EBMM StingRay Special Club

[Nobis17]

The important is that a catastrophe was avoided!

View attachment 4723381
Sorry, yes. I meant TI.

TE Flats? Or did you mean TI’s?

 

[Paradilum]

Confession time:

A few months ago I listed my 4HH in the classified to see if anyone would bite, since I had been mostly playing my Nash. Last week I restrung my 'ray with TE flats and then played a show with it this week. Today I removed the 'ray from the classified - I had forgotten how amazing it really is. It is still, hands down, the best bass I've ever played. I think the only way I would willingly part with it is if someone wanted to trade a 5HH for it. Silly me (that was a close one )

Say 10 'Hail Sterlings' and sin no more.

 

[jd50]

This is my other main player. I enjoy it just as much as my StingRay5 Special.
Sandberg makes a great bass.

View attachment 4722609

Yes! I have a similar Sandberg with Delano pickups. Since this is the stingray special thread I'll include those in the pic

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Stingray Special Prices Coming Down?

I've had a few new ones on my watch list on Reverb.
This week, 4 different sellers offered me a 24 hour deal on new 4h Specials.
The price reduction was $150 - $225 off per seller.
Not sure if this means that buyers don't think they are worth the asking price, or if the economy and consumer confidence is forcing sellers to move stock that is sitting. I suspect it's the latter.

Get one while the getting is good .

 

[dave64o]

I figured that, but I thought I may as well ask in case there was a string I never looked into that would sound good on a Stingray.

Case in point, I never thought about Elixir Nanowebs before, but the previous owner of the Special I just bought installed a set of them recently and I really like them. I had planned to replace them right away with nickel Lo Riders, but my initial impression of them is that they have some of the same characteristics I love about the nickel Lo Riders - warm tone, reduced string noise, and relatively stiff feeling. So I’m giving them a long term test.

 

[dave64o]

Yes! I have a similar Sandberg with Delano pickups. Since this is the stingray special thread I'll include those in the pic

Interesting. I wasn’t really aware until now that the California bodies were noticeably smaller than a Stingray 5 body. I guess that’s one of the things that contribute to their relatively light weight?

I also like the markerless fretboard on your Sandberg. Actually, I love that look. My Special has dots, but the roasted maple neck and fingerboard are so dark that you can hardly see the black dots on it. Some might call it a mistake and say it should have had white dots instead, but I really like that the fretboard looks markerless.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Say 10 'Hail Sterlings' and sin no more.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Wow, I can definitely see that getting the attention of the single H fans, especially if the 2-band EQ is similar to an old Stingray 2-Band. That sounded really nice!

I’ll have to check that out next time I’m on Sandberg’s web site.

35 “ scale on the 5 string and 19mm spacing at the bridge would get a lot of folks attention and money .

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Confession time:

A few months ago I listed my 4HH in the classified to see if anyone would bite, since I had been mostly playing my Nash. Last week I restrung my 'ray with TE flats and then played a show with it this week. Today I removed the 'ray from the classified - I had forgotten how amazing it really is. It is still, hands down, the best bass I've ever played. I think the only way I would willingly part with it is if someone wanted to trade a 5HH for it. Silly me (that was a close one )

Glad you dodged that bullet. I dodged an even larger bullet myself.
I had all but given up and sworn off of StingRay basses after I sold my Special 5HH. I was just convinced after owning many eras of Ernie Ball StingRays that they just were not for me.

Then the amethyst sparkle was announced and I just had to give it one more try. So glad I did. NEVER SAY NEVER.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Anyone with amethyst sparkle willing to check the neck pocket and see if you can tell what the body wood might be.

I’m guessing alder or basswood. Doesn’t sound like ash to me.

 

[Moonskunk]

Sometimes I get the urge to just sell off all my other basses which consist of a Squire 60's P with Fralins, Squire 50's P with a split coil Fralin, Squire paranormal jazz, Ibanez TMB100 and Sterling Ray 24CA. It's not that they don't sound good or that I don't like them, it's just I find myself using either my 4H or 4HH Specials 99% of the time and the others just hang on my wall as decoration pieces, pretty expensive decoration pieces at that. The Sterling Ray 4H 24CA is a pretty decent bass for $550 but every time I hang it back up on the wall after playing it and then get my Special Maroon Mist 4H out of its case right afterwards it's like holy smokes, this thing is 4 times as expensive and sounds, feels and plays like it! Worth every penny I paid for it and the same goes for my other Special a Tectonic Blue Sparkle 4HH. I'm torn between keeping decoration basses on my wall or replacing them with framed art work, the 2 Specials are all I really need. In fact I'd be very content with just the 4H although I would probably really miss the 4HH. Can't say that for any of the wall decoration pieces.

 

[N4860]

Sometimes I get the urge to just sell off all my other basses which consist of a Squire 60's P with Fralins, Squire 50's P with a split coil Fralin, Squire paranormal jazz, Ibanez TMB100 and Sterling Ray 24CA. It's not that they don't sound good or that I don't like them, it's just I find myself using either my 4H or 4HH Specials 99% of the time and the others just hang on my wall as decoration pieces, pretty expensive decoration pieces at that. The Sterling Ray 4H 24CA is a pretty decent bass for $550 but every time I hang it back up on the wall after playing it and then get my Special Maroon Mist 4H out of its case right afterwards it's like holy smokes, this thing is 4 times as expensive and sounds, feels and plays like it! Worth every penny I paid for it and the same goes for my other Special a Tectonic Blue Sparkle 4HH. I'm torn between keeping decoration basses on my wall or replacing them with framed art work, the 2 Specials are all I really need. In fact I'd be very content with just the 4H although I would probably really miss the 4HH. Can't say that for any of the wall decoration pieces.

