drTStingray

When I started gigging seriously at the end of the 70s, the guitar shops (in the U.K.) I frequented stocked ONLY Rotosound Bass strings. They tended to be on view only in single strings. I never had enough money to buy more than single strings anyway - I’m guessing they sold a lot of Gs!! I remember, when I was playing in a touring disco/funk band in the early 80s, breaking a D string on my Stingray (which I bought new around 1980), about half way through the set - playing octave bass lines created somewhat of a problem leading to some improvised positions and techniques….. and a trip to the guitar shop for a Rotosound bass D string at the next opportunity. Bear in mind I asked for ‘a bass string’ of whatever position I wanted (almost always G) and got given a Rotosound of whatever was the standard gauge - I got the impression that’s what everyone used. In those far off days no one used flatwounds and there was little choice for bass players. Of course, it was a different time, when even players at the pinnacle (eg Pino) generally only played one bass - and mere mortals certainly did. The days of dentists and other professionals storing and displaying multiple high end instruments were unheard of dreams yet to be thought up - mind you I recently asked my dentist, a very pleasant young lady, how many guitars she has……… she looked rather strangely at me so maybe it’s one of those musician tall tales that’s a complete fantasy 🤣🤣

I’ve got two fretless basses:- 1) 1993 Stingray 4 string, 3 band EQ, in what they used to call sunburst, but later honeyburst. Has a crazily figured neck, pau ferro fretboard. Purchased in 2010. 2) 1992 Stingray 5 fretless in blueburst - also with a crazily figured neck. Has a rosewood fretboard also with striped figuring. Purchased in 2023 or so. Ive played both in gigs - I find the 5 string more of a handful to achieve good intonation. The 4 string was used in every gig for a period of about 3 years whilst I was in a rockabilly band. I play both of them sometimes at home - however I find I need to play them for a couple of hours to start to get the best out of them! Probably just down to me and my poor technique habits being displayed more readily on fretted than fretless. Stingrays make superb fretless basses (well fretted as well 😀)

Yeah I suspect they extended the run and issued them to coincide with an anniversary - and added white as an option - I recall them placing ads in the bass magazines based around a large Union flag. @dub_junkie no doubt got his from the initial run - I also recall they advertised it as a real Stingray for less than £1000 (even though it was very marginally less)!! Marcus was playing his original modified Jazz bass, with Bryan Ferry - I remember at the time thinking how dreadful the bass sound was on that - it looked like he was struggling with the stage sound as well - we were all used to hearing Alan Spenner play a Wal on Roxymusic stuff. By contrast, Pino’s sound on the Paul Young set was astonishingly good!! But then it always seemed to be, in those far off days when guitarists didn’t have to be the loudest instrument!! Pino played through a Trace Elliot stack.

I think they were red, white and blue - UK flag colours (UK distributor anniversary). I notice one or two demos of the Pino Stingrays are starting to appear on You Tube.

The only difference between these basses and a standard 2 band Stingray of that era ordered in any one of those three colours (candy apple red, metallic blue and white) was the lack of a hard case and substitution of an EBMM gig bag instead. They were certainly sold cheaper at the time (£995 IIRC) but that was because Strings and Things had a bulk order for them and used the slightly cheaper gig bag (nevertheless the gig bags are reasonably expensive - I bought one for a used Stingray which came in a very cheap cover). They are red, white and blue as they also celebrated an anniversary of Strings and Things, the U.K. Distributor. So don’t feel you’ve been done - it’s a standard full fat Stingray. This is rather similar to the fact that certain finishes (such as natural and sunburst) had a higher new price than say, a solid colour - despite this they often don’t seem to command commensurately higher used prices….. Poplar was used on most solid colour basses made up until the Stingray Specials in 2018, which all had ash bodies for the first couple of years. Poplar was also used on the late 80s/early 90s blueburst basses (as well as the US Sub basses made in the early 2000s). Alder was used on most translucent red basses. Ash was used on most natural finishes and original sunburst/ honeyburst basses.

I would hate to contradict you but an ex Pino signature Stingray fretless (his spare one) sold via the Bass Gallery for getting on for that figure. I think they’re only making 15 of the exact copies of Pino’s bass. The other ones (fretted or fretless) are not relicked but are to the exact same spec as Pino’s bass, as it was when new and at the lower (£3700) price.

