A question for all the Stingray guys/gals out there

[metron]

Different cosmetics, vibes, tones, strings. A backup. I think those are reasons folks have multiples of any bass type.

I dont have more than one now but I did have an SR5 special H and two Sterlings last year. Ceramics vs neo magnets and H vs HH were why I had the three. I decided I liked the special preamp better so I sold the Sterlings. I personally don't care for duplicates.

 

[slappahdabass]

I don't see how your post relates specifically to "Stingray's"? I mean, insert the words "Precision" or "Jazz" in your question instead and I think you've covered off about everyone here on TalkBass with multiple bass's!

I think the deal with it making less sense is how crazy consistent Stingrays have always been. I own 2 P basses (same year even!) that might as well be totally different models, but every single Stingray feels and sounds more or less like driving the same model car in a different color and that's a very good thing. Makes it harder to justify owning more than one if they're that consistent.

 

[rocknrolo]

I have had multiple stingrays over the years. I usually had 2 just to have a backup but in my opinion 1 is enough. They are all gonna make signature stingray tone and really doesn't change too much from that.

 

[ComeHomeShane]

I currently own 4 stingrays. Not only is the stingray my favorite bass, but I use it for my main gig. I have 2 SRS4s and two SRS5s. Which model I choose depends on the gig, but I always bring its brother as back-up. Also, they're all different finishes if I need to be specific with the outfit for a gig.

 

[dave64o]

I have a 2007 SR5HH, which has the preamp and the ceramic magnet pickups from the Sterling 5 (that's how EBMM made SR5's until 2008) and I also have a 2019 SR Special 5HH, which has the neo magnet pickup and (IIRC) a preamp designed for those pickups.

They feel very much the same except that the Special is about 1.5 pounds lighter (8.3 lbs. vs. 9.5 pounds). Their controls are the same so I can adjust them very quickly and surely because I've been using the 2007 for so long and know it so well. Their tonal range does overlap a lot, but they still have their own tonal character (the 2007 ceramic is noticeably more aggressive - it's basically a Sterling in a Stingray body) so I can get wider tonal variation from the pair of them. So, tonally, I can justify having both but I'm still a huge Stingray fan, and Musicman fan in general, so there's that also. I just like having two of them.

I'm also open to someday picking up a Stingray Special 5 just for its unique take on the Stingray or possibly a BFR Stingray 5 HH of some kind. As with the two I currently have, I'd get even more tonal variation from the third one while retaining the same feel across three basses. And, of course, I'd just love having another one. But I'd also be open to getting a Bongo 5HH, especially a BFR variant, too.

Here are my current two, the 2019 on the left and the 2007 on the right. Keepers, both of them.

 

[GreyBeard]

Of the 7 basses I own, the oldest ones are a pr of SR5's. Other basses will probably come and go but, these 2 are keepers.

 

[tb-player]

In my case it is a little bit of both. I have a lot of Stingrays because I like them, in fact they are my spirit bass in a way.

But there is also a notable difference between some of them between different tone woods, pickup materials used, etc. For example SR went from Alnico to ceramic pickups and then back.

There was a golden era of SRs where most necks were flame or birdseye maple which is appealing aesthetically.

MusicMan had a neck through Stingray for a while which sounded different due both to the construction and the revoiced preamp. Same for the 30th anniversary SR5. Then there is Old Smoothie which has a unique pickup design and a tamer preamp.

And of course the USA SUB5 and Stingray Classic 5 sound quite different than the SR5s between the construction, 2B preamp etc.

These are just some example of variance between models. But again, from my perspective, it is a little of both. I notice and appreciate the differences between certain SRs, but I also enjoy collecting them.

OP here. Now that I think of it, my London friend started with a 30th anniversary, then picked up an Old Smoothie and a fretless, plus a couple of others. So that makes a little more sense.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

It seems like a lot of Stingray players own more than one Stingray.

I have a friend in London who has his own signature bass from a UK luthier. He's played it for a while. But one day, he called me and told me he picked up a Stingray. About a year later, we were chatting and he told me he had 3 more. I asked him 'Why so many?' and he said he just loves them.

