drTStingray

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1467274747' post='3082384'] Bought a new Jetglo 4001 in 79 for, IIRC, £700. Sold it five years later for £195. Not so much of a hit at the time, but now...eek [/quote] And the market is so wierd - around the same time period new Stingray £375, sold mid 80s for £475 (to pay a rates bill - yes really.....).

[quote name='mep' timestamp='1467227587' post='3082148'] Bought a brand new EBMM Stingray 5 string fretless in the early 90's for a lot (can't remember the actual amount). I had to sell it to help fund a move abroad a few years later at short notice. Ended up selling it to a shop in London for about a quarter of what I paid for it. [/quote] That's a shame - I have a 93 fretless SR4 which I bought from a guy who had it from new - according to the original bill for it I paid about £30 more than he paid new for it and would most likely get more if I sold it now (which I have no intention of doing). Selling to a shop in those circumstances is always a problem - I sold my acoustic 370/301 rig (as used by John Paul Jones, Aston Barrett, and many funk players) for around £100 in similar circumstances in the late 80s........ I occasionally buy new basses - I have to say I get a great deal of pleasure from them and never buy these with a mind to selling - if I did I'd possibly lose 50% of new price. That said who knows what will be 'desirable' in 15 yrs time. I've seen used Marcus Miller Japanese jazz basses selling for the same price as I looked at them new a few years back.

Crikey - the holy grail.... I could be very very tempted.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1467114431' post='3081250'] I think you're out of luck. It should be before Time Is Running Out and it isn't. The iplayer version doesn't seem to include it. I expect it got the chop, probably for the same reason as Adele's set when she f***ed up River Lea. It was the first time she had performed that live though. [/quote] That's a pity - it was excellent - and finished with bits of Heartbreaker and Back in Black (the unison fast section)

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1467022405' post='3080452'] Is it a Coldplay tune that the BBC use for intro music for all the Glastonbury segments? [/quote] Yep - a newish one - v catchy with a disco-like octaved bass part in places. I love it - can't get the tune out of my head - although one or two of earth wind and fires have been stuck there today ...... especially In the Stone - Got to get you into my Life and Jupiter - it's like 1979 again - with a similarly loony political backdrop for good measure and England bombing out of a major football competition to comparative minnows - the worlds gone decidedly retro!!

[quote name='deanovw' timestamp='1467031065' post='3080584'] That one is a Fender. [/quote] I'm sure I've seen something very like that before - original L1000? Probably a good sight cheaper as well and with a better bridge. Musicman basses never look quite right without a piguard to me!

[quote name='Chrismanbass' timestamp='1467023633' post='3080479'] The FOH graphic should be there to make the PA system have a flat frequency response as possible that way what you are putting in through the channel strip is what is coming out of the speakers sometimes it gets used for feedback fighting but that rarely makes for good results and is only worth doing if you have no other option (including turning down) if you cut 3dB from say 100hz on the graphic EQ of the system that takes that out of the entire mix however if you boost 100hz by 3db on the channel strip it then has the effect as if the graphic was at 0 and the channel strip was at 0 too but only for that channel so you'll still have lost 3dB at 100hz on every other channel (sorry if it feels like I'm teaching you to suck eggs but I have no idea what your knowledge level is) so IMO starting with a smiley face EQ on your FOH graphic and then building a mix from that means that you'l end up chasing your tail and using a lot more EQ than you actually need to which is why i hate walking into a venue where the house sound engineer says "don't worry they graphics are set already and I'd rather you don't touch them" better of to start from flat and then use the graphic to shape the sound of your mix [/quote] You've confirmed exactly what I thought. Thanks for that - it makes sense and explains why we sometimes have problems.

[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1467024969' post='3080503'] I watched 4 acts this morning and the bass sounded fecking awful on all of them, Verdine White's bass sounded horrendous to me but the band were amazing as always. [/quote] It was interesting that his bass sound was in my view excellent when the band were laid back but not so when the band was at full tilt - at times you could only hear the low notes of what he was playing - presumably an EQ and volume issue. Mostly it was at least audible though and some songs was excellent. Band as a whole were great though.

Was it my imagination or did bass guitar make a welcome reappearance at this year's Glasto? I can't remember the last time I heard so many audible bass parts across diverse bands. Watched Trujillo a couple of years back and he was fairly inaudible. Still the kids mistake sound issue of mixing guitars (particularly funk and Jazz rythmn) too high - noticeable on Earth Wind and Fire at times.

I'm surprised none of you watched earth wind and fire - Saturday night's headline - shown on bbc4 at the same time as Coldplay.

