EBMM StingRay Special Club

[Gluvhand]

I believe the model they’re referring to has a black body and black hardware but not the matching headstock.

That’s what I recently traded for. It’s a 2019.

 

[Bill Murray]

That’s what I recently traded for. It’s a 2019. View attachment 5186248

Pretty sweeeeet! I don’t usually care about a matching headstock but with the Stealth… it just looks so good.

 

[Gluvhand]

Pretty sweeeeet! I don’t usually care about a matching headstock but with the Stealth… it just looks so good.

I agree. That's one of the reasons I bought a Stealth Bongo.

 

[Bill Murray]

I agree. That's one of the reasons I bought a Stealth Bongo.

I had the all purple version of that one for about two years. I loved it, super versatile and comfortable. I just felt way more at home on the Special and never reached for it.

 

[bdplaid]

Is the black hardware preferred these days?

 

[Gluvhand]

Is the black hardware preferred these days?

I don’t know about “preferred” but I like it.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Is the black hardware preferred these days?

Depends on the buyer and the bass in question. Your bass looks great, but it is about the most common StingRay color scheme on the block. Don’t take that as an insult - I have the same thing in a non-Special

 

[Bill Murray]

Is the black hardware preferred these days?

I don’t think so, the chrome hardware with a black finish is a classic look for the Stingray.

They just have yet to offer a Stealth Special, but they’ve offered that finish on pretty much every other model.

 

[dave64o]

Depends on the buyer and the bass in question. Your bass looks great, but it is about the most common StingRay color scheme on the block. Don’t take that as an insult - I have the same thing in a non-Special

View attachment 5186345

Love that classic looking Stingray - and that classic looking Precision and the pickguard on that Jazz!

 

[Pet Sounds]

Is the black hardware preferred these days?

For me, it depends on the finish. I have a Cruz Teal Special with chrome hardware instead of the usual (for that color) black, and I much prefer the chrome. But I recently got a transparent amber Special, and the black hardware suits it perfectly.

 

[dave64o]

Is the black hardware preferred these days?

As has already been said, I think it depends on the finish and overall anesthetic of a specific bass. I usually prefer chrome hardware, but have had basses with black or with gold/brass hardware and thought they looked fantastic.

 

[RedJag]

Just a heads up, the BT13 might not be a drop in fit for Stingray Specials. I just tried installing the one I picked up in my BFR, and it doesn’t fit. Comparing the size/spacing of the locator pins, it seems that things aren’t an exact 1:1 match
View attachment 5185421 View attachment 5185422

Here’s the reply I got from Hipshot

It turns out they modified the pins since we R&D'd those tuners and made the pins smaller. What you would need to do now is enlarge the holes with a 3/32" bit.

 

[Geri O]

Here’s the reply I got from Hipshot
"It turns out they modified the pins since we R&D'd those tuners and made the pins smaller. What you would need to do now is enlarge the holes with a 3/32" bit."

Easy enough!

Just put the thing out there, ya'll!....

 

[Maxi Funkl]

What do you guys think, will there ever be a 24 fret 4 band EQ Stingray Special 4h/HH or 5H/HH?

 

[Nuage420]

What do you guys think, will there ever be a 24 fret 4 band EQ Stingray Special 4h/HH or 5H/HH?

Yeah, right after they release a 19mm five string

 

[dave64o]

Yeah, right after they release a 19mm five string

I wouldn't bring up that idea on the Ernie Ball / Musicman forums if I were you...




EDIT: Seriously. For anyone who doesn't know what happened when that topic (19mm spacing on a five-string Stingray) came up on the Ernie Ball / Musicman Basses Forum, it did NOT go well. Bring it up and you could be banned from the site. No, I'm not kidding.

 

[makanudo]

What do you guys think, will there ever be a 24 fret 4 band EQ Stingray Special 4h/HH or 5H/HH?

Doubt it. That's the Bongo. From it's description alone you already know it's the "Modern" Musicman bass. And look how that's gone.

The Special added 1 fret, neodymium pickup and 18v preamp and had to separate the Special as it's own thing.

Unfortunately at this point The Stingray suffers from Fenderitis. Anything that's not a Passive P or J 34" model is considered adventurous or risky and a venture into the unkown. You already see it with the debate of the 2 band and 3 band stingrays, you have the classic, the "normal" and the special stingrays.

It's definitely possible but It'd take some heavy marketing to get some marketshare or start with the import models trying out something like a Progressive series or Modern series catering to that market. Right now there's a lot of Spector, Dingwall, Cort, Ibanez, etc., instruments at around 1,200-1900 bucks that feature 24 frets, two humbucking ceramic pickups (some Neodymium) and 18v preamps. An Import Bongo or reimagined model could scratch that itch I guess.

 

[Bassed in NZ]

Do like this picture from a recent gig - lighting changes timed to perfection by the photographer!

 

[Nebadon2000]

Doubt it. That's the Bongo. From it's description alone you already know it's the "Modern" Musicman bass. And look how that's gone.

The Special added 1 fret, neodymium pickup and 18v preamp and had to separate the Special as it's own thing.

Unfortunately at this point The Stingray suffers from Fenderitis. Anything that's not a Passive P or J 34" model is considered adventurous or risky and a venture into the unkown. You already see it with the debate of the 2 band and 3 band stingrays, you have the classic, the "normal" and the special stingrays.

It's definitely possible but It'd take some heavy marketing to get some
marketshare or start with the import models trying out something like a Progressive series or Modern series catering to that market. Right now there's a lot of Spector, Dingwall, Cort, Ibanez, etc., instruments at around 1,200-1900 bucks that feature 24 frets, two humbucking ceramic pickups (some Neodymium) and 18v preamps. An Import Bongo or reimagined model could scratch that itch I guess.

I had EBMM 25TH Anniversary 4H [AKA Reflex] that was a great Bass Also

Had Active/Passive, Series/Parallel, Ceramic Pickup, 4 Band Preamp

It went the way of the DoDo Bird quickly[Big Al hung on for a While]

Stingray and Bongo seem only survivors; Classic in limbo and we will see with DarkRay

PS: They do offer some nice Limited Editions

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Do like this picture from a recent gig - lighting changes timed to perfection by the photographer!
View attachment 5188411