Does anyone have one of those Willcutt special run Stingray Special 5s? Some are under 8 pounds, wondering if that's actually too light and will affect tone and have some neck dive...
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EBMM StingRay Special Club
- Thread starter MultiScaleMale
- Start date
I’m going to guess that until they get adequate stock of Ash and keep using “select hardwoods” for bodies, we won’t see any natural finishes - which may be a while. Same with Fender. I agree with others - more traditional colors, less metal flake. And can we get a Capri orange with a maple neck this year? Preferably SLO?
PS- I contacted EBMM about colors and the possibility of SLOs as production models. They said look for new colors at NAMM (they might not be finalized yet) and there are no plans to bring back the SLO as a production model.
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So I finally got to try out a Stingray Special 5 HH. The music store let me bring it home to test with my own gear and compare it to my 2007 Stingray 5 HH.
I loved the weight. 8.2 lbs! My 2007 is 10.2 lbs. Perfect balance as well.
Fit and finish was spot on. The neck was really nice feeling but I am not sure I liked the looks of the roasted maple neck. This one was setup very well.
I started to A/B the sound and noticed the special does sound a bit more polite (like others mentioned) then my 2007. It definitely had more clarity and definition though. It was warmer sounding in the lows but I still liked my 2007 better tone wise. It just sounds like something is missing with the special IMO. I tried to EQ it to sound more like my 2007 and I could get close but not quite there. I ended up not buying it because it's not what I want for that price point. If down the road I can find one used and much cheaper I will definitely buy one though.
I am currently looking at a used 2015 Stingray 4 H that I may get instead.
I love the sound of the preamp and pickups.
To bad they didn't have a option for the special with the old pickups and preamp
I loved the weight. 8.2 lbs! My 2007 is 10.2 lbs. Perfect balance as well.
Fit and finish was spot on. The neck was really nice feeling but I am not sure I liked the looks of the roasted maple neck. This one was setup very well.
I started to A/B the sound and noticed the special does sound a bit more polite (like others mentioned) then my 2007. It definitely had more clarity and definition though. It was warmer sounding in the lows but I still liked my 2007 better tone wise. It just sounds like something is missing with the special IMO. I tried to EQ it to sound more like my 2007 and I could get close but not quite there. I ended up not buying it because it's not what I want for that price point. If down the road I can find one used and much cheaper I will definitely buy one though.
I am currently looking at a used 2015 Stingray 4 H that I may get instead.
I love the sound of the preamp and pickups.
To bad they didn't have a option for the special with the old pickups and preamp
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Crazy, the SLO neck is much better. I had a Joe Dart with that neck, and now a standard Stingray. The JD was way better and faster. I'm looking to get that neck profile back somehow. Classic Sterling, another JD or an SLO. Maybe the passive Okoume BFR Stingray Special.
I have a SRS5 in natural that weighs 7lbs 14oz. I got it from Musicians Friend as what I’m guessing was New Old Stock. It was sold as new in 2022, serial # shows it as a 2018 and arrived in mint shape minus the plastic cover on the Pickguard and some case candy. Interestingly it is the model used for the promo photos and video on MF and GC (same grain pattern and serial number).
No issues with neck dive when using a strap. I love how light it is - lighter than my 4 string American Pro ash Jazz, which is also light for what it is 8.5 lbs. It sounds the same as other Stingrays I tried, including briefly owning a special in charcoal sparkle that weighed nearly 11 lbs!
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I’d buy a SLO model today if they were available. The necks are more preferable to me, although the standard Specials are no slouch. They did some BFR SLO models of the Specials, but I believe the release was very limited.
Don’t know if they’ve done more runs but I found this one used after drooling over similar ones on Willcutt’s site. 8.0lbs and no balance issues whatsoever.
Still a lot less than here over on the other side of the pond – they're about 3200€, which is over 4600 CAD. Ouch.
Oh wow..... I LOVE that finish!
That is truly an amazing piece!
Great Crescendo demo. I’ve really grown to appreciate mine. The additional sounds of the HH are very nice. I spent that day playing it and my Fuego Fretless.
It does but at 5200 USD local price it better be cause they is a lot of competition on that price bracket!
Wow that's crazy. That particular model is available here in Canada at $4k CDN which is just under 3k USD.
I was quoted €3800, wich is 4100 USD or 5500 CAD.
After cleaning up the coffee I spat out while reading that quote, I went looking for a Stingray5 with a ceramic pickup. I found one, and couldn’t be happier.
Nothing at all wrong with a ceramic Stingray 5. I absolutely love mine and I love my Special, too. Both are outstanding instruments.
