EBMM StingRay Special Club

[N4860]

It is pretty sweet looking isn’t it? Tort is definitely my thing, but I’m kind of curious to see it with the parchment pickguard. I’ll also have to check to see if the pickguards will fit my 2007. That would give me some interesting options.

I just couldn’t put it down today, so tomorrow I’ll A/B it with my other Stingray.



Agreed! I’ve never had a roasted neck before. The darker coloring of this one matches the finish nicely.

That bass looks awesome. Love the look of the dark burst with the tort and roasted fretboard. In regards to your pickguard, I am 90% sure that it won't fit your 2007 since the Specials have the additional fret so the shape wont line up properly with your pickup. I have a few SR Specials but none are a 5HH which is definitely one that would be on my radar.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Well, Sunday came and it's finally here! I played it for about two hours so far and WOW. My current Stingray (old Stingray? long time Stingray?) has very impressive output, rivaling, if not surpassing, the output of my L-2500. It's a beast. But this is the first time I've gotten to hear a Special in person and I was quite surprised at the amount of beef in its output. Not that it was overly growly and aggressive, just ... beefy. And, despite having such impressive output, the weight is quite nice, about 8.5 pounds, or about a pound lighter than my 2007.

I'd say the overall character of it is noticeably more subdued than my 2007. That doesn't mean that either bass is better or worse. It means that I suspect this Special is going to zig where my 2007 zags and they'll complement each other nicely. I'll take it to my weekly Tuesday night basement jam and to rehearsal on Thursday. It has a pretty fresh set of Elixirs on it now and I think I'm going to keep them on for a bit. Assuming I do, then I expect to play it at our next gig on Saturday night, giving it two sets and my 2007 two sets. I'm excited to hear it in a live setting!

And I would be doing him a disservice if I didn't give @laneline a shout out. He gave me a great deal, gave me a bass that's in wonderful condition, and I had a great chat with him after we closed the deal. Plus, he included the original white pickguard that it came with, the tort pickguard that's on it now, and even a brand new parchment pickguard that he never even got to install. I've done about a half dozen in-person deals so far and all have been with good people. Gotta love TB!

I took the obligatory NBD pics just to post them here. But I'm planning to do some "glamour" shots" with my good camera gear when I have some time, hopefully next weekend and hopefully in some good natural light. Until then, here are the first cell phone pics!

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One more thing ... the strap is a Revo Solano strap in Rosewood. It's all polished rosewood pieces with leather end pieces. I bought it hoping it would match my Precision V - and it did. However, that's the bass that I will unfortunately be selling (one in, one out) to bring this one into the rotation. However, I think this strap matches this bass quite well, also. I also have another nice strap that's on my sunburst parts Jazz. I'll try both straps on both basses to see if I can figure out if one strap fits one bass better. But, for now, I'll use this one. Looks pretty on the bass!

Beefy is exactly the word I use to describe the tone

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Beefy is exactly the word I use to describe the tone

I call it thick and rich without that annoying metallic ping but still maintains that signature StingRay punch and bounce to the notes.

 

[FLStudiobassist]

I'm a tort fan for sure on this one. What I've noticed with the Specials is that they are significantly lighter but have this responsiveness and resonance that I've never found in a regular Ray. EB is doing something incredibly right with these basses. They are worth every penny, IMO. I've played a few very high-end basses that didn't match the quality or musicality of these Specials. They are indeed special.

These basses really are on another level. The tone I get in the recording studio directly through my Apollo and UAD SSL E Channel and Legacy 1176E is tremendous. I find that the Neodymium magnets are warmer and deeper sounding than the Ceramic pickups. It's actually a much improved sit in the mix for me, whereas others have complained about the Stingray Special getting lost in the mix. I can't imagine this baseline I'm playing getting lost in the mix.

First I do a little slap, then I finger style pluck while the strings are partially muted by my fretting hand, then finally I do straight finger style.

If anyone is having trouble using the attachment, hit the link below and you can download the 10mb .wav file. Make sure you scroll down and find the button for "Download File" instead of installing the app
EBMM_Stingray Tone_1.wav

 

[PhinDog]

I call it thick and rich without that annoying metallic ping but still maintains that signature StingRay punch and bounce to the notes.

Are you still using the cobalt flats to make it thick and rich? I'm still battling my tone on the SRS 5HH. It seems like I have a ton of that annoying metallic ping and not a lot of that Ray beefed up bass. Just got a set up and I had one pack of Slinkys left so I put them on and it's soo bright now. May go get some cobalt flats tonight. I may need to let it go.

 

[Pet Sounds]

Are you still using the cobalt flats to make it thick and rich? I'm still battling my tone on the SRS 5HH. It seems like I have a ton of that annoying metallic ping and not a lot of that Ray beefed up bass. Just got a set up and I had one pack of Slinkys left so I put them on and it's soo bright now. May go get some cobalt flats tonight. I may need to let it go.

