Concept: A 4-string StingRay 5

[Alessandro Cruz]

Made a good partnership with my old Jazz Bass

 

[hooky_marr]

In the 1990s when the EBMM Sterling was developed as the 4 string version of the SR5, the SR5 had Ceramic pickups. the sterling was available in either H,HH,HS and H piezo versions.

So what you are describing a is Sterling with a teardrop.

Interesting. I wasn't aware of that history. (I had a regular H Sterling ages ago.)

So, yes and no, because the Sterling's body shape is different, as many people say, it's EBMM's Jazz Bass if the StingRay is their P.

And of course, the difference between the SR5 and SR bodies is the contouring, the chamfered horns as on the Silhouette guitar and baritone (aka Silhouette bass). That to me makes a huge difference in the look and also removes some weight. You could argue the Lukes are Silhouettes with their contours rounded to the extreme, and I wouldn't mind seeing a bass version of that either.

It's hard to see in my quick photoshop but I would also keep the curves/proportions but make it narrower. Not exactly as tiny as a Spector, but closer to that than a current Sterling. Another old mockup below.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Debatable. It's trying to do that Jazz Bass / Mustang thing where merges with the metal control plate, but the upper 'horn' doesn't follow the actual contours of the instrument. To me, it looks like the metal bit is dangling off the 'egg' shape, so it's not creating a unified line for the eye to follow.

Plus, it's not so much about the SR5's pickguard, but also, the carved horns, which reduce weight and make it look a lot sleeker. Can't get that on a regular Stingray or Sterling unless you want to refinish it completely...

didn’t notice the body difference! That might complicate things!

I think the Sabre visually works better with a light colored pickguard or even better a chrome one! It’s not the handsomest bass though, just to me looks better than the stingray!

 

[swink]

it's EBMM's Jazz Bass if the StingRay is their P.

Another history lesson :
That would be the caprice and the cutlass (foto's used from the Talkbass club)

 

[Warpeg]

A bit off topic, but I wonder how many more or less Stingray 5's would have sold over the years if they just looked like a 5-string version of the Stingray 4. The pickguard on a 5 is very off-putting to me. Maybe others feel the same?

 

[Knavery]

Oval pickguard is better, IMO.

 

[hooky_marr]

A bit off topic, but I wonder how many more or less Stingray 5's would have sold over the years if they just looked like a 5-string version of the Stingray 4. The pickguard on a 5 is very off-putting to me. Maybe others feel the same?

The replies so far seem evenly split between oval, teardrop, and no pickguard.

To me, there's also a practical aspect to the teardrop, in that the larger size makes it easier to accommodate a variety of pickup combinations, and in manufacturing you could have a simple 'swimming pool' rout underneath, like on many Strats. Obviously for no-pickguard models, close-fit pickup routs and rear-routed controls look nicer.

 

[hooky_marr]

Another history lesson :
That would be the caprice and the cutlass (foto's used from the Talkbass club)

To the extent that EBMM was experimenting with Fender-reminiscent stuff recently, I like the body shapes generally (I believe the Caprice is the same one they use for the Joe Dart II model), but it really does seem like the Caprice's pickguard is a little wonky... It doesn't follow the outline of the body correctly, compared to the Cutlass - the upper horn and the area around the knobs in particular.

A Caprice with something closer to the Cutlass' pickguard style would be neat.