This is as much a Flea signature as a natural Stingray is a Bernard Edwards or Louis Johnson signature or a black and rosewood one is a Flea signature!! It also dies my have a sticker on it!! That said it's quite nice - it'd be even nicer with the covers and clay dots.

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1466957429' post='3079988'] Why did you go pre-eq? I always use post. [/quote] Yes my thoughts entirely - I have this (to some people) odd belief that the PA is intended to simply amplify and extend the band's sound to a bigger area than the back line can. Some sound guys are great but what is the point of entrusting the composition of the sound to the whim of someone who, for instance may think the epitome of bass sound is a 1960s British pop recording where the bass is an tonally inaudible thump or melodic boom mixed somewhere with the bass drum when you want a razor sharp Tim Commerford sound? So I go with post EQ and most people have no problem. Re the OPs question, yes I've come across this also - I think it may be a pa EQ issue - I don't do the sound but notice the master graphic is often set as a smiley face with the mids slightly cut and the bass and treble boosted giving quite a scooped sound. Not sure how much the individual channels can override it but my sound relies on mids.

[quote name='bassace' timestamp='1466980004' post='3080260'] Yes, watching EW&F. Grrrrrrrrreat innit. [/quote] Yup - I even picked up a bass and played along with In the Stone at the end (not plugged in) - what a fantastic show - yes grrrrreat!!

You should have watched Earth Wind and Fire on bbc4 😉 Some proper groove bass playing as well. Much as I like Coldplay I watched them on the radio 1 anniversary concert which I really enjoyed and was pleased to get the EWF alternative tonight.

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1466969365' post='3080147'] Who's Dave Pomeroy? [/quote] Famous US session player Now did y'all miss Earth Wind and Fire - what a show, what a tight band and some very original funky bass playing as well. A band I wish I'd seen back in the day. On bbc4 if anyone's still watching. Muse were fantastic, as were ELO.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1466626246' post='3077422'] Hi there fellow Low-enders, The other day I got out a bass that's relatively new to me, plugged it in and the sound was not good. That bad it almost sounded like a Musicman!!! [/quote] 🤔 Outrageous!! A good Stingray sound should be everyone's holy grail - none of this thin sounding passive nonsense 😉 😎 Back to the weather, I would have thought that air pressure might make a difference to the amount of air speakers could move - low pressure (wet weather) the speakers would have less resistance than in high pressure (fine weather) - whether it would be enough to make an audible difference...... who knows but I'm sure someone will tell us!!

It's matt black. The black pick guards through the early 90s era were often matt. My 93 fret less has a matt white pg. The more recent ones and original pre EB are gloss. You can get a gloss black one from a dealer via Strings and Things (UK distributor) which should fit. I think the matt ones look cool though and typify that era.

There used to be an item called 'how to set up your Musicman bass' on FAQ on the EBMM forum - it contained items like pick up height from strings and relief settings for the neck. It may be easier to simply email EBMM customer services with specific questions - they are usually excellent. I would agree with the poster who suggested tweaking the truss rod before touching bridge saddles. The basses usually (in my experience) come from the factory set up perfectly - although I have had them delayed whilst the retailer has their tech 'set the bass up'.. A minor tweak may lower the action as much as you need.

What is nice about these new models is that the limited editions Musicman produce, such as the current one which includes wildly figured roasted maple necks, ebony finger board and a special paint job are available on these 'traditional' style basses - although a mark up on normal prices they're still probably way less than something similar (if even available) on other manufacturer's offerings.

[quote name='Malcspring1' timestamp='1466093437' post='3073324'] Hey Musicman20. I got it from my local MM dealer in Keighley, Yorkshire. The guy who owns the shop is a friend of mine as well. I originally ordered it in Tangerine Pearl, but I found out in February that they were doing this colour (Chilli Red) for 2016, so I managed to change it in time. It is such a vivid red. Stunning. Almost like pillar box red. The 6 months wait has been worth it. [/quote] Nice bass and great colour. Ive been thinking of ordering one the same as that.

[quote name='LayDownThaFunk' timestamp='1466088381' post='3073281'] I've read several conflicting stories about the 'signature' Stingray Flea bass. I've read he wanted to change the model name from Stingray to Flea bass. I've read he just wanted a Stingray Flea bass edition. I've read he wanted a Stingray with carbon fibre neck. Etc etc. Money talks. [/quote] Notwithstanding the Sterling Ball quotes, carbon fibre neck requirement sounds possible also - as this is what Modulus did for Flea - ironically, EBMM produced the (very) limited run of graphite necked Ray's for the 100th NAMM anniversary a few years later. Strangely the same subject was also allegedly an issue for Leo with Musicman back at the end of the 70s (Cutlass basses were the eventual result after MM ceased having basses assembled by CLF Research and Leo's split with MM). The other quote I've read from Sterling Ball was that ultimately they had no issue with Flea, but did with his attorneys.

