drTStingray

Rare colour - something that looked a good idea on a colour swatch but on a bass looked like a form of human excretion - and thus sold very badly OR was quite nice but sold badly as it was brought to market just at a time when playing anything other than an instrument in sunburst with a tort scratch plate (or black instrument with a black sp) was frowned upon by most forum commentators as liable to frighten off any prospective employer (be they studio, MD or local semi pro band) AND were released when no one had any money cos the bankers knicked it all ........ 😉😬 Mindless noodling - any bass part composed with more than one note variation per four bars, and definitely when played by an acclaimed genius........ 😀 Headroom - the height available to pass under a road bridge. Growl - haven't a clue (but I've heard it used to describe at least three entirely different things, one of which applies to Fender Precision basses and which many sound people try to EQ out by using a smiley face EQ setting).

[quote name='sunburstjazz1967' timestamp='1454255891' post='2967884'] Exactly, the guy with a crap technique at muting the B string mentioned earlier would still have a crap technique muting an E on a 4 string! [/quote] On the face of it this is true - but as someone who doesn't play 5 string 100% of the time, resonating B string is a far bigger issue for me and requires definite concentration to mute it all the time - it can sound like the undertone of bag pipes otherwise (something Which doesn't happen to me on a 4 string bass). So if you're in the habit of leaning your thumb on the pick up you will most likely have to change to leaning against the B string on a 5.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1454890946' post='2973997'] They're definitely not like 'normal' flats. There's no thump, they're mellow, that's how I would describe them. [/quote] I disagree - I guess it depends on the bass you're using and your playing style but I get as much thump as I need from TIs - they do have a lovely tone as well

I have them on my Stingray Classic - they are absolutely great. I absolutely hate flats with high tension as they make basses a chor to play for me - I'd prefer not to feel I'm in training for an arm wrestling match - these strings have tension similar to round wounds and fabulous tone - pure Bernard Edwards tone on the 2 band Ray - so they're superb in my mind. I have EB Cobalt flats on my fretless Ray - slightly different tone but similar tension and an excellent alternative to TI. Can also be brighter when required without losing that flatwound thump.

I have lots of Musicman basses - I would suggest you go for a single pick up 3 band 4 string Stingray with a maple board - for the simple reason that whichever one you get you'll be lusting after one of those. Does all the Musicman sounds, but the mid range control on the EQ helps a lot in rooms with dodgy acoustics or if the guitarist or keyboard player suddenly start playing in your sonic space. The high pass filter also cuts some of the nasty boomy bass sounds. A rosewood board makes a Musicman Stingray sound slightly different - darker and sometimes more refined - believe me, if you buy one you'll want a maple boarded one simply because that is the archetypal Musicman. Remember, these basses react massively to nuances of plucking position and style - watch Ed Friedland's video to see this. An HH Stingray gives the standard sound but 4 others by coil tap switch - these basses are hugely versatile, but once again, if you buy one you'll probably lust after the original H version. The Classic gives you the 2 band EQ and highly figured maple neck and but a slab body - beautiful basses though and great for everything you want from a bass - even if you just sit and admire it!! I already have one but am lusting after a natural finish one (and a 40th Anniversary one). For me, this is an addiction that started in around 1979!!

I love both of their technique and playing and both have influenced my own playing. Im afraid I hate their tone - would describe as abysmal - but that is just my taste. However without it neither Yes nor The Who would sound the same. There were times with JE (live) I hadn't a clue what he was playing.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1454438741' post='2969778'] History lesson outside of the standard (Stax/Motown AND Chic) IMO has to include Headhunters, Meters/Neville bros and people like Alan Toussant and Fred Wesley...to name just a few. [/quote] Agreed - James Brown and George Clinton are others who are essential listening for any aspiring funk players - rarely mentioned on this forum.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1453852399' post='2963556'] I have been involved in many of the threads about gigging. Based on the comments and responses; 1. Many bass players don't gig. 2. Gigging is not as popular as it once was. 3. Many feel it's not worth it. 4. Good gigging opportunities are drying up, especially in the UK. 5. Playing bass has become a solo at home hobby for many. 6. Bass players are no longer will to put in the effort to gig. So what's the future guys, should we all just stay home and noodle? This thread is not posted to initiate a " troll fest" just an exchange of opinion and thought. Blue [/quote] I've been in and am in more than one band where some of the musicians are in their mid 70s. The only rule seems to be, don't do more than one gig a day - and the level of arrangement fog ones seems to increase at times!! One of them plays One Step Beyond and another plays I Feel Good and one or two other James Brown songs (songs of their youth!!) You'll find particularly (but not exclusively) the older age group in the Shadows music scene - there are a surprising number of fans who also play - I had quite fun playing in a tribute band for a few years. I think this is often true of sixties era fans/musicians as well. So I don't plan to have my feet up watching Strictly or the Voice every Saturday night any time soon, but I most certainly won't be helping to manhandle Hammond B3s and Leslie units (or refrigerators) up and down fire escape stairs either, as I did 30-40 yrs back!!

