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EBMM StingRay Special Club

#11,201
2.5 month update: no buyer's remorse with my StingRay Special 4H SLO Special custom order. I've had it through quite a few shows/rehearsals and a lot of practicing and it feels like home. This was the bass I always wanted. The cost really was a kick in the junk but I see someone has a 2014 StingRay SLO listed for $2,000.

This instrument is great all around but the neck is what really makes it. It's the right profile for me and I have a such a strong preference for non-hard finished necks at this point (even on guitar). Could I play on something cheaper? Sure. Was it worth paying extra so I could get the best thing for me? Definitely.

poppunk said:
My custom direct EBMM StingRay Special SLO Special (sounds weird) is here:
View attachment 5243574
View attachment 5243575
I played it a little bit yesterday and the neck profile is so much better for me with the narrower nut. I won't have a lot of time this weke to play it since I have to focus on a show that I'm playing guitar for Saturday, but after that I'll be learning new material and practicing for upcoming shows where I play bass.

One thing I didn't realize would happen is that EBMM would stamp this with the "SLO Special" on the headstock. They told me they were basically just making a SR Special with a thinner nut. It's now an uncommon, identifiable SR.

Getting it from UPS was a PITA. I saw that it shipped, but it was while I was gone from home. Nobody was going to be here the day it was coming, so I paid UPS to reschedule from last Tuesday to Thursday. It didn't make it on the truck either day (reschedule was confirmed but date was never updated). I got home Friday night and had to wait unitl Monday to go to our regional hub to have them get it. The UPS employees were super cool about it.
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#11,202
poppunk said:
2.5 month update: no buyer's remorse with my StingRay Special 4H SLO Special custom order. I've had it through quite a few shows/rehearsals and a lot of practicing and it feels like home. This was the bass I always wanted. The cost really was a kick in the junk but I see someone has a 2014 StingRay SLO listed for $2,000.

This instrument is great all around but the neck is what really makes it. It's the right profile for me and I have a such a strong preference for non-hard finished necks at this point (even on guitar). Could I play on something cheaper? Sure. Was it worth paying extra so I could get the best thing for me? Definitely.
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To me, that's all it's about at the end of the day and why I never wade into the conversations about the cost of instruments these days. If I find an instrument I absolutely love playing, I'll pay a premium and not look back.
 
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#11,203
poppunk said:
2.5 month update: no buyer's remorse with my StingRay Special 4H SLO Special custom order. I've had it through quite a few shows/rehearsals and a lot of practicing and it feels like home. This was the bass I always wanted. The cost really was a kick in the junk but I see someone has a 2014 StingRay SLO listed for $2,000.

This instrument is great all around but the neck is what really makes it. It's the right profile for me and I have a such a strong preference for non-hard finished necks at this point (even on guitar). Could I play on something cheaper? Sure. Was it worth paying extra so I could get the best thing for me? Definitely.
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Gluvhand said:
To me, that's all it's about at the end of the day and why I never wade into the conversations about the cost of instruments these days. If I find an instrument I absolutely love playing, I'll pay a premium and not look back.
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Amen!!! Im sure that is why most of us play EBMM in the first place. They dont come cheap , but we get what we pay for. And most of us are repeat customers. That says something .:thumbsup: You get what you pay for. I understand a lot of their stuff is out of reach for some. I always suggest buying the best that you can comfortably afford. Sweetwater and ZZounds have great payment plans. Buy used. Save up. There are many ways to the same result. Even if you have to buy the import Sterling line, they will weigh more but they still sound good.
 
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#11,204
Love this bass. Nicer pix to come. :)
20240123_191020.jpg
 
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#11,208
Oh, I agree 100%. They haven't seemed to let many instruments (basses anyway, I'm not much of a guitar player so I haven't really paid much attention to their gugitar offerings) hang on if they're not selling and they've trimmed their lineup and even some of the options within the models that remain.

I get it if they're not selling well enough, but it almost seems like things are approaching a vicious cycle where sales are down so they cut something, so sales drop more and they cut more, and so on. I just hope it doesn't get to the point where they just stop seling basses, even temporarily. I still have basses I'd like to add to my collection. :D
 
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#11,210
Geri O said:
Not color-related, but I was kinda bummed at some news my Sweetwater rep passed on from Music Man when I inquired on a new fretless Stingray Special.

The news was that MM will not make any more fretless Stingray Specials, at least for the foreseeable future…..

Oh, well, there’s always Rob Allen….:D
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LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
I wouldn’t say that’s set in stone.
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You folks would know better than me but I thought fretless 'Rays, other than BFRs, haven't been available for a while now anyway. It's not like this is a recent development. Or am I wrong?
 
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#11,214
Gluvhand said:
You folks would know better than me but I thought fretless 'Rays, other than BFRs, haven't been available for a while now anyway. It's not like this is a recent development. Or am I wrong?
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Correct. Nothing new but they said no more fretless , and we get BFR offerings every now and then. Also, the powers that be can change their minds at any time. Also , they dont always let dealers know everything they are doing or going to do.
 
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#11,215
poppunk said:
2.5 month update: no buyer's remorse with my StingRay Special 4H SLO Special custom order. I've had it through quite a few shows/rehearsals and a lot of practicing and it feels like home. This was the bass I always wanted. The cost really was a kick in the junk but I see someone has a 2014 StingRay SLO listed for $2,000.

This instrument is great all around but the neck is what really makes it. It's the right profile for me and I have a such a strong preference for non-hard finished necks at this point (even on guitar). Could I play on something cheaper? Sure. Was it worth paying extra so I could get the best thing for me? Definitely.
Click to expand...
Yours is a beauty. I love my SLO Special also. That narrower nut width just feels perfect to me. This is the 4th StingRay I've had over the years. While I liked the others, this one is by far my favorite. Like you, I spent more than I normally would, but have zero regrets.

IMG_20230405_124519.jpg
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