I’m getting mine pleked in Nashville in a week. The frets are still too high and I want to get it as low as possible.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
EBMM StingRay Special Club
- Thread starter MultiScaleMale
- Start date
This color just looks so freaking awesome, especially with the maple board!
..... can I get a third one? I don’t have one with a maple board yet
-ScottM
I'm glad you guys are getting your basses sorted out - mine have both been perfectly OK although I don't run extremely low action as I like to be able to range from tickling the strings to digging in - that's how I get some of the dynamics into my playing - I've also found in the past that very low action reduces my ability to get into the groove - although it does help for real technical stuff like tapping (which I don't do except for a laugh!)
I can only think that global warming is affecting the opposite extremes of temperature (we did hear about - 50 degrees) more in the US than here - we just have increasing numbers of people flooded out by monsoon-like rain - not me thankfully.
Anyhow my Specials are my main playing basses and I love them - I hope you guys get the action sorted - (I confess I went all Classic Ray on one occasion recently - pic to prove it!! The drummer asked me what all the marks on the neck are - apparently it distracted him when the sun shone on it.....I did explain) - but I also used the SR4HH the previous night. Spectacular with stage lights - don't look at the wallpaper too long - induces dizziness!!
I can only think that global warming is affecting the opposite extremes of temperature (we did hear about - 50 degrees) more in the US than here - we just have increasing numbers of people flooded out by monsoon-like rain - not me thankfully.
Anyhow my Specials are my main playing basses and I love them - I hope you guys get the action sorted - (I confess I went all Classic Ray on one occasion recently - pic to prove it!! The drummer asked me what all the marks on the neck are - apparently it distracted him when the sun shone on it.....I did explain) - but I also used the SR4HH the previous night. Spectacular with stage lights - don't look at the wallpaper too long - induces dizziness!!
Last edited:
Yes, of course.
It's something I've read about for over a decade - and I dare say has been discussed on Talk Bass for far longer than that - with many manufacturers, and models / types of fretted instrument.
I should point out though, that I've only been aware of it being brought up by American musicians (that could be due to it being the largest single market, or due to the sheer size of the country, and significant environmental differences between it's vast coverage of longitude, and latitude.
In the UK we don't really experience extreme temperatures, or variances in humidity, from one end of the country to the other - or from the coldest winters, to the hottest summers.
That may be why I've never personally encountered this problem (FWIW the relief on my various basses necks have been set to my liking, and have never shifted in close to 30 years).
I had just sent a new Gibson back for this issue..... among other issues it had.
-ScottM
Thanks - it certainly is - from the first few months of production and had it from new - it has TI flats fitted also. I really enjoyed playing it that day.
Going back to fret sprout, I remember this issue occurring with lots of makes two or three years back in the same circumstances - extreme record cold for a period with normal temperatures either side of it. Mine don't vary very much at all but we don't get record cold (we do get record summer heat)
No what I meant was, if you had other Basses is fret sprout present on them, if not then it is down to materials used on the Special.
Possibly - but there are a variables.
If you're comparing something like a Rickenbacker (with a 4-piece maple neck ; fully gloss laminated neck, and sealed rosewood fretboard, with a binding, and neck-through construction) to something like a Fender American Standard (with a single piece of maple neck ; satin finish, and unsealed rosewood fretboard, bolt-on construction), I'd expect the Fender neck to be more susceptible to anomalies influenced by it's immediate environment, were the two instruments kept side by side.
But yeah, if anyone has two identical Fenders, Rickenbackers, or Stingray Specials sat next to each other, and only one of them is sprouting fret wire - something ain't right.
I get it man, believe me I do. I shouldn't buy a brand new bass of this caliber and then have to have the fret ends filed. Period. And I'm not ready to add this to the list of things we're supposed to blame on "global warming". The woods and materials used should be aged and seasoned enough that something like this doesn't happen. I personally do feel it's a QC issue. Fortunately, the fix is about the cost of a pack of strings.
I have had A LOT of basses over the last 20 years and I just heard of fret spout two days ago. I've also played A LOT of stingrays and have never had this problem.
So why am I willing to go pay $45 to have it fixed and forget about it? Because this bass kicks that much ass. As a 5 string player, its actually been difficult for me to find something that's truly comfortable for me. I thought other basses were ok until I played my Stingray Special. So many improvements over the standard Stingray5: body is more comfortable (not sure why, just is) neck is awesome, neck heel is WAY better, you can play up high, pickups and eq are more natural/organic sounding to me but you can dial in that aggressive Stingray tone if you want, and lighter and more comfortable.
If you have a shop on your side of the pond that sells them go check it out. Also, if what you're looking for is a maple or rosewood board, you likely won't encounter this problem. Just go check one out bro.
Last edited:
The green is beautiful, but so are all of the Special colour schemes.This color just looks so freaking awesome, especially with the maple board!
..... can I get a third one? I don’t have one with a maple board yet
-ScottM
Although some people (hopefully a small minority!) appear to be having issues with QA/QC of the frets and setup, I would say that Ernie Ball is one of the best in the business when it comes to styling, painting and finishing of the bodies.
