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
Beautiful but this is the Stingray Special Club and that's an Old Smoothie. Different model I'm afraid.
Beautiful bass!
But I think you want to be here: Music Man StingRay Club | PART FIVE. The StingRay Special Club celebrates the “Special” model of the StingRay launched in 2018 — lightweight hardware, neodymium pickups, re-voiced pre. (Confusing, I know.) But your bas is pretty special, if not a Special.
Well, I had to spend a couple hundred for a fret levelling, which finally fixed the fret buzz. Luthier said the neck wasn't particularly straight, not bad, but could have been better. He's also not sold on roasted maple finished the way the Specials are, he says they're still susceptible to weather nonsense, but we're in Florida and that's a tough environment for wood.
However, that doesn't diminish that my Special had an unmanageable fret buzz right out of the box.
And, about that BS concerning the pickups being too high and causing the buzz... My guy raised the pickups, and still no buzz. It sounds better, too.
So my take is that EBMM needs to take a look at how they season their wood, how they finish their frets, and especially their QC. We're talking a $2200 bass after all.
I still like the bass, but am far from pleased.
However, that doesn't diminish that my Special had an unmanageable fret buzz right out of the box.
And, about that BS concerning the pickups being too high and causing the buzz... My guy raised the pickups, and still no buzz. It sounds better, too.
So my take is that EBMM needs to take a look at how they season their wood, how they finish their frets, and especially their QC. We're talking a $2200 bass after all.
I still like the bass, but am far from pleased.
Interesting I’m in Florida as well and haven’t had any neck issues outside of the ones I’ve had in the past with my previous stingrays. Nothing big they just need more attention I give it a check every couple of weeks.
New action pic from the weekend still loving this bass!
New action pic from the weekend still loving this bass!
I am afraid after my first foray into owning a Musicman Stingray (5H Special) I always come back to my Nordy VJ5. If I can't get the Jazz bass sound, I find myself wanting. I tried a 5HH over the weekend hoping the pair of HH pickups would give me the sonic palette I felt I was missing, but it was more of a different Stingray sound. Great sound ..if that's where you live. I may simply be too old school. So as much as I LOVE the neck shape, size, string spacing and low weight (My Cruz Teal SR Special 5H is 8.3 lbs), I think I am going to try a Sadowsky JJ 5-21 when I find the right one.
Are any other first time Musicman Owners finding anything similar? I don't want to give up prematurely, but I've done a Lot of shows with this bass since I got it. When I go back to my 5 String Nordy Jazz-style bass, I am "home".
Are any other first time Musicman Owners finding anything similar? I don't want to give up prematurely, but I've done a Lot of shows with this bass since I got it. When I go back to my 5 String Nordy Jazz-style bass, I am "home".
I can understand as I experienced something similar-ish.
I dove into StingRay land mid-2016 with the purchase of a new 5HH. I had played them before and owned a Modulus Flea Bass 5 for several years prior and liked the tone, but had moved on from that bass. The StingRays had piqued my interest again after playing a drum gig where the bass player was using an early 2000s SR5 that sounded fantastic. At the time I had several basses, but my main players were a Valenti 5-string, 24 fret jazz with a Sadowsky pre and singles (that I had built for me) and a Lakland DJ5. I had tried the Audere pre in the Lakland, but found I really preferred the passive, single coil tone from its OEM setup and went back to that.
Anywho, after having the 5HH, I found that the additional tones it offered were great, but I utilized just the bridge pickup 99.9% of the time. That's about the time the 30th Anniversary SR5s came out and I bought one of those. At the time, that's where it was at! Loved the grind that bass could get and it became my number 1 for awhile (I sold the 5HH and the Valenti). I got the StingRay bug bad from there and started searching for an original '88 model and finally found one. It was a great, very worn, player's bass that sounded a bit different from the StingRays I had (or had - 5HH), being much more aggressive sounding. Then the Specials rolled out and I scooped up one of those in 5H flavor.
The Special 5H was my main player for just shy of a year with the 30th Anniversary 5H being its backup most of the time. Still having the StingRay bug and reading all the great comments in this thread and elsewhere about the Special 5HH, I bought one of those out of the classifieds here. As you said, great bass with great tones if that's what you're going for, but I found I ultimately just preferred the single H tone best.
