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drTStingray

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Everything posted by drTStingray

  1. Really - mass produced to me smacks of robots and machines making and fitting most of the parts together on a production line with little human input (rather like a car). And what do you call ‘mass’ in terms of volume? To me, a run of 100 instruments put together from non standard parts, with levels of skilled human input to various elements, but in a factory, is not ‘mass’ production. As others have said, it’s also not cottage industry - however I’d wager if you attempted to select options from Fender on your Custom Shop selection something akin to this would put you immediately into Master Built territory, with prices well in excess of what’s being asked here. I personally don’t get the analogy with cheaper import instruments - of course you can buy a serviceable cheapo entry level instrument (copy of a more expensive one) for the low hundreds of pounds - you could in the 70s with Antoria and others. That might float some people’s boats but frankly, that’s not the sort of audience/demographic that basses like this are aimed at. In the same way people have bought bog standard entry level Ford Capris, for instance, in the 70s, others (probably enthusiasts) bought the 3 litre version at a vast mark up - they both functioned perfectly well as cars, but the most expensive gave the owner a lot of added value (and performance) the owner of the cheapo one likely couldn’t afford. But were enabled to enter the market by Ford offering an entry level sporty looking vehicle. You can substitute any type of car (including modern day) in this analogy), or many bass guitars. Any argument that the more expensive one was not worth extra money because the cheapo one did the job was so much pi**ing in the wind (or even the type of argument young boys engaged in talking about their father’s cars in the school playground). I can understand guys buying entry level (perhaps student) guitars where they might be newbies to playing an instrument - however I do find it a bit odd when long standing players buy cheapo instruments with the idea they’re somehow getting a bargain and demonstrating a post rationing, early post war austerity mentality (I’ve come across a lot of enthusiast guitar players like this - who then buy a hard case for their entry level instrument which then scratches up the inside of their higher end Mercedes cars when they take it out somewhere). Equally, I find it even odder when those people moan about higher end instrument prices as being not worth it. These are really nice basses in my view, and in a similar way to some CS reissue instruments, probably appeal to people like me who prefer new pristine instruments rather than playing something that cost a small fortune but looks like it needs a good paint job, amongst other things!!
  2. That’s true for Fender but certainly the EBMM US built ones are on a par with team built Fender CS instruments - last time I looked, such an instrument (Pino P Precision) was over £4k new. I don’t know about Rickenbacker but EBMM is low volume with a lot a manual work. I must say that looks v nice - colour wise it’s very similar to my original late 70s/early 80s Stingray - it had a four bolt neck plate, however. I believe this model has a nitro cellulose finish. The radio knobs were fitted to very early production basses. I just wonder……. do you think they may re- issue a natural 77 (as per Bernard Edwards’ bass). Dependent on price I may be interested!! The 76 EQ is a little too polite for my liking - maybe the 77 can be a bit more in yer face (as would a 79). There are several EQ iterations.
  3. As the 3/1 headstock arrangement is trade marked, that won’t be available for long 😉😂
  4. From my own experience - prices of Stingrays - early 2000s (NB certain models may be more - there are more than just a 3 band 4 string) Used - £750 New - £1300 Pre EB - £1750 Now Used - £1500 New (Stingray Special only available) - £2900 Pre EB - £3500 NB a new 3 band 4 string was about £720 in 1993. The price of a new 4HH Stingray Special in a sparkle colour, late 2018 was circa £2250 - suggesting 30% increase since then - 30% inflation in 3.5 yrs - probably reflecting the general inflation rate. Thus the prices have roughly doubled in about 20 yrs - main factors affecting this -simple year on year inflation and then after 2019 COVID - massive impact on manufacturing and distribution costs and delays. Brexit crippled the exchange rate and screwed up intra EU trading. The former will have affected the new costs of Stingrays in the U.K. I am guessing that this is reflected with other manufacturers with the possible exception of Fender, whose previous business model of parking loads of product in certain large retailer’s premises might have front loaded availability - thus price rises for them are probably a little delayed compared with others.
  5. I like the white pearloid best - but noticed yours, like mine, had a matt white with black screws originally. I’ve retained the original on mine - a certain vintage look!
  6. I can guarantee there’s life after P basses - although I’ve played several owned by other people I haven’t owned one in nearly 50 yrs of playing. Stingrays, however are a different matter - over a significant period of time I haven’t been able to stop playing (or occasionally buying) them. I’m told there is a support group for basses which have plastic inflicted on their strings 😂😂 - maybe they can help with P bass withdrawal symptoms as well……..
  7. I played a Ray 34 through a Mark Bass combo in a shop last week - actually to try out a compressor and to use something approximating to my basses/amp etc I was highly impressed - great sound, lovely blue sparkle finish, roasted maple neck and reasonably light - very very impressed with the bass - did the Bernard Edwards/ Flea thing (Funky Monks) v authentically. Not koa though - I’m guessing they may sound a little darker.
