EBMM StingRay Special Club

[Barticus]

The action is currently in orbit near the moon. To get it to a reasonable level we will use up all of the saddle adjustability and bottom them out. We would most likely need to shim the neck as I stated.

“A bass at that price” was NOT the tech’s sole reasoning. He knows what he’s doing and he looks out for me. If he says to return an instrument, I do so. He’s been doing repair work for 30+ years and has never steered me wrong. He is an expert in his field and I listen just like I listen to my doctor, lawyer, etc. He’s probably being cautious, but as I stated he’s watching out for me.

I could seek a second opinion, but I’m not sure I care enough to do so at this stage. I’m not trying to be flippant, but my joy and excitement with this bass has left the building.

I can let the bass settle a bit to see what develops, but I’m not having a shim put in. I’m not dealing with it on a new instrument of this caliber. I’ll take the money and buy a used one I can see and feel before buying.

I will say that during the winter when it was cold here and presumably, pretty dry, that the neck movement was rather severe. I bought the shims directly from EBMM and considered shimming at one point, but then decided it wasn’t worth it. I reseated the neck and things eventually simmered down. It’s really just the nature of wood with changes of the seasons.

The Stingray Special and any of the roasted quarter-sawed necks are going to move. That’s just a fact. It’s not going to be the same as a Warwick or a Spector or any multi-lamb neck, which are far more stable than a single piece of maple. For those basses, I rarely need to make any adjustments to the neck at all. I liken the Stingrays and some of the other “American” basses to driving a muscle car where you’re gonna have to work on them from time to time and that’s just the nature of it… but if you want that experience and you want that sound you just deal with it


I would say if you play/gig, it’s a great idea to learn how to adjust and setup your bass(es) on your own vs having to take it to a tech for string changes and minor adjustments. That way you’ll know how to deal with minor adjustments as they are needed, it’s really not that big of a deal and it’s the nature of dealing with wood.

My truss rod is just about maxed to flatten the neck as much as possible. My saddles are pretty much bottomed out with just a little bit of adjustment for the radius of the neck and action is fairly low, but this changes along with the weather as needed. It’s also a single action truss rod, I would prefer dual action and I would also prefer more adjustment with the truss rod, but hey, it is what it is.

It’s warmed up quite a bit here, and I noticed that my lower strings were flattening out around the first and second fret so I added a little bit of height to the E saddle to compensate. I just put new strings on today since I have a doubleheader this weekend and next weekend and the following… so lots of gigs on the bass in the coming weeks and adjustments will be needed because weather is going from warm to cold… until we’re out of this period of the year I’ll be making adjustments as needed.

I got both my Grape Crush 5H (new) and my Moonbeam 5HH (used) from Guitar Center. I’ve made adjustments and done set ups on both to beat my needs and both have fairly low action but again they’re not as low as my Spector’s at all.

My Grape Crush did not have plastic on the tuning keys or on the PG. Don’t know if that’s normal, it’s just the way it showed up and looked new… otherwise there’s not a spec, spot or mark on the entire bass and it’s been a great bass. I’ve played it on dozens of gigs so far, it sounds great and gets many compliments both on the tone and the amazing Grape Crush finish. Same goes for my Moonbeam 5HH.

But hey, I work on, adjust, setup frequently on all of my basses because I gig them a lot, it’s just part of the process.

YMMV, both of mine serve the purpose, they are great tools, sound, and play fantastic for the 2 cover bands I play them in.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

The action is currently in orbit near the moon. To get it to a reasonable level we will use up all of the saddle adjustability and bottom them out. We would most likely need to shim the neck as I stated.

“A bass at that price” was NOT the tech’s sole reasoning. He knows what he’s doing and he looks out for me. If he says to return an instrument, I do so. He’s been doing repair work for 30+ years and has never steered me wrong. He is an expert in his field and I listen just like I listen to my doctor, lawyer, etc. He’s probably being cautious, but as I stated he’s watching out for me.

I could seek a second opinion, but I’m not sure I care enough to do so at this stage. I’m not trying to be flippant, but my joy and excitement with this bass has left the building.

I can let the bass settle a bit to see what develops, but I’m not having a shim put in. I’m not dealing with it on a new instrument of this caliber. I’ll take the money and buy a used one I can see and feel before buying.

All this advice (not targeting anyone, not specific to above) but it doesn't negate a shim if one is necessary. The need for a shim is VERY simple. If your relief is set properly (nearly as flat as it will go without buzz on frets 1–5-ish), and your action is still high at the upper frets but the saddles won't go down, you need a shim. That's all there is to it. Weather, adjustment over time in a warehouse, etc., have NOTHING to do with it.

Your saddles should be able to go even further down than you want them. There needs to be some buffer/forgiveness. Bottomed-out saddles are never a scenario you want, even if they "sort of" meet your action preferences like that. They should go slightly LOWER than you want. You will have pickup height issues if not, especially on a stingray where the lead wire blocks the lowest height possible on the G side (the pickup cover smashes into it - but if necessary you can Dremel a little tunnel for the wire).

