All New Redesigned 2018 Music Man Stingray!

[Tuna Can Dan]

Watch this! This is what sold me on the new bass. I play the same kind of music!

 

[Kevin Wolfe]

Following. Gotta SRS5H on order.

 

[Christcr]

Good read, really learned a lot from this post! But I'm really interested with how this measures up against a Stingray Classic/2-Band - does it get closer to that 2-band sound? if I'm really after that 2-band sound I should just go for it and get a Classic 5 instead of a Special 5 (which is more "flexible"- but couldn't I EQ the Classic with my rig)?

Honestly... no.

In fact, I would say that the old 3-band gets closer to the 2-band sound. But neither really does. The only thing that sounds like a 2-band Stingray is... well, a 2-band Stingray. I do love that sound--probably my favorite "bass sound"--that and the J-bass sound. Thinking back to Louis Johnson, Bernard Edwards, Paul Denman, and a few others--all 2-band Stingray. Good stuff. If you are most interested in that sound, I'd say definitely go with the Classic Stingray. Great basses. Or if you don't want to lay down so much cash, the Sterling Ray-35CA (now discontinued) has that sound as well. But the Classic is definitely the ultimate (other than an actual vintage Stingray) for that old-school "stingray sound."

 

[Doug Parent]

Setting this bass up for a client. 2019 HH in black on black. Ebony board. Nice fretwork. Electronics are quiet and responsive. Set up went very well. My only complaint is Music Man still has the G string falling off the fretboard. The distance from edge of fingerboard to string should be fairly equal on both sides? Playing it for a few minutes I was fretting notes that were "pulling off" around the 10th fret. Curious if this string alignment is intentional by design? Is this an anomaly? Anyone from Music Man have a comment about this?

 

[TrentB]

Setting this bass up for a client. 2019 HH in black on black. Ebony board. Nice fretwork. Electronics are quiet and responsive. Set up went very well. My only complaint is Music Man still has the G string falling off the fretboard. The distance from edge of fingerboard to string should be fairly equal on both sides? Playing it for a few minutes I was fretting notes that were "pulling off" around the 10th fret. Curious if this string alignment is intentional by design? Is this an anomaly? Anyone from Music Man have a comment about this?

You might want to post that in the Stingray Special club thread. Lots of SR5 owners there as well as Scott Ball.
EBMM StingRay Special Club

 

[Stevorebob]

Setting this bass up for a client. 2019 HH in black on black. Ebony board. Nice fretwork. Electronics are quiet and responsive. Set up went very well. My only complaint is Music Man still has the G string falling off the fretboard. The distance from edge of fingerboard to string should be fairly equal on both sides? Playing it for a few minutes I was fretting notes that were "pulling off" around the 10th fret. Curious if this string alignment is intentional by design? Is this an anomaly? Anyone from Music Man have a comment about this?

Music Man players adjust their technique to avoid the G-string issue. It’s not difficult to adapt to the bass.

 

[Doug Parent]

Music Man players adjust their technique to avoid the G-string issue. It’s not difficult to adapt to the bass.

Thanks appreciate your chiming in. Curious is the A string supposed to be centered over the center dot?

 

[Stevorebob]

Thanks appreciate your chiming in. Curious is the A string supposed to be centered over the center dot?

Yeah. Like I said in the other thread, that’s the case with EBMM 5-strings. But I have seen some not centered. (I passed on a Big Al 5 because the neck was not set straight and the A-string was below the dots.

 

[tonymcbony]

Just a heads up: if you're a weirdo that likes tinkering like I am, aftermarket pickups will not currently drop into a StingRay Special 5.
First, they generally don't do the dog ear style the special now has, they will have the sloped side.
Also, aftermarket pickups will be to the regular Stingray 5 shape so they will be longer bass to treble and thinner nut to bridge than the Special 5's pickup.

I bought an Aguilar AG5M to drop into my Special 5 as it has the dog ear style but it's too long for the pickup route.

That's a shame for me because I really would like a Ceramic Pickup in there – kinda want a 90's ray sound with the ergonomics of the Special.