drTStingray

Colin Hodkinson - Back Door Totally jazz/rock. Worth a listen............and will also melt your brain.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1344962411' post='1771704'] It's really nice that Fat Rich! ........I have seen some with really raised ones on EBMM basses in all sorts of odd combinations too.[/quote] Not on EBMM ones in factory spec, Pete - you may have seen multi pick up ones (as I have) which are single pu ones converted with two after market pick ups in raised pole form. The only other two pu MM basses with raised poles are Sabres with exposed poles.

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1344949818' post='1771512'] I was thinking about trading mine for a P bass....maybe I should be thinking twice about that [/quote] If anyone is thinking of this, try whacking a set of flatwounds on your Ray (preferably EB group 3s cos they have v similar tension to rounds) and then thump it like a P bass - you will find you have no further need to change bass plus, a mere tweek of the EQ will take you back towards sizzle tone, if you want it - and you will avoid regrets like Nottswarwick's. [quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1344953880' post='1771577'] yay +100000 [/quote] Good evening Grand Wazoo - I do remember the days long ago when a certain trans red SR5 was your baby but I accept you've moved on since then - but why oh why did you use spectacles that make normal bass necks look like they have wonky frets :-D .............only joking - they must sound great........and I must try one sometime.

I thought I'd post a few pics of my EBMM Classic 2 band 4 string Ray with a crazily figured birds eyed maple neck. It sounds as nice as it looks as well - Nirvana for me - instant Average White Band Shine album or Bernard Edwards! The bass was one of the first, if not the first Classic Stingray customer order (as opposed to dealer orders) from the UK - it's arrival was delayed by volcanic ash - it finally arrived in June 2010 and has been my number 1 ever since. Hope you enjoy.

Yeah the HH and HS Stingray pick ups have level pole pieces, as do all the SR5s (and Bongos etc). Only the H version of the Ray has the pick up poles like this (and it is based on the original 1976 design). There's clearly a lot of taste and personal choice involved in bass sounds, and what is/isn't a good string to string balance - for me the upper strings on a Jazz and Precision can sound rather overpowering in some situations (especially with the tone control on full). G and L overcome the problem on some of their basses by making all of poles adjustable - infinite discussion possibilities there as to what is the best balance I guess! This is an interesting mod, and obviously reversible if you don't get on with it - I'm now curious to try it myself and see what happens!! BTW lovely trans red Ray you have there If anyone's interested, you can order SR4H pick up covers from S and T - in white or black, if you fancy a change from what you have! Musicman started offering these when they launched the Classic series - in case anyone didn't like the colour the bass came with (eg mine is white (as delivered) rather than black as is usual on most Stingrays) - the white pu covers were apparently available as an option up to about 1977 on Musicman basses and are thus seen on Pre EBs occassionally.

Fat Rich, I've heard you talk about this before and no doubt it's worked for you. However, here's a point to consider. The A and D poles are raised on the single H pick up version of the Stingray - and they usually come from the factory set up with the saddles of the A and D string slightly higher than the E and G - by this means, the pick up poles and saddles match the curvature of the fretboard of the bass - and the strings follow this curvature. By flattening the poles off you lose this (and also by setting the saddles so they are all in line this happens). The question here is whether the problem arises on basses which have been re-set up so the saddles are in line? Of course, the pick up should also be set so the G string poles and the E string are the correct distance from the bottom of the string (if you go on the Musicman bass forum, there's a sticky thread giving FAQs - one is the set up details for a Musicman bass and they tell you the correct pick up height). [attachment=115594:15082010706.jpg] I have a 2EQ (which is more mid scooped than a 3EQ) Ray - it's still set as factory settings - it does not have a 'weak' G sound - indeed recorded live, ambiently, it sits beautifully in a guitar heavy mix and the G string sounds great - on high fills on the D and G string it also sounds great. Another case in point - I have a 3EQ Stingray Fretless H - that has a sweet 'patch' on the G string from about C (as 5th fret) to A (as 14th fret) - where holding a note it just swells to the most gorgeous fretless sound. It sounds just as you would expect a top quality fretless to sound - no weak G sound. All this is with factory setting basses which have not been modded. For those of you who believe the underlying sound of a Stingray is mostly EQ, put your ear to the top horn and play the bass acoustically - you get the underlying MM Stingray sound - the pick up and EQ just amplify that sound and as far as the EQ goes, tweaks up or down the parts of the frequency it affects - it's also interactive - boosting the treble affects the mids and lows and vice versa.........but beware...........it is possible to over scoop the sound on a Stingray and lose the strength (or at least as they sound on stage) of your higher strings..........beware also the sound guy who thinks all basses have a generic sound (usually Fender P.............).........so cuts the mids. Again, you will have too scooped a sound and the first thing you will notice is the higher strings sound thin.......and the bottom strings will be too bassy and overpower everything. As Musicman 20 has said, if you do swap the pick up or EQ, make sure you keep the bits because modified Musicman basses do not sell as well as stock ones - they tend to be a bass that few people modify. Most who have them love them as they come from the factory. Best of luck with your bass.