What the 5HH did though is renewed an interest in a bass with two pickups. The 3rd position on the 5HH with both pickups on sounded so thick and meaty. After using it for about a month, comments from our sound engineer sealed the deal after he told me he was having to add a good bit of mids to the 5HH Special in 3rd position in FOH. So, the 5HH was sold.
So all of that backstory to get to this: I was reading a lot on here and trying to decide what two pickup bass might fit the bill of having an aggressive bite when needed, but thick and meaty, too. Well, there sitting in the corner of my basses was my poor, neglected, all-but-forgotten Lakland DJ5. I had goofed around on that bass here and there, but it hadn't seen a gig for several years. I picked it up, rehearsed some of the tunes for an upcoming show and it was a lightbulb moment - I realized why I had loved that bass and why it stuck around when others hadn't. Growly, thick, meaty, but aggressive if you wanted. Just that great tone you get from having a bridge and neck pickup, but not so thick that it needed a lot of EQ to get it back up in the mix. My favorite tone on jazz basses has always been the bridge pickup all the way up with the neck volume down just a bit (or for blend, just slightly blended toward the bridge pickup).
I took the Lakland to my gigs that week and it was love all over again. In the meantime, I had found a smoking deal on a Roscoe Century 5 in jazz bass configuration that I bought. I'm back in jazz bass mode now (even though I just traded my 5H Special for a Roscoe in J/MM configuration).
I know I'm fickle though, and all of this could change the next time the wind blows. But for now, I completely get why you'd be going back to a jazz bass as that's what I've ultimately done. I've sold the '88, traded the Special, and the 30th Anniversary is currently up for sale. I will say the new-to-me Roscoe J/MM gets really close to the StingRay tone since the MM pickup on that bass is in the MM sweet spot. But, with the J instead of another big humbucker, it doesn't get nearly as scooped as a HH setup. I've never had a StingRay HS, but I think I can understand all of the love those basses got based on the Roscoe's voicing (which is no doubt different with the Bart pups and pre, but would have to be somewhat similar due to pickup placement).
What a great read! Thanks for taking the time. Yessir, that is exactly what's going on for me too. It does not diminish how great or cool the Stingray Special 5H is. In fact, having played the 5HH now, I realize I too enjoy the single 5H more. ....BUT ....I am a 5 string Jazz Bass lover first and foremost. So I will most likely be putting my Cruz Teal 5H on the For sale/Trade forum soon. But darn it, she sure Looks Great at gigs!
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Last edited:
I’m the opposite. Once I had my 4HH, I knew I’d never touch another jazz bass
I totally respect and admire that too. No right or wrong here. I just came to realize there is a sound I want and need. The Stingray Voice is super cool and awesome. Just depends on what we are going for.
Yep...same here. The Specials are fantastic (and previous gen SRs, too
). I know I'm just fickle.
Hey everyone! I'm in the market for a 5 string - first off I'm very much a P bass kinda guy and have been trying to figure out the best 5 string for me. I've been lurking on this thread for a while and became convinced the Special might be the one for me. I notice my local GC had a 5HH in stock so i went this morning to check it out and it was pretty much everything i hoped and am now convinced i need to get one. My question for ya'll is H vs HH and finger/thumb rest positioning. Being a P bass player mainly, I like where my thumb rests in the middle to upper middle closer to the neck. Playing the 5HH I naturally rested my thumb on the neck pickup and wasn't feeling the placement of the bridge pickup for finger style. So I'm kinda thinking I HAVE to get a 5HH. Can any one chime in on this?
Also I liked the tone in the center with both pickups, felt more balanced and beefy than just the traditional bridge pickup solo'd, maybe another reason I have to get a 5HH over 5H. Would appreciate any thoughts!
PS - i realized that i was seated and that it might feel different than standing with a strap. so maybe that would be something to consider...
Also I liked the tone in the center with both pickups, felt more balanced and beefy than just the traditional bridge pickup solo'd, maybe another reason I have to get a 5HH over 5H. Would appreciate any thoughts!
PS - i realized that i was seated and that it might feel different than standing with a strap. so maybe that would be something to consider...
Get the HH. Learn both ways. Get different sounds. It’s fun!
