drTStingray

Methinks there's far too much moaning on this forum. Remember the olden days when your choice was guitar and (in minute letters under the main word) bass magazine. That's right folks a guitarist magazine with a little subsection for those lesser subset guitarists who play bass. As if to reinforce that stereotype I have come across often (a belief amongst some that bassists are failed guitarists whose place can be substituted by the guitarist playing the bass whenever they want). Unfortunately such people usually have no clue what the role of the bassist is let alone how to play it. I rejoice in the fact my local newsagent can get me Bass Player and Bass Guitar magazines monthly and oh yes, as well as leafing through and reading the odd things that take my eye, if I really want to get into it I can learn a song from a transcription - I rarely do it but bask in the glory of having learned kid Charlemaine, Sir Duke and others over the years. Or even look into some wierd scales or the Coltrane system in Giant Steps. So these magazines have had a cumulative effect on my bass playing and general joie de vivre as it were ...... As I say far too much moaning guys. The one thing that does piss me off is the number of bass players shown playing Fenders. I just watched U2 playing one of their v early singles and Adam Clayton was playing a proper bass - an Ibanez Musician :-)

I have a Markbass LM3 and use it with a 2 x 10 HF and 2 x 10 T cab. It sounds great, is portable and the filters (which I rarely if ever use) can get a nice vintage sound. It tends to be louder at the back than the front of the room although has s great stage presence. I've played through a couple of the smaller Fender rumble combos and found them rather limited - ok for meat and potatoes bass sound. My back up rig is an Ashdown ABM stack. I can't imagine using a Fender bass amp - they were largely blown out of the water back in the 70s by Acoustic and have never really been on the radar since IMO - the Fender Bassman in the band I'm in is used by a harmonica player!!! Definitely try them both. You will be sure to get a great sound with a mark bass rig.

You clearly haven't played a five string as it's almost essential to lean your thumb against the B string to avoid it resonating when you don't want it to and causing a low drone (bagpipe style) to accompany your playing. If you can't get used to playing the bass then the best idea is to sell it and play something you like. Fwiw I transferred my playing style back from 5 string to 4 string which has given me a lot more flexibility in plucking finger position which has created a lot more flexibility in sound. All that said, resting your thumb on the pick up of a musicman and plucking over the pick up creates one of the best bass sounds known to man so I dong see the problem, particularly as you're used to plucking at a bridge pick up position. I certainly don't notice this as an issue at all.

I really couldn't imagine doing this - indeed if I didn't play in bands I would supplement playing at home by going to jam sessions - and I would keep all my basses (they are all Musicman) and my rigs and effects. I would not be happy not to play with other musicians.

[quote name='JAUQO III-X' timestamp='1425392341' post='2706821'] Here's a review of the Sire Marcus Miller V7. [url="http://bassmusicianmagazine.com/2015/03/marcus-miller-v7-bass-from-sire-guitars/"]http://bassmusicianm...m-sire-guitars/[/url] [/quote] Interesting - pleasing to see Marcus wants to be involved with entry level instruments to get kids started on basses. Will be interested to see the video he plans to make - meantime all the backing music is from MM albums I have (played on his regular instruments). Are there any sound samples available??

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1425304674' post='2705986'] It was this line that threw me as I didn't think one needed a manual to play a Bass........: "d) one which seems to have a manual with such poor English as to put it on a par with late 70s far eastern electronic goods." [/quote] I think I'm prob guilty of mistaking a quote from a website which was written in such a manner. I well remember being told in the early 80s with some gravity in a manual that a battery in my recently bought gizmo may 'blow off' if I misused the charger!!!

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1425255306' post='2705676'] I kinda think that Dr T Stingrays post was being ironic unless I am sadly mistaken....? [/quote] Not really - i am curious by the clamour for these - I must confess to having been sucked in somewhat when I saw a picture of a baby blue 5 string - Im put off a little by how close the row of 5 stacked control knobs get to the potential plucking position of the G string. I wasn't aware Outtoplayjazz had used one of these - I suspect that although interested in them he won't be dropping his Status or Sabre basses. I'm one if those guys who had a great Jazz copy in the seventies and whilst manufacture if everything has improved since, the difference I felt when I left mine behind when I bought an expensive instrument back then (it was a pre EB Stingray brand new) was so great I simply sold the Jazz copy. Solidity, sound and feel were in a different league. The biggest surprise here to me is the apparent break up of the MM/Fender alliance - no doubt he will still use his famous Fender but they do seem to be dropping all the good signature instruments (the MM 5 must be one of the best in their history). Sign of the times I guess.

