drTStingray

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!!

I have both. The contoured is comfier but there again if I didn't have a beer gut I'm sure the slab would sit comfortably in front of me rather than slightly offset to accommodate. I have a photo I took of an even more portly gentleman than me playing my slab bodied Stingray and it's actually sitting on top of his belly - up under the chin style Mark King strap position ........ I don't have a problem with the lack of an arm contour - maybe causes marginally more sweating on the arm. All in all its not really a consideration when choosing a bass to take to a gig - in some ways it's quite a cool feature, aesthetically.

Ive never heard this version of Star Cycle by Jeff Beck - Pino on bass https://youtu.be/hRIsCqTaWkQ

You can pick any number of songs but this is a great example from the 80s - the last 30 seconds is ludicrous on bass https://youtu.be/YqmjbiA_wnc This one shows his immaculate groove https://youtu.be/ClMU4oxag60 Also check out his work with d'angelo and John Mayer - the guy has groove and consummate taste in note choice. Fabulous.

EBMM finishes are great - a quick polish and they will certainly produce a mirror finish - especially the darker coloured ones. Talking of famous Musicman artists, it appears Timmy C has started to use Stingrays again - including a red one. http://forums.ernieball.com/ernie-ball-music-man-basses/62672-timmy-c-back-ray.html

The SLO special neck was an option on standard Stingrays (not the Classic version) - not sure if it's been discontinued generally. However this PDN appears to be available on all bass models except the Stingray 40th and Gamechanger bass. So if the SLO special neck is still available as a Stingray option, then it should be available for this.

These look rather nice - I'm now even more gassed up!! Love that unmarked ebony board and roasted figured maple neck. http://www.music-man.com/pdn/starry-night

And curiously Hoppus played a Ray before being signed up to Fender!

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1464861869' post='3063194'] Yeah, these days it's nearly, "Fender" levels of choice. [/quote] I corrected it for you 😏 Musicman were, colour choice wise and from a number of other angles, on a par with the Fender Custom Shop. They've dropped back a bit in colour choice but still offer vastly more than some. As I said, trans red is a discontinued colour (probably 7 yrs ago along with trans teal and others) so you're looking at used only. Tangerine pearl is still available on a Bongo - don't I know it - I was thinking of buying a new one in chilli red then I saw a tango pearl one, so I have gone from decided to confused. You could have chilli red on a Ray also. Hiram K, those NAMM 100 basses are stunning - a modern day Cutlass 1 bass, with the advantage of a truss rod. Regarding the relative popularity of guitars to basses, you only have to go into one of the big retailers to see the relative proportion of guitars to basses on sale. I visited one in the south west a while back and was astonished at the walls of Gibson and Fender guitars - rather less so with the bass selection (and a far cry from a visit to the same place 10 yrs ago when there were far more basses and relatively fewer guitars).

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1464714819' post='3061770'] No no, I'm all about that bass. I have to have it, in that colour. [/quote] Be aware there seem to be two different versions of that colour - that looks like the darker version to me - you can usually tell from the for sale pics though.

It's a discontinued (bass) colour but they crop up used for around £750. A lot of trans red Rays (particularly 1980s/90s) have alder bodies which are said to produce a mellower tone than the ash bodied ones. If you're on about the person, there are several young ladies who play Stingrays - I think one is a BGM writer.

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1464713744' post='3061747'] I love this bass. I want it. The Facebook moderator for MM tells me ir's Cherry Red, but googling Cherry Red yields a bass of a sunburst colour. There's a Black Cherry Burst on the MM site, but it's significantly darker than this. Also, it looks like it has a carved top, or is contoured in some way and aren't Rays usually flat? Can't find anything that looks remotely like it on the MM site, and Cherry Red isn't an option among the colours on any of the Rays. Can anyone help identify this sexy beast? [/quote] Dunno about the sexy beast but the bass looks like trans red to me. Candy red's another possibility. Stingrays have belly and forearm contours unless they are the Classic model (2009-2010 to date) or pre Ernie Ball (1976 to 82-83) or US built Sub (2003-2006 ish). All of those have slab bodies. That bass is a standard SR4 with 3 band EQ. There was a trans red for sale in the classifieds recently - not sure if it has been sold.

Bassmachine you're quite right if you're on a relatively tight budget - the US Sub is a great bass. I have one and love the textured white finish, chequer plate pickguard and painted neck, the sound and playability. However I have a classic Ray and am also ordering an Old Smoothie. The shape may be similar and the fundamental pick up and EQ but there the analogy finishes. My classic can sound significantly different just by use of the mutes and also owing to the strings through bridge. The fit, finish and materials are top rate. One of the key differences from the Sub is the finishing of the edge of the neck - this is, according to Sterling Ball, where they saved a lot of build cost. The Old Smoothie has a number of unique features also, which is what attracts me to buy one rather than a regular sunburst Stingray or Classic.

