smoke Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 hi all I just got meself a StingRay 5 ... not in the best of conditions ... no idea what age, but at a guess late nineties (if anyone knows how to check this, please let me know. More importantly, the strings on it are shot! The whole bass needs a very good clean and a fresh setup. So, I thought I'd ask a few of you more experienced MM owners, what shall I get in terms of strings? Now, I've already got an American Jazz Standard, which I love dearly... recently I chucked on MM cobalt slinky strings, and they are great. So do I go for the same ones on the StingRay or do I go something else? I'm after a nice thick bassy sound, with a some of musicman zest. I wouldn't say aggressive tone, just nice and rich bass. I find my J doesn't do that well at really low grrr kind of sound ... ... so open for suggestions!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I find ebmm strings do work well on ebmm basses, I used to have the pink 40-125 but I have switched up to the green 45-130 for a tighter B string. if you message ebmm they well tell you what date it was built and the original spec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 I love D'Addario strings personally. If it was bright and aggressive I'd recommend the ProSteels, but it sounds like Nickels would be just right for you. They're nice and ballsy! And the hexagonal core keeps the low B nice and tight too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 If you go to this website: [url="http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/TOWN8019/"]http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/TOWN8019/[/url] it will help you date your bass, your actual bass may be registered there but if not you will get some idea by looking at the serials on the site. Regarding strings, I had a StingRay 5 for while and tried a few strings on it. As has been mentioned ernie balls do work well, 45 - 130 are a good gauge. Personally though, the strings sound good initially but I get through slinkys quickly and they go dead within a couple of plays. I switched over to Elixirs and they were superb, they lack a little bit in the mids initially (this can be countered easily with he mid on the bass eq) but they bed in quickly and then keep a lovely tone for months. I had mine on for about 8 months in total and that was twice weekly practices and gigging. They cost a bit more initially but worth it my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoke Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 @NJE thanks for the link! My serial is not registered, but following the logic that they released serials in some sort of order, it would seem the bass dates to 2002. Now I'm even more sure that the previous owner hasn't spent much time looking after it! But I can also assume (or almost be sure) what electronics it's got, which is good. @all Thanks for good recommendations so far ... I played slinkies already on other basses. They do sound good to start with, but when they go dull, they are really dull!! I am yet to see how long the cobalt ones last - apparently they are meant to be better. I also have to say that the steal strings seem to go through my fingers like through butter ... I know I know, I probably don't play enough ... not sure if it is the material, or what. But I do tend to avoid them these days! By the way, Has any of you ever come across a bass which for some reason had a neck different shade to the headstock? What I mean is that it is rather clear that the neck is darker polish or even wood, then the headstock. At first I thought it might be just dirty hands effect, but the more I look at it the more it seems like someone rubbed some polish off it. That said, I don't think it has, but it looks that way. Would anyone do that for some sort of weird 'performance' reasons? Or do I just give it a good scrub? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 EB strings...perfect for that bass. The colour will be the wood ageing with use on the neck as it isn't sealed and glossy. It's gunstock oil which gives a smooth natural feel. The board and neck will discolour but there are good cleaning wipes that EB recommend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 Headstock thing is normal and my necks are filthy, I use wire wool now and again to clean them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoke Posted April 24, 2013 Author Share Posted April 24, 2013 Oh, good good. As I said, I don't play often enough it would seem! Right, off to the shop .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 [quote name='smoke' timestamp='1366792109' post='2057280'] I also have to say that the steal strings seem to go through my fingers like through butter ... I know I know, I probably don't play enough ... not sure if it is the material, or what. But I do tend to avoid them these days! [/quote] I had the same problem with Rotosound, and Warwick steels. Less so with Elites Stadium Series or D'Addario Prosteels. Elixir stainless steels are amazing though, the coating makes them really smooth and a little slippery (not excessively though). Definitely the best feeling steels I've tried! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebassman Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 (edited) I always use ernie ball slinkys 45-130 on my SR5. It's what came on the bass, so never really thought to try anything else. I prefer the sound after they have been used for a couple of weeks, I dont like the bright, treblely sound you get with new strings. Cheers Thebassman Edited April 24, 2013 by thebassman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 (edited) I have DR Marcus Miller fatbeam 125 to 45 on my SR5 - they're about 2 yrs old - they still sound bright. I find the Cobalt strings work really well on Musicman basses, as do the Slinkies (but bear in mind EBMM ship their basses with a 100 on the E) - the Cobalts give quite a boost in the upper mid range. I've not found Ernie Ball strings to lose their brightness on Musicman basses - Rotosounds are totally different - they sound fantastic for a couple of weeks then start to lose their zing - but the intial sound is great. Musicman serial numbers do not always run in order, and particularly for limited edition basses. Your best route on this is to post the serial number details in the sticky thread at the top of the Musicman bass forum and someone from Musicman customer services will reply with the date of completion, original specs and where it was shipped to. They usually reply within one working day. Edited April 25, 2013 by drTStingray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Yep, the serials do NOT run in a normal order. I just got a new Bongo 5 HS which is 5 months younger than my HH. The serial would make it appear the other way round. I like how they keep a database. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoke Posted April 25, 2013 Author Share Posted April 25, 2013 Got my serial verified by the MM customer service. Have to say they were super quick.... and it is 2002, and the description given by them fits what I've got in hand. That's a positive thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matski Posted April 26, 2013 Share Posted April 26, 2013 [quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1366849039' post='2058159'] I have DR Marcus Miller fatbeam 125 to 45 on my SR5 - they're about 2 yrs old - they still sound bright. [/quote] Same here - although mine have been on for 4 years and still sound bright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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