I suppose thick and rich is in the ear of the beholder, but I personally feel the Special series has very substantially tamed what @LadyLoveStingRay5 so aptly described as "that annoying metallic ping." I own three Specials, and Cobalt flats definitely sound great on my Burnt Apple (maple) 4H, but I also get thick and rich out of my Amethyst Sparkle 4H (rosewood) and Cruz Teal 4H (ebony), both wearing rounds. I say this as a long-time hater of metallic ping on the older StingRays. FWIW, I'd recommend trying out some Cobalt flats and experiment with the tone controls on your bass and on your amp. If you still dislike the tone, maybe StingRays just don't work for you. You may also want to try some flats that are less bright out of the chute, like GHS Precision Flatwounds.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I just switched from DR Hi Beams to Pure Blues and really loving it. The Pure Blues are awesome for this bass. A little warmer than Hi Beams but can get zing when you want it.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Are you still using the cobalt flats to make it thick and rich? I'm still battling my tone on the SRS 5HH. It seems like I have a ton of that annoying metallic ping and not a lot of that Ray beefed up bass. Just got a set up and I had one pack of Slinkys left so I put them on and it's soo bright now. May go get some cobalt flats tonight. I may need to let it go.

I have a stock slinky round on the low B. Cobalt flats on the other strings.
I like the tone because it is just as I described earlier.
My Special ( I suspect is either alder , mahogsny, or basswood), with rosewood , which I prefer due to warmer tones and more low mids. Way less scooped than ash/ maple or ash/ebony combo.

IIRC, your bass is ash/ebony . My first Special was aqua sparkle ash/ebony 5HH. It was not 100% to my liking. I missed that richness through the range .

 

[Moonskunk]

I have a 4H Maroon Mist with rosewood fretboard and also a 4HH Tectonic Blue Sparkle with ebony fretboard. I personally love the ebony boards sound character every bit as much as the rosewood, perhaps even a tad more. If I could change one thing on the my ebony 4HH Special it would be a 4H. I'm using Rotosound nickel round wounds on both basses.

 

[dave64o]

I have a stock slinky round on the low B. Cobalt flats on the other strings.
I like the tone because it is just as I described earlier.
My Special ( I suspect is either alder , mahogsny, or basswood), with rosewood , which I prefer due to warmer tones and more low mids. Way less scooped than ash/ maple or ash/ebony combo.

IIRC, your bass is ash/ebony . My first Special was aqua sparkle ash/ebony 5HH. It was not 100% to my liking. I missed that richness through the range .

I like your idea of using a roundwound B and flats on the rest. When I met the TB'er who sold me my Special yesterday, I mentioned that I was considering doing that on my short scale semi-hollow. I have Chromes on that bass and the B has more definition than I thought it would, but there's still more thud with that string than there is with others.

I haven't felt a need to do that with the Chromes I've had on my 2007 Stingray, though. The B string has enough definition for me but, then again, the ceramic pickups in that bass do have a brighter, nastier character (in a good way) than those in the Special. EDIT: ... at least based on what I hear from playing the Special at home in its first 24 hours here.

 

[Jim C]

a

What I've noticed with the Specials is that they are significantly lighter but have this responsiveness and resonance that I've never found in a regular Ray.

My sampling of Reverb interprets this differently assuming an average bass weighs 8.5 lbs.
There are a small percentage that are in the 7lb 8 oz range which is incredible.
I see the most that are 9.5 lbs. or the seller "doesn't have a scale".
OTOH, the Specials are consistently lighter than basses like my 83' which are 10 lbs+.

If I love my 2 band Ray, will a Special be too tame?

 

[willsellout]

a


My sampling of Reverb interprets this differently assuming an average bass weighs 8.5 lbs.
There are a small percentage that are in the 7lb 8 oz range which is incredible.
I see the most that are 9.5 lbs. or the seller "doesn't have a scale".
OTOH, the Specials are consistently lighter than basses like my 83' which are 10 lbs+.

If I love my 2 band Ray, will a Special be too tame?

Yeah mine is 8.2 lbs. Super duper light and just about perfect in every imaginable way. If I remember correctly the 2 bands are a bit zingier and aggressive than my special, if that makes sense, but it's been a long time since I owned one. I definitely don't find it tame though. Mine is the HH version so it can certainly get more tame and traditional but with the EQ I can get just about everything I want out of it. If you can I'd definitely try one in person and bring your 83' with you and see what you think. That's probably gonna be difficult with how hard it is to find anything in stock lately. I'd imagine your 83' has some special mojo that will be hard to top.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

a


My sampling of Reverb interprets this differently assuming an average bass weighs 8.5 lbs.
There are a small percentage that are in the 7lb 8 oz range which is incredible.
I see the most that are 9.5 lbs. or the seller "doesn't have a scale".
OTOH, the Specials are consistently lighter than basses like my 83' which are 10 lbs+.

If I love my 2 band Ray, will a Special be too tame?

