EBMM StingRay Special Club

[humbuckaroo]

I went through the whole one vs two pickups thing just recently.

It boiled down to this:

The H is the classic. It weighs less. It has the better layout for slapping, as the neck pickup gets in the way. For people with option paralysis like myself this is the one to get.

The HH has five positions, two of which people like a lot and three others that are generally not talked about much. Position 1 (bridge only, available on both basses) and position 4 (inner coils, unique to this bass).

I am quite content with the single pickup model.

 

[FightMilk]

New bass day! And I finally join the Stingray Special club

This is a custom build from the CDE. Blue Dream finish, black hardware, ebony fretboard, flamed roasted maple neck.

Blue Dream really is the right way to describe this. It's absolutely stunning. I've only played it for a short while since it arrived but I think this is the most comfortable bass I've ever played. Instant favourite. It's so light as well. I picked it up out of the case and was amazed at the weight. Unfortunately I don't have anything to weigh it with so can't tell you what the actual weight is, but it's definitely lighter than my Spector Euro LX4 .

I put the order in for this on 3rd April, got the notification that UPS were picking it up on 22nd May. A bit quicker than I expected. I'm in the UK, and the box arrived in the UK Friday night, right before a public holiday, so it sat (I'm guessing) in customs for a few days, but yesterday it finally started moving and today it finally arrived, 2 days earlier than UPS originally estimated.

I'm really really happy with this!

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Awesome bass happy for you! Although with my experience I feel like If everything works perfectly as manufactured by MM you’re lucky.

 

[Tony G]

I went through the whole one vs two pickups thing just recently.

It boiled down to this:

The H is the classic. It weighs less. It has the better layout for slapping, as the neck pickup gets in the way. For people with option paralysis like myself this is the one to get.

The HH has five positions, two of which people like a lot and three others that are generally not talked about much. Position 1 (bridge only, available on both basses) and position 4 (inner coils, unique to this bass).

I am quite content with the single pickup model.

I’m an outlier. I use position 3 on my Stingray Special 4HH almost exclusively. However, I max out the mid control on the on-board pre when using this position. This is my favorite tone on the 4HH. Very balanced but punchy, like an active jazz bass. I find position 4 to be too grindy sounding for my preference. Position 1 is ok, but doesn’t feel thick enough on my particular 4HH.

…and I now have my new-to-me Special 5H that gets me the classic single pickup stingray tone.

 

[PrimitiveMan]

I’m an outlier. I use position 3 on my Stingray Special 4HH almost exclusively. However, I max out the mid control on the on-board pre when using this position. This is my favorite tone on the 4HH. Very balanced but punchy, like an active jazz bass. I find position 4 to be too grindy sounding for my preference. Position 1 is ok, but doesn’t feel thick enough on my particular 4HH.

…and I now have my new-to-me Special 5H that gets me the classic single pickup stingray tone.

Yeah position 3 definitely needs a big mid boost

 

[Brandon Shea]

I have a 5HH and like the pickup selections just fine, and I would've been fine with the 5H as well. Position 1 is where I spend most of my time, which is why I wanted a StingRay in the first place. I like that some of the other positions add versatility and let it get "close enough" to the tones you'd expect from other basses.

That said, I bet it's nice to put the 5H in series. Shame there isn't a button to do that on the HH models.

 

[humbuckaroo]

You really can't go wrong with either version.

 

[pgpete]

I had a 2010 stingray classic, which i moved on because it weighed over 10lb and changing from stingray tone to something like a Pbass tone required a lot of fiddling around with the tone controls. My Stingray special 4HH solved those problems - the special is light ( less then 8lbs), and once I've got a nice tone with the tone controls, I can flick the pickup selector from 1 - ( 80s spanky tone ) to 5 (70s bass tone) - this works for me in a 70s 80s cover band.

I dont slap much, but Ive found that there is just enough room between the fingerboard and the neck pickup to get in there and pop the D or G.

 

[humbuckaroo]

Glad it worked out!

So... Pics?

Some hasty night time photos. The only down side to this finish is that it doesn't stand out in low light. I'll get some outdoor snaps done sometime.

 

[lordradish]

I'm thinking about joining the club. I'm sure in the 8 years and nearly 15K posts in this thread that it has already been said many times, but what are your thoughts on H versus HH? I've heard so far that H is the more traditional and possibly aggressive sound, and gives room for slap/funk due to the absence of the neck pickup, whereas HH may be slightly less aggressive but with a few more tonal options.

On a very shallow note, the HH basses have a more balanced look to my eye, and I would lean that way if all things were equal. Having said that, I do like a forward tone.

Just curious if people have strong opinions.

I had a 5H but switched to 5HH and I'm so glad I did. If there's any difference in sound in the bridge position, it's nothing I've noticed. I really just appreciate the extra tones the HH gives me, as I play a lot of different kinds of music. Slapping hasn't been a problem on it.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I'm thinking about joining the club. I'm sure in the 8 years and nearly 15K posts in this thread that it has already been said many times, but what are your thoughts on H versus HH? I've heard so far that H is the more traditional and possibly aggressive sound, and gives room for slap/funk due to the absence of the neck pickup, whereas HH may be slightly less aggressive but with a few more tonal options.

On a very shallow note, the HH basses have a more balanced look to my eye, and I would lean that way if all things were equal. Having said that, I do like a forward tone.

Just curious if people have strong opinions.

