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Ed Friedland reviews the Classic Stingrays 4 & 5!!


Grand Wazoo
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As yet I've resisted clicking on it. :)

I'm gutted with the 'problem' mine turned up with if I'm honest; I'm still trying to fill the void with another bass !

I think i'm going to wait a year or so then try again, just to make sure I get a 100% spot on example. Let's face it, they arent cheap so I do expect it to be nigh on perfect.

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Ok, so Ive had some time to calm down from the disappointment I had a week or so ago now. My mind is a little more open to what these nice basses can do!

I notice a few things after listening to this demo (which is yet again another great demo from Ed):

1. There is little point getting a rosewood board when you have splashed out extra money for the flame/birdseye maple neck. If its not all maple, it doesnt look as 'stunning' with this model. It doesnt grab my attention like the very aged yellow maple Ive seen on these Classics.

2. I should have plugged mine in. I never had chance unfortunately. In a blind panic about a few problems it had, I made sure I didnt 'use it' if it was having to go back.

3. Following from point 2, I realise after this video that I prefer the 3EQ....

Dont get me wrong, I like the 2EQ punch, but I miss that complexity in the mids that the 3EQ gets you. I found I can make a 3EQ very 'old school' and vintage with a little EQ taming, but that 2EQ just doesnt have that really aggressive 3EQ tone that I personally grew up with.

This makes me realise yet again that listening to any internet discussions on 2EQ vs 3EQ (unless there are tone examples as per our very own Linus) is pretty much null and void until you LISTEN yourself. Everyone has different tone goals, and grew up with different sounds in their own head. Mine was the 3EQ, so Im pretty much 100% sticking with it. Back in the late 90s when I bought one of my Rays, everyone said 3EQ is the optimum setup, but now it tends to be 2EQ that gets the vote. Im sticking to my guns on this now instead of experimenting; the 3EQ is right for me.

4. This means I cannot get another Classic. Ah well. Im going to stick with a normal Ray from now on.

5. The colours look very different in every single picture I see! The Vintage White I had for a day or so was stunning, nice and 'yellow' and creamy. The pics Ive seen of the Powder Blue are not as nice as I imagined. The Mint Green/Coral Red look great.

6. The only thing Im really going to miss is the mutes. But, Im sure I can get around that. Ive never used them before, but I really did fancy having a bass with them.

7. Dont let my experience put you off. Ive owned a few normal Stingrays and they were flat out amazing in the QC department.

Edited by Musicman20
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Musicman20... I understand your frustrations, but I also believe that both Darren at the Bass Merchant in Colechester and Strings & Things (the official importers) would have done backflips to have your Classic returned and swapped for a perfect one, if only you'd wished to, and a big part of me tells me that perhaps you were too quick triggered in deciding to return it for a refund. The comment you made about 2 or 3 band EQ is a totally different matter that maybe you should have elaborated before making your decision to buy one, after all EBMM has been offering 2 EQ stingray 4's as special order for ever, just to satisfy the old school types.

Finally as for the mutes, trust me, it's nice to have a bridge with them on, but any bit of foam will do and it's way easier to replace in case it wears out whereas the EBMM mutes are difficult to source and you need to undo the blades from the bridge to fit new ones. I slide a 1/4 inch of foam on and off at the bat of an eyelid on my basses.

P.S.: I told you not to click on that link, didn't I? :) :rolleyes: :lol:

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[quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='852573' date='May 31 2010, 01:24 PM']Musicman20... I understand your frustrations, but I also believe that both Darren at the Bass Merchant in Colechester and Strings & Things (the official importers) would have done backflips to have your Classic returned and swapped for a perfect one, if only you'd wished to, and a big part of me tells me that perhaps you were too quick triggered in deciding to return it for a refund. The comment you made about 2 or 3 band EQ is a totally different matter that maybe you should have elaborated before making your decision to buy one, after all EBMM has been offering 2 EQ stingray 4's as special order for ever, just to satisfy the old school types.

Finally as for the mutes, trust me, it's nice to have a bridge with them on, but any bit of foam will do and it's way easier to replace in case it wears out whereas the EBMM mutes are difficult to source and you need to undo the blades from the bridge to fit new ones. I slide a 1/4 inch of foam on and off at the bat of an eyelid on my basses.

P.S.: I told you not to click on that link, didn't I? :) :rolleyes: :lol:[/quote]

Thanks, I agree. 100% happy with S&T and Bass Merchant and how they dealt with it. It was a case of 'heck, I've sold two REALLY good standard Rays for this, do I really want to wait or should I just leave it for now?'. As you can see, im still confident in EB as Ive got two incoming and it wont sway me away from getting more EBMMs. The two I sold on here were such high quality basses in terms of QC I was a little shocked about the Classic I received.

My girlfriend could see how much it stressed me out, with it being the most expensive bass Ive ever ordered, so she just advised for now I should leave it, and perhaps replace it with a standard Stingray 4, which I am 90% sure on now.

The 2EQ sounds amazing, and I see why people like it. But, as I could not find a 2EQ around here to test, and the Classic colours just sucked me in, I had to give it a gamble. I agree, its more the traditional Stingray tone, but I grew up on insanely fast and melodic modern american punk, and they all had that cutting 3EQ tone. So, now I know what to order for a standard Stingray....stick to what I love.

I agree on the mutes. Its much easier to source some foam! I think the mute material is that type that will need replacing, so Ill just stick to a normal ol' Ray with some foam!

Cheers

Edited by Musicman20
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[quote name='Musicman20' post='852589' date='May 31 2010, 01:45 PM']Thanks, I agree. 100% happy with S&T and Bass Merchant and how they dealt with it. It was a case of 'heck, I've sold two REALLY good standard Rays for this, do I really want to wait or should I just leave it for now?'. As you can see, im still confident in EB as Ive got two incoming and it wont sway me from getting more EBMMs. The two I sold on here were such high quality basses in terms of QC I was a little shocked about the Classic I received.

My girlfriend could see how much it stressed me out, with it being the most expensive bass Ive ever ordered, so she just advised for now I should leave it, and perhaps replace it with a standard Stingray 4, which I am 90% sure on now.

The 2EQ sounds amazing, and I see why people like it. But, as I could not find a 2EQ around here to test, and the Classic colours just sucked me in, I had to give it a gamble. I agree, its more the traditional Stingray tone, but I grew up on insanely fast and melodic modern american punk, and they all had that cutting 3EQ tone. So, now I know what to order for a standard Stingray....stick to what I love.

I agree on the mutes. Its much easier to source some foam! I think the mute material is that type that will need replacing, so Ill just stick to a normal ol' Ray with some foam!

Cheers[/quote]

Life is all about experience my friend. Good for you for sticking with the 3EQ. We should always go with what we know in ourselves to be the right route for our individual tastes. When your new basses arrive from SLO post up pics and make us all cry in our beer. All the best! :)

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The few other demos of his that I've actually heard I thought were useless - far too much waffling on and on, and the sound not good enough to assess the instruments properly, but that one's actually pretty good with much clearer sound. Maybe my previous sample of his videos wasn't representative!

Naff-looking basses though! (gets coat...)

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