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1344027219' post='1759019'] Maybe this is the time to go custom. [/quote] Or vintage?? There seems to be plenty of even modded and refinished vintage 70s timber out there at quite exhorbitant prices......certainly on a par with new Musicman and Warwick prices.

This has happened before - not too long after I bought a new Musicman for a very reasonable price (late 2003), they started selling them with the hard case as an added extra, to keep the price down. This lasted about a year before the prices dropped again - IIRC the hike then was to do with the exchange rate fluctuating significantly. Whether prices remain at that level will all depend on whether they can sell enough instruments at the higher price. I don't think these fluctuations affected the price of secondhand instruments significantly. Also, I have noticed that dealers undercut the distributor's recommended selling price significantly so it may not all be bad news.

[quote name='muttley' timestamp='1343816469' post='1755560'] OTOH, people upgrade such basses and keep the OE preamp gathering dust. Not because they want to return it to stock later, but more that they recognise that there is no market for OE pres, because every owner already has one... [/quote] Funny, I thought people bought a Musicman/Warwick etc cos they want it to sound like a Musicman/Warwick etc etc - who would buy a new 3 band MM if they really wanted a 2 band one etc etc. I don't totally buy the idea that there's no market for pre amps - there's even a guy on BC who is advertising made up MM Sabre pre amps - he's had quite a few replies so perhaps people do want their Fenders or whatever to sound like a Musicman - there seems a much simpler and practical solution to me - and if you have a Sabre with a knackered pre amp, no doubt EBMM may be able to help you. I liken this bass modding and customising business to car modding - many people don't bother but there again there are people who transplant, for example high powered Honda engines into old Minis - whatever floats your boat I guess! The point about retaining stock bits is a sensible one - a modded Musicman is not likely to be a very saleable commodity, at least for a market price.

A couple of possible reasons - it seems that a lot of people who buy Fender basses look to mod them with different pick ups and bridges and things - not sure why but it seems to be the case - thus there seems to be a lot of bits available. On the other hand, people who buy basses with pre amps, such as Warwicks and Musicman, Yamaha, Ibanez etc leave them as stock - those that do change the pick up/pre amp on a Musicman often retain the parts so they can return the bass to original spec for reasons of retaining resale value - Musicman won't sell you a pre amp unless you exchange the broken one - the same for all large parts of their basses. Thus the market for mods is more limited. Thus few bits for sale?? Just a theory!

Interesting comment - my fretless Ray has no deadspots whatsoever - oh and before anyone asks, the G string has far more mwah and volume than any fretless Fender Jazz I've ever played. It certainly has its sweet spots, however. You can get the colour specs on the Musicman web site (you can prob have any Stingray colour, and also a matching headstock if you want it). You can find a dealer nearest to where you want on the Musicman-uk website (you can also look at the stock they have on there). I have found having the 3 band EQ can be quite useful as boosting the mid range can be helpful in some mixes/songs, especially harmonics. I may have been lucky (dependent on your viewpoint) with my orders for new Musicman basses - they arrived earlier than planned (2 - 4 months) - in my case this meant finding the remainder of the funds earlier than planned.............

Interestingly, my fretless Ray has a bone nut fitted by a luthier for the previous owner - it never had gouges the headstock side of the nuts until I fitted a set of Rotosound Solo bass strings - I replaced these with Ernie Ball Grp 3 flats (which incidentally sound phenominal on this bass) - but they appear to break differently across the nut and don't dig in to the fingerboard the headstock side. Maybe it's just the way I fitted the strings. The bass has no playing or intonation issues at all.

