EBMM StingRay Special Club

[Nebadon2000]

ummm OK! Which colour is THIS? I L O V E red basses! (the Stingray Special I had was this except really sparkly - which was why I sold it).
(being colour blind - reds tend to be relatively...'red'...for me lol)..so this might be worth looking into. Thanks for that pic.
View attachment 5312269 View attachment 5312271

That looks like my GC Exclusive Burnt Apple and up close with good lighting Red is 'Really Sparkly'

But from a distance in normal lighting 'Sparkle' is tamed; which is fine with me and reason I chose [preferred] to other Sparkly options; But all Sparkle in General are attractive on their own but this finish fit my conservative ways; Speed Blue didn't move me but I did consider the old reliable Black but at time the only black was another GC Exclusive but had Black headstock that didn't work for me

 

[graphics1988]

That looks like my GC Exclusive Burnt Apple and up close with good lighting Red is 'Really Sparkly'

But from a distance in normal lighting 'Sparkle' is tamed; which is fine with me and reason I chose [preferred] to other Sparkly options; But all Sparkle in General are attractive on their own but this finish fit my conservative ways; Speed Blue didn't move me but I did consider the old reliable Black but at time the only black was another GC Exclusive but had Black headstock that didn't work for me

Thanks for the insight on their colours - Apparently, EBMM doesn't allow NEW basses to be sold to Canada through their dealers - so IF i want new, I have to keep head hunting up here - otherwise the used market is where you'll find me.
I just sold a couple items locally, so I have the cash in hand - awaiting the right deal now. Thanks again. Cheers

 

[dave64o]

What is the heaviest you've ever seen or experience on a Special 5 HH? I let go my Amethyst Sparkle but there is a good deal on a Ghostwood HH locally and I'm tempted...the seller said he measured it at 4.7kg / 10.4lbs...I just can't believe this is right, I've never seen them going above 9.7lbs... (and that would be rare)

Wow! I've consistently heard about how light the Specials are, especially for Stingrays. But I've only played one Special, my 5HH, and it's a very manageable 8.3 pounds.

That looks like my GC Exclusive Burnt Apple and up close with good lighting Red is 'Really Sparkly'

But from a distance in normal lighting 'Sparkle' is tamed; which is fine with me and reason I chose [preferred] to other Sparkly options; But all Sparkle in General are attractive on their own but this finish fit my conservative ways; Speed Blue didn't move me but I did consider the old reliable Black but at time the only black was another GC Exclusive but had Black headstock that didn't work for me

That was my guess.

Possibly because of the intense love for sparkles in this thread (not naming names - there'd be too many to list! ), that Burnt Apple was the first one that really reached me. Now I like them. That hasn't lowered my love for bursts one bit, but it expanded my tastes enough for me to buy a Candy Red Sparkle Big Al a few months ago. Maybe I'll end up with a Sparkle Stingray some day...

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I've read discussion that the heavy flake Stingrays may weigh up to 1 lb. more due to the finish materials.

That has not been my experience . My Short Scale is barely 7 lbs. My Crescendo 5HH and 5H are both just over 8 lbs.
My 1st Aqua Sparkle was over 9 1/2 lbs. I have found ebony models to be a little more weighty.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

ummm OK! Which colour is THIS? I L O V E red basses! (the Stingray Special I had was this except really sparkly - which was why I sold it).
(being colour blind - reds tend to be relatively...'red'...for me lol)..so this might be worth looking into. Thanks for that pic.
View attachment 5312269 View attachment 5312271

The pic I attached was just a raspberry burst from Sweetwater's site

 

[PrimitiveMan]

That has not been my experience . My Short Scale is barely 7 lbs. My Crescendo 5HH and 5H are both just over 8 lbs.
My 1st Aqua Sparkle was over 9 1/2 lbs. I have found ebony models to be a little more weighty.

Yeah my Aqua Sparkle 5H is 8.9 lbs

 

[tremor100]

Thanks for the insight on their colours - Apparently, EBMM doesn't allow NEW basses to be sold to Canada through their dealers - so IF i want new, I have to keep head hunting up here - otherwise the used market is where you'll find me.
I just sold a couple items locally, so I have the cash in hand - awaiting the right deal now. Thanks again. Cheers

Not sure where you are but Long and Mcquade which is pretty abundant everywhere in Canada sells stingray specials, i just got mine in the mail yesterday. I had to wait 6 months for it because i ordered a color they didnt have in stock so it had to be built which there was a 6 month backlog at the EBMM factory, but they have some in stock and i just ordered online and they put the order through to confirm it without me having to do anything special. You picked bad timing cause it sounds like as of less than a week ago everything from 2023 is now discontinued for orders... but you could have ordered one before or you can see if they can still get one in last second.