I really like Marcus Millers work but am rather dubious of this venture (other than getting a line for kids to take up bass on)

I've just read the whole thread ................ then had to check the date wasn't April 1st - appears to be March 1st so it's obviously not a joke. I'm astonished that so many of you could be hooked by:- a) an entry level copy of a 1960 designed instrument. Such could be considered even worth talking about when good copies of these instruments have been around since the early 1970s c) one which doesn't even come with gig bag normally (so requires considerable expenditure in relation to the cost of the instrument to render it usable to a non bedroom only musician) d) one which seems to have a manual with such poor English as to put it on a par with late 70s far eastern electronic goods. Have you all gone mad or is there such a lowering of the lowest common denominator of desired level of musicianship on this forum that buying one of this starter instruments sight unseen should generate such fervent interest?? The name is even a misspelling of Fender's entry level line - although even that has been the subject of discussion seemingly wishing to elevate it almost to custom shop level. Has anyone dropped one of these Sires to see if it splinters under the slightest gig accident - btw the Squier does - I've seen it happen. If you were lusting after a Ritter or Alembic etc I could understand it, I simply don't understand why people would want to buy a cheap Fender copy in this manner unless they were kids starting out!! Oh well I'm sure someone will give me the low down 😃😄😄😄😄

Looks great - I just realised it has no ash trays also! Congratulations.

I would like to play one of these - appear to have more fundamental sound and more sustain. The cobalt flatwounds sound interesting as well.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1425049052' post='2703413'] TI are dirt cheap at Thomann at the mo. Even with shipping. [/quote] Yeah I noticed that - don't know how they manage it! I've had a set of TI flats on my Classic Ray for a couple of years now - the sound is excellent and it's fine for slap also - I used it for a gig a couple of weeks back and was reminded just how good the sound is and the string tension is almost the same as regular round wounds. I have EB Group 3 flats on a fretless Stingray and would recommend these as well - again the tension is on a par with round wounds but you get great tone, and with the fretless plenty of mwah - and easy on your fretboard.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1424639000' post='2698677'] Just quoting this to keep it here when your humour gland is reconnected! [/quote] Very kind and generous of spirit of you thanks - fwiw the original comment was only v mildly funny albeit quite clever IMHO.

I think that's the fullest and best live bass sound I've heard Jaco get. With Weather Report Xawinul used to double a number of the bass parts live on synthesiser (notably Teen Town) presumably to get somewhere near the recorded sound, which seemed to have effects on the bass. When I saw Weather Report live I was a little underwhelmed by the bass sound, in comparison with the recorded versions. As with all types of illness, medicine has moved on in leaps and bounds but the idea of someone with bipolar having difficult relationships with people sometimes and occasional medication relapse causing bizarre behaviour is still as valid now as then. However you wouldn't focus on a disabled person falling over and in a similar way we should not focus on Jacos sometimes strange behaviour in some sort of judgemental way - to do so demonstrates ignorance. Some interesting stuff in this thread about his basses and bass equipment which I didn't know before.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1424628679' post='2698491'] I can't tell. Are you saying it's the finest instrument in the universe incapable of being bettered? Or are you saying that you can't polish a turd? [/quote] Depends on your viewpoint. They did a great design job with that bass and the standard electronics do the job extremely well. It most certainly ain't a turd!!

Fabulous bass. The Birdseye is stunning on some of those late 80s early 90s MM basses. Apart from the extra pick up the bass looks very original down to the matte white scratch plate. The extra pick up would be in P bass area so the sound would be interesting. The original pick up should be Alnico with the switch in parallel nearest bridge, series nearest neck and single coil at centre - interesting to know how they wired the extra pick up and whether it's based on coil selection. The SR5 is such a solid bass - mine is the most acoustically alive of all my basses - incredible body resonance. If the bass is blueburst the body wood will be poplar or alder, so slightly more mellow than ash.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1424080446' post='2692216'] You on the staff at EBMM? I do 'actually' like it. I love the easy playability and I've managed to get a nice lightweight one as well. Considering the positives of the instrument I reckon the "missing" 10% is far more likely to be the missing "15%" or more on another bass, even if it was another Ray - assuming I could find another one as light. All production line basses are a compromise based on the lowest common denominator most likely to generate a sale at a particular price point. However the relatively recent introduction of the HS and HH model 'Ray shows that EBMM realised there was a market for something different - it's just that they don't want the punters doing it themselves for some reason. I'd happily try installing a EBMM Single coil at the neck position on my Ray, but EBMM won't sell the parts. Even Ricky will sell parts! EBMM seem to be the only maker that insist that their stock instruments are absolutely perfect. They are the Apple of the guitar world (I like Apple too - but improvements or options are also obvious there) [/quote] No I'm not - just a fan particularly of Stingray 5s. My 2003 SR5 cost £995 brand new - although not worth more than its new cost, it would probably fetch not too much shy of that value. I'm with Rodney 72a - I have a number of Musicman basses - the two pick up variants add a number of sonic dimensions but I tend to use two or three stock settings with them. However recorded there are lots of possibilities - eg try soloing the piezo pick up if fitted, on a Musicman. I did precisely this for a sub E hip hop line on my Bongo - now that is very different!!!! The reason there are lots of aftermarket options for the Stingray (though not as much as for Jazzes and Precisions) is the market for upgrading copies - indeed the East can be had with a control plate but it doesn't fit an MM - it fits an OLP. There's nothing wrong with changing the electronics on an SR etc but you will lower the resale value (and John East v stock 2 band apart) probably not make much difference. I use my 2 bands regularly and apart from upping the low mid on the Mark Bass a little, have all the control I want in my fingers, where I pluck the strings, how hard I pluck the strings and the onboard EQ. I would certainly not modify them - I would buy a different bass if I wanted something different. There are a reasonable number of HS and HH SR5s on the resale market - you're better off buying a used factory version IMHO.

