drTStingray

I do hope the handful of vitriol spurting contributors to this thread aren't smokers - there surely is an immediate and severe self-combustion threat...😧😧😂😂😂

An excellent post - the only point I would take issue with is comparing Fender to VW/Audi - that would require Fender to base its product on modern design and engineering, and have a highly developed customer focus (and be profitable), and (in the case of Audi and to a lesser extent VW) be an upmarket product. It's of course none of those things!! Maybe Vauxhall/GM is a better analogy.

Sorry - Ric go after copies as well as counterfeit - different things (slightly in some cases)!! Btw you will need paranormal assistance to get Ernie on the phone!!

Counterfeiting is a major thorn in the side of particularly manufacturers of high end goods of all types. From trainers to perfume to high end watches - often with meticulously copied packaging. It's often sold through criminal outlets. I'm not sure how big the counterfeiting of instruments is but they generally seem unlikely to fool a knowledgable buyer (yet) and I have read about manufacturers going after retailers selling this rubbish - having goods confiscated. Which is what the (reviled by some) Rickenbacker do amongst other firms. Curiously Fender don't seem to bother generally - which gives the impression they don't feel obliged to look after customers of their instruments - funny old world, no one seems to complain about that approach!!

Thanks for the response, and very interesting - not a good experience with him then or that finish, which sounds like it had issues from the start. I'm guessing this was in the earlier days of the Ric forum? I suspect that most manufacturers prefer to deal with instrument issues direct with the customer through whatever customer services operation they have rather than in public on their own Internet forum, for obvious reasons. That said if you get nowhere with that, I guess raising it on their forum raises the matter and you can talk to people with the same problem - or better still on somewhere like this site or one of the other bass guitar forums. If you're buying a car you can usually identify potential issues other owners have had by trawling the Internet, and forums like this one but dedicated to the type of car you're buying - but the thing is they are never forums run by the manufacturer. I think therein lies the issue with raising instrument issues on a manufacturer forum as a general principle, quite apart from the potential legal issues created by the manufacturer's response (which is why they often don't reply on a public forum these days - directing people to an appropriate channel of communication). It has to be a direct one to one conversation. I think in the early days of forums and wider use of the Internet, there did tend to be occassional vitriolic exchanges - probably a case of company individuals learning how to deal with the new media, or even recognise that it requires specialist communication skills. Im guessing these points just show him to be passionate about his company, regardless whether the responses in certain instances are appropriate.

No slaying of CEOs? You sure? 🤔 Interesting to read some of the other posts as well - it sounds like Rickenbackers are pretty good instruments - they're certainly popular as you see them in use quite often. John Hall seems to be doing a pretty good job of running his company. I suppose with the most famous bass guitarist ever having used one for a significant and productive period you've got all the exposure you need (I didn't mean Lemmy or Chris Squire!!)

Yeah me too - and I'm not a defender either - never owned one or played one - always liked their sound (in some people's hands) and their quirky Art Deco looks. I do, like others who've posted, admire firms which try and protect their products and also as a result their existing and potential customers - and I can understand how that can annoy people who want to buy copies and counterfeits of the real thing. Presumably the main point is these would be cheaper - I guess you just have to save up and buy the real thing if you want one - and plan to sell it later.

So nice to hear a positive view on this subject - judging by the number of people I see playing Rics, I can only think most of them don't bother to join bass forums as you don't hear much from them here. Whilst Mr Hall's treatment of the powers that be at Basschat was certainly nasty, as stated above, the guy is simply protecting his brand from counterfeiters - even Talkbass has banned threads in praise of counterfeits. The merciless slaying of this CEO on here does smack a bit of artists (painters) attacking windmills in the olden days..... or even school kids bemoaning a particular headteacher 😀

Sterling Ball's a good bass player (and guitar player). Not essential for a CEO of a musician instrument maker to do this but is probably helpful. Ive heard it said that somewhere in the senior leadership of the organisation of the amorphous mass known as FMIC there are people who play the instruments or even sing.

Couldn't have said it better myself. This is absolutely correct.

He's looking a little statesman-like and potentially litigious in this view. Does John Hall play bongos on famous cartoons as well (I had heard the bass on the Charlie Brown cartoons was a Rickenbacker - not sure if he played it though) 😐

Max Roach and Charlie Mingus Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman (love the way they look cool and also slightly disdainful of the whole thing and possibly their flouncing band mates in some of the televised performances of singles)

I can think of quite a few but this one is fabulous:- Phil Gould Mark King Boon Gould Classic Level 42 line up and my favourite Level 42 drummer (though the current one is great as was Gary Husband).

