drTStingray

He's playing some sort of PJ with a front loaded preamp - the front cover is of the Marcus Miller style. It's got a very lively and punchy sound in places - maybe result of the active circuit and a compressor. The sound on Give Me What You Got is certainly typical of an SR5 (possibly ceramic). Bear in mind he's a virtuoso player. Im concious that it's rarely worth arguing with other people's opinions, but for me, the Stingray is shown across the board to be a versatile bass - if you want to lay back and groove, there's no better fat bass tone - if you want to step out occasionally, you can do that, if you want to play slap solos then the sound is great, if you want to play solo chordal work you can do that (though a Bongo may be better at that). It's sound could be described as iconic. Not sure why anyone would class a bass of that type as over-rated. If you prefer a Precision then fine - for my money they're not as versatile and you'll struggle to do some of the things I mentioned well (lots of people don't want to anyway). But none of that makes the Stingray an overrated bass. You may also notice Stan plays with the bass strung the other way round - I didn't see a problem with him pushing the B off the board - arguably far easier to do, with certain technique variation than the normal arrangement with the G there.

Did someone say Stingray through Ampeg? Keb Mo again - I love this sound and my SR5 sounds exactly like that!! Though not the playing!! https://youtu.be/ygUV3e9nY9s

I'm sorry but call me old fashioned or purist (if there can even be one who doesn't own an upright or a 60s Precision, which I don't) but I thought the idea of these rolled edges were to make the neck feel played in - like a well used vintage instrument. The quadrant radius on the Sire and chamfered arrangement on Stub Mandrel's bass are surely way beyond that? Do they not facilitate or even encourage that technique error which involves grabbing on to the bass neck as if it's a baseball bat? Rather than pivoting the thumb behind the neck? I haven't tried one of these basses shown but am now very curious to the extent I might go to Andertons to try a Sire - problem is I'll probably end up buying a pink (fuschia) sparkle Bongo (if they have one) or a natural special Stingray or some other extravagance I don't need 😁😯

Poly finished ones also age to cream - see most 70s P, J or Musicman - especially noticeable if you take the pg off. Even 10 yr old basses finished in this colour start to change colour.

Very nice - natural/black scratch plate was THE cool look from around 1973 to the 80s. Love it 👍😊

In which case - in my experience - if you want to hear yourself against any level of crunchy low end from guitars, left hand on keyboards, and heaven forbid, some types of drummers, you'll need 300 watts worth of amp and speaker, so you can have a clean sound with plenty of headroom if volume is a problem - remember most set ups require 2 X 8 ohm speaker cabs to get the full output - so think around 70% with one cabinet. You may also find a studio which provides back line and PA - in which case just a practice level small combo for home use would be required - I very rarely play amplified at home - most personal practice is done acoustically (that said, and as you no doubt know, a decent proportion of bass playing is about stopping the bass making noises you don't want - ie muting technique - it would be best to be amplified really to cover this angle).

You mean like this? I can see this helping a lot on a bass with a wide neck and string spacing - I have never got on with, for instance Fender 5 strings (and in the early 70s, Precisions) for their comparatively wide necks. I can imagine this would make these types of basses feel better to play. Everything's a compromise but i prefer a narrower string spacing with lightly rounded fretboard edges on 5 strings. The hand finishing on a Musicman results in basses which feel great to play. chris_b, I can't imagine what era/model you we're playing, but I don't think many people would find the more recent offerings much less than exquisite!! (I've said in another thread, I have an early 90s Stingray with a chunky feeling neck).

Another shout for Markbass. You'l get a great stage sound. I use a Little Mark 3 with a 2 X 10 Traveller cabinet (with tweeter). It's very light but is suitable for small to medium venues, and rehearsals, and more with PA support. The DI output is great - also has a DI volume control which is very handy. For larger venues without PA support I add a 2 X 10 deep cabinet - it's a very loud set up - particularly at the back of a venue. An excellent compact bass rig - plenty of headroom and thoroughly reliable - also available used.