I agree that it is a QC issue and it is something that should not happen on a Bass that costs so much. Last year I purchased a Fender Player P Bass that had sharp fret ends, and I was a bit peeved about this. But after thinking about it, the Bass cost £600.00 so it is just one of those unfortunate things that can happen to budget makes. But to buy a Bass that cost over £2,000.00 and for it to have similar QC issues is just not on. Don't get me wrong I am not some kind of EB hater as I currently own a Classic and a Bongo which are great, but the Special seems to have quite a few QC issues going off reports
Which should tell you how easy it is. Last time I fixed sprouts, I used a nail file board. It's SO easy.
I've had fret sprouts on basses from every price range, including a custom, major-boutique bass costing 4 figures.
But no, my Special has no sprouts. Might have a high fret, but then so did my PLEK'd custom G&L. Stuff happens, apparently to me.
And for the doubters: This has become my No 1 bass, despite my preference for a smaller, jazz-width neck, and a dead spot like other bolt-ons, and it behaving unusually through a compressor (it has a lot of low end), but there's just something about this bass - it sits so well in a mix, is extremely versatile and sounds so good... I can never not hear it. It's really great.
About compressors:
My Special plays funny with all my compressors. It seems to just drive the bejesus out of them. I have to reset them when using the Special vs P's and J's. I've never experienced this before as an active vs passive thing, I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen the same thing. Not necessarily bad, just unexpected.
My Special plays funny with all my compressors. It seems to just drive the bejesus out of them. I have to reset them when using the Special vs P's and J's. I've never experienced this before as an active vs passive thing, I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen the same thing. Not necessarily bad, just unexpected.
So it sounds like you have had experience with fret sprout in a Fender Player Series bass, do not currently own a Stringray Special, have noted and appreciated comments from some Stingray Special owners who have experienced fret sprout.
I think I am picking up on some issues you may have with EBMM’s pricing. I’m sorry it bothers you. I think this is probably not the appropriate audience for your angst related to that issue since we mostly come here to feel warm and fuzzy about our purchases (which you have yet to make) so we’re all pretty much just looking at you like you got something dangling (sprouting maybe) from your forehead.
I am finding it difficult to form an objective opinion on the fret sprout issue with comments and speculation from a non-owner is basically what it comes down to.
The way to look at it is as a percentage of how many problems vs how many sold? No one here knows that.
It's a known thing that people are more vocal about problems than they are about favorable things. I am no exception. But with that said, a forum like TB is going to amass all the problems as people search for solutions. I think it would be a mistake to tie all of them in a bundle and write the Special off as a "bad" bass because of it. It needs to be quantified. Jesus, how many effed-up Fenders have to be made before anyone complains about them? because I guarantee EBMM's QC is leagues beyond Fender.
Even though I've had an issue or two with the Special, I still think it has great QC and is worth the money - certainly more than any Fender Elite of similar price you might get across the pond.
As for the Fender Player, I have one too, like it very much, and am not surprised you have sprout issues - that bass was made in humid Mexico, and you are located in dry Great Britain. I'm surprised more Brits don't complain about this with all American-made basses.
I don't have any issues with the pricing if the Bass itself has no QC issues. I own a Classic which is around the same price as a Special and a Bongo 5 which cost a couple of hundred pounds more than the Special, and I was happy with the price of both. Oh and please don't revert to name calling it is so infantile and does nothing to advance the debate in a sensible grown up discussion.
Yes, I've experienced something a bit similar. Not just compressors (Aguilar, TC, Fairfield Accountant) but also envelope filters (Aguilar, Solidgold) and my Malekko Unity fuzz. These pedals all respond strongly to signal and playing dynamics.
What I have done is to set my pedals to suit my 18v Special and then switch on a clean boost (Zvex Channel 2) when I play my other passive and 9v active basses. Works fine now.
The only thing I refered to you as in my post was someone who does not own a Stingray Special.
What years did you buy your Classic and your Bongo? Are you happy with the price of the Stingray Specials? I understand you seem unhappy that some members of the Stingray Special club have reported problems with fret sprout.
Just so I have a feeling of to whom I am talking, have you ever played a Special? Even touched one?
You sound as though you've never even held one. They are different from the regular EBMM Stingrays. I ordered one of those a couple of years ago and took it back the next day; too heavy, and frankly sounded rather like a bass with just a hot neck pickup and a hot preamp.
The 2017 Stingray Classic I had was nothing like the original Stingray I had in the 70's that was much better, pretty much all around.
The 2019 Special I now have is better than both the 70's Stingray and the 2017 Classic, by far and in all ways, particularly weight and sound. QC is better than most basses in this price class.
You seem stuck on QC for the money, so I'll say that the QC on my Special is better than any production bass I've ever owned. Better actually than some custom boutique basses I've had (see above concerning fret sprouts on one of them).
The thing about fully custom basses is that, because it's a one-off for the luthier, you have to accept some weirdness because it's rather like a prototype. Not so with a production bass. The Special is fine in this regard. It is a well-developed and thought-out evolution of the Stingray, true to the Stingray moniker, with nothing weird about it. But it is different from prior Stingrays.
Look, no one here is trying to talk you into one. We're all happy as clams with our Specials. You seem to think there's a problem with the quality/price ratio. Fine. Don't buy one. Don't even look at one. Fair enough?
