drTStingray

Quite unusual is think - never even seen one - they did lots of short run sparkles around 2000 I think, such as fuschia sparkle (a sort of pink). Some of the guys on the EBMM bass forum could probably be more precise, and indeed one of the members there has rather a large collection of different sparkle coloured MM basses.

[quote name='skampino' timestamp='1457659806' post='3000809'] Thanks sorted! [/quote] Just bear in mind that Musicman parts do not generally fit the import SBMM ranges and vice versa - deliberately for obvious reasons. There must be firms which make pickguards for these - Pickguard Heaven in the US almost certainly.

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1457618297' post='3000187'] You can purchase the updated version for a mere $35,000... [/quote] Cripes!! Not seen that before but I had the earlier model in mind on my post. I could imagine one of these cropping up on Bargain Hunt or Antiques Road Show and a clever clogs pressing the black button on the top whereupon the top hinges open to reveal a drinks cabinet inside!! Definitely the Bentley walnut picnic table seat back of the bass world. The finish colours are certainly reminiscent of the National Trust cafe coffee and walnut cake.

[quote name='EmmettC' timestamp='1457623687' post='3000304'] All of the above can be improved with a Tort scratch plate, I would have a tort kitchen counter, and a tort dashboard in my car if I had a choice, but then I'd need a sunburst car and Olympic white kitchen cabinets....... [/quote] You're not alone - I know a bass player with a tort toaster!!!

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1457616726' post='3000162'] "They're the band the Beatles could have been!" [/quote] Surely that was ELO....... Back to bass dislikes:- Fanned fret basses Almost anything vintage (with two or three exceptions) Valve bass amps (sorry - slightly OT but they really annoy me) Old valve bass amps 19 mm spacing 5 string basses Bass models which make extraneous electronic noise and hum even when brand new Green basses Stacked pots that don't work properly (even when new) Truss rods which are not readily accessible Single cut basses (especially those which are presentation models - absolutely love the bass player concerned mind)

[quote name='SimonEdward' timestamp='1457557611' post='2999709'] This is 'the one'. A supernatural series 2 by Jaydee, which I've owned since 1995. [b] [size=5]What do you do when you've found The One? [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]easy - put some LED's in the front face. BOOM !!! [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] [/font][/font][/size][/b] [/quote] Wow that is gorgeous. Did someone get him to make it that colour or was it re-sprayed - I ask because I started gassing for one these recently when I saw pics of a refinished one in pink on Talkbass, also with LEDs. The red is v nice, but he doesn't advertise them in colours on his website.

[quote name='Joebethell' timestamp='1457432458' post='2998392'] D-bird lands and apparently although only a prototype at the moment the aim is to release it after tweeks at combustion level pricing! [/quote] Cripes that's absolutely bizarre - I wonder if they'll have a go at fan fret other famous basses ......... How about a danelectro donghorn - preferably with a Masonite body. Or even a Daisy Dock bass in pink.

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1457429631' post='2998331'] you must have seen a share from my facebook wall i posted those pics which were only an artist impression https://www.facebook.com/francesco.camardo/posts/10153788873750342?pnref=story [/quote] Lol - I had nearly said in my earlier post that this looked distinctly like something you'd had a hand in - I had gone along the line of logic, who would fancy an SR5 made to look like something you'd view in a Blackpool pleasure park mirror - I thought hmmm Grand Wazoo - but then I thought the colour choice would simply not be right. but then I thought no - it's 1st March not 1st April - wrong month. I'd like to see a Bongo!

Like many other things in life, once you've found 'the one' you simply go looking for another - because as we all know, you can never have enough basses!!

I've thought this when it has appeared before but it really ought to be in a museum (if there is such a thing for guitars). B001000 means it's the first numbered bass off the production line but pre-production ones are around numbered X00etc - usually (or always in natural). The bass owned by Sterling Ball on which the 40th Anniversary model is based (Old Smoothie) is B001027 - Strings and Things also have one of the first 10 production ones, which was on their stand at last year's LBGS. That bass at Andy Baxters looks particularly nice though - the woods look fabulous. From the photos, Forrest White's initials are on the neck and neck pocket so presumably he had a hand in assembling it - as one of the partners of the company that's some provenance for an instrument, and a real piece of history.

The body, pick guard and controls bear a strong resemblance to a Stingray 5 - DR5? Nice idea, especially for fans of the Stingray 5 and the fanned fret system. Otherwise I think I'd pass on it!! Ps for those without mwah on their Stingray fretless G string, there's no hope for you - in the same category as a Precision without thump..........

