I don't have the smarts to get technical about it, but my Classic is an old-school two-band with mutes, no body contours and a flame maple neck.
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
Special- neodymium pickups are more modern sounding with a large frequency range (higher highs, lower lows). This combined with the 3 band 18v preamp, allows for a more dynamic sound over a large frequency range while still sounding clean. The Specials are more versatile because of this. If you are looking at the 5 string, you also get the parallel, faux single coil, and series 3 way switch. I use the series and parallel settings pretty equally and it adds to the versatility.
Classic- Alnico pickup has a warmer and more vintage sound. The 2 band EQ is modeled after the vintage stingray EQ as well. They sound great and you get a good variety of sound from pretty dark to bright. No switch on the 5, but the foam bridge mutes are pretty cool and give a different sound.
I owned both briefly. I personally found the Special smoked the classic is almost every way. The special is just more versatile, and can sound close the classic with some EQing. The classic has it's own thing going on though.
I'd like to own a Classic 5 again myself. I just returned the one I bought as it was not in good enough condition for the price I paid. Since they are not in production currently, they tend to be pricier
And the classics are heavier
I know you asked specifically about electronics but I’ll add this because it matters to some players.
Specials don’t have a slab body without contours like the Classics. Classics are all ash bodies but no roasted necks. Specials vary in body woods.
Classics have different fretboard radius iirc.
A think a Classic StingRay5 in white would make a great addition to my collection.
Last edited:
Never owned a special but I get get a wide variety of tones out of my 2 Classics. The 7.5 radius is comfortable to play.
I have a 1996 3-band 4strg H, and a 2018 Special H. While the 96 is not what they now call a “classic”, it has the original tonal footprint of the 3-bands. There is quite a difference in tone between the two, the 96 generally being more sizzling, more highs/upper mids, open lows. The Special has tighter lows, less twang/sizzle, and the eq is a lot more flexible. Both are great instruments, but different. Overall I prefer the Special, because it’s tonally more flexible and lighter weight and the output is more even string to string.
Just remembered I had the second post in this club thread now over 4 years ago.
This is one of the main reasons why enjoy MusicMan so much. They evolve through the years and have eras where if you like the MusicMan sound, you can find one or more that suits your needs.
I grew up on the smooth Classic 2band sound of the 70’s - 80’s StingRay .
When I think bass, I get a visual of a StingRay bass in the hands of ….
Louis Johnson
Bernard Edwards
Paul S. Denman
Gail Ann Dorsey
I hear the bass lines of Allen McGrier and Oscar Alston with Teena Marie and Rick James .
Nate Wattts on Do I Do by Stevie Wonder
John Deacon on Another One Bites The Dust
Sledge Hammer with Tony Levin and his octave pedal.
Pino and his Fretless and octave pedal.
Louis Johnson Slapping the crap on Get on The Floor by Michael Jackson
and every Bernard Edwards / Nile Rogers/ Chic production .
Good Times bass lines is the ultimate StingRay song imho.
I double dog dare anyone that can play to pickup a StingRay from any era , play Get on The Floor, or Good Times and not get a smile on your face!!!
Now I know some are big on the more aggressive ceramic 3band models. Some might prefer Flea or Tim
Cummerford. It’s all good. Because at the end of the day….. it’s all StingRay!!!
Thank God we have different varieties and flavors of such a great bass design.
I prefer the Special 5 myself because of the upgraded weight and features. They feel and sound just right. But that Classic Pre Ernie Ball Era is where it all began for me. They just aren’t the most comfortable for me .
Feel is so important to be able to sound good on an instrument your self. So I tend to enjoy them more in the hands of others.
3band + Ceramics is too much in every way for me.
Last edited:
I love that too. When I bought my Special I was deliberating between the Classic and the Special 4H in the Natural finish. I never did get a chance to play a Classic, but as soon as I got my paws on a Special, it was all over. You can coax anything out of that preamp. I've even been playing this weird game where I keep trying to make flats work on the Special but keep taking them off and putting Regular Slinkys back on. The thing was just MADE to make everything work with those strings.
That said - question for y'all - and it's a neurotic one (but something tells me I am in good company here) - B.S. (before Special), I had only played 45-105 gauge strings, and hadn't been much of a Slinky user. Upon Special acquisition, I converted to "Regular" Slinky, and thus have been a 50-105 fiend ever since. My neurosis tells me I am really gaining something with the D and G strings being a little bit "more". So much so that I now have a psychological barrier to trying 45-105 again with the Special. So, that precludes me from experimenting with DR, which I have never explored before and have been wanting to. So - anyone have any thoughts (objective or similarly neurotic) as to 45-105 vs 50-105?
(It's not like I can tell that much of a difference with the 45-105 currently on my Precision...and maybe I just needed to air my mess out loud in order to move on. Looking forward to hearing of any experiences toying between the two gauge sets...)
@Treeman, the correct solution is to buy at least two Specials: one for flats and one for rounds! I know it's kind of self-indulgent, but I have flats on a Burnt Apple Special and rounds on my Amethyst Sparkle, and I love the sound of both!
I love Slinkys but they die too quickly for me. I use Slinky ( cobalt ) flats. I ordered a extra slinky set and it feels and sounds great!!
Sounds like rounds , feels like flats . Like you said , a perfect match for the Specials.
For me brand is as important as gauge. Same gauge and different brand can feel pretty different. I'd say just try them and see
I do need to give those another shot. I loved the tone but not the feel. Might see if I can just “get over it”.
Excellent solution! What flats are you using? I’ve been on the EB Group II flats.
Tony Levin just posted a picture on Instagram with a Cutlass bass with E and A strung flatwound and D and G strung round....this muddies the waters.
For the first year, I ran my Special 5 with the stock Skinky low B and a set of cobalt flats on the other 4 strings because that’s what I had on hand. Worked out fine.
Same brand and different gauge can do that too!
I am all about the NYXLs right now.
Get some ernie ball string wipes off Amazon. I use them on flats before I even put them on. Makes them instantly better. They are usually pretty grimy out of the pack. Then after a week they get to feeling pretty good. The EB flats arent as glassy slick as LaBellas or even broken in chromes but they aren't as nasty as they feel straight out of the pack if you clean them.
I'm pretty sure they're Cobalt Flats. They were on the bass when I bought it and I've never seen a need to change them.