[quote name='goonieman' timestamp='1465845407' post='3071562'] Howdie, Any ideas on what this is, or where it came from? Never seen it. Seems like a great idea to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuNNEcardJY [/quote] This sounds exactly like a Modulus (more extreme than a Ray) but looks as if It has an Aguillar pick up and controls. It sounds nothing like a Fender to me, but I really like the sound. I was willing to watch but ultimately disliked him playing that classic RHCP stuff on a vintage Jazz which simply did not have that bite and aggressive sizzle which is a fundamental part of that era of their music. I'm guessing he felt the same as he started using the Modulus again. I've seen photos where the new bass appears to have a control cavity rout with the electronics exposed and the Stingray-esque knobs attached to the EQ board, but in line as per a Sadowski. Are we sure this isn't a collection of parts Flea has had put together and sprayed (or even done himself?). Interesting (maybe coincidence) that T Commerford has started playing Stingrays at much the same time as well!! How the world changes in an instant!!!

The single pick up Stingray is a very versatile beastie, largely because, as has been said previously, if you vary plucking position and style you can get quite a range of quite different sounds - and you can vary between fingerstyle funk and cutting slap without changing any settings. Ed Friedland covers this really well in his review - all of that's before you touch the EQ - code for 'powerful, working tone controls'. The 3 band version adds even more versatility. I can understand those people saying they use one sound all night. I echo this sometimes - but other times, even with the same group, I really like the idea of three significant variants on the same theme at the flick of a switch. This is where the HH Stingray is great. An example - a song the band plays has a funky rock blues guitar riff with spacious funk bass part and some unison bits - ideal for the traditional Stingray fat and punchy sound - the middle 8 spaces up with a softer sax solo, ride symbol and little or no guitar - the bass part is very reminiscent of a mid 70s Jamerson -like line and cries out for a thinner, single coil sound - when I'm playing my HH Ray I simply select it with the switch - not impossible to change feel if I'm using the 2 band Classic, but MUCH more effective on the HH. Similarly, some songs need a more scooped slap sound (not quite but almost Mark King) - the normal Ray slap is ok but probably too fat and non hifi simple flick of the switch on the HH - both pick ups on full. Yes one sound is very possible all night (especially on an H Ray, which has such dynamic range) - however the HH version gives you all that plus four more very usable sounds at the flick of a switch - great for cover bands or functions/shows.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1465345634' post='3067480'] None of my gear has ever has the "crap" beaten out of it. That seems to be a particularly pointless thing to do in the pursuit of making music. [/quote] Even playing slap bass? Worth watching the bass player live video of Abe Laboriel playing a Stingray at the Louis Johnson memorial tribute concert - now that is whacking hell out if a bass!! Good though.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1465329915' post='3067299'] All of my gear is immaculate, despite heavy gigging. I just look after it, it's not difficult. [/quote] + another one - well mostly. I have a couple of basses which I bought used which have more significant dings than things I've bought new or used in immaculate condition have. There are some fairly clear ground rules:- 1) bass is always in its case and out of harms way whilst the drummer is assembling or disassembling, or moving equipment 2) bass is never left unattended whilst singer fiddles with the mixer (which is often placed next to my bass amp) - they have a habit of knocking guitars off stands with elbows etc whilst swivelling round to ask for someone to test a Mike etc (PRS guitar finishes and a Musicman bass fretboard have the tell tale dents) In fact I bought a US Sub and showed our singer the industrial textured finish - he commented tgat would avoid him damaging it...... 3) when playing in olde English pubs with low ceiling beams remember the slightest lift of headstock above 45 degrees is likely to knock a chunk out of the headstock 4) when playing with drummers remember if they don't catch you out with the edge of a cymbal, they may well have a steel stand pointing out at a horizontal angle somewhere, perfectly aligned to enable you to whack your thigh or scratch and dent your bass body 5) when putting your prized instrument in or out of its hard case make sure you open it properly - those catches will put a whacking great scratch in your bass if you happen to drag it or drop it over one of them 6) when changing a battery on your Musicman with vintage type chrome cover release both screws and lift off the plate with the bass flat on its front - otherwise when you turn it or it drops it will put a nice semi circular scratch the radius of the control plate in your finish. A bit of care will preserve your prized basses even with a heavy gigging schedule!!