EBMM StingRay Special Club

[PhinDog]

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

Thanks! That's the plan for tonight! I just need to get that tone back.

Thought I'd ask here as well.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Thanks! That's the plan for tonight! I just need to get that tone back.

Thought I'd ask here as well.

Is it still under warranty? If so EBMM will fix it

 

[PhinDog]

Is it still under warranty? If so EBMM will fix it

I’m not sure. I bought this bass used. hopefully I will here back from them.

 

[Stranger Danger]

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.

The way you’ve been describing the tone just didn’t make sense. If anything I wish it was a little brighter lol. Now that you’ve discovered you have a problem, that actually makes a lot more sense. I’m sure if you can repeat the knuckle knock for a good tech, they can get you squared away. My only other advice would be to see an audiologist because these basses are BEEFY

 

[PhinDog]

The way you’ve been describing the tone just didn’t make sense. If anything I wish it was a little brighter lol. Now that you’ve discovered you have a problem, that actually makes a lot more sense. I’m sure if you can repeat the knuckle knock for a good tech, they can get you squared away. My only other advice would be to see an audiologist because these basses are BEEFY

Thanks. I haven’t been able to recreate the tone I got last night. So frustrating. It was such a great tone. It’s back to a guitar like metallic sound.

 

[Benko]

Thanks. I haven’t been able to recreate the tone I got last night. So frustrating. It was such a great tone. It’s back to a guitar like metallic sound.

Can you record something maybe? Maybe even simply with your phone and we can compare with similarly recorded other Special...just saying...

 

[PhinDog]

Can you record something maybe? Maybe even simply with your phone and we can compare with similarly recorded other Special...just saying...

Here’s a quick noodle. Single bridge H position 1 on switch, flat eq on bass, Mesa d-800+, sw112 and sw115 set flat at amp. This is finger style with a light touch in G minor. Sounds like a pick to me.
Pardon the string noise and noodle but before you asked I made a quick vid to see for myself. So here it is.
https://youtube.com/shorts/mYLdcZh4yUU?feature=share

 

[FLStudiobassist]

Here’s a quick noodle. Single bridge H position 1 on switch, flat eq on bass, Mesa d-800+, sw112 and sw115 set flat at amp. This is finger style with a light touch in G minor. Sounds like a pick to me.
Pardon the string noise and noodle but before you asked I made a quick vid to see for myself. So here it is.
https://youtube.com/shorts/mYLdcZh4yUU?feature=share

Sounds a lot more metallic and bright than what my Stingray Special 4H sounds like through my Ampeg SVT-7 Pro and PF-115HE/Neo 2x10. I'd dial the treble back on the Amp and on the bass after. Also, see what scooping the mids out of the bass will do.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Here’s a quick noodle. Single bridge H position 1 on switch, flat eq on bass, Mesa d-800+, sw112 and sw115 set flat at amp. This is finger style with a light touch in G minor. Sounds like a pick to me.
Pardon the string noise and noodle but before you asked I made a quick vid to see for myself. So here it is.
https://youtube.com/shorts/mYLdcZh4yUU?feature=share

Sounds ok to me. I mean it’s a bridge pickup. Have you tried it in a mix with drums and guitars?

 

[PhinDog]

Sounds a lot more metallic and bright than what my Stingray Special 4H sounds like through my Ampeg SVT-7 Pro and PF-115HE/Neo 2x10. I'd dial the treble back on the Amp and on the bass after. Also, see what scooping the mids out of the bass will do.

I agree with you.
I talked Eb MM they suggest that I’m not getting full battery strength and want me to replace the output Jack and check the battery leads/box.

This makes sense because the tone has come back full tone a few times now. Crazy it took me six months with this bass to finally hear the tone. But when it goes metallic it has less headroom and when the tone comes the headroom is endless. I ordered a new Jack and will have my tech change it out and test everything when it comes.

 

[dave64o]

Good luck. Hopefully that takes care of it once and for all so you can start enjoying the great tone they offer.

 

[dave64o]

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!

So I did take my new toy to my Tuesday night basement jam, but it was a much stripped down version of the group. Our drummer's wife contracted COVID, so he cancelled and then a couple of other guys cancelled also. The guitarist who hosts it told to come over anyway so we could do some acoustic guitar and bass songs, so I went. Sounded great, but I still wanted to hear it in a BAND context.

I got my first taste tonight at rehearsal. We played for about two hours, did some ballads, did some "acoustic"-like songs, and did some rockers and my experience tonight was much more satisfying. I know for sure I used pickup Positions 1, 3, 4, and 5 (don't rememebr using position 2 - outer coils) and found them all to be quite usable, just like on my 2007 HH. This Special didn't seem as ... subdued (?) as I expected, but I suspect that it might be due to the roundwound strings on it, as opposed to the flats currently on my 2007. Maybe stringing them this way gives me more overlap between their tones than I expcted. So I'll leave the strings alone for now, but at some point in the future I think I'll try putting rounds (my favorites, DR nickel Lo Riders) on my 2007 to bring out more of the snarly growl it's capable of and then try flats (probalby Chromes) on my new Special. That may move them a little farther apart tonewise, although I still suspect there'd be a lot of overlap.