Do you play 5 strings? If so, maybe sell those that you don't play and get a Sr Special 5H. At the very least it'll give you some different tones with the series and single coil options.

 

[jd50]

Sometimes I get the urge to just sell off all my other basses which consist of a Squire 60's P with Fralins, Squire 50's P with a split coil Fralin, Squire paranormal jazz, Ibanez TMB100 and Sterling Ray 24CA. It's not that they don't sound good or that I don't like them, it's just I find myself using either my 4H or 4HH Specials 99% of the time and the others just hang on my wall as decoration pieces, pretty expensive decoration pieces at that. The Sterling Ray 4H 24CA is a pretty decent bass for $550 but every time I hang it back up on the wall after playing it and then get my Special Maroon Mist 4H out of its case right afterwards it's like holy smokes, this thing is 4 times as expensive and sounds, feels and plays like it! Worth every penny I paid for it and the same goes for my other Special a Tectonic Blue Sparkle 4HH. I'm torn between keeping decoration basses on my wall or replacing them with framed art work, the 2 Specials are all I really need. In fact I'd be very content with just the 4H although I would probably really miss the 4HH. Can't say that for any of the wall decoration pieces.

Or do what I did, sell your other basses and buy more Stingrays.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Sometimes I get the urge to just sell off all my other basses which consist of a Squire 60's P with Fralins, Squire 50's P with a split coil Fralin, Squire paranormal jazz, Ibanez TMB100 and Sterling Ray 24CA. It's not that they don't sound good or that I don't like them, it's just I find myself using either my 4H or 4HH Specials 99% of the time and the others just hang on my wall as decoration pieces, pretty expensive decoration pieces at that. The Sterling Ray 4H 24CA is a pretty decent bass for $550 but every time I hang it back up on the wall after playing it and then get my Special Maroon Mist 4H out of its case right afterwards it's like holy smokes, this thing is 4 times as expensive and sounds, feels and plays like it! Worth every penny I paid for it and the same goes for my other Special a Tectonic Blue Sparkle 4HH. I'm torn between keeping decoration basses on my wall or replacing them with framed art work, the 2 Specials are all I really need. In fact I'd be very content with just the 4H although I would probably really miss the 4HH. Can't say that for any of the wall decoration pieces.

Maroon Mist is one of my favorite finishes they have done.
The Specials can ruin it for other basses.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Thanks to TI Jazz flats and Jazz rounds, I have fallen in love with very low tension strings.
I changed out the Cobalt flats on my Special 5 from the standard tension set and stock Slinky round on the low B to a custumized cobalt flats set today.

I had to special order a single low B and the super light cobalt flat 4 strings set. My other set was over a year 1/2 old. Purple wraps were just bout done.
I’m on love with both the sounds and the feel!!!

Cobalt flats are a match perfectly with a Special and the low B is better than the stock Slinky Round.

 

[Moonskunk]

Do you play 5 strings? If so, maybe sell those that you don't play and get a Sr Special 5H. At the very least it'll give you some different tones with the series and single coil options.

I've never tried a 5 string. I grew up started playing bass at age 11 back in the 60's and my first bass was a sunburst Fender Precision given to me by my parents. My older brother was in a band and had a Fender Strat. He told me if I wanted to get in a band to take up bass and I'd always be in demand. I didnt even know what a bass was or what it sounded like at the time. Best advice ever given to me, he was right. Back to the 5 string. I don't know if I'd bond with it or if it would just feel awkward never playing one and having played a 4 string my whole life. Maybe I should get a cheap one to see how well I adapt to it before spending a few grand on a EBMM. Got the feeling it may just end up as more wall decoration though.

 

[N4860]

I've never tried a 5 string. I grew up started playing bass at age 11 back in the 60's and my first bass was a sunburst Fender Precision given to me by my parents. My older brother was in a band and had a Fender Strat. He told me if I wanted to get in a band to take up bass and I'd always be in demand. I didnt even know what a bass was or what it sounded like at the time. Best advice ever given to me, he was right. Back to the 5 string. I don't know if I'd bond with it or if it would just feel awkward never playing one and having played a 4 string my whole life. Maybe I should get a cheap one to see how well I adapt to it before spending a few grand on a EBMM. Got the feeling it may just end up as more wall decoration though.

Ya in that case better to just try one first or buy a cheap one before going for the SR5 Special.

 

[dave64o]

Ya in that case better to just try one first or buy a cheap one before going for the SR5 Special.

That may fail miserably as Talkbass advice, but it is wise/prudent advice.

Those two rarely overlap much, at least when talking about gear.

 

[Richard I]

Anyone with amethyst sparkle willing to check the neck pocket and see if you can tell what the body wood might be.

I’m guessing alder or basswood. Doesn’t sound like ash to me.

I bet basswood.
Mine shows some real pale wood in the neck pocket crying

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I bet basswood.
Mine shows some real pale wood in the neck pocket crying

Yours is Amethyst Sparkle?

Im pleased either way. I dont get along with ash. I prefer alder and basswood and mahogany. Ernie Ball uses good wood. No one had issues with their Basswood Bongos. I have no issue with my Basswood Pbass. No dings and no stopped out screws. Mine is a 2010 and the best Pbass I've ever owned.