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
If I'm not mistaken the fretboard is cut off the neck and then glued back on so the grain should match up
That is correct, the flame on mine matches and is clearly the same piece.
In a factory vid a good while back, Sterling Ball made a point to explain how, for maple fretboard instruments, they cut off a piece of the maple neck for the truss rod installation and then reattach that same piece as the fret board so the grain matches and the glue line is imperceptible.
Well after looking real close I can see that the neck is from the same piece of wood, but has been cut to install the truss rod, and glued back on. What’s amazing is how they matched up the grain exactly where it was before removal. As a former cabinet and millwork carpenter , I am very impressed with the results. Makes me appreciate even more the craftsmanship of these exceptional instruments!
Speaking of Smoked Chrome…
I snagged this “1 of 5 made” Stingray 4 SLO Special in Smoked Chrome finish with roasted maple neck and few months ago and simply love it! This is the 3rd Stingray I’ve owned over the years and the 1st one I haven’t put down, lost interest and sold after a little while. The 1.5” jazz neck profile and updated preamp is exactly what I’ve been missing She’s a keeper!!!
P.S. I wasn’t feelin’ the standard blk/wht gloss pickguard that came on the bass, so I immediately made a tracing and sent it to WD Custom Pickguards and had one made in clear acrylic and one in matt black
View attachment 4113707 View attachment 4113708 View attachment 4113709 View attachment 4113710 View attachment 4113711
Hey, quick question about your clear pickguard. I am looking to get a clear one from WD for my SR Special and was wondering which thickness you got? I see that they offer Clear Acrylic in a thickness of both .125" and .0825". Which did you choose and why? How does the thickness of yours compare to the original pickguard?
#45 Clear Acrylic
Thickness: .125 in.
The thin .0825 in. looks kind of cheap IMO
The .125 is just about the same thickness as the original...maybe a tad bit thicker
Last edited:
They could start marking (non-Special) StingRays again and those could be the flagships once again as they have been for decades in the past.
Last edited:
Going to temp fate and go full Pink Champagne Sparkle?
That's tempting but I'm planning to start with my Plumpkin Special. It's the purplish one in the middle and has a colour shifting finish so I think it would look quite good with a clear pg.
OK, understandable. It would be interesting to see if the color gradient is a subtle blending, or a dramatic one like a solid line of one color to the next. That is, when there's no pickguard in the way.
Yeah, I am interested to see how the colour shifting is affected by the clear guard.
I don’t surmise that would be the case as the exposed finish is consistent above and below the bridge.... me thinks.
Specials are the new Standard. Like "American Professional" replaced "American Standard" for Fender (now American Pro II). They wanted to market changes with the new name, but it is the new standard now. It's the base Stingray model for EBMM, just like Standard was. So naturally, it's the flagship model. They're not going back.
But yes, I agree, whichever version of Stingray is their standard version, that is their flagship model, and always will be, just like P and J for Fender.
Last edited:
All the current colors seem to have been discontinued, according to the website. Get yours while it last!
It still has that stingray tone but it is slightly different, especially with the time knob. The single coil mode is really cool and different too. In terms of feel, it is probably the best of the bunch that I have. My favourites of mine in terms of feel is the passive okoume and my plumpkin finish one (The purple one).
Time knob? Sounds too dangerous for the bass of mere mortals. Good thing its on a Stingray then.
