drTStingray Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 (edited) 50 minutes ago, stingrayPete1977 said: I didn't realise what they cost new now or how hard to find in five strings they are, Thomann was the only place I found one, £2801. I don't think that price reflects how much they'd be, ordered new in the UK. The Classic Stingrays are around in reasonable numbers and although not as many as 4s, there are quite a lot of 5s as well. In terms of relative prices new I can give you some comparisons:- 1993 - £725 - 4 string Fretless incl gig bag 2003 - £1295 - 5 string natural/maple incl hard case 2003 - £1395 - 4 string plus piezo natural/maple incl hard case 2010 - £1695 - 4 string classic/birds eye maple incl hard case Since 2016 special editions have been over £2k and standard models just short of £2k. There's always the US Sub 5 for those wanting the classic look in a 5 string - seen with its Classic (and more luxurious) sibling!! The quote I had back in April for the Stingray Specials ranged from about £2099 - £2399 dependent on colour and 4 v 5 string - the upper prices were 5 string in sparkles or other more unusual colours (including the one I've ordered......) Edited July 21, 2018 by drTStingray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drlargepants Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 As it happens: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drlargepants Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 Nearly 2.5k for a mass produced guitar seems insane to me, but if you can justify it why not ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 The classics are really nicely made when you see one in the flesh, one piece slab body, birdseye maple neck, string thru bridge with mutes etc. I wanted to replace my pre Ernie Ball rays but with five strings, these are as near as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 21, 2018 Share Posted July 21, 2018 2 hours ago, HazBeen said: Custom built in UK or Germany prices... Just one listed on their site, built in California. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 9 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said: Just one listed on their site, built in California. Point is you can buy Shukers, highest spec Sandbergs, Bogarts, Alphers etc for that money..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 I think the quality of the high spec MM’s is excellent (e.g. PDN’s, Ltd Ed and classics) and up there with the similarly priced hand made basses I’ve tried/owned. The new Specials look as though they’ll be more high spec than the already pretty good current SR4’s, Ikm keen to see if they really are much better in the flesh. Hand made isn’t a definer of quality, or an indication that it’d be better than a similarly priced factory built. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 1 hour ago, Chiliwailer said: I think the quality of the high spec MM’s is excellent (e.g. PDN’s, Ltd Ed and classics) and up there with the similarly priced hand made basses I’ve tried/owned. The new Specials look as though they’ll be more high spec than the already pretty good current SR4’s, Ikm keen to see if they really are much better in the flesh. Hand made isn’t a definer of quality, or an indication that it’d be better than a similarly priced factory built. No, it isn’t. But the names I listed are reputable companies with a good name, not for nothing, that can build to your exact spec. I played Stingrays exclusive for 12+ years, quality instruments, but at these price points there is a lot of competition out there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted July 22, 2018 Share Posted July 22, 2018 On 21/07/2018 at 20:36, stingrayPete1977 said: I didn't realise what they cost new now or how hard to find in five strings they are, Thomann was the only place I found one, £2801. crazy 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 22 hours ago, HazBeen said: No, it isn’t. But the names I listed are reputable companies with a good name, not for nothing, that can build to your exact spec. I played Stingrays exclusive for 12+ years, quality instruments, but at these price points there is a lot of competition out there. So many of these perfect "exact spec" basses get sold on within a year or two in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 The thing is, another luthier's take on a Stingray will not be a Stingray. Like the Sandberg basic - it doesn't sound like a Ray, or look like one. The prices are very high right now....I'm not sure how many bassists can spend £2000+ on a Stingray. I'd love one of the new Special models, but I can't spend that amount without thinking I should be more sensible and put it towards something else in life. My Stingray Classic 5 was £1600 approx. new, in Natural, and it has amazing figuring on the neck. I'd say for me, it is the PERFECT bass guitar overall. Now, I imagine you have to pay a lot more for one of those.....not just a few hundred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 1 hour ago, stingrayPete1977 said: So many of these perfect "exact spec" basses get sold on within a year or two in my experience. As do most instruments full stop. The entire music industry caters for GAS, like the new Stingrays there was no intrinsic need to upgrade/update the old. But let’s not get caught in yes/no discussions, Stingrays are quality instruments and for those who feel they are the right decision I am sure they will happily pay the price associated with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 2 hours ago, HazBeen said: As do most instruments full stop. The entire music industry caters for GAS, like the new Stingrays there was no intrinsic need to upgrade/update the old. But let’s not get caught in yes/no discussions, Stingrays are quality instruments and for those who feel they are the right decision I am sure they will happily pay the price associated with them. Yes but you can get a close idea of what you'll be getting by trying a mass produced bass in a shop before ordering one, making a list of all the things you like and having that built often leads to disappointment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted July 23, 2018 Share Posted July 23, 2018 5 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said: Yes but you can get a close idea of what you'll be getting by trying a mass produced bass in a shop before ordering one, making a list of all the things you like and having that built often leads to disappointment. We can agree to disagree on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted July 24, 2018 Share Posted July 24, 2018 12 hours ago, HazBeen said: We can agree to disagree on this. AFAIK there's no rule to say you can't have both a custom built and a mass produced bass at the same time anyway, I could enjoy both! There are plenty of examples of high profile players far better than me using off the hook Rays in all genres of music, time spent lusting over custom build basses would be better spent practicing for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted July 25, 2018 Share Posted July 25, 2018 On 04/07/2018 at 09:33, Musicman20 said: What prices are we looking at? He said that they average about 8 pounds! 🙂 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misdee Posted July 27, 2018 Share Posted July 27, 2018 (edited) These basses, contrary to my initial misgivings, sound very good indeed and the light weight and new contours promise a much more ergonomic Stingray. However, I don't like black hardware on a traditional 4 string Stingray. I'm not keen on ebony fingerboards either. Or sparkle finishes.And the white ones are the wrong shade of white to go with the roasted maple. The overall reaction to how these basses look has been very positive, but i am struggling to find one I could live with, to be honest. I don't like the bridge, either. No Stingray really looks right without the big old-style mute bridge. I will still probably buy one, anyway. And then not be happy with it. Edited July 27, 2018 by Misdee 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassmingo Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 I'm loving the roasted maple look, I think it's beautiful. To add some perspective, 20 years ago in 1998 I bought a new SR4 3EQ Black & Maple while on holiday in the states. The price tag at the time was $1100, which equated to IR£600 at the time. Adjusting for inflation, that equates to $1700 and €1096 in today's money. Stingrays at the time back home were about 1500 Irish Pounds which is north of €2.5k in today's money, which coincidentally is what the new specials are going for on thomann....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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