]https://imgur.com/a/1sVFX[/url] [/quote] Great pics! Could you possibly add one of the back of the body?

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1507722527' post='3387431'] Do you own both of these basses ? Is there much difference in tone between the two basses ? [/quote] Haven't plugged them in yet! :-) For sound, you best consult the Tony Levin video anyway: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I5y_NBdV_0 The rosewood bass is one EBMM had at NAMM and it must have later made it into the above video before it found its way across the pond. Exact same figuring on the pickguard and headstock. The necks feel great, especially if you prefer the lacquered, pre-1993, variety. Curiously, only the rosewood bass has a finish that could be described as 'transparent' - you can see a bit of grain but it's subtle, whereas the finish on the maple bass is opaque. I've heard from a couple of others who have these that their finishes are also opaque. Lovely colour though!

My heaviest, at 5.06 kg. The colour takes off at least a couple of pounds though...

Nice demo by Dave Marotta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf7Nxbebdqw