This is basically it (production year/period) but there are also 5 string and Sterling variants. This web site page gives the headstock information with some photos to illustrate (the Subs are at the bottom of the page). They were introduced in 2003 and ceased production in 2006 - the Stingray version was either passive or active but from observation the passive ones seem far fewer in number. The production years for the different logo differ slightly from what you've said (I have a Sub 5 from late 2003 with the early logo, which continued into 2004). http://www.musicmanbass.global/headstock-logos-part-2/

I had exactly the same problem - in fact watched the most recent and then realised it was the wrong one - it was the third one back today - will be the fourth back tomorrow as there's been another installment today!! I think it was episode 15 - you can tell because the first people in are the Hot Chocolate bassist's wife and son. Very interesting case it arrives in as well - looks like a 70s bespoke or home made design.

Strangely, I had thought they were something produced when I pressed the button and turned the knob on my Ashdown amplifier stating sub harmonic generator. I subsequently found this is effectively similar to an octaver producing one octave below the plucked note........ I think - as well as the plucked one - or is it an additional low harmonic? Doesn't sound like it to me. As for wood resonance, if the materials had no impact at all on the string resonance (and thus the vibrations which the pick up takes) then all Bass guitars would generally be literally planks with pick ups attached (or made of hardboard like Danelectros). I have similar makes and designs of bass, some with differing body woods, or neck woods and there is quite an effect between say poplar and ash, alder and mahogany. It possibly doesn't make that much difference if you're looking for thump rather than more defined notes - the different body wood tends to accentuate, for instance, highs, low mids or bass. The effect is probably more subtle to the casual observer - to the player it can be quite significant, for instance in impeding or assisting playing certain phrases and nuances of style. The ability to accomplish those or not would be audible to someone listening.

People often forget one of the first bassists in a popular band using fretless was Boz Burrell of Bad Company. And some great bass lines he produced as well. Songs like I Can't Get Enough of Your Love and Feel Like Making Love are on Fretless and sound far better on one in my opinion. They're also not too difficult and thus excellent for a fretless beginner. Best of luck with it.

That's an interesting song to learn - however advice to join Talkbass should be ignored as it's likely even fewer bass players there can play with a reggae feel there as can here. I can't tab it or provide a transcription but can tell you the bass part is built around 5th, octave, 5th, root patterns or the reverse throughout - largely matching the chord changes - the timing is very much reggae - the 5th leads into either an octave or root which is then a double note. There is a bar with no notes in between each bass phrase apart from when he plays a run down. Try it against the actual song, using the chord chart provided above. The feel's really important to make this work - generally each phrase is quite busy (6 notes) around that pattern followed by a bar's rest. I just had a go at it and it seems to work like that - especially with the reggae drums feel. Let us know how you get on.

Absolutely right - there was virtually nothing available other than your listening and playing skills!! Occasionally you might find a piano arrangement including the bass part!! I owe a lot of my more recent knowledge of more complex stuff to more recently available Hal Leonard, Stuart Clayton (he does good video stuff as well as excellent books), the late lamented transcriptions in the old Bass Player Magazine - and SBL. And Standing in the Shadows of Motown and Jaco, Louis Johnson and Flea instructional videos. There's a vast amount available to bassists these days.

Yes - and he does comment somewhere in the interview about not liking them (quite discretely)!!

My SR5HH Special gets the most play time of all my basses. It's a fabulous bass and totally Stingray. Like you I didn't originally like the SR5 pg but I now prefer it on a 5 to the oval one. The pg is designed to cover the rout for the 3 or 5 way switch. It's currently wearing black!!

The SR5HH doesn't have a pickguard at all - why would you include one and cover up at least half of the AAAAA quilt top?!! I think it looks great - very reminiscent of the SR5 20 th Anniversary - quite a revered one!! 👍 I also like the figured necks - wish my Stingray Specials had them! Not so sure about block inlays - neck binding is nice though. I think the SR5 is droolworthy but I think I'd be a worried about drum metalwork chips and the like to take it out and play it in public 😕

Some new basses (very limited) on offer - the Stingray 5HH (with 9 volt electronics) looks particularly wonderful. https://www.music-man.com/bfr/april-2019?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=april_bfr

I'm finding the opening page is almost concealed by the drop downs and the cookie item - I'm hopeful Basschat isn't going to become like those regional newspaper sites - virtually unreadable owing to drop down banners and streamed advertisements. It also slows everything down.

I think you're wrong - he's running an on line bass education business. Call me old fashioned but I think educators have a responsibility to be reasonably accurate and not to confuse personal preference with education. The click bait thing is quite wrong as you needed to watch at least half the video to get to the bit where he rules out pre amps. So I think some of you are being too kind to Scott. It is a business he's running. I too was impressed with Scott's video response to the thread about extra charges (or at least he'd gone to the trouble of doing this) - after about 10 minutes I began to feel it was actually being used as a marketing opportunity. Astute business thinking but no doubt the thread was closed to avoid people making too many comments on it!!