[quote name='40hz' timestamp='1457030675' post='2994691'] I saw this originally but didn't believe the 6 colours are the only ones! That's quite some cull on EB's part. Many thanks DrT. [/quote] Tangerine pearl and sky blue metallic can still be had on the Bongo plus some of the other models have additional specific colours - Stingray Classic appears to only have three..... It's to be hoped they continue to do limited edition (PDN) specials every so often. You can understand their position if more than 90% of all purchases are across a handful of colours. As Sterling had pointed out, they are doing more than comoetitors in the market (until you start getting into special order stuff like Custom Shop for instance) - but yes, a significant cull as you say.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1457007623' post='2994383'] That's explained by "Shadows tribute". I know a band who have decided to move from playing Cream covers to becoming a Cream tribute. This seems to have been achieved by just buying all the right gear. For me (and I suspect the audience) there is no difference except they are each several thousand pounds the poorer. It's interesting to see what successful bands do when they replace an original member. Nile Rogers doesn't require Jerry Barnes to play the exact BE bass parts, Craig Fuller didn't try to copy Lowell George when Little Feat reformed and gong right back to when Peter Green joined John Mayall, he didn't play any Clapton lines at all. [/quote] It's quite strange also that the Shadows guys could be seen with a range of guitars from Hank Marvin signature, to Custom Shop to the lower priced Mexican etc. Seemingly the idea of an 'authentic' guitar was simply too much extravagance for some of the thrifty minded. My own was totally unauthentic - a coral red Stingray played through a Mark Bass set up - some of the actual ex Shadows bass players don't use authentic amps or guitars - even Hank Marvin doesn't/ didn't use an authentic amp (boutique rather than an AC 30.

Yeah they've changed s little. Shown on their website (note different, and less colours for the Classic version - has its own model section) http://www.music-man.com/instruments/basses/stingray

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1456966555' post='2994164'] I've only played this once and I didn't include the mistake. Sounded much better to me. [/quote] Apparently it was Mr Bowie's decision to keep it on the recording, allegedly because he thought it sounded good (to the annoyance of the bass player). I did tend to play it, along with the high note 16ths in the solos, which all signal changes on the original - needless to say predicting when the soloists would finish required clairvoyance rather than musical skill so there was mixed success!!

I think this is a very complex subject. Many bass parts have hooks in them that cleverly form part of the allure of the song. If you don't play them you can lose part of the effect - as previously stated, this may be something quite complex (listen to the elaborate bass fills in Wake Me Up Before You Go (Go) by Wham) or something as simple as playing the upper octave of a 5th rather than the lower one played on the previous seven patterns, on the last bass pattern before entering a chorus, middle eight or even instrument solo. If you don't play them the song loses, sometimes a minor element, sometimes a major one. I'm as guilty as anyone - I do quite a lot of depping and people are in the habit of asking me to cover, then at the last minute saying, for instance, oh by the way we've added Kid Charlemaine by Steely Dan (usually something much simpler but you get the drift) to the set....... which I then listen to and work out but don't have time to do it thoroughly!! In other instances I just don't pick up the nuances until I've listened very carefully several times. So I end up approximating, or possibly interpreting (playing additional fills I've made up) sometimes. Now there's approximating and approximating - I was once in the habit of playing with a jamming band which was good fun, often doing standards, which taught me a lot but one day they played Lovely Day by Bill Withers - the guy who led the band asked me why I played that strange set of notes in the verses - insisting that their incorrect and simplistic version was copied from sheet music - well if it was, the sheet music was not based on the original!!! I then realised this band did not actually learn songs but made them up often from memory and ranged from fairly close to horrendously inaccurate!! Whether more than a couple of people in the audience would have noticed is a debatable point. I think there are elements of laziness, interpretation or simple errors across cover music - even in tribute bands. If you think the example of Pink Floyd discussed is anal, try playing in a Cliff and the Shadows tribute (I don't any longer) - it was good fun but rather worrying having the accuracy of one's playing scrutinised not only by bass players, but drummers, singers and horror of horrors, guitarists or even non musician aficionados. I saw Pino interviewed once and talking about his fabulous work with the Who, he was saying he noticed in one part of a specific song the air bass players in the crowd were playing high notes - so he re listened to the original and picked up something he'd missed - so it happens to world greats as well as mere mortals! And finally, does anyone else play the bass balls up in Jean Genie - I always do and it sounds wrong any other way to me!! I'm now a firm believer that you should play what you and the band are happy with, and not get too hung up. It may be as or even more important to get the groove, feel and instrument interaction to work rather than an exact note for note replica - something that really dawned on me during my foray into the Cliff and the Shads scene. Some people strive for complete accuracy but lost any shred of excitement in their playing in so doing.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1456963861' post='2994152'] Niggles? Blue [/quote] I've read other niggles about V7 controls - but why is this thread not in bass guitars??