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1453980914' post='2964850'] It doesn't let me quote for some reason (might be the work PC) but I also agree with you! If they hit the price of around £1100-1200 they could compete...hmmm. [/quote] I think they're quoted at around $1600 in the USA. What is exciting about these is that most people who picked one up at NAMM said they are great - feel, playability etc. They obviously know how to make a great P bass sound as well as my Classic Sabre, in single coil neck pick up mode really sounds the part. And the SSS Big Al was a pretty decent bass. So the combination of EBMM quality, playability and engineering should mean these things are quite special - love those cool blue and red colours as well. It appears the Valentine guitar made best in show as well. Now call me daft but I'm gassing for a 40th Anniversary Old Smoothie - but I was already gassing for a natural Classic Ray as well - do you think they'll give me a good deal if I order both - whichever - it'll be cheaper than if I arrange a visit to Mr Baxters - as has also been on my mind .......

Another manufacturer recycling a previously used model name.

[quote name='matski' timestamp='1453810047' post='2962908'] Quick cheaty way to ascertain where the centre points are: when I first got my StingRay, I loosened the knobs and repositioned them so that the screw hole is directly on top when the EQ is in the middle (flat) position - makes it very easy to see what you are doing [/quote] That's a good tip - however as stated above, you need to remember that the 'flat' is not at the centre of travel of either the bass (lower than centre) or treble (higher than centre IIRC) - it's useful to know where you are in terms of the travel of each control, but my own view is that the advice to adjust according to what you hear is probably the best on this.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1453886354' post='2963699'] As it has been bumped... My Sr5 now has the EMG MM type in it, and also an EMG DC40 at the neck. Vol / Vol / Tone. It sounds great and it's more versatile than before. The neck pickup does a good P impression when needed, but there is still plenty of clank from the bridge. I'm very happy with it. [/quote] You should try a Musicman piezo in the bridge as well - I have one in my Bongo 5 - adds a whole new dimension if you're after flexibility.

[quote name='Jazzneck' timestamp='1450943484' post='2937149'] [b] [font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][size=4]Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion by Robert Gordon is the book.[/size][/font][/b] [font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][size=4]I haven't read it yet, it's an early Christmas present.[/size][/font] [font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][size=4]Oh and as Muscle Shoals has been mentioned, dare I add Chess Records, too?[/size][/font] [/quote] I think you may - but hey what about James Brown - not a mention in this thread but surely the coolest of all soul singers (phenomena in Brown's case) and bands from the 50s until they morphed into funk in the 70s - and I love all the post 70s stuff as well - neither Motown, Stax, Atlantic or Chess. Now that band could groove!!

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1453729232' post='2962163'] I've just realised that the title of this thread may actually have been a request .. [/quote] Surely not .....

[quote name='obi 2 kenobi' timestamp='1453722564' post='2962057'] Yes, the link I sent (on page 2 with graphs) mentions both bass and treble are cut & boost but the cut on the bass is very small - "And looking at the T=0, B=0 curve at the top of your post, I see the evidence for the claim that although the bass pot is supposed to be boost only, it actually has a cut (very small, like -2dB) when set to zero." Personally I find that setting bass to 50% is not flat - its a definite boost. But then again I have a '78 model when there was little consistency. [/quote] Yes I agree. I tend to run mine at full with the treble backed off a little, and then adjust back if I want to bring the mid range up. I also agree with the significant sound variation available from moving the plucking hand and also from the intensity of plucking the strings. One thing I hadn't appreciated but I picked up from watching a Bernard Edwards/Chic performance is the sound variation by plucking between the pick up and bridge. The range of sound available from a 2 band MM bass is excellent. Even before you start adding in the mutes etc.