Special can get pretty intense if you crank the preamp. I found the 2 band Stingray Classic to be darker than the Special. Not sure how the classic series would compare to an actual early Stingray 2 band though

 

[bumble yeti]

What? No Rotosound Swing Bass 66 players out there?
Hmm…

 

[PhinDog]

I suppose thick and rich is in the ear of the beholder, but I personally feel the Special series has very substantially tamed what @LadyLoveStingRay5 so aptly described as "that annoying metallic ping." I own three Specials, and Cobalt flats definitely sound great on my Burnt Apple (maple) 4H, but I also get thick and rich out of my Amethyst Sparkle 4H (rosewood) and Cruz Teal 4H (ebony), both wearing rounds. I say this as a long-time hater of metallic ping on the older StingRays. FWIW, I'd recommend trying out some Cobalt flats and experiment with the tone controls on your bass and on your amp. If you still dislike the tone, maybe StingRays just don't work for you. You may also want to try some flats that are less bright out of the chute, like GHS Precision Flatwounds.

I might have a loose wire or bad Jack. Not sure which but I just got some weird boomy tones then unplugged plugged back in and the tones I have now are like nothing I’ve had yet. Might be back to the tech again tomorrow. Now these Are rich tones. Wow this is what I’ve been missing.

 

[Strung_Low]

What? No Rotosound Swing Bass 66 players out there?
Hmm…

I have swing 66s on a squier pj and really like them.. but i put dr lo riders on the sr5 because I know them and the stock strings felt kind of floppy to me. How do you like them on the ray?

 

[dave64o]

Lo Riders are my favorite overall string and they sound fantastic on my 2007 Stingray.

The Special I just bought has the Elixir Nanowebs that the previous owner put on them. Never used them before and they sound and feel pretty good so far, but I’ll have three opportunities to hear my new bass in different band contexts this week. So I should have a much better informed impression of them after Saturday’s gig.

But I’ve been considering strings I might try on it next, whether it’s sooner or it’s later, and Rotos are a string I never tried. Are they a stiff feeling string like Lo Riders? Also, my impression is that the stainless steel 66s are quite a bit brighter sounding than I need. Do the nickel 66s have a noticeably warmer tone than the stainless steels?

 

[metron]

String talk? I tried Cobalt rounds for the first time on my SRS5 and for the first time ever, I hear what I would call appropriate note definition and clarity on the B string. Everything else prior was ok at best. I decided to get a second set for my G&L L2500 and experience the same thing.

I realize these are overly bright/zingy/clanky for most folks. Plus they have an almost ss like feel which is a downside for many. These strings are my jam though. I don’t have interest in experimenting with anything else on my 5s.

 

[PhinDog]

Ok,
I know I've been a PIA about my SRS5 but here's a question.

The tone from my SRS5 HH has always been extremely bright and metallic sounding. Last night the tone got really boomy and bassy - everything set flat on bass and amp. Boomy like double the bass if turned up all the way. It wouldn't change with any eq adjustments on the bass or amp. So I unplugged and plugged back in. I also have each knob and pickup a little knock with my knuckle. Not real hard, just a little tap. When I plugged back in, I finally got that SRS5 sound that I had heard on every YouTube vid and everyone here has been talking about. I couldn't put it down. But when I did unplug and plug back in, I'm back to the bright metallic sound again. I cannot replicate the tones I was getting. Ugh!!

I know without seeing the bass or hearing it, it's hard to suggest something. But....

1. Could this be the pre-amp?
2. Bad connection from my output jack? My output jack has always felt a little loose to me. It connects and I get sound, no crackles, but it doesn't have a firm audible snap when I plug in.
3. Loose wire or ground?

Anyone ever have something like this happen? I have left a message and an email with MM customer service about this for some advice.

Thanks, Phin.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Ok,
I know I've been a PIA about my SRS5 but here's a question.

The tone from my SRS5 HH has always been extremely bright and metallic sounding. Last night the tone got really boomy and bassy - everything set flat on bass and amp. Boomy like double the bass if turned up all the way. It wouldn't change with any eq adjustments on the bass or amp. So I unplugged and plugged back in. I also have each knob and pickup a little knock with my knuckle. Not real hard, just a little tap. When I plugged back in, I finally got that SRS5 sound that I had heard on every YouTube vid and everyone here has been talking about. I couldn't put it down. But when I did unplug and plug back in, I'm back to the bright metallic sound again. I cannot replicate the tones I was getting. Ugh!!

I know without seeing the bass or hearing it, it's hard to suggest something. But....

1. Could this be the pre-amp?
2. Bad connection from my output jack? My output jack has always felt a little loose to me. It connects and I get sound, no crackles, but it doesn't have a firm audible snap when I plug in.
3. Loose wire or ground?

Anyone ever have something like this happen? I have left a message and an email with MM customer service about this for some advice.

Thanks, Phin.

You need to take your bass in to your local tech and have them check it out.