Strange old thing, but I never ever gave the weight of an instrument a second thought until I read about it on here - and even then I only really became conscious of it when using a quite heavy example of an SR5 rather far into my 5th decade. Back in the 70s, I recall wanting a certain bass type so when I had saved the money for it I went to a shop with one in stock - tried it to check it worked etc, and bought it. The idea of trying a batch of them never occurred to me (or anyone else I know/knew). Yes, back pain is no joke to those of us who suffer, but is the subject not, like a lot of other subjects on this forum, not simply indicative of the demographic (the upper side of middle age being fairly well represented?), and largely irrelevant to anyone else? And similarly, the adage that one must try any instrument before buying is only really feasible if you're a purchaser of one brand (for basses) or two or three for guitars, and are willing to accept someone else's choice of colour and spec. I generally have to order what I want sight unseen otherwise I don't get - I suspect lots of other people are in the same boat!! Not everyone plays THAT brand of bass - indeed these days I rarely see them in use except of the tele or at 'name artist' gigs. Spookily my heaviest bass (that SR5) has the most body resonance and deepest, most vibrant tone of all my basses - when I first used it for gigs it gave me mild stomach ache ......... which I subsequently realised was caused by the body resonance, particularly the upper horn. I must have got used to it because I don't have that problem now - and because it's such a well balanced bass on a wide strap, whilst I'm standing up, the weight actually has little relevance to the playing comfort anyway. There, I've contradicted at least three known internet bass facts ......... as we all know body wood has no bearing on tone, heavy basses are no good, and playing comfort is entirely derived from the weight of the instrument!!!!

[quote name='police squad' timestamp='1456932815' post='2993715'] Thanks for the info is £700 a good price? [/quote] I agree with Gareth, sounds an excellent price to me - and the piezo is discontinued - I have it on my Bongo 5HH and it adds another sound dimension completely - pretty rare on Stingrays though (there's a 5 string in the for sale on here at the moment) Those white Stingrays are great, and they do age to a nice cream colour reasonably quickly.

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1456933943' post='2993739'] However I've not seen my dream Stingray of the unlined stealth HH fretless appear on here yet. [/quote] You'll be quite lucky to see one without ordering it as they're pretty rare - Bass Central had one a couple of years back - stunning, as they have an ebony board also - so invisible (ish) except for the headstock decal in white. Also an awesome fretless in H form - so even better in HH!!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1456784779' post='2992340'] It's rumoured that pickup magnets actually make pickups sound better as they weaken over time. Not sure if there's anything in it. [/quote] I'd heard that as well, amongst lots of other things about old or aging instruments. The words mellower sounding seem to crop up quite a bit as well. It's all very subjective - weaker pick ups may lead to one person perceiving an old bass to have a mellow sound whilst someone else may think it just sounds thin, or even wearing out. If I had one of these lovely old beasts I'd also be scared to have any repairs done for fear of devaluing the instrument - but on the positive side, apart from the highly unlikely scenario it was a minter, I'd be less scared of dinging it. Im really dubious they get better with age but also succumb to the vintage gas from time to time - I played a pre EB Stingray a while back and was highly impressed (I did actually own a new one back ing he 70s/80s) but the gas evaporated when I got home again and played my Classic Ray, 32 yrs it's junior, but itself already 5 yrs old.

V nice. Thanks for posting.

EBMM will give you all details without going public on the forum if you email their customer services with the serial number.

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1456250126' post='2987103'] I'd keep clear of Encore as they're a bit weighty. [/quote] You have s different experience from me - bought my 12 yo lefty an LH Encore P bass to learn on - came with a practice amp strap and cable - he did learn to play and he still has it after 15 years - as back up to various other basses including a Stingray. Sounds like a Precision but I think the neck's more of a Jazz width and it's really light - mind you it's only us oldies who worry about bass weights I think. It was never a consideration for me in my youth!! Encore, Vintage etc etc all make great entry level basses and you can often get them in local shops so can try them out etc etc.

Looks OK to me as well - I suggest you get the serial number and check out with EBMM Customer Services.