NBD: 2023 Music Man Stingray Special 5

[HeadlessBassist]

I've been more than a bit smitten with my '95 Aguilar equipped Stingray, so you might say this is a natural addition...

 

After selling off a few instruments over the last few weeks, I picked up this 2023 Stingray Special 5 in 'Smoked Chrome' yesterday. I first saw it when @lowregisterhead had it up for sale on here. I knew where it went, and traded a couple of instruments along with quite a few pictures of the Queen in order to acquire it yesterday.

 

The setup was very good and curved accurately to the fingerboard as was, but I put 40-125 Elixirs on it last night, and today made some small adjustments, including raising the humbucker according to MM specifications. The Neodymium pickup still has the typical 'MM chewy sizzle' (yes, that's a technical term!) and looking over it, you can sort of see where the money has gone. I think MM are going the premium route these days, making less instruments, but really concentrating on top quality (and raising the prices considerably too!). The Special's new titanium tuners are much thicker and feel great in the hand, and the border between the glossed headstock & the oiled neck is utterly perfect. I've always liked basses with ebony fingerboards, too. Consider me suitably impressed!

 

 

 

 

Edited September 5 by HeadlessBassist

[Lozz196]

Really like the looks of that bass, congrats 

[HeadlessBassist]

Thanks Lozz. The sparkly 3d finish is certainly going to be seen on stage.

[Misdee]

I've got a Stingray Special four string and it's by far the best Stingray I've had the good fortune to have known.

 

The Specials have their own flavour of Stingray tone and I really like it. The new neodymium pickups and redesigned preamp are incredibly punchy. The whole package is well thought-out and ergonomic. Nicely built, too. 

 

Enjoy your new bass.👍🙂

[dub_junkie]

Congrats! This was my old bass judging by the serial number. I had it and a 2023 Raspberry burst at the same time. Great basses! 

 

 

[Paddy777]

I had a raspberry burst one of these, they’re much nicer than standard Stingrays, I prefer the preamp on the specials too, it felt like the high end was tamed a bit which I much preferred - I ended up punting it on tho cos I couldn’t live with the ‘slippy G’ string. It’s definitely a looker, I agree tho MusicMan seem to be concentrating on these higher end production basses, you can tell they’re an expensive bass when you’ve got it in your hands for sure 👌🏼 

Edited September 4 by Paddy777

[Terry M.]

13 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

The ceramic pickup still has the typical 'MM chewy sizzle

Tried one in Andertons recently and it was truly magnificent. Did you mean neodymium pickup?

[HeadlessBassist]

13 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

Tried one in Andertons recently and it was truly magnificent. Did you mean neodymium pickup?

Yes, Ceramic Terry 😉

[Terry M.]

5 hours ago, HeadlessBassist said:

Yes, Ceramic Terry 😉

Ok. These aren't ceramic pickups though?

[Chiliwailer]

Gets a bit confusing with Ray 5 pups. Up to 1991ish they we alnico, then switched to ceramic until 2008ish, and back to alnico until the bass was discontinued. 
Ray Specials are Neodymium as standard. 
Nice bass 👌

[Mokl]

Lovely bass, enjoy it! I picked up a Stingray Special last year, having owned a 2 band from the early 90s. The special is a really great evolution of the Stingray, offering familiarity and something different in the mix imo,  which is helpful in my justifying owning 2! 

[HeadlessBassist]

5 hours ago, Terry M. said:

Ok. These aren't ceramic pickups though?

 

It would seem you're quite correct, Terry.  Neodymium is a rare earth metal, not a ceramic. Oops! Consider me corrected. 🤦‍♂️

[HeadlessBassist]

On 04/09/2025 at 21:10, Paddy777 said:

I ended up punting it on tho cos I couldn’t live with the ‘slippy G’ string.

 

I know what you mean. Changing to the 40-95 + 125 gauge Elixir set seems to have somewhat cured that. The G does seem VERY close to the edge, which is beautifully rolled, of course. I found the same on a 2nd Generation Sire V7. They sometimes roll the edges a little too much and the G can slip off the board if you're not careful. 

[Terry M.]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

I know what you mean. Changing to the 40-95 + 125 gauge Elixir set seems to have somewhat cured that. The G does seem VERY close to the edge, which is beautifully rolled, of course. I found the same on a 2nd Generation Sire V7. They sometimes roll the edges a little too much and the G can slip off the board if you're not careful. 

This is an interesting one. While I don't dislike rolled fretboard edges I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one who feels that too much is made of them from a marketing point-of-view. I'm unphased when I play a bass that doesn't have them. Maybe a solution to a problem that never was?

[fretmeister]

That is a lovely bass.

Definitely on my GAS list!

[ebenezer]

Wow, that G string is very close to the edge of the fingerboard!