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1343501236' post='1751533'] I must say, if I were to get another EBMM I would go for a Big Al 5 SSS, it was by far the most fun of all of them which I had. (If only they were a bit lighter) [/quote] I always liked your trans red SR5 - I know you had modded electronics in it but the SR5 is the daddy of 5 string basses - great sound and so versatile. As has been said, not everyone gets on with Stingrays so it would be worth trying some out to see what you think - they are all great basses in my mind - you can get standard sounds which make you smile without much bother - and I have used an SR5 for a range of gigs - pop; classic rock; soul; funk; and rockabilly - yes rockabilly! That was an interesting one because someone I know came to that gig, didn't know I was playing in the band and walking through the building into the room had thought the band had a double bass, only to find me playing a fretted SR5 - which rather shocked them! Now I'm not saying my SR5 sounds like a double bass but combined with playing style, it certainly made a sound to fit the band. If you can get on with a Stingray, you'll find it'll fit most genres with some skillful use of the instrument. They are extremely comfortable to play. I did a 45 minute set this afternoon at a local festival with a soul/blues band - I used my fretless SR4 - it was a breeze to play and I went from thumpy P bass finger funk sounds to Jaco/Pino style fretless sounds, to a track with full on slapping - the bass has EB Group 3 flatwounds - I didn't touch the EQ on the amp or bass once after we started and it covered all of this without any bother - in fact it sounded great. I am told it sounded like a fretted bass on the slap and some of the thumpy finger funk stuff - but very obviously a fretless when played in the appropriate style. I hope you find a Stingray you like - I did back in 1980 and bought my last new one about 2 yrs ago..........hmmm cue some newStingray gas..........

Some more examples:- Karma Chamelion - Boy George Paul Young on Live Aid - Pinolladino Bernard Edwards on We Are Family and Good Times (Live at the Budokan concert - You Tube) Brothers Johnson - Light Up the Night Album (eg Stomp) Sade - Smooth Operator

No dispespect the the OP but the question sounds like one of those GSCE English questions!! And the flippant answer is - you'll never know until you try - a bit bit like sex I suppose - no matter how much you talk about it you won't know till you've tried! As for a classic sound, go no further than the first RATM album - Bullet in the Head is a good example - classic tracks and one of several classic Stingray sounds (with those shimering highs and a bit a fret noise). Another one s Nathan Watts on some of the Stevie Wonder stuff from the late 70s onwards - he really plays the bass hard! I was interested to see Jaco mentioned - the Stingray for me can produce that sound live - indeed it can produce the 'pumped up Fender sound' of the mid to late 70s, where people were routing through a pre-amp such as an Alembic (eg a Jazz plus this on I Wish) - that was one of the factors that drew me to buy a Musicman back in 1980 - I could get a sound like my favourite bass players. I couldn't get that with a passive Fender.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1342864334' post='1741943'] Balance wasn't great though and values plummet like crazy for used ones [/quote] I thought the balance was nice on the one I played - in fact as good if not better than my Bongo. I haven't seen a used one for sale yet - come to think of it, I've never seen a new one for sale in a shop either!! Maybe a good bet to get one used then. You guys should see the white one with black binding - now that is a classy looking bass!

Also want, can't afford. Indeed it is a thing of beauty - even the black one, because it has white binding and looks very nice. I played one once for a long time through headphones - quite a lightweight bass and some fantastic sounds in there. Active/passive; series/parallel, coil combination selectors plus 4 band EQ - what more could you want? Well a Reflex Gamechanger.............some very interesting sound samples been posted on the Musicman website using combinations of coils out of phase and in phase. I think I'm going to have to get one of these at some point.

[quote name='Duarte' timestamp='1342217379' post='1732086'] THIS bass is exquisite. Blew me away when I played it. Nicer than my early 90s Sterling... [/quote] Cheers Zac - good to hear from you - still love your Sterling btw.

[quote name='Gunsfreddy2003' timestamp='1342297423' post='1733069'] Manged to take some pics today of the pre EB neck/headstock and the Classic so that you can see what you get in terms of "better woodwork". I think the Classics do look really good. [/quote] Very nice woodwork there - in both cases

[quote name='MattM' timestamp='1342257606' post='1732334'] I'm jammy enough to own this : Specked up by a Mr Lindsay of this parish. 2EQ, unlined, tobacco burst (newer 3 tone bursts a wee bit too dark to match Pinos),wheel of fortune, 6 bolt. Gorgeous. If you whacked through stringing, mutes and a flamed/birdseye neck on there, you'd be sorted. Mwah.... [/quote] Absolutely gorgeous. [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1342272750' post='1732634'] Me too. Actually I'm not sure immune best describes it, allergic might be more appropriate. [/quote] It's actually very nice indeed, but I'd admit the colour's not to everyone's taste - however I've already got a natural and a sunburst so don't want any more...................for now!!!

Ha ha - I have an aversion to pointy guitars also - even EBMM ones! One or two of the pre EB fans rave about early 80s Rays - something to do with neck feel/radius and a lot of the colours have alder bodies, so a bit mellower sounding apparently. Thanks re the Classic - to be honest I use it most of the time.