But, bottom line, it sounded fantastic and the feel was exactly what I hoped for, VERY similar to my 2007. The band loved it to, both its sound and its looks.

Can't wait to give it the real test at Satuday night's gig.

 

[dave64o]

I had a little bit of time today to try taking the "glamour shots" of my new toy. I wasn't completely happy with how they turned out. They're generally pretty good, but I was getting a little frustrated trying to show how nicely the burst blends. But, I'm happy to have these pics to show and can try another day when I have the opportunity. I'll apologize in advance for taking up so much space on this page.

I saw that a friend of our singer posted a couple of videos on Facebook. Here's a link to a clip of this bass in action on Saturday night!

 

[Moonskunk]

Love that last photo. The coral colored sofa and whole setting using selective focus with camera lens opened up really sets a mood and highlights the Stingray. Good job.

 

[N4860]

I had a little bit of time today to try taking the "glamour shots" of my new toy. I wasn't completely happy with how they turned out. They're generally pretty good, but I was getting a little frustrated trying to show how nicely the burst blends. But, I'm happy to have these pics to show and can try another day when I have the opportunity. I'll apologize in advance for taking up so much space on this page.

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I saw that a friend of our singer posted a couple of videos on Facebook. Here's a link to a clip of this bass in action on Saturday night!

Such a great looking bass. It is also a great example of how the colour of the roasted maple fretboard and neck can look so great with the body finish. It would look way different with the natural maple colour.

 

[Moonskunk]

Such a great looking bass. It is also a great example of how the colour of the roasted maple fretboard and neck can look so great with the body finish. It would look way different with the natural maple colour.

It would also look way different had it been a Sterling by Musicman roasted maple neck which are dark and way overcooked. For some reason they just can't get it right as in EBMM roasted maple fret boards. To make matters worse they throw in black fret markers which are nearly invisible. I'd love to have that exact color combination in a 4H but I already have two Specials and at some point you just have to restrain yourself, close your eyes and realize you just can't have all the cool colors out there.

 

[dave64o]

Love that last photo. The coral colored sofa and whole setting using selective focus with camera lens opened up really sets a mood and highlights the Stingray. Good job.

It would also look way different had it been a Sterling by Musicman roasted maple neck which are dark and way overcooked. For some reason they just can't get it right as in EBMM roasted maple fret boards. To make matters worse they throw in black fret markers which are nearly invisible. I'd love to have that exact color combination in a 4H but I already have two Specials and at some point you just have to restrain yourself, close your eyes and realize you just can't have all the cool colors out there.

Thanks, I like that last shot also. Shooting into the light is always tricky, especially avoiding the picture ending up as a Silhouette (hey, a Musicman joke! ) when you don't want it to be. But, with some front lighting, it can work nicely.

Actually, I kind of like the black dots since they blend in and make the fretboard almost look markerless. Dots are fine but, given the choice, I prefer blocks or markerless.

 

[dave64o]

Such a great looking bass. It is also a great example of how the colour of the roasted maple fretboard and neck can look so great with the body finish. It would look way different with the natural maple colour.

Thanks!

I really like the roasted maple. This is the first bass I've owned with a roasted maple neck and I like that it's something different, in between the dark of a rosewood or ebony (LOVE ebony fretboards!) and the light of a typical or even aged maple. But I also prefer how it looks with a darker color body.

 

[Moonskunk]

Thanks, I like that last shot also. Shooting into the light is always tricky, especially avoiding the picture ending up as a Silhouette (hey, a Musicman joke! ) when you don't want it to be. But, with some front lighting, it can work nicely.

Actually, I kind of like the black dots since they blend in and make the fretboard almost look markerless. Dots are fine but, given the choice, I prefer blocks or markerless.

I like the black dots on your bass because the fret board is not overcooked as on the Sterlings. What is the name of that paint color? It almost looks like Burnt Ends except those all come with rosewood fret boards. My 2 Specials have rosewood and ebony fret boards so I suppose if I ever did succumb to temptation a roasted maple board would be in order.

 

[dave64o]

It's Vintage Sunburst, not one of their current colors/finishes. But it's definitely the right finish for me personally.

The first Stingray I bought was a Vintage Sunburst and also had a matching headstock. It was just beautiful and was the bass that got me hooked on Stingrays. I only sold it because it weighed 11.5 pounds and, when I saw my 2007 honeyburst pop up for sale and it weighed a little less than 10 pounds, I jumped on it and sold that first Vintage Sunburst.

That was a lot of years ago, so I'm really happy to have another one again, especially one that weighs more than THREE pounds less than that first one.