Actually, “they” have - available via the configurator on the Custom Design Experience for a year or more! However…… only as a Stingray Special. The Pino Palladino one has the 2 band preamp, of course.

The body contours of my Old Smoothie and my 2010 Stingray Classic (both strings through slab bodies) are identical. So this assertion is wrong. The only difference is the angle the control plate is fitted - the ones based on the early iteration of the 1976 Stingray have the control plate fitted such that it curves up to almost touch the scratch plate from around its mid point. The distance between the control plate and the edge of the body is closer at the jack plug end that on the later guitars - it then changes as shown in the pic (curves up and touches the scratch plate). The later models (such as my Stingray Classic and the 79 pre EB shown in the pic at the top of the thread) have it fitted with a consistent distance from the edge of the body, and a gap between it and the scratch plate. Rather than debating this here, perhaps someone who has a problem with this could email Musicman customer services and ask them about it? I’m presuming it’s based on an early 1976 prototype they have (probably B001028).

Absolutely!! As I say, it appears to be a deliberate design on all the reissue basses based on the 1976 model. That photo of the black one seems to highlight it somehow - possibly because of the highlighted edges by the lighting in the photograph - as I said I didn’t notice it on my Old Smoothie until I checked after seeing this thread (and after looking at some pictures on line). As someone with a number of Stingray basses, I was surprised (and that I hadn’t noticed it!!) The white bass at the top of that link has a control plate that is not a continuous distance from the edge of the body, which was the point I was making. This is unlike many of the later pre EB and EB Stingrays.

The 1976 one in this link doesn’t http://alembic.com/club/messages/449/90434.html?1290992257 Also I’ve just noticed the one on my 2016 40th Anniversary Old Smoothie bass is the same as the black one in the pic at the start of this thread. I’d never even noticed until tonight despite owning it for over 8 years 😀 I shall not be losing any sleep over it - it may well be as per the original bass it was modelled on (an early model from 1976).

There are lots of pictures of 1976/7 Stingrays on line - they all appear to have control plates which touch (or almost touch) the scratch plate, unlike the later ones. They also angle up to the scratch plate and thus there isn’t a consistent distance between the control plate and the edge of the body at the pick up end. Ive just looked at the pictures of the natural classic retro 70s bass EBMM have in their on line shop, The Vault, and the scratch plate is like the black one in the picture at the beginning of this thread - it doesn’t look quite so apparent as the black one. I must admit I’d never noticed this in the pictures I’ve looked at many times and it’s only when it’s seen alongside the later version it’s really noticeable. My guess is they’ve tried to replicate the original ones but it curves up to the scratch plate at a slightly different angle. It also possibly shows up more obviously on the black version. Beware also camera angles - the number of supposedly vertical shots (which aren’t quite) and seem to display offset strings that are shown on web sites seems to be quite common. As @Bass Direct says, best to play your bass and not stare at it 😀😉

I don’t know if you guys have read the spec for these reissue 70s Stingrays but they are designed based on the 1976 version geometry and spec - which is different from the later pre EB version, even - the EB versions have ongoing improvements from the 1985 version to the current day. If you look at the two pics, you’ll see there is no Musicman stamped on the bridge of the 70s reissue, in line with the earlier pre EB basses. The website musicmanbass global has lots of information on the variations over the years - you’ll find the pick up pole pieces are longer as well on the reissues - as per 76/77 Stingrays along with the 3 bolt neck plate and tilt mechanism. They’re intended to be a faithful repro - I’ve never actually seen one but they are good from what I’ve heard and read. Im not sure about the control plate orientation - this did change over the initial years in terms of its proximity to the scratch plate, as did the headstock logo and there certainly used to be photos of the variants on the aforementioned website.

