Ander87

Hm! This would have been my natural response! After having had 4/5 precision basses, and copper shielding most of them, I realised thanks to a technician you do not need copper shielding for a single P pickup bass! Could be grounding, connection between the split pickups, the pots making some sort of interference but I can testify this is true - a P pickup by default is hum cancelling - I can't give you a specific answer but it's what I have witnessed with my very own eyes...!

EEEEEK!!!! FRIDAY SHOULD BE HERE!! Probably that means Saturday or likely Monday knowing that this is UPS though..... Time to start looking out the window!

thank you buddy! I’ll keep the 4H sparkle and this one coming, should be more than enough for studio and stage etc! it should even have me covered for genres, I have done everything from Motown and RnB to Metal with these guys… the double pickup should warrant yet more tone options…!

One more step! My mate is studying in BIMM and told me they had a cruz teal 5H - I emailed reception and facilities and called hoping they'd let go of it ha! FWIW, nope, they don't let go of them... they even have a 'Musicman Room' in their facilities (how fancy eh?) so odds are this is an sponsored instrument to the institute?

Haha! Very adequate! It will be a long time waiting as it has to cross the ocean tbh... I am travelling to spain for 5 nights next Thursday so, even if tight, it should be home before I fly....! I hope I have an email link to pay for the customs and dispatch it once in the UK quick; I have had situations in the past where you're sent a letter (with the subsequent delay for the letter to get to you) with the link you need to use printed on it - silly considering how things can be done online these days...! The guys at the shop said he's getting set up and should be on its way out to me today - it's 'only' 12:30pm over there so that should be fine I hope! Ander.

Thanks Mick! What's more interesting is that this is New Old Stock! The bass is brand new, unplayed - quite a miracle for a discontinued colour! My search has been probably the hardest I've done for a bass: 1. bothering owners in basschat, 2. posting wanted ads in talkbass/basschat/facebook, 3. alerts in reverb, ebay, facebook 4. messaging most of the shops in the UK, 5. Going international - speaking with distributors in Italy and sellers in Singapore, even Ishibashi music Japan, 6. Even searching for #cruzteal #stingrayspecial and similar tags and cold calling owners/posters in case they'd let go of it... Funny enough I did come across my actual original Cruz Teal 5H, but after some talking the current owner realised he's (reasonably!) better off holding on to it and keeping it. After having completed all those steps I decided I had more than done my due dilligence to warrant redemption after my regret having sold the original one. Now that I have the charcoal sparkle 4H, the 5HH made more sense than single pickup to have all tones I may need as we will be popping over to the studio. It has all worked wonderfully as I have seem to sold the two basses I had left from the last cull - the SR Specials should be all I need (don't say it too loud and jinx it...) I will share more but so far my experience with N Stuff Music has been fantastic - speedy responses, lovely to deal with and informative - who would've thunk that a small shop in Pittsburg Pennsylvania would have the answer to my prayers! Now to receive tracking info and the customs/taxes slap... I have to say that the shop has been very kind and accomodating with a discount etc, it'll work pretty much same as the brand new prices from 2018, which I consider very fair (it is brand new after all). Just about same as I bought my 5H for... Not that it's cheap, but brand new prices at 3k+ these days are prohibitive. I had to rub my eyes, literally the only cruz teal bass I've found on sale - the fact that it's brand new is ridiculous!

Of course I have bothered all of Basschat enough that it's not a surprise anymore ...and now I have some pictures 'in the flesh' rather than just studio... I was really after this, crazy enough to make a transatlantic purchase to the US....! I can tell you more about the chase but it has been crazy... this is the actual bass:

Well....!!!! Something very unique coming my way - I'll just tease with this so far...

@ezbass that’s a killer duo mate!

Hmmm….! I’ve got the 4H so thinking as I’m off to studio to record EP and whatnot a 5HH may be handy… those single coil tones in position 2 & 4 sound pretty juicy…!

I’m considering doing something a bit crazy but that many a folk here would approve of…. Starts with Special, ends with 5HH…. NOS….

A Musicman Stingray Special 5 in Cruz Teal. I've been chasing one for a bit as I was silly enough to sell mine 3 years ago due to difficult circumstances and not playing enough... Discontinued colour... I've not seen others apart from mine and I'm on the hunt, but it's a tough one!

Interesting! I just spoke with strings and things the distributors since the screws for a saddle has worn off and I can't raise the string action - they just sent me two packs for all the saddles in both my basses without hesitation and overnight - good to know that companies take both sales and after sales seriously still! Ander.

Hm! Interesting - shopping from the vault incurring customs and whatnot seems tedious though, how was your experience @drTStingray?