Regrettably, we all will one day ........... There have been some notable expulsions in the past and departures in sympathy on occasion - this seems to happen on most forums.

[quote name='obi 2 kenobi' timestamp='1453714250' post='2961945'] This is correct. Link below explains it all. http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/instruments-amps/226943-understanding-music-man-stingray-2-band-preamp.html Note I have a 2eq and a 3eq. With a 2eq, I find it better to go easy on bass boost as it quickly becomes overpowering. [/quote] I agree with this - except for the boost and cut - see attached clarification - also clarified in the thread by Rod Trussbroken (owner of the website Musicman.org). http://forums.ernieball.com/music-man-basses/52008-cut-boost-2-band-eq.html

[quote name='Greg.Bassman' timestamp='1453668276' post='2961634'] The quote that I have sent off for was to Musicman themselves; 100% uncompromised Ernie Ball. Do you think [i]that bass[/i] would be the same, or feature detents? [/quote] All of the 2 bands, be they in USA Sub, standard Stingray 2 bands or Classic Rays (or pre Ernie Ball for that matter) do not have centre detent controls so yours won't have them. The only minor differences around, but rare, are the gilded white LE Stingray (produced a few years back as a PDN model) on which one of the three controls is a push-pull pot which activates/deactivates the active electronics and changes to a passive tone control. To make matters more complicated, EBMM supplied a limited number of regular Rays (and possibly Classic Rays) to Guitar Centre in the same time period with this same feature, which crop up on classifieds (usually Talkbass) occasionally. Some USA Subs were built as passive basses and thus do not have active electronics. The 133 basses were IIRC standard red, white or blue coloured 2 band Stingrays, as stated provided with a gig bag instead of a hard case, and were part of a celebration of 50 years of Strings and Things distributing in the Uk for EB. They were originally £999 new. 133 is part of the build code.

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1453634876' post='2961176'] On the 2-band the bass is boost only, the treble is cut and boost. [/quote] I think it's been quoted by EBMM that the bass and treble controls on the 2 band EQ are both cut and boost. I agree entirely that these are very much adjust according to what your ears tell you - also as you cut/boost, the mid range is more/less audible. The high pass filter on the EBMM 3 band EQ is designed to adjust out boomy bass frequencies.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1453592765' post='2960964'] Meh-yow, surely? [/quote] Autocorrect problem??

[quote name='Greg.Bassman' timestamp='1453603632' post='2961006'] Unlike the 3-band, which features centre detents to indicate the 'flat' point of the bass, I believe the 2-band controls are boosts only; does this mean that the 'flat' point on the 2-band is when both controls are rolled off to 0? or am I off? Cheers. [/quote] Correct they don't have a centre decent but they are boost and cut. The 3 band EQ has more mid range at centre detent so you have to cut it a little (and boost bass and treble slightly) to get a comparable sound. The 2 band does sound excellent though and is a good choice.

[quote name='UglyDog' timestamp='1453574743' post='2960738'] [/quote] Shouldn't that be miowww?

Really liking that 40th Anniversary Ray - other pictures on the net show the burst as being quite a stunner.

[quote name='NJE' timestamp='1453405160' post='2959296'] Both all kinds of fugly! What on earth are they thinking? I love music man stuff, I thought the new Sabres in the cool colours were amazing, but these just look a bit naff. I got all excited thinking they had released a graphite neck stingray/sabre again. To be honest I would look at the new Sandberg VM5 HH now that the Sabre has gone. Great colours and it even looks similar with the new body shape. [/quote] The Stingray can still be had in HH form - I'm glad I got a Classic Sabre but having been and tried a number out, I felt they were too similar to my Ray HH to justify buying one.......... until the Neptune blue package appeared with mahogany body and roasted oil and wax finish neck - basically the Sabre has never sold well in any of its three incarnations.

As for the Caprice and Cutlass basses, it will be very interesting to hear how these sound and feel to play. I like the look of the split P type pick up with large exposed poles - reminiscent of one of the earliest Stingray prototypes. If they are as good as the Big Al then that will be excellent. I'm not sure about people saying meh on the basis of one or two pictures - oh I almost forgot - it's a bass forum where such things are de rigeur.....