I find some of these posts quite extraordinary - I’ve got 15 Musicman basses and only two have any semblance of strings not aligning across the centre of pole pieces. One is a 2 pick up Stingray from 2007 where the strings don’t align exactly across the centres of the poles on the neck pick up. I suspect it’s because the pick up is the same as the bridge one but as the neck one is closer to the nut than the bridge one the strings can’t align in the same way - however for the Stingray Specials they align centrally on the pole pieces on both pick ups….. excellent for the OCD bassist but frankly not making an iota of difference sonically. As noted below…. The second one is an Old Smoothy which has the strings aligned between the pole pieces as a deliberate part of the design and works fine - can still be shrill if you want it to be. My basses have generally all been bought new and have thus not had excessive tinkering!! However tinkering with things like alignment or relative height of bridge saddles, pick up heights or slants etc can have a marked effect on how the strings appear to travel across pole pieces - and make sure you view them from directly above as viewing angle makes a difference. For those of us old guys, it’s a bit like cars in the 70s and 80s - most people couldn’t afford to have them professionally maintained so did it themselves - sometimes very badly - I lost count of the number of badly adjusted pairs of carburettors I came across……. not wishing to suggest everyone is like this, but frankly people tinkering with musical instruments can result in very similar effects. As for OCD people, I find it extraordinary they can moan about design errors (which arguably are not, and in some cases are most certainly user error - to put it mildly) whilst everyone’s favourite two pick up single coil guitars and basses demonstrate that appalling hum when you turn the treble up - but no one bats an eyelid!!! Talk about design errors 😂😂😀

And no pre amp or anything else will save such sh*te photography. But also, the strings align over the pick ups on real Bongos, and the pick ups do not have cut outs between the two upper screws like those. So is it a real Bongo at all? Anyway it’s certainly spreading disinformation…….the Bongo is a very well built and designed bass in terms of functionality and sound. 5 string Musicman basses have 17.5 mm string spacing - the strings are relatively close to the edge of the fretboard but this doesn’t trouble people who don’t have the sort of technique that involves grabbing the neck like it’s a club and pulling down on the strings thus pulling the G string over the edge of the frets - I’ve always wondered how people blessed with such technique manage to play the other strings pulled downwards in tune - perhaps they only thump the strings without any discernible note so it’s not noticeable 😂🥴

Looks good but, if you’ll excuse the expression, what a lot of knobs. A veritable knob farm… Don’t you find that challenging on gigs? I find it bad enough with my Musicman Bongos - although the 24 frets are more likely to confuse me as they contradict muscle memory at the dusty end!!

Not from some of the pics I’ve seen (in Sire threads on here and also Talkbass) - some have horrifically tatty looking construction in terms of neck joints and necks. I’m also confused - I thought this was an SBMM thread concerning their new lines of basses but the last page has been purely about Sire cheapo copy Stingrayish basses which are nothing to do with them (or did I miss some instruction somewhere that threads like this and Fender threads should be bombed with discussion about cheap knock off copies?) 🥴😂 Surely the best way to get Stingray sounds on a budget is with the officially licensed product??!!

I was observing my Stingrays which sit in a guitar rack the other day. The Special definitely has a slimmer neck profile altogether than the earlier ones. Incredibly comfortable to play as well.

Fabulous - that’s really nice. As stated earlier, the pick up cavity has an additional routing in the middle to accommodate the deeper protruding long pole pieces.

Exactly as you say, and I run my first run TC signature passive long scale in ‘boosted’ mode all the time. However if doing anything with a bass solo in it, then running non boosted mode at an appropriate volume and pressing the boost control for the solo is very useful. My bass is great - use it regularly - I’m sure these will be as well - it’s under 8lbs.

Interesting - I’ll just have to wait I guess, with a Wal order. I used my Stingray Special last weekend for a dep gig I’m doing for a while. The sound was the best I’ve got with that group, ranging from a really quite vintage tone (with a bit more definition and clarity) to a modern funky sound with a bit of slap and pop included - I really enjoyed the greater control that EQ gives and especially the bass and mid side of it - I think they were willing to overlook the sparkly blue colour (they didn’t actually comment on that) as the band sounded so good with it 😀

All of my most recent MM basses have been at or under 8 lbs - including an SR5HH Special and a Bongo 5HH. There are MM basses around from all eras of production (back to the 70s/80s) which are very light (7.5-8.5 lbs) if you’re willing to search for a long time. All that said, one of my favourite basses is an SR5 (2003 model thus with ceramic pick up) with natural finish and a maple fretboard - at the time of my purchase of it, it was my homage to Bernard Edwards - but I wanted 5 strings particularly for Stevie Wonder songs. It is somewhere between 10 and 11 lbs but balances perfectly on a strap and is not a pain on a gig. However I think it’s the most resonant bass I’ve ever played and has a fabulous tone.