Enjoy - These are great - and sound particularly good. Interestingly they've been used in one or two famous settings - not least james brown's band in the later 2000s - one of the two bassists used one. Prices for them seem to be rising if the list price is anything to go by!

A fair comment - I haven't tried anything beyond the ABM, MAG and that 180 combo the name of which escapes me - they were all fine. I've used mine for material ranging from fusion to Shadows tribute and it was very focussed and warm sounding - in fact I lent my ABM rig to my son who had a gig with a 70s/80s/90s soul/dance covers band. I went along to watch and the sound, with an EBMM Stingray was fabulous - all you could ask for. My MAG was used, miked up, for a series of recordings by different bass players by a studio and again, the sound was excellent (hence the studio wanting to use it after I took it along for my one track. I too have used a Rumble combo - it was ok but not well defined especially at volume.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1424199362' post='2693793'] I think we made it a rule around page 2 that sensible answers would be banned, this is not allowed, grab your stand and walk out, do not pass go or collect your £200 [/quote] On the contrary Pete, I find it's the gigs with music stands where I do leave with £200 - occasionally!!!

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1424384700' post='2695887'] The nice, expensive custom shop stuff is going to sound good though! [/quote] I used them for years, both the ABM series and MAG series and found they sounded good (where I was standing) and even better out in the audience. For the price point the MAG series is great. The ABM could have a nice vintage feel to the sound. Mind you I was using a proper bass rather than a 60s mudbucket (but I know even these sound good through an Ashdown. The only reason I rarely use my ABM now is I've gone to class D lightweight with neo speakers for weight and portability reasons. The real problem is usually with player or instrument. If you can play cleanly through headphones and get a nice sound then that is generally how you'll sound recorded direct to a board. There's no reason why your Precision won't sound ok - it's the Maris piper boiled potato of basses - some people prefer the dauphinoise or chipped variety offered by more up to date designs, though others think these simply add unwanted overtones - I'm afraid im in the Jaco, Stanley, Mark King, Bernard Edwards and Pino camp - the unwanted overtones sound great to me - talking of Pino, he has a Precision and uses Ashdown and sounds fine to me. I've never sought to emulate the bass sound of American MOTR music, indeed it doesn't appeal to me other than a passing interest - I never knew who Glaub, Osborne or Beck were until they had signature Lakland/Fenders!!!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424041602' post='2691993'] There's a fair few knobs here, too. Ha! *Runs away* [/quote] Oo er Mr Discreet .........

[quote name='Drax' timestamp='1424033976' post='2691870'] After a fretted 5, and the new Sire Marcus Miller V7 has stirred something in me. Pornographic unboxing on the Other site hasn't helped. Think might have to be the 5 in natural ash / maple. [/quote] V nice - a fair few knobs there?

[quote name='tom1946' timestamp='1423722965' post='2688222'] I don't understand why sterling put stuff out like this? to me it's quite unplayable without a lot of fiddling about with amp settings. [/quote] V nice bass - you can't beat black and maple - Interesting mod, and I heard a great demo of the Aguillar EQ and pick up in a pre EB Ray. You may find lowering the pick up helps. As you lowered the action when you got the bass it's possible the pole pieces were too close to the strings afterwards. I find Stingray basses are at their best (for my style of playing) with the action slightly higher than very low - too low and I find that any slight digging in whilst playing results in notes sounding like they're being popped as opposed to simply plucked.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1424032933' post='2691854'] It's easier to adapt the 10% of a bass you like 90% of than find one that is 100% what you want off the hook though. [/quote] I guess so - I think I've ended up adapting the 10% to various basses myself rather than modding them.