  8. They have made a small batch of SLO neck Stingray Specials which were available in The Vault (on line shop which shops internationally as well) a whole back. In a similar way there are currently left handed H and HH Stingray Specials available. @fretmeister my TC signature is about 7lbs 10oz and my Stingray Special HH is more or less 8 lbs. The current neck profile seems flatter and narrower to me - a joy to play! Perhaps try one to see (though I’m not sure where they have them in stock - maybe Anderson’s?)
  9. I didn’t, but I did buy a Tim Commerford long scale passive which, I suppose is similar in some respects (although has a tone, volume, parallel/single coil/series, and boost/cut facilities so vastly more controls than the Joe Dart). The two areas where the Joe Dart differs a lot (and I love the tone on the MSG Vulfpeck concert to the extent I’ve watched it over and over, as per @fretmeister) is……. it’s Joe Dart playing it and it’s through the Vulf compressor - otherwise he’s using the same amp as me as well. I’m about to invest in a compressor (to get closer to his tone and also Bernard Edwards’s as well as some other things looking at) and have worked on trying to play as hard as Joe Dart appears to on some of his stuff. I came very close to ordering a natural Joe Dart but then the Commerford came along and I absolutely had to have that - so the Dart fell by the wayside. I don’t like the Jazz version. Gratuitous pics……
  10. On basses which are set up with very low action, I expect to have to provide a minor adjustment at the start of winter, and then again to maintain the low action after the winter. This is because of the reaction of the wood to a complete change in the ambient temperature. It doesn’t really make much difference if the neck is figured, or lacquered, oil and wax finished or painted, the same applies, but as I said this is largely to do with setting a low action. The excellent thing is Musicman basses (post 1990) have the great design of a truss rod adjustment wheel so are an absolute doddle to adjust - rather than some of those vintage designed jobs which require the neck to be removed - thankfully I don’t have any of those 😄 I don’t perceive this minor variation in the wood based on significant changes in ambient temperature resulting from seasonal change to be an issue. It also tends to occur over a period - having a bass in a very warm car in the summer or very cold car in the winter for an hour or two tend not to result in any significant change (from my experience). I think any change over time is also in reality, relatively minor - after all these basses in most instances have the fretboard glued back on (maple) during manufacture and that is an extremely strong connection, making Musicman necks very robust, although unable to completely defy the laws of physics. For those basses with higher action in the first place I notice the whole bass needs retuning the first time it’s used into the winter or summer as each string changes by a couple or three spots on a Boss tuner. This also applies with low action basses which may need a minor truss rod tweak also.
  11. Mine starts in the early 70s Marshall 50 watt; home made 2 x 12 Goodmans cab. Marshall replaced by home made (by someone else - I had a mate who was a wizard at electronics and enjoyed creating stuff) 100 watt solid state amp. HH IC 100 solid state amp plus Carlsboro 1 x 15 cab Acoustic 370 plus 301 1x18 reflex cab - for large gigs used the Carlsboro cab as well - small gigs the Acoustic amp and Carlsboro. Never had any volume problems after acquiring these. Would have gone down the Trace Elliott with 4 x 10s if I’d continued through the later 80s. From the early 2000s Ashdown MAG 300 and 4 x 10 cab Ashdown ABM Evo 3, ABM 1 x 15 and ABM 2 x 10 Markbass LM3; Markbass 2 x 10 deep; Markbass 2 x 10 Traveller. The only AAS gas I’ve had in recent years was created when another bassist invited me to pick up his Barefaced cab - v light, v compact, v loud!!!! Basses have been Musicman (but a lot of them) since circa 1980.
  12. It’s very interesting but I wouldn’t have gone as far as that with it. And if it’s a wax and oil finish in the first place (looks like it) I would certainly not have lacquered it. That level of dirt might require very light wet sanding before applying the gun stock oil and wax. There is an item on the EBMM website regarding cleaning the standard finish neck. Going back to the comments about the wood on the oil and wax finished necks (and maple fretboards) changing colour slightly with time, they actually do darken in colour with time - I have a 2003 SR5 and the back of the neck has darkened significantly and some figuring has become more apparent (it’s a standard neck - not highly figured maple - however a light clean every so often gets the dirt off (and it is usually the first few frets of the board which get dirty).
  13. I suspect the neck in question has the EBMM oil and wax finish.
  14. I use a slightly damp piece of kitchen roll to get dirt off mine followed immediately by drying with a dry piece of kitchen roll. It gets dirty marks off really well. If you want to spend some money, get a pack of Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes - also work a treat. If you’re going to wipe with lemon oil (I’m not convinced it’s worthwhile apart from on rosewood, pau ferro or ebony to combat the wood drying out) then beware putting the bass back in the case immediately - I’ve found this has resulted in the case taking on an unpleasant smell afterwards……. though not as bad as opening your bass case after a night in a pre smoking ban pub 🥴
  15. I find it extraordinary that there are only a couple of posts in this thread that refer to the apparent pick up design error (is too narrow for the string spacing). Or are people on Basschat not worried about having a bass where the E string has 1/3 the volume (or less) of the other strings?! I can imagine that getting in the way of most bass parts I play!! Pity as the rest of the bass sounds ok (if you like that sort of thing). The other issues can be dealt with (although taking the neck off to adjust the truss rod is a buggeration (design feature/error/compromise) too far for me, unless it’s an actual vintage bass or exact replica thereof)!!