Wow that’s nice and a very rare bird @mikeswals - I have a mahogany bodied Sabre Classic (almost if not unique - they did some (another LE version) with alder body as well). However it’s very good and I’m gigging it currently - and use the H plus inner bridge coil setting mostly! It’s also quite light (in the 8-9 lb range). It’s a 2 band though. How do you rotate your MMs with your Wals? I’m on Paul’s list for being offered a production slot - it’s a slow process but I’ve been a Wal fan since seeing and hearing Alan Spenner use one around 1980 - that said he was also a fantastic player - you could just really hear the nuances properly compared to his P bass - this wouldn’t suit some people but I’m a big fan.

Yeah I agree - various factors involved including impact of Covid, global inflation, supply chain issues, distribution issues caused by shipping issues. Id put EBMM instruments on a par with Fender Custom Shop team built in terms of volume of manual input and craftsmanship - in some instances the materials used are actually higher quality - look how much a new Pino signature Precision would cost - even used they’re on a par, price wise, with a new Musicman! So used prices have also increased.

I don’t know where you get your info from but here are some prices I paid for new EBMM instruments:- 1) Stingray Special 4HH and 5HH - Autumn 2018 - £2250 each. 2) Stingray Tim Commerford passive long scale (one of 50) - Autumn 2021 - £2995 3) Stingray 40th Anniversary Old Smoothie - Autumn 2016 - £2050 4) Sabre Classic Neptune Blue version summer 2014 - £2233 5) Stingray Classic coral red - summer 2010 - £1650 Used standard Stingrays were around £750-£800 up to about 2014 (10 yrs ago) - they are now more like £1500 (more if in sought after colours or specs). Stingray Specials vary in price but even the most reduced seem to be £1700 - again the spec makes a difference. I hope this helps - much of the market for Stingrays and other EBMM isn’t the ‘scratch the Stingray itch’ and then sell on after 6 months as they don’t suit - I’ve also noticed there are people who think in terms of prices in the early 2000s - as an example of 2003, I could have had an immaculate condition Inca silver 77 Ray for £1700 - that would be at least £4k now. A brand new SR5 natural was £1295 at the same time (now worth £1500+).

Hiya @Frank Blank - here’s my take on these basses:- If you have £4K - your choices are:- a) A pre EB Stingray in v good condition. b) A brand new 70s retro Stingray (same as an early pre EB but brand new with full warranty etc). They’re available in the EBMM Vault, for international shipping (only in natural) - the other colours have to be ordered via a dealer (say Guitar Guitar).* c) A brand new Stingray Special via the Custom Design Experience - plenty of colours, pick up configurations etc * d) A brand new Stingray Special in a standard colour via a dealer * * dependent on what you get, you’ll get plenty of change from £4k Used, Stingray Specials are up to £2k as are Stingray Classics, much dependent on colour and spec. Standard Stingrays up to 2017 are around £1500 although there’s much variation. Now some user experience - I’ve been using this type of bass since about 1980 and apart from occasionally playing a Musicman Bongo, I generally play a Stingray. My go to is a 2018 Stingray Special HH - the HH can get the standard single pick up (bridge) sound but you have options to mix it with elements from the neck pick up for a slightly broader, 2 pick up sound - also gives an additional wicked scooped slap sound. It’s a Swiss Army knife bass - my sound is really a Bernard Edwards sound or Pino Palladino circa 1981. I don’t favour the 2 band over the 3 band particularly because the 2 band can produce too much low end bass which can be muddy in certain rooms. If you have up to £750 then a US Musicman Sub is a good option. The bass would be about 20 yrs old but effectively a full fat 2 band Musicman with cheaper textured finish and painted back of neck finish. I have a 5 string one which I gig sometimes. Basses I use currently on gigs:- Funky blues/jazz - Stingray Special usually Rock and Roll/Elvis - Stingray Classic or Sabre Classic (both 2 band - I prefer the Sabre owing to two pick ups) Ska - Stingray Tim Commerford passive long scale Pop/disco/funk - Stingray Special I hope this is helpful - I’ve actually got 11 Stingrays including various 5 strings, fretless, 2 band and 3 band. The 3 band versions give far more versatility to deal with ‘difficult’ room sounds and to be switch sounds slightly between numbers. I still love the 2 bands as well though. I haven’t covered the Sterling by Musicman stuff as others have covered these - the Ray 34/35 are the offshore version of the pre 2018 Stingray (about £1.2k new and maybe the same price or less used than a US Sub. Also I haven’t covered copies.