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EBMM StingRay Special Club

#8,201
Stranger Danger said:
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.
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Great suggestion. I’ll try it!
 
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#8,203
BassGuyFL said:
Mine was spec’d out as ash. The whole “ash shortage” came about in the next run and I’ve had mine for 4 years now.
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I got mine new old stock in January of this year. It was built in 2019 though.

I just went back and looked at the listing and it was listed as an ash body. Guess I just missed that. Body wood isn't actually that big of a deal to me anyway on a solid finish
 
#8,204
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
It started out that way. But not anymore. While my Fretless BFR Fuego is figured ash, my Amethyst Sparkle Im guessing is alder. I dont hear the scooped mids of ash. It sounds warmer compared to the Ash/ebony aqua sparkle 5H that I owned.
All of this works out in my favor. I prefer wood like alder, mahogany, and basswood on my basses . Only fretless, I was surprised at how good the ash sounds. Probably because I tend to boost the lows and mids on fretless to get that mwah blooming just right. Its so nice when the ash figuring is allowed to show with translucent finishes.
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You are oh so knowledgeable! :):thumbsup:
 
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#8,205
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
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.
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I remember you bringing that up before and I had totally forgotten about it. Hopefully I remember to try it when it’s time to change strings, sounds interesting.
 
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#8,206
Treeman said:
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...)
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Have you had to adjust the Compensated Nut for the 50-105 set? I'm looking into trying the Power Slinkys on my Special 5H but I don't want to file the Compensated Nut if I decide to go back to the 45 set.
 
#8,208
Big Sister and Little Brother

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#8,217
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#8,218
So since I’ve had my special, it’s only wore Sunbeams…except for a brief flirtation with Slinky’s which I didn’t like. I wanted something a tad more aggressive(see previous post), someone suggested Fat Beams, which have been on my list to try anyway. Man do these really sound good on the specials, tight thick lows and sparkly top and midrange punch. About the same tension as Sunbeams, but not as smooth in feel or tone…may have found my new strings for this bass.
 
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#8,220
FirewalZ said:
So since I’ve had my special, it’s only wore Sunbeams…except for a brief flirtation with Slinky’s which I didn’t like. I wanted something a tad more aggressive(see previous post), someone suggested Fat Beams, which have been on my list to try anyway. Man do these really sound good on the specials, tight thick lows and sparkly top and midrange punch. About the same tension as Sunbeams, but not as smooth in feel or tone…may have found my new strings for this bass.
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Just to play devil's advocate - you should compare the fat beams to hi beams. They sound very similar but there's something a little more dynamic about the hi beams over the fat beams for me. I know some people who feel the opposite too. I think Hi Beams feel a little less rough too.

Fat Beams are great though
 
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