I found that interesting because I played the same Stingray 5 for about 10 years with no other basses. It was the perfect workhorse bass and I just adored it. The sound in my head eventually changed and I sold it. A few years after I got rid of it, I owned another SR5 that sounded almost exactly like it. I even (briefly) had a 4-string Stingray that also had that very similar feel and tone. In all that time, I never felt I needed more than one to get that sound.

So is it a collector thing? Do they actually sound different and I just can't hear it? Is variety the spice of life? Or is it an addiction? Inquiring minds want to know.

One is enough for me and I'm still trying to "like" it. My least favorite of the 7 I own. Solid bass. Plays great. Sound/tone... different. Maybe it will grow on me. I'll never buy another Stingray, however.

 

[deirdresm]

P-bass is another one that I don't understand having more than 2 (1 with flats/1 with rounds, if that's your thing).

Depends on if they're straight Ps or not. I'm mostly a short-scale player, but have two Ps: one of the early single coil style and a current model. That plus a Ric 4003/5 are my only long scale. I prefer 5 strings, but that's hard to find in short scale.

 

[nivagues]

I have six. Build quality is excellent and consistent. They all sound great and can be bought unseen.

 

[definenredefine]

I only have the one, and I would only consider getting another if it had 2 pickups.

 

[rogerbmiller]

OP here. Now that I think of it, my London friend started with a 30th anniversary, then picked up an Old Smoothie and a fretless, plus a couple of others. So that makes a little more sense.

There are certainly notable construction and electronics differences between those three!

 

[AcadianBassman]

I'm currently playing an SR5 HS model. I love it. If I ever buy another, it will be a H model. I can't see me buying another simply for the cost - I'm no longer playing as a career and can't really justify the price. I would love to try a Sterling - just for comparison. However, I love the feel, sound and even the weight of the thing. And yes, they are a complete workhorse.

 

[darwin-bass]

Simple: One fretted, one fretless.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I'm just waiting for @Todd Hamby to reply.

 

[Geri O]

I have six. Build quality is excellent and consistent. They all sound great and can be bought unseen.

This right here!

I ordered all of mine from various Guitar Center stores. All just about perfect. Only one of them needed attention and that was the one that was priced insanely low. It needed a fret job, but even with a $150 fret replacement, it was still a good deal.

 

[tb-player]

I have six. Build quality is excellent and consistent. They all sound great and can be bought unseen.

That's a big part of it, I think. A Stingray can be bought online with confidence. You know how they'll play and sound.

 

[Jigmay]

Why collect Stingrays? I'll take a shot at this from another angle: You shouldn't collect them because it's not necessary to have more than one...because they are so versatile!

I own an Old Smoothie, 2-band eq, with mutes, maybe the simplest pf the 'Rays. A bit heavy, but out of my eight basses, it's the best built instrument I own. This bass has SO MANY sounds it could be a "One and Only Bass", it's that good. Play over the neck and it goes Pbass, by the bridge and it goes Jbass. Round wounds and that preamp give me a wide array of useable tonal options. Add in the mute which I adore, or throw in some flat wounds, and I'm into a whole other arena of sound. Those with the double pickups can double or triple their color palette.

Stingrays are "Many Trick Ponies" and get "close enough" to a P or a Jazz on a gig, plus they do their own thing. So no...I see no need to collect them.

 

[roller]

They're very well-made... they sound decent... and they look great.

I've sold all my Music Man basses and have no regrets on letting them go. My Stingray 5 was a superb instrument. I have since "borrowed" that three-way switch (parallel/single-coil/series) on one of my other basses with a Stingray-style pickup and it's just as sweet.

My '85 4-string Stingray in Olympic White was also lovely.

So is it a collector thing? Do they actually sound different and I just can't hear it? Is variety the spice of life? Or is it an addiction? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Pet Sounds]

Over a 30-year period, I've acquired an embarrassing number of StingRays, all but one purchased used at very acceptable prices.
All are somewhat different: an '80s two-band, a PDN 4H in mahogany, a 4H with piezos, a 4HH BFR, a (new) Classic.
Then the Special came out and I was really smitten. Over the last few years I've picked up a maple Burnt Apple 4H (with flats), a Cruz Teal 4H (ebony) and my favorite, an Amethyst Sparkle 4H (rosewood).
They all sound like StingRays, but each has its own character.
I could definitely sell a few of these, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.