I don't know if you're aware but your 82 is probably a Jackson Charvel Ray - according to Sterling Ball, they made them for a while early 80s - I'd try and fund a Classic Ray than sell that. If I had any money I'd make you an offer!! Yeah the coral red is a very nice bass - I turn the bass right up on the Ray and cut the bass pot slightly on the LM3 the bass EQ sounds so good on the Ray. A couple more pics for you...............sorry if this turns up the GAS. [attachment=113072:16042011994.jpg] [attachment=113073:16042011987.jpg] [attachment=113076:16042011996.jpg] [attachment=113077:16042011997.jpg]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1342210797' post='1731926'] You know you're as sad as me and can spot the missing fret marker from 200 yards though! [/quote] Not unless they're side by side, and on a maple board - then at least 300 yards!!! I agree with you, they're great - that's why I bought my first one - Pete bass enthusiasts are definitely sad, but compared with guitar enthusiasts - positively mild IMO!!!

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1342210230' post='1731908'] Luke I missed some........ Different neck radius (based on pre EB I think) Skinny frets Slab body Your post is very witty, and I'm sure you were joking - 1) something that might increase the sustain - yes true 2) something to stop the sustain - yes true - or control it, or leave it as it is - remember you have working controls on a Stingray 3) softer versions of maple less suitable for a bass neck than non figured - a moot point - many people would say something rhyming with ball cocks - any way it's heavily lacquered so highly umlikely to have a down side and looks/feels/plays great 4) a shiney thing - true - and it's about the best/easiest truss rod system available 5) a different sticker on it - yep 6) another shiny thing - yep 7) pretty colours - depends on your taste I guess - some may hate them - is retro sunburst and natural pretty?? Stock bass colours surely? and 8) possibly a 5th string - if you really must! I paid a premium of about £250 at the time over a stock Ray ordered as a special order (as this was) and am more than happy. Now to make a comparison, a bass I like begins with P - I can buy essentially the same instrument with a £2000 price difference - fancy strings, famous bass player name, different sticker, select wood plus less mass produced - nowI think that differential is rather more than I'm prepared to justify, but an extra £250 for the Ray of my dreams..............no prob I'm with you on 90s Rays - I love them. I also put the bass on full and control the zing by adjusting the treble - I've even put Cobalt strings on it - and a Markbass rig - the whole lot sounds brilliant to my ears so it's utopia for me. The old pre-EBs I really like as well but I don't think they look that different - very variable weight (up to 15 lbs!!!!!), maybe a little mojo from age, and sometimes variable quality - the sunburst wore through to the wood on the heel strap button and on the top - anybody on here got it - I'd love to buy it back!! I think the Classic Ray is an example of where a new bass is a good bet. Anyway - comment away - wonder when they're gonna do a Pino Palladino Ray signature...........!! [/quote]

[quote name='baseline9' timestamp='1342187801' post='1731177'] I have a 90s, 2eq eb sting ray, sounds ace, I used to have all the pots turned up full but I fried my pre amp after about 5 years and had to replace, I back them off a bit now Never played an pre eb sting ray, on my to do list tho [/quote] [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1342188172' post='1731192'] so translated... this bass will give you.... 1) something that might increase the sustain 2) something to stop the sustain 3) softer versions of maple less suitable for a bass neck than non figured 4) a shiney thing 5) a different sticker on it 6) another shiny thing 7) pretty colours. and 8) possibly a 5th string [/quote] Luke I missed some........ Different neck radius (based on pre EB I think) Skinny frets Slab body Your post is very witty, and I'm sure you were joking - 1) something that might increase the sustain - yes true 2) something to stop the sustain - yes true - or control it, or leave it as it is - remember you have working controls on a Stingray 3) softer versions of maple less suitable for a bass neck than non figured - a moot point - many people would say something rhyming with ball cocks - any way it's heavily lacquered so highly umlikely to have a down side and looks/feels/plays great 4) a shiney thing - true - and it's about the best/easiest truss rod system available 5) a different sticker on it - yep 6) another shiny thing - yep 7) pretty colours - depends on your taste I guess - some may hate them - is retro sunburst and natural pretty?? Stock bass colours surely? and 8) possibly a 5th string - if you really must! I paid a premium of about £250 at the time over a stock Ray ordered as a special order (as this was) and am more than happy. Now to make a comparison, a bass I like begins with P - I can buy essentially the same instrument with a £2000 price difference - fancy strings, famous bass player name, different sticker, select wood plus less mass produced - nowI think that differential is rather more than I'm prepared to justify, but an extra £250 for the Ray of my dreams..............no prob I'm with you on 90s Rays - I love them. I also put the bass on full and control the zing by adjusting the treble - I've even put Cobalt strings on it - and a Markbass rig - the whole lot sounds brilliant to my ears so it's utopia for me. The old pre-EBs I really like as well but I don't think they look that different - very variable weight (up to 15 lbs!!!!!), maybe a little mojo from age, and sometimes variable quality. I think the Classic Ray is an example of where a new bass is a good bet. Anyway - comment away - wonder when they're gonna do a Pino Palladino Ray signature!!