Like people are saying you prob want to wait to find one in person before buying it since the color ranges so much... il try to post pictures soon but the camera really doesn't capture the color very well, but i got lucky and my neck has a nice dark roast on it and the green on it is crazy (nicest finish ive ever seen) but there is a bit more black on it than id like around the border (im going to keep it anyways) but if your picky about the raspberry burst you would be best off waiting. Do you live near quebec by chance? i saw one for sale in Gatineau that might still be available not too long ago.

 

[Jim C]

That has not been my experience . My Short Scale is barely 7 lbs. My Crescendo 5HH and 5H are both just over 8 lbs.
My 1st Aqua Sparkle was over 9 1/2 lbs. I have found ebony models to be a little more weighty.

The Specials do seem to be lighter overall.
I've been watching the original SR's 4H on Sweetwater and Reverb and overall the range is 8.5 - 11.
This tracks with my 2010ish being 8.5 lbs and my 83' weighing over 10lbs.
There is a green Special at Sweetwater that weighs 8.2 lbs and there was one on Reverb a year ago that was high 7 lbs.
There aren't any Special 4H to try locally and am so curious about the difference in tone.

 

[tremor100]

The Specials do seem to be lighter overall.
I've been watching the original SR's 4H on Sweetwater and Reverb and overall the range is 8.5 - 11.
This tracks with my 2010ish being 8.5 lbs and my 83' weighing over 10lbs.
There is a green Special at Sweetwater that weighs 8.2 lbs and there was one on Reverb a year ago that was high 7 lbs.
There aren't any Special 4H to try locally and am so curious about the difference in tone.

I don't have a scale handy, but im going to try to weight my new Frost Green Pearl special this week... no joke i think mine might be under 7 pounds... its crazy how light it is.. when i grabbed the box from the post office i was legitimately worried that they accidently sent me an empty case after inspecting the base at the vendor warhouse because its so light.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Thanks for the insight on their colours - Apparently, EBMM doesn't allow NEW basses to be sold to Canada through their dealers - so IF i want new, I have to keep head hunting up here - otherwise the used market is where you'll find me.
I just sold a couple items locally, so I have the cash in hand - awaiting the right deal now. Thanks again. Cheers

Guitar center has 2 'used' one's[Burnt Apple] for sale; don't think EB can interfere with those

 

[BigDrew]

I am headhunting for a raspberry burst/ebony fret board 4H SS.... anyone? anyone?? lol
I may be into other colour options - minus anything sparkly

Just saw this on NStuff Music:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[graphics1988]

Just saw this on NStuff Music:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Thanks - my concern is the neck pickup getting in the way for some slapping. Appreciate the link - you guys rock!

 

[graphics1988]

Not sure where you are but Long and Mcquade which is pretty abundant everywhere in Canada sells stingray specials, i just got mine in the mail yesterday. I had to wait 6 months for it because i ordered a color they didnt have in stock so it had to be built which there was a 6 month backlog at the EBMM factory, but they have some in stock and i just ordered online and they put the order through to confirm it without me having to do anything special. You picked bad timing cause it sounds like as of less than a week ago everything from 2023 is now discontinued for orders... but you could have ordered one before or you can see if they can still get one in last second.

Like people are saying you prob want to wait to find one in person before buying it since the color ranges so much... il try to post pictures soon but the camera really doesn't capture the color very well, but i got lucky and my neck has a nice dark roast on it and the green on it is crazy (nicest finish ive ever seen) but there is a bit more black on it than id like around the border (im going to keep it anyways) but if your picky about the raspberry burst you would be best off waiting. Do you live near quebec by chance? i saw one for sale in Gatineau that might still be available not too long ago.

I checked the LnM site - Markham Ontario is my fav store - but I am east of Toronto by an hour...I float all over the GTA for work tho- I will call Gatineau and see if they have any --- thanks @tremor100

 

[N4860]

Thanks for the insight on their colours - Apparently, EBMM doesn't allow NEW basses to be sold to Canada through their dealers - so IF i want new, I have to keep head hunting up here - otherwise the used market is where you'll find me.
I just sold a couple items locally, so I have the cash in hand - awaiting the right deal now. Thanks again. Cheers

As someone else mentioned, you can buy new basses through L&M or even Cosmo Music was a dealer too a few years back, not sure if they still are though. Why would EBMM not sell new basses through their dealers?

 

[graphics1988]

As someone else mentioned, you can buy new basses through L&M or even Cosmo Music was a dealer too a few years back, not sure if they still are though. Why would EBMM not sell new basses through their dealers?

I tried both - both say 'Avail to order' - I called Cosmo..he said ZERO ETA on one...and LnM 'info'...said 5 to 6 month possible...
USA EBMM won't allow dealers to send north - used yes...I just started re-checking places that i was looking at in the USA but all their used sections now. By the time I find one - someone here will list one haaha

 

[graphics1988]

Found this...pretty amazing hahaha...geeezuz

 

[tremor100]

I tried both - both say 'Avail to order' - I called Cosmo..he said ZERO ETA on one...and LnM 'info'...said 5 to 6 month possible...
USA EBMM won't allow dealers to send north - used yes...I just started re-checking places that i was looking at in the USA but all their used sections now. By the time I find one - someone here will list one haaha

The fact of the matter is especially for the bass department at L&M, they don't want an almost $4000 (CAD) dollar bass sitting on the rack collecting dust/getting damaged or touched by kids. L&M isn't a boutique instrument store.. they have some expensive stuff but the big ticket items if any they are going to get in are guitars and they are going to sit behind the front counter or out of reach. Like it or not alot of people picking up a bass are looking for something to get by because they want to record or fill in for a friends band thats in the 500-1000 dollar range.. they have Fender Pro series there but even then thats still like half the price of these.

