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EBMM StingRay Special Club

What an amazing reply, thanks so much!!!

Where do I find a pic of yours with matching headstock??

The absolute number 1 thing about the Stingray for me is that growl and slap tone so interesting thoughts on the fretboard woods. Thanks again!

I'm now thinking I should go with maple!
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***! What a collection, that Amethyst though :cool:, the exact reason I need one in my life. Stunning.

Looks like I need the matching headstock then, definitely adds to it.

Just to decide on the fretboard now but maple is back in the mix now. May not contrast as well as the darker woods in terms of looks. My Sandberg has rosewood and does all those warm tones perfectly though. I want my StingRay to growl.

My other basses attached.
 

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***! What a collection, that Amethyst though :cool:, the exact reason I need one in my life. Stunning.

Looks like I need the matching headstock then, definitely adds to it.

Just to decide on the fretboard now but maple is back in the mix now. May not contrast as well as the darker woods in terms of looks. My Sandberg has rosewood and does all those warm tones perfectly though. I want my StingRay to growl.

My other basses attached.
Nice collection you have there as well.
Sanbergs are wonderful . You have great taste .

I would definitely recommend going maple . The roasted maple isn’t as dark as rosewood but it’s a nice e peanut butter brown. It will look good .

One thing you should check ….. contact EBMM and make sure that the sparkle purple they offer through Design Experience is the same as Amethyst Sparkle . It has a different name and it appears slightly lighter in hue to my eyes. It appears to lean more towards lavender but I think it will look great with the roasted maple .
Let me know what EBMM says about that finish .
 
Hi EB MM Team,

I recently purchased a second hand Special in Grape Crush which I adore and is nicer to play than my other bases:

1.Fender Flea active bass (the one with the single humbucker)
2. G&L L-2000
3. Sandberg Panther

Now, I stumbled across the Design tab on the Musician website and the magpie in me now wants an Amethyst Sparkle bass with gold hardware. Unfortunately being from the UK I have to pay a big amount of tax and if I go mad on the spec with the flame neck, ebony fretboard, matching headstock that tax is around £600 on top of the bass price.

I have found a similar bass without the matching headstock, without the flame neck and with a rosewood fretboard. I can live without the flame neck and matching headstock but I wonder if there will be any difference in feel between ebony and rosewood? I found a video on YouTube doing a sound comparison and to my ears it was negligible difference.

Also I have noticed that the Grape bass weighs 8.4lbs and the Amethyst (now called Lavender) one would weigh 8.8lbs, I guess that would be to the gold hardware and paint job. I don't think the weight would make much difference to overall feel so not too concerned about that. Main question is around the fretboard really.

Anyway, my bass attached.

I think @LadyLoveStingRay5 summarized it pretty well but wanted to chime in as someone who has an ebony board and maple board Special. My preference is still for the ebony as it has a little more compression on the highs which I think is great for slap, and gives it a slightly more modern tone. The maple is a little more classic stingray sounding.

It's not a big difference though
 
Nice collection you have there as well.
Sanbergs are wonderful . You have great taste .

I would definitely recommend going maple . The roasted maple isn’t as dark as rosewood but it’s a nice e peanut butter brown. It will look good .

One thing you should check ….. contact EBMM and make sure that the sparkle purple they offer through Design Experience is the same as Amethyst Sparkle . It has a different name and it appears slightly lighter in hue to my eyes. It appears to lean more towards lavender but I think it will look great with the roasted maple .
Let me know what EBMM says about that finish .
Spoke to EB already and they sent me this.

They do look different on the configurator hence I checked. Seems to be just a naming thing.

Also another good point on the roasted maple. If I'd have known sooner I could have just given you some money and asked you to spec it for me :laugh:
 

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I
I think @LadyLoveStingRay5 summarized it pretty well but wanted to chime in as someone who has an ebony board and maple board Special. My preference is still for the ebony as it has a little more compression on the highs which I think is great for slap, and gives it a slightly more modern tone. The maple is a little more classic stingray sounding.

It's not a big difference though
Agreed. I should point out that I’m a female player with small hands. I have a very light touch and play with very light strings . I think this all contributes to my preferences.

I will also add that I find Ebony / ash combo to remind me more of the pre Special Era 3 band eq models. So I would say…. Ebony/ ash is slightly more aggressive and modern compared to maple or rosewood .
 
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Spoke to EB already and they sent me this.

They do look different on the configurator hence I checked. Seems to be just a naming thing.

Also another good point on the roasted maple. If I'd have known sooner I could have just given you some money and asked you to spec it for me :laugh:
I’m excited to see what you order and how it turns out. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

I would suggest ….. roasted flame maple board and neck with matching headstock . Sparkle with flame is going to be amazing to behold. The golden peanut butter brown of the roasted maple will pop with the gold hardware.

I’ll let you know where to send my check. The running joke here is that I need to get a job designing for EBMM. 🤣

I’d love to do that remotely of course . ☺️🤭
 
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This thread could use more live pictures. How does it look on stage with your band and your clothes etc :)
It would be great to see more of these basses in action on stage!