  16. Surely the biggest problem with these basses is the alignment of the E string over the pick up. It appears to be much quieter than the other strings as a result - so is the pick up rout wrong or the pick up not wide enough in the first place? I also noticed that Billy Thakidd virtually played no notes on the E string in his review, but when he did they were significantly quieter. I would have thought, as did Lobster, that that’s a fundamental issue on a bass guitar. Regarding the £ = $ situation, at least there’s a real excuse - since the value of one £ got ever closer to the value of one $ since B**x** there’s a bigger excuse for the value of instruments priced in the two currencies to be closer together or the same when you consider taxes and increased shipping costs. There didn’t used to be, however. The only people who seem to have profited from this situation seem to have been financial traders (some of which appear to be politicians!!!).
  17. Do you mean the volume control on the bass itself on full? If so, where do you generally have the Bongo EQ controls set? My experience has been the Bongo signal and the Stingray Special signal are fairly similar, based on the EQ settings at centre. The 9 volt Stingray is somewhat less hot in that sense, to the extent I would never activate the ‘active’ button on an amp with a 9 volt active bass, just adjust the input gain to suit - however I would with an 18 volt bass (although having used an ABM 500 at a jam session with both the Bongo and Stingray Special I didn’t press the active button and controlled it with a combination of lowering the input gain and lowering the volume on the bass). Note also that active basses often work better without the volume control on full (the exact opposite of passive basses).
  18. I have both types. I would say they’re somewhat different from each other in a number of ways. However both pack, in my opinion a bigger signal than a 9v Stingray (dependent on EQ setting) to the extent I lower the input gain a little to avoid the amp clipping, based on playing the 18 volt basses hard compared with playing a 9 volt Stingray hard - another thought - perhaps because of the increased headroom I don’t play the Stingray Specials as hard… The main differences:- The Bongo EQ is 4 band (includes upper and lower mids) whereas the Stingray Special is 3 band. However the Stingray Special, like the Bongo, has a lot of boost available - very noticeable on the bass control (much more than a 9 volt Stingray). An HH Bongo has a pick up blend control - the SR Special has a 5 way switch allowing selection of either or both pick ups in their entirety, or combinations of single coils per pick up. Although we all know body wood makes no difference 🤪 (various long running internet forum threads show this), the Bongo is designed around a basswood body and painted maple neck - it has a different sound from a Stingray Special and even played acoustically the sound produced has a different timbre. In my view the Stingray Special can sound just like a normal Stingray - the Bongo does not particularly in my view. I think the Bongo is a great bass - I wouldn’t be without mine but there again so is the Stingray Special - I would err on the side of having both if it’s possible.
  19. These look great, as always, @rodney72a. Both with highly figured necks? As I said above, EBMM have always gone the extra mile with their basses. Great value for the price.
  20. Fabulous - EBMM go the extra mile with their basses.
  21. I think Butterscotch Ash replaced Peach as an ‘additional charge’ colour - I didn’t know EBMM didn’t offer 3TS until 1990 - it was always a standard colour pre EB.
  22. I use a Mark Bass LM3 and usually a Traveller 2 x 10, but if a bigger venue I add a 2 x 10 HF. However I was at a jam session and the bass player was using a TC class D amp with a Barefaced 1 x 12? (I think). I tried the weight of the cab and it was positively featherweight compared with anything I’ve ever used - sounded great as well. Now back in the 70s/80s I used an Acoustic 370/301 - and an extension cab (Carlsboro 1 x 15) on bigger gigs - the Carlsboro + Acoustic 370 on smaller ones - very similar to using an Ashdown ABM but the 301 cab was huge - never a problem because it generally lived in the group van!! However my Markbass set up is louder and definitely more focussed and articulate with the 10” speakers. Must try some Barefaced stuff out!!! Small/medium venue Larger venue
  23. It’s sunburst - they changed the name to honeyburst around 2000 and started producing a three tone sunburst as a standard colour - previously 3TS had been a custom colour at extra cost and is thus extremely rare from the late 80s/90s. The board is almost certainly pau ferro although that one looks a little dry - but a wipe over with lemon oil will deal with that! As they’re so rare, Stingray fretless basses command a premium over a similar bass but fretted version. I have an earlier (93) one in a similar colour but with the three band EQ. I bought it about 15 yrs ago off EBay for around £750…… I don’t plan to part with it but if I did I’d be looking for upwards of £2k. EBMM occasionally produce fretless basses these days but sell them via their on line shop, and are often £3k. In days gone by you could specify a fretless but as with lefties, they didn’t make that many. You may wish to consider the price being asked accordingly!! Here’s mine for interest. It goes without saying it sounds superb - the owner of a Wal fretless, no less, was waxing lyrical to me about it at a jam session, commenting on how mellow it sounds - of course, it can do more in yer face if desired!! Needless to say I’m totally green with envy of any Wal bass as well…….
  24. There’s not much to beat a Stingray H as far as fretless goes - needs the EQ and other accoutrements though (mutes are useful as well). Think Pino early to mid 80s. Would be even better with coil tapping (and series/parallel/single coil.
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