Interesting thought - people don't seem to put Fender decals on Sadowski basses - so presumably the whole process of Fender decals on replicas is a perceived financial thingy?...

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1464348901' post='3058688'] And there's Tom R. Toe and Tom Bowler. [/quote] Ah Tom Bowler, purveyor of fine meat, washing baskets, and also decent prizes I never win at social club and holiday camp gigs. Tom O'Stik there?

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1464348809' post='3058687'] One of the two** shops in London worth visiting. ** three if you include V&R. [/quote] Vordeman and Riley? I don't think it's called that any more.

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1464456006' post='3059628'] Just to wind the OP up. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Late-60s-70s-Style-Guitar-Headstock-Decal-Waterslide-Professional-/141988876275?hash=item210f324ff3:g:bLQAAOSwGYVXBZsu"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Late-60s-70s-Style-Guitar-Headstock-Decal-Waterslide-Professional-/141988876275?hash=item210f324ff3:g:bLQAAOSwGYVXBZsu[/url] [/quote] Ok if you're renovating something.... I read somewhere there are more Lotus Cortinas in existence than were actually built (by the manfacturer). It's a shame the availability of items such as these is as likely to lead to deception by making/selling fakes as to enable renovation of original items

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1464439506' post='3059474'] The Chinese manufacturers are not building with the intent to make a high quality instrument. They are simply trying to deceive the end buyer, by presenting a surprisingly cheaper alternative. There is no incentive for them to build a better product, unlike the Lawsuit manufacturers of the '70s. [/quote] The lawsuit manufacturers of the 70s were not putting fake logos on their instruments (although unscrupulous owners may subsequently have done so) - they were making v good copies at a time when the real thing was possibly not even as good. At a lower price - they had taken over the motor cycle industry, make a big inroad into the car industry and several others by making what people wanted, at a consistent level of quality and reliability at a reasonable cost, something which US and UK builders had either forgotten how to or couldn't be asked to make - or maybe their idea of quality was significantly wide of the mark. The Chinese will get there before too long. At the moment some of the fakes are laughable (did anyone see the misshapen bmw mini they showed on Top Gear - hilarious). The business of incorrectly labelled fakes is pure deception when it comes to selling in the market. If I bought a bass or a car or anything else that was a fake unknowingly I would be furious as I would have been deceived into parting with money for something I hadn't got. And someone would have made a profit by deception which, last time I looked, was a criminal offence. Incorrectly labelled fakes for personal use...... not entirely sure what that's all about. Have some posts disappeared from this thread? Fake Rickenbackers and Musicman instruments are less common partially because the company owners and ethos appears to actually value their customers and by protecting them from fakes, protects the company's interest as well. You get the distinct feeling Fender couldn't give a toss!!

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1464381267' post='3059124'] Scenario #1 - Just Dave Swift on the cover: 95% of bass players: [i]'Who's that bloke on the cover of BGM?'[/i] Scenario #2 - Jools'n'Dave 95% of bass players: [i]'Oh, Jools Holland's bass player in on the cover of BGM.'[/i] It ain't rocket salad, people. [/quote] I suspect your percentages may be a little off but I get the point - I'm looking forward to getting my copy tomorrow as I'm curious to read about his current interest in Ibanez Musician basses.

I do worry how these copy basses will be sold used in about 20 yrs time - when no one remembers the real story. Scope for plenty of buyer confusion I guess. Anyway I worry enough trying to buy allegedly original basses used - and especially old Fender basses.

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1464346437' post='3058641'] Do other artists featuring on the front of the mag also have other band members appearing with them? I honestly don't know - it's been years since I've bought bass comics. [/quote] Fairly recently - Paul Weller and hmmm Paul Weller's bass player.... I don't know why they do this - most bass players know who plays with who and if they don't they only need read the headline - don't need them to be pictured with someone else. The Paul Weller one showed Paul Weller with a bass.....

[quote name='Bikenbass' timestamp='1464090844' post='3056456'] Various tracks I've heard via YouTube means the album's on my purchase list. Great to hear them again, not quite the same without Davy, but still the Monkees. Cheered me up to hear them. (My beloved cat was put to sleep at the weekend.) [/quote] I wonder if it has Carol Kaye on bass - or was it Joe Osborne on the originals?!! US sessions people anyway.

I'm not entirely sure why people use a dedicated DI with EQ abilityrather than the DI output from their amp - I'm sure there are reasons. I've also heard of occasional stars using basses without tone controls but do people not use the tone control on their passive basses - I was led to believe they do - hence my feeling that active basses generally give better, more flexible tone controls (albeit powered with a low voltage). And you are right - the cut ability is as useful sometimes as the boost!!