Thanks - it's a great bass. It was a special package available during a one month ordering window in 2014, on more or less any instrument in their range. No matching headstock, but highly figured roasted maple neck (mine is flamed). It seems most people ordering basses ordered Stingrays or Bongos - I happened to be after one of the reissue Sabres at the time, in a different, and unavailable colour. This option was announced so I bit the bullet and ordered it. It also has stainless frets and mahogany body. So more or less a unique MM Sabre - I'd never have got it without ordering new!! I think they didn't include the matching headstock owing to figuring and roasting (not covering it, front and back, basically. The 2007 blue dawn LE Musicman instruments all have matching head stocks (but standard maple).

One of the advantages of buying new is ordering a particular colour you want, which may only be available for a while. I have never seen another MM Sabre in the Neptune blue limited edition colour at all, let alone used.

There are different levels of this. I've seen close up photos of bass fretboards with what are described as heavily rolled edges - these have a pronounced radius between the edge and the surface of the fretboard. The Musicman ones are more subtle, and it is done by hand as part of the neck finishing process. For that reason there may be some minor variation. My older Musicman basses have a much more pronounced edge to the fingerboards - indeed the profile seems slightly different as well. With hand finishing there's going to be minor variation. One of the differences with the US Musicman Sub is the neck finishing - as well as being painted they also reduced the level of work by hand on the edges of the fretboards (per Sterling Ball). Here is the Sire version - it looks heavily rolled to me (machine as opposed to hand finishing) - you would have problems with this on many basses because of spacing from the strings to edge of fretboard.

They have been for some time - in fact, like the neck finish and truss rod adjustment wheel, I'm pretty sure the fretboard edge treatment predates Fender adopting it (for some models). It's quite subtle on Musicman basses but very noticeable if you play one of the earlier basses A/ Bd.

If you're going to spend that much, you really must go and try some out (places like Andertons normally have stock). In answer to your question, yes they have rolled edges. In fact they're all hand finished (like Fender CS). However my early 90s Stingrays have squarer edges. To be honest, the neck shape has always been a great plus point on Stingrays (it was one of the key selling points when I bought one at the end of the seventies - at a time my previous desire had been a natural Precision - but the Ray simply felt right and that sound.....) The latest Stingray Specials continue that tradition - they are simply the best feeling and looking bass necks around, for me. I have examples of Stingrays with maple, rosewood and ebony boards - they're all great. The latest ones have stainless steel frets as well. As I say, try some - I think you'll like them.

Difficult choice Equal 1st - blue sparkle Pastel shades Sunburst Natural

I think you may be getting this confused with the Strat which Cliff Richard imported - birds eye maple neck, gold hardware - said to be the first imported. Jet Harris had a sunburst Precision before the FR one - hastily purchased after his Framus bass was damaged in a dressing room - the sunburst P appears on the cover of their first album. These FR (note all rosewood boards) instruments seem to have been provided by Jennings and created that classic matching guitar look (which lasted about 18 months) - after Jet Harris left, Brian Locking used an FR rosewood board Precision - possibly the same one (until they changed to white instruments).

Period correct and clearly the only choice for a fiesta red Precision 😀

Indeed it is - I was commenting on the fact that Hank B was coolest of cool (and looks it in the 60 yr old pic) - without the need for instrumental ash trays for coolness enhancement........😬👍😂 Ps - bit of nerdy info - that isn't the original Strat with maple neck imported by C Richard - it's one of the rosewood board fiesta red Strats provided by Jennings, which Hank preferred for mellower sound on the Shadows stuff.

I don't want to worry anyone - but that photo is nearly 60 years old.... and Hank Marvin doesn't have any ash trays on his Instrument!! Anyway I know where all the ash trays went - I asked the guy who runs our local pub - like most telephone boxes they've chucked most of them away - those they have are in the smoking area outside - but apparently they regularly get chucked out and replaced by ones advertising new types of beer - always did - or got stolen for personal use 😬😏👍