I finally found a bass to match my hat lol. Gold Sparkle Stingray Special with every gold option possible for the brass band I’m in. (9 players; 3 saxes, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, drummer and me) Only had the bass a few months but finally got a few gig pictures two weeks ago.
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It’s that shiny/sparkly thing on stage.
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It even looks beautiful from the back with the flamed roasted maple neck and gold hardware. (LK Straps made a nice gold strap for me, the most comfy strap I’ve ever owned)

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I think @LadyLoveStingRay5 summarized it pretty well but wanted to chime in as someone who has an ebony board and maple board Special. My preference is still for the ebony as it has a little more compression on the highs which I think is great for slap, and gives it a slightly more modern tone. The maple is a little more classic stingray sounding.

It's not a big difference though
Thanks for your input, especially on the slap as slap and fingerstyle funky riffs are my main loves when playing bass.
 
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It would be great to see more of these basses in action on stage!

I finally found a bass to match my hat lol. Gold Sparkle Stingray Special with every gold option possible for the brass band I’m in. (9 players; 3 saxes, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, drummer and me) Only had the bass a few months but finally got a few gig pictures two weeks ago. View attachment 7328799

It’s that shiny/sparkly thing on stage.
View attachment 7328809

It even looks beautiful from the back with the flamed roasted maple neck and gold hardware. (LK Straps made a nice gold strap for me, the most comfy strap I’ve ever owned)

View attachment 7328810
Amazing bass, and that sounds like a fun band! :bassist:
 
It would be great to see more of these basses in action on stage!

I finally found a bass to match my hat lol. Gold Sparkle Stingray Special with every gold option possible for the brass band I’m in. (9 players; 3 saxes, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, drummer and me) Only had the bass a few months but finally got a few gig pictures two weeks ago. View attachment 7328799

It’s that shiny/sparkly thing on stage.
View attachment 7328809

It even looks beautiful from the back with the flamed roasted maple neck and gold hardware. (LK Straps made a nice gold strap for me, the most comfy strap I’ve ever owned)

View attachment 7328810
🤩You matched your wardrobe very well to that bass. Love that gold sparkling ✨ on stage !!! That strap is icing on the cake 🧁!!!

Black white and gold were my wedding colors !!
 
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Spoke to EB already and they sent me this.

They do look different on the configurator hence I checked. Seems to be just a naming thing.

Also another good point on the roasted maple. If I'd have known sooner I could have just given you some money and asked you to spec it for me :laugh:
I also thought the two colors appeared different online, but they're virtually identical in this picture. Maybe a little more sparkle in the lavender.
 
🤩You matched your wardrobe very well to that bass. Love that gold sparkling ✨ on stage !!! That strap is icing on the cake 🧁!!!

Black white and gold were my wedding colors !!

Thanks! I honestly had the wardrobe first though lol. I matched the bass to the band’s (and your wedding’s) theme colors; black white and gold.

Above the looks are the instrument’s tone, feel, playability, and build quality. It’s pure joy to play!
 
Well, after years of saying I would try them "eventually", I finally got a set of Chromes (ECB81-5) for my StingRay Special. Previous strings were Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats (2816). Both are pretty bright for flats, and I'm still undecided about which strings I like better. It seems like both sets have enough high end to pass for rounds, especially on a Ray.

Chromes definitely feel smoother and a little less stiff than the Cobalt Flats. I'll see how they break in over the coming weeks and months. The combo of bright flats + StingRay works really well in my opinion, and it's cool to play flats while still having plenty of treble on tap. Both sets of strings are bright enough that there's almost never a need to boost treble, at least for me. :)

Biggest negative about Chromes? No purple silks. C'est la vie!
 
It would be great to see more of these basses in action on stage!

I finally found a bass to match my hat lol. Gold Sparkle Stingray Special with every gold option possible for the brass band I’m in. (9 players; 3 saxes, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, drummer and me) Only had the bass a few months but finally got a few gig pictures two weeks ago. View attachment 7328799

It’s that shiny/sparkly thing on stage.
View attachment 7328809

It even looks beautiful from the back with the flamed roasted maple neck and gold hardware. (LK Straps made a nice gold strap for me, the most comfy strap I’ve ever owned)

View attachment 7328810
Well this has put the cat amongst the pigeons. Had my heart set on the amethyst/lavendar sparkle bass but this is just amazing!
 
Just found this comparison of the fretboards. For the first riff I love the open E and the notes on A string giving that growl on the maple board. However on the slap riff I'm liking the tightness/compression of the ebony which is what someone suggested yesterday. Tough choice right now. My active Flea bass being maple and super aggressive (sounds like it has a 1000v active circuit in it) is steering me towards ebony so I then have a maple, ebony and rosewood bass but then again the first riff in the video with the maple is 🔥. Think Ebony looks better with the lavender sparkle as well.

 
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Just found this comparison of the fretboards. For the first riff I love the open E and the notes on A string giving that growl on the maple board. However on the slap riff I'm liking the tightness/compression of the ebony which is what someone suggested yesterday. Tough choice right now. My active Flea bass being maple and super aggressive (sounds like it has a 1000v active circuit in it) is steering me towards ebony so I then have a maple, ebony and rosewood bass but then again the first riff in the video with the maple is 🔥. Think Ebony looks better with the lavender sparkle as well.


Decisions, decisions. I wouldn't stress about It too much. Obviously you like both the maple and ebony.. If I was going custom build, Im going with what I know I like everything about. No room for taking chances.
 
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