I have both, and imo there's no appreciable difference in aggressiveness between the bridge settings on H vs HH models, just more tonal options with the two pickups on the HH. I think the biggest issue with the HH is possible interference with slapping, but I usually play fingerstyle. That said, I also really like the single H Specials and don't feel particularly limited by the tones they offer.

 

[ics1974]

I'm thinking about joining the club. I'm sure in the 8 years and nearly 15K posts in this thread that it has already been said many times, but what are your thoughts on H versus HH? I've heard so far that H is the more traditional and possibly aggressive sound, and gives room for slap/funk due to the absence of the neck pickup, whereas HH may be slightly less aggressive but with a few more tonal options.

On a very shallow note, the HH basses have a more balanced look to my eye, and I would lean that way if all things were equal. Having said that, I do like a forward tone.

Just curious if people have strong opinions.

I agree with the other. In position 1 (bridge only) you will not notice any difference between a H vs HH tone wise.
Only downside of the HH I can think of is the slapping issue for some and if you like the looks of a single H more. Other than that, you gain a lot more tonal option.

 

[Mike Vee]

Yeah it does look pretty classy.

Unfortunately for anyone waiting for photos, I ended up switching the replacement bass back to Fallout Green at the last minute. I just loved the color matching on that variant too much, and didn't want to miss out on it forever. The dark green body, rosewood neck and parchment guard give off these great earthy vibes that I have completely fallen in love with.

I think the green is MUCH better. Great!

 

[Stevorebob]

I'm thinking about joining the club. I'm sure in the 8 years and nearly 15K posts in this thread that it has already been said many times, but what are your thoughts on H versus HH? I've heard so far that H is the more traditional and possibly aggressive sound, and gives room for slap/funk due to the absence of the neck pickup, whereas HH may be slightly less aggressive but with a few more tonal options.

On a very shallow note, the HH basses have a more balanced look to my eye, and I would lean that way if all things were equal. Having said that, I do like a forward tone.

Just curious if people have strong opinions.

I recommend the HH for those not familiar with the StingRay H or not in love with a J-Bass bridge tone. While the Stingray H is more versatile that the Jazz bridge pickup, if you lean toward a P-Bass tone or Jazz neck or neck-and-bridge thing, that single H may leave you wanting girth and weight.

Now, I love my StingRay Special 5H. In serial more, it is amazing. But truth is, I play my HH StingRays more.

 

[humbuckaroo]

I saw a really nice pre-Special Stingray today. It was dark grey metallic with a maple board. They should re-release that color.

 

[Pet Sounds]

I recommend the HH for these not familiar with the StingRay H or not in love with a J-Bass bridge tone. While the Stingray H is more versatile that the Jazz bridge pickup, if you lean toward a P-Bass tone or Jazz neck or neck-and-bridge thing, that single H may leave you wanting girth and weight.

Now, I love my StingRay Special 5H. In serial more, it is amazing. But truth is, I play my HH StingRays more.

Definitely, to each his own. I have two 4H Specials with flats, and I find the tone is pretty girthy if you play nearer the neck. That's especially true of the 4H with a rosewood fretboard. I've played it in my Motown band and it works fine.

 

[kbakerde]

Just picked up a Stingray Special 5H from Sweetwater. It’s an open box, supposedly passed their inspection. The base looks, feels and plays fantastic. The sound is growing on me, but I don’t have all the options. Currently, the bass only works in parallel mode. The series and series/filter settings don’t work at all.

Sweetwater is willing to exchange it for a new one, but I kinda just want to get this one fixed. I like the weight and I like how it feels. Dunno.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Just picked up a Stingray Special 5H from Sweetwater. It’s an open box, supposedly passed their inspection. The base looks, feels and plays fantastic. The sound is growing on me, but I don’t have all the options. Currently, the bass only works in parallel mode. The series and series/filter settings don’t work at all.

Sweetwater is willing to exchange it for a new one, but I kinda just want to get this one fixed. I like the weight and I like how it feels. Dunno.

Looks great !! Classic finish . There seems to be a recent issue with electrical issues. Hmmm This is not the norm for EBMM. I hope this doesn’t continue and they get this sorted out soon.

Get a new one. They all fell great and you should be able to get another light weight model.

 

[humbuckaroo]

Get a new one.

Yep. Don't waste time or money playing Operation on an expensive instrument.

There seems to be a recent issue with electrical issues. Hmmm

Well, the store took mine back, put it back up on the wall, and is selling it as new. So maybe it was just me.

This one was a demo so maybe the last guy broke it.

 

[Mike Vee]

Definitely, to each his own. I have two 4H Specials with flats, and I find the tone is pretty girthy if you play nearer the neck. That's especially true of the 4H with a rosewood fretboard. I've played it in my Motown band and it works fine.

Agreed. The stingray pickup sounds nothing like a jazz bass bridge pickup. It can get very very close, or in some cases even better and more smooth (because of the Eq) than a P Bass, especially with flats, of course. You don’t even have to play that close to the neck, maybe just barely past the pickup before it starts to get much deeper. I tend to play my stingray just over the top edge of the pick up.

 

[Brandon Shea]

Agreed. The stingray pickup sounds nothing like a jazz bass bridge pickup. It can get very very close, or in some cases even better and more smooth (because of the Eq) than a P Bass, especially with flats, of course. You don’t even have to play that close to the neck, maybe just barely past the pickup before it starts to get much deeper. I tend to play my stingray just over the top edge of the pick up.

This is exactly what I’ve been enjoying about position 1 lately – there are so many good tones before you even leave that first setting!