Of my 12 basses, all of which are Musicman (10 Stingrays, a Sabre and a Bongo), they've all been gigged, some very extensively, but at least 6 have been gigged in 2019. I never take more than one bass (as its too much faff - and provides one more target for the hamfisted drummer and in one case, singer to either knock over or drop some metalwork on......). If I were to break a string (I can think of only two or three occasions I've done this ever, during a gig since about 1980), I would play the rest on the remaining strings. I take two spare batteries in my lead box just in case. However I've only ever had cause to use them a couple of times in 30 odd yrs, and then before the gig starts. I play in three bands (one only gigs about twice a year (blues /jazz/funk) - one is in rehearsal only (ska) and the other is my main band (blues/rock/jazz/funk). I also dep with a bluesy/soul band. I reckon I've used five basses in 2019 most times - SR5HH special, SR5H, SR4HH special, SR4H Old Smoothie and SR4H 3 band. I generally take whichever bass I fancy playing on the day - they're all serviceable and fine to use - unfortunately the two with flat wounds get least use - I know this will be anathema to some but I always get half way through the gig and feel I'm being restricted, dynamically - ive likened it before to having a rev limiter at 3000 rpm on a sports car!!

First step for me is knowing the whole bass fretboard intuitively. Second step is to know basic triads (eg major; minor; diminished) and particularly their patterns on the fretboard. Third step is to be able to play these basic triads based on any root note. Fourth is practice - as much as possible! Generally you should be able to use this info and skill to play most chord charts, if you know the intervals and number of bars for each chord. I have found it very beneficial, and interesting, to delve into particular standards - an example of one which I have done this with is Girl From Ipanema - to develop a bass part; learn the basic chords; learn the melody - then if someone asks you to play a solo (sometimes happens in jazz gigs) you can do so by using combinations of the various components. Dont get me on to modes - it's taken me years to know the major scale ones but when you can use, say a pattern based on locrian - well I still don't get it...... such is my knowledge of theory - I know some but not enough!! And my reading is hmmmm laborious and slow I'd say!!

These and the Epiphone Rivoli were used a lot more in pop music the 60s in the UK than many (and some popular myth) would have you believe. Apparently also used by Mark King on Love Meeting Love (first single of Level 42). Looks a very nice vintage bass there 👍

Good lord, no!! Jazz funk numbers were in the set and I was called to do them so obligatory 😬 I was also using an octaver and envelope filter in one of the songs so playing at 12th fret for a lot of it!! A bit Bootsie/Worrall for that one - good fun though - Stingray Special sounded absolutely thunderous!!

You're welcome 👍 And yes agreed - hat and shades also essential (sunburn and sweat in eyes issues) - the side effect being looking cool (er), well maybe 😁 as well. In my experience, anything over 30 degrees is not comfortable to play in, outdoor (unless well shielded from the sun) or indoor (without aircon). Any events around the end of August are likely candidates for this but this last weekend in the UK was exceptional!! Amp seems to be fine - I DId direct from amp to PA and sound was good - but an extended period in that heat might affect amps - the guitar amps around me seemed to be fine though, loud as ever 😧

Great intellectual debate there chaps 😂👍 I played an outdoor gig on Sunday afternoon and as well as the usual sweatiness problems, I came across some I never had before. For those who've ever played in a marquee and encountered the neck covered with condensation issue, this was the exact opposite - we were playing in direct sunshine in around 32 degrees. Areas of the neck not covered by my hand became uncomfortably hot and this felt very odd - this was even more surprising after playing a solo and returning to the bottom end of the neck which was extremely warm!! Tuning issues occur in these conditions, but my Stingray Special, with roasted maple neck seemed to be ok. The body of the bass was, however covered with sweat...... When I moved my amp afterwards, the metal case was far hotter than I've ever noticed before - heat from the amp itself added to an hour in direct and very strong sunlight!

They're not called ash trays for nothing. Back in the good old early 70s, people playing Fender type basses rarely if ever had the ash trays fitted (rather like cars and hub caps in the same era - they just got in the way). The bridge ones, when upturned, found ideal usage as ash trays - preferably the Jazz version as they're larger - suddenly, the bass player became everyone's studio friend with the ash tray (in those days most musicians also smoked) - most especially those with a Jazz one. Different times, and of course all those improved basses from the early 70s onwards didn't have them - even Fender deleted them (eventually 🙄 ) as a pointless anachronism!! How times change - suddenly everyone wants to use vintage equipment with the ash trays fitted (I love the look of Fender J and P basses with them fitted) - I tried a US vintage Jazz (LPB) and Precision (Sonic blue) and the abiding memory of the covers seriously getting the way of playing remains to this day!! I have mine, seriously cigarette burned on the inside, somewhere.