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EBMM StingRay Special Club

Ah - I didn't realize it was a full production run thing - was thinking it was direct-buy only. But I do now see them listed in the usual places.
Beautiful (and expensive) bass if you like Stingrays, but the Specials are nice as well! The one I owned was flawless and perfectly built. If I ever get another Stingray, it will be a Special.
 
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Hello

Can anyone please help me find a Stingray 5 Special in Aqua Sparkle? Just like the photo?
It will be my birthday present and would like to know where can I find one… With your help I might find it sooner…


thanks for your help
Charles ✌️


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Strings…struggling to get a good match for my Dark Ray. I want the bottom to punch and the top end to be glassy (or pop with clarity). And I do a ton of chord work, plus lots of bass+melody parts (playing the bass part plus melodic filler simultaneously - think Peter Hook).
I’ve tried Sadowsky Blue, MTD USA ground wounds, GHS pressurewounds, a couple others. Just haven’t found a string that hits the mark. Gauge is 45-105.
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Going to try DR Sunbeams next, but curious as to what your string of choice is for EBMM. Genre is cover rock from BOC to FF.
And, if the consensus delivers me a good string match, they will also be worn by my Kingpin - right now not seeing any work due to the same issue. Just haven’t found that sweet spot string for my EBMMs.
90% finger, 10% plectrum.
Who is gonna make my day and suggest a string that will let my ladies sing?
 
Strings…struggling to get a good match for my Dark Ray. I want the bottom to punch and the top end to be glassy (or pop with clarity). And I do a ton of chord work, plus lots of bass+melody parts (playing the bass part plus melodic filler simultaneously - think Peter Hook).
I’ve tried Sadowsky Blue, MTD USA ground wounds, GHS pressurewounds, a couple others. Just haven’t found a string that hits the mark. Gauge is 45-105.
View attachment 5321352 View attachment 5321353 View attachment 5321354
Going to try DR Sunbeams next, but curious as to what your string of choice is for EBMM. Genre is cover rock from BOC to FF.
And, if the consensus delivers me a good string match, they will also be worn by my Kingpin - right now not seeing any work due to the same issue. Just haven’t found that sweet spot string for my EBMMs.
90% finger, 10% plectrum.
Who is gonna make my day and suggest a string that will let my ladies sing?
Give Ken Smith compressors a try. Some say they are the same as GHS Pressurewounds, some disagree - I think they are similar but not the same. I loved them on my Stingray.
 
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Strings…struggling to get a good match for my Dark Ray. I want the bottom to punch and the top end to be glassy (or pop with clarity). And I do a ton of chord work, plus lots of bass+melody parts (playing the bass part plus melodic filler simultaneously - think Peter Hook).
I’ve tried Sadowsky Blue, MTD USA ground wounds, GHS pressurewounds, a couple others. Just haven’t found a string that hits the mark. Gauge is 45-105.
View attachment 5321352 View attachment 5321353 View attachment 5321354
Going to try DR Sunbeams next, but curious as to what your string of choice is for EBMM. Genre is cover rock from BOC to FF.
And, if the consensus delivers me a good string match, they will also be worn by my Kingpin - right now not seeing any work due to the same issue. Just haven’t found that sweet spot string for my EBMMs.
90% finger, 10% plectrum.
Who is gonna make my day and suggest a string that will let my ladies sing?

Stainless steel, I'd say.

Also, you're rocking a bass array I see. So no problem with the frequency response of the cabs. I'd take a look at your signal chain and turn off any cab sim or High cuts that might be rolling off things above 5 KHz. I make out a B3K, a Stomp and what appears to be an X distortion pedal. The B3x distortion circuit is high and low passed. So the higher blend settings will start to focus more on the 1-3 KHz area and sound more clacky rather than bright.

Since the Darkray has an onboard Alpha/Omega circuit, I'd assume it is also colored and filtered. Try turning every effect off and getting the sound you want with filters and fx off and then start adding on top of that.
 
I like the tone of the Sunbeams a lot, but I find them too flexible/supple for my tastes. If you like that feel, then maybe try the DR Hi Beams. If you like a stiffer feeling string, then maybe stainless steel Lo Riders. Personally, I *love* Lo Riders on my Stingrays, but I prefer the warmer tone of the nickel Lo Riders as opposed to the stainless steels.

I currently have nickel plated Elixir NanoWebs on both of my Stingrays and I like them a lot as well. They’re not quite as stiff feeling as Lo Riders, but they’re not too flexible for me and they have a warmer tone that I like. For more top end, the stainless steel version might work better for you, but I haven’t tried those myself.

FWIW, my band plays mostly classic and contemporary blues and older classic rock (mostly 60s and 70s).

Actually I have nickel Nanowebs on my Big Al, too. But the nickel Lo Riders are my favorites and I think I might put them back on my ceramic 2007 Stingray when the Nanowebs on it finally need to be replaced. But I think I’ll leave them on my Special for a while.
 
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Stainless steel, I'd say.

Also, you're rocking a bass array I see. So no problem with the frequency response of the cabs. I'd take a look at your signal chain and turn off any cab sim or High cuts that might be rolling off things above 5 KHz. I make out a B3K, a Stomp and what appears to be an X distortion pedal. The B3x distortion circuit is high and low passed. So the higher blend settings will start to focus more on the 1-3 KHz area and sound more clacky rather than bright.

Since the Darkray has an onboard Alpha/Omega circuit, I'd assume it is also colored and filtered. Try turning every effect off and getting the sound you want with filters and fx off and then start adding on top of that.

Thank you. Great advice for all players.