Just in general the ADHOC ordertimes to the factory (i assume artists are exempted) is a 6 month backlog.. it has nothing to do with "they wont ship to the north" they will... L&M and Cosmo just aren't ordering alot of them, and the ones they are ordering are going to thier online warhouse are a batch of the new models every year.. then the rest or ordered and paid upfront by the customer and made to order. Its the same thing with the fender customshop ect, they aren't just getting guitars expedited to them, they are placing their 15 custom shop orders like 6 months to a year in advance to have stock on hand.

 

[N4860]

The fact of the matter is especially for the bass department at L&M, they don't want an almost $4000 (CAD) dollar bass sitting on the rack collecting dust/getting damaged or touched by kids. L&M isn't a boutique instrument store.. they have some expensive stuff but the big ticket items if any they are going to get in are guitars and they are going to sit behind the front counter or out of reach. Like it or not alot of people picking up a bass are looking for something to get by because they want to record or fill in for a friends band thats in the 500-1000 dollar range.. they have Fender Pro series there but even then thats still like half the price of these.

Just in general the ADHOC ordertimes to the factory (i assume artists are exempted) is a 6 month backlog.. it has nothing to do with "they wont ship to the north" they will... L&M and Cosmo just aren't ordering alot of them, and the ones they are ordering are going to thier online warhouse are a batch of the new models every year.. then the rest or ordered and paid upfront by the customer and made to order. Its the same thing with the fender customshop ect, they aren't just getting guitars expedited to them, they are placing their 15 custom shop orders like 6 months to a year in advance to have stock on hand.

Yes, that's been my experience as well most of the time. I do find the L&M stores around Toronto tend to be better stocked with higher end basses though. I bought my BFR Bongo at the Burlington store which had it in stock on the shelf for me anyone to try. Not sure what's going on with Cosmo music these days, but when I bought my SR Special 5H, they had probably like 7 or 8 other Stingrays in stock on the wall for anyone to try.

 

[graphics1988]

The fact of the matter is especially for the bass department at L&M, they don't want an almost $4000 (CAD) dollar bass sitting on the rack collecting dust/getting damaged or touched by kids. L&M isn't a boutique instrument store.. they have some expensive stuff but the big ticket items if any they are going to get in are guitars and they are going to sit behind the front counter or out of reach. Like it or not alot of people picking up a bass are looking for something to get by because they want to record or fill in for a friends band thats in the 500-1000 dollar range.. they have Fender Pro series there but even then thats still like half the price of these.

Just in general the ADHOC ordertimes to the factory (i assume artists are exempted) is a 6 month backlog.. it has nothing to do with "they wont ship to the north" they will... L&M and Cosmo just aren't ordering alot of them, and the ones they are ordering are going to thier online warhouse are a batch of the new models every year.. then the rest or ordered and paid upfront by the customer and made to order. Its the same thing with the fender customshop ect, they aren't just getting guitars expedited to them, they are placing their 15 custom shop orders like 6 months to a year in advance to have stock on hand.

...Maybe I didn't word it correctly - but a USA 'retailer' said that EBMM doesn't allow any USA retailer, to sell a new item to a buyer in Canada. (I assume or anywhere outside the USA).
Regardless, I agree with most of those things mentioned -- albeit the Markham Ontario L&M is an anomaly - they carry Dingwalls (CDN ones), F-basses, Foderas etc ...on their walls in the open. I know, cuz i have/had each of those brands and played them all in store prior to purchase

 

[N4860]

...Maybe I didn't word it correctly - but a USA 'retailer' said that EBMM doesn't allow any USA retailer, to sell a new item to a buyer in Canada. (I assume or anywhere outside the USA).
Regardless, I agree with most of those things mentioned -- albeit the Markham Ontario L&M is an anomaly - they carry Dingwalls (CDN ones), F-basses, Foderas etc ...on their walls in the open. I know, cuz i have/had each of those brands and played them all in store prior to purchase

I believe you are correct that US retailers likely have an agreement with EBMM not to sell new basses internationally, or at least possibly some of them. The bass in my profile pic was from when EBMM only sold the instruments in the Vault to US residents. I spoke to a relatively large US retailer and asked them to purchase the bass from the vault and ship it to me in Canada and they did for a small fee so sometimes there's way around this stuff but the way they spoke about it led me to believe they were doing something a bit sketchy.