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EBMM StingRay Special Club

#2,102
megaboogie said:
So I went to GC and played some SR specials yesterday.
I've played specials before and been GASing hard for one but this time they had a NOS '16 stingray 4H maple fb so I was able to A/B it along with 2 specials: a 4HH maple fb and 5HH ebony fb.

They all sounded like a stingray but NOS SR 4H had noticeably more grunt and bite to it, perfect for rock and funk music. I was quite surprised how aggressive it sounded next to the specials.
4HH special maple sounded more mellow in general but not in a negative way.
The neck pu certainly had useable tones mixed with bridge or by itself while still unsure I would use the neck pu as much. Lack of space for slapping concerned me a bit but I think I will adapt.
5HH special ebony was surprisingly more aggressive and modern sounding than the 4HH maple fb.
I feel like these new stingrays are quite different one to the other. Last month I've played a 5H maple which I thought was way too mellow sounding, and a 4H ebony which sounded uninspiring. The ones I played yesterday were all great though.

The NOS SR 4H was for $1099 clearance. GC wouldn't go any lower but they were able to offer me some freebies so I bought it. It's in mint condition IIRC it's a vintage mint green GC special run for '16.
I played it for hours yesterday and very happy with it, weighted at 8.9lbs not too bad for a pre-special SR.

And today I just ordered a 5HH in dropped copper maple fb from MF....
I know I went too crazy but I just sold 5 guitars last month and had some money to burn.(guitar downsizing gone wrong...)
MF don't list the weight on most of their instruments but I asked the sales rep and he said he would be able to notify the warehouse to pick the lightest out of them(they had 3) and it would take extra 1 day to ship out.
Not sure if I can 100% believe they will follow it, but hope I get a light one.
Click to expand...
And that's why I kept my 2004. It's over 11 lbs. and aggressive. Great for the hard stuff. Still the best neck of any fiver I've ever played. I call it the Big, Green Monster. :)
Love my SR5 Special. If you haven't seen my post, it's a natural with maple neck and does sound softer, woodier and the tone is more complex.
Two different sounds from two different StingRays. What more can I ask?! :bassist:
 
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#2,108
gkella said:
I am interested in the dropped copper model.
Haven’t had the chance to see one in person.
The pictures I see on line, it looks more red than
I would like.
Are the pics misleading or a good representation?
Thanks Glen
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I can see how it looks red in photos. It’s really hard to capture the color. Deep copper is the best description. Different lighting scenarios can accent certain hues.

Everyone sees things differently but I don’t think of mine as red at all. It’s much richer than Fender’s new Penny color in Am Performer series.

You’ll see soon enough, right?
 
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#2,111
Stranger Danger said:
I don't want to get in a big debate about this but "affect tone" is a very broad phrase that doesn't really say anything. Each instrument has to be judged on its own merits. There are many things that "affect tone" way more than a few ounces. There are heavy basses that sound good and heavy basses that sound bad. There are light basses that sound good and light basses that sound bad. And each one of those might sound good or bad to me or bad or good to you. Blanket statements regarding weight and tone are not really provable or even helpful. If anything, this new series from EBMM shows that lighter is lighter. It doesn't mean that they don't sound as good as heavier Stingrays. They actually sound better to me. But that's simply my subjective opinion. Using objective data (weight) to draw subjective conclusions (tone) is not something that I think makes much sense.
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affect tone is at least spelled right. effect tone is wrong.

saying something neutral, omitting good or bad, which is subjective, makes the statement more universally acceptable as fact. i never said any other change wouldn't have a greater affect. saying any change in weight or density will affect tone is true. if that doesnt say anything to you then that’s ok.
 
#2,112
hypercarrots said:
affect tone is at least spelled right. effect tone is wrong.

saying something neutral, omitting good or bad, which is subjective, makes the statement more universally acceptable as fact. i never said any other change wouldn't have a greater affect. saying any change in weight or density will affect tone is true. if that doesnt say anything to you then that’s ok.
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I didn’t use “effect” so I’m not sure who you’re referring to. However if you really want to get down to brass tacks on grammar then your sentence should read “I never said any other change wouldn’t have a greater EFFECT”.
 
#2,113
HD007 said:
I can see how it looks red in photos. It’s really hard to capture the color. Deep copper is the best description. Different lighting scenarios can accent certain hues.

Everyone sees things differently but I don’t think of mine as red at all. It’s much richer than Fender’s new Penny color in Am Performer series.

You’ll see soon enough, right?
Click to expand...

I have one on hold !!
Just trying to get my funds together.
Hopefully, by the end of the week, it will be mine !!!
 
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#2,115
Ive been reading through the recent posts in this thread and particularly those concerning relative string volumes and what sounds the HH basses make. This video (which is a few months old now - I don't think it's been posted before) puts these basses - well the 4 string versions - through their paces and especially the HH so you can judge for yourself - also most of the colours are on display - from around 12.55 is an extended demo of the HH including the various switch and EQ selections - some cool playing as well...... Andertons supplied both my Stingray Specials and as some of you know, one of which is a 4HH Aqua sparkle......

Note from my experience the 5 string version sounds very similar if not the same as the 4 string, just with the extended range.

 
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