Seasoned player, three separate rigs, three separate pedalboards. I’ve isolated the issue down to the strings, just haven’t found that match yet.
Currently running Sadowsky NYC basses until I get the EBMM dialed in (for the funky stuff).
 

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Thank you. Great advice for all players.

Seasoned player, three separate rigs, three separate pedalboards. I’ve isolated the issue down to the strings, just haven’t found that match yet.
Currently running Sadowsky NYC basses until I get the EBMM dialed in (for the funky stuff).

I see. In that case I'd take a look at Dunlo Super brights or Marcus Miller signature sets.
 
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Since were talking about strings, im used to play closer to the bridge on jazz basses and although its not far off, the pickup closer up to the neck is making my striking area where i mount my thumb a bit less taught.. was considering going to a heavier gauge. I was looking at the compensated nut and it looks like its literally for fitted for the current gauge of EBMM medium it shipped with and sitting deep in the nut insead of ontop of a groove like most nuts of Fenders ect.... will i have to fill the nut slots if i go up in other peoples experience?
 
I have a selector switch anecdote to share with all of you 5Hers out there. I've attached a photo of mine, as you can see I couldn't decide between a white pearloid or a black pickguard, but that's a post for a different day ;)

So I was in the studio a while back, recording a popish song that called for some notes below E, so I brought this along with me. With the selector switch, I tend to default to either the bridge position or the neck position and started out recording with one of these. Apparently the engineer thought these sounded too harsh, and as he was handing me the Pbass in the corner to use, I happened to put the selector switch in the middle (I think I may have also rolled the highs off a bit and rolled the lows and mids up) and played a few notes. His whole demeanor changed, he put the Pbass back in the corner and I nailed the bassline with my Stingray.

With this story in mind, I tend to think of the middle switch as the engineer's position (slightly muzzled and filtered), the bridge position as the bright (funk/metal) one and the neck position as the warm classic rockish position. I know Lee Sklar has a "Producer's Switch" on his signature bass, but I found the "Engineer's position" that day in the studio to save me from playing that Pbass (I have nothing against a Pbass and plan to get my own one day :)

What are your takes and any nicknames for the switch settings on a 5H?
tina.jpg
 
Strings…struggling to get a good match for my Dark Ray. I want the bottom to punch and the top end to be glassy (or pop with clarity). And I do a ton of chord work, plus lots of bass+melody parts (playing the bass part plus melodic filler simultaneously - think Peter Hook).
I’ve tried Sadowsky Blue, MTD USA ground wounds, GHS pressurewounds, a couple others. Just haven’t found a string that hits the mark. Gauge is 45-105.
View attachment 5321352 View attachment 5321353 View attachment 5321354
Going to try DR Sunbeams next, but curious as to what your string of choice is for EBMM. Genre is cover rock from BOC to FF.
And, if the consensus delivers me a good string match, they will also be worn by my Kingpin - right now not seeing any work due to the same issue. Just haven’t found that sweet spot string for my EBMMs.
90% finger, 10% plectrum.
Who is gonna make my day and suggest a string that will let my ladies sing?
Sunbeams are my go to for a SR or a Fender for rock.
I like the feel of the round core with a nickel wrap.
 
I have a selector switch anecdote to share with all of you 5Hers out there. I've attached a photo of mine, as you can see I couldn't decide between a white pearloid or a black pickguard, but that's a post for a different day ;)

So I was in the studio a while back, recording a popish song that called for some notes below E, so I brought this along with me. With the selector switch, I tend to default to either the bridge position or the neck position and started out recording with one of these. Apparently the engineer thought these sounded too harsh, and as he was handing me the Pbass in the corner to use, I happened to put the selector switch in the middle (I think I may have also rolled the highs off a bit and rolled the lows and mids up) and played a few notes. His whole demeanor changed, he put the Pbass back in the corner and I nailed the bassline with my Stingray.

With this story in mind, I tend to think of the middle switch as the engineer's position (slightly muzzled and filtered), the bridge position as the bright (funk/metal) one and the neck position as the warm classic rockish position. I know Lee Sklar has a "Producer's Switch" on his signature bass, but I found the "Engineer's position" that day in the studio to save me from playing that Pbass (I have nothing against a Pbass and plan to get my own one day :)

What are your takes and any nicknames for the switch settings on a 5H?
View attachment 5321632
In a roundabout way, I’ve run into this very picture with regards to the selector switch position, I used to default to the bridge position. I just liked it the best of all three choices. As for recording, well, I’ve been the engineer every time it’s been recorded, LOL.

But a few weeks ago, at a church rehearsal, I was playing the Stingray instead of the Jazz-style Mike Lull I usually take. I’ve used it here once before, but this time, the Worship Leader mentioned that the bass sounded kinda “farty” to him. I thought “Harrumph”, but as this guy is a great singer, player, and leader, I took his word and for no reason I can think of, I moved the selector switch to the middle position. “Ahhh, now we’re talking!”, he replied. And we asked the sound team what they thought. And they seemed to like the Stingray’s tone better, although they couldn’t say why. But they all warmed up to this new tone setting quite nicely. I did, too, before long….:D.


So ever since then, I’ve been working with the Stingray in this middle position. It works well and so far, anyone that noticed or cared seems to like it just fine.

Kinda odd how that works, but so be it….:D
 
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I've listened to a zillion videos demonstrating Specials.
Most videos sound much darker than my 2-band Ray with the EQ at about noon.
Do you find this true or just warmer sounding videos?
My suggestion…… get out and try one for yourself. If you are in the MD/ DC area, there should be plenty around . It will be worth it to have it in your own hands to hear, feel, and play.