Use the thinnest shim necessary to get to this point. You don't want them too high either. The cheap EBMM shims work great and always cover the needed thickness.

The only thing that slightly affects this is if your nut is too high. Make sure you always have your tech bring down the nut and even it out, if necessary. It all starts with the nut. You can NOT get a good setup if your nut is too high. Most factory nut slots are way too high. My last Stingray Special had a comically high nut. Frets 1–4 should be effortless to press.

Nut, relief, and lastly - saddles (and maybe adding a shim), then fine tune all together. That is the order of operations. No exceptions. If you understand this, setups are actually very simple. Every bass player should have these skills. I guarantee you will treat your bass better than any tech, and it's free, and you can make infinite fine tune adjustments all by yourself.

If everything else is good BESIDES the need for a shim, such as a perfectly straight neck and perfectly level frets, I would definitely recommend a shim and move on with your life. It's an easy fix with a factory part, and it works. You could wind up with a bass that needs more than a shim, and can't be fixed with a worthless little piece of plastic. I understand it sucks to get a new bass that needs a shim, and that the factory didn't address it, but EBMM often does/does not, respectfully. If you don't want to mess with a shim, I wouldn't get a Stingray. You may have to go through 4 or 6 of them. That has been my experience.

A shim is not a problem IF there are no other issues at play. I have personally used shims to fix a few basses that cost over 2 grand in my life that have gone from what you describe to absolute gems. It's a 5 minute job. It's worth a try. Just be very careful so that if it doesn't work out you can remove and return it.

Buying used can be much worse. the possibility for more/worse/unfixable problems and you can't return it.

 

[Dusky Bass]

Re: shims, action etc. What a timely discussion for me to pop into. For a while now I've wanted to get my SR5 Special H a bit lower, but I've straightened out the neck as much as I feel comfortable with doing so, and have very little height left in the saddles before they bottom out. Just sitting here this evening playing and I decided it's probably time to get it set up by a pro.

I've already set up my two Fender's (USA Jazz V, MIM Player II P-Bass) with low, comfortable action, so was a little surprised I couldn't achieve this on my SR5 myself. I'd never considered a shim, but I guess it makes sense. I'm just now about to look for a solid SF Bay Area shop to help me with this. If anyone in the area happens to have a referral, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

 

[Joelc73]

It’s insane that they come from the factory needing to be shimmed but the process of shimming itself isn’t a big deal at all.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I know Ernie Ball claims to send out Basses to 'their' factory specs
6/64 for E 5/64 for G (7/64for B)

I prefer for my 4 stting a tad lower than 5/64 E 4/64 G

When I first got mine at preferred setting had buzz on G frets 17-19 and D fret 21 but played fine at EBMM factory spec

It took neck about 30 days to settle in my environment before it would hold a setup and could get it to my preferred action

It has been solid ever since

Yes a few may be possible but from my reading they don't send out vast majority needing shims: my guess if otherwise perfect Bass and neck needs shim they do it at factory and they do sell them for those who may want super low action and they may help

 

[Barticus]

It took neck about 30 days to settle in my environment before it would hold a setup and could get it to my preferred action

This, for me, was an important variable. Also noticed after winter, a bit of fret sprout so the wood is moving/shrinking/growing with the weather/humidity.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

Re: shims, action etc. What a timely discussion for me to pop into. For a while now I've wanted to get my SR5 Special H a bit lower, but I've straightened out the neck as much as I feel comfortable with doing so, and have very little height left in the saddles before they bottom out. Just sitting here this evening playing and I decided it's probably time to get it set up by a pro.

I've already set up my two Fender's (USA Jazz V, MIM Player II P-Bass) with low, comfortable action, so was a little surprised I couldn't achieve this on my SR5 myself. I'd never considered a shim, but I guess it makes sense. I'm just now about to look for a solid SF Bay Area shop to help me with this. If anyone in the area happens to have a referral, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

You can do it yourself dude. It’s like 2/10 complexity. If you’ve ever at least taken a neck off, you can do it. You can DM me if you want I’ll give you a simple guide. Or you can watch any youtbe video about it. Paying someone for this is wild.

I know Ernie Ball claims to send out Basses to 'their' factory specs
6/64 for E 5/64 for G (7/64for B)

lol that is so high, i could never play that

 

[Nebadon2000]

You can do it yourself dude. It’s like 2/10 complexity. If you’ve ever at least taken a neck off, you can do it. You can DM me if you want I’ll give you a simple guide. Or you can watch any youtbe video about it. Paying someone for this is wild.


lol that is so high, i could never play that

That is same as Fender, Sadowsky and many others suggest

I was able to get my Fender Ultra P to 4/64 E 3/64 G but not comfortable and tone suffered

As I stated for me 5/64 and 4/64 tone was better and I can play easy and as fast as I will ever need even at 'Factory Specs'

I don't Slap much or Tap where super low action may be helpful
also I played '75 P for 25yrs always set at 6/64 & 5/4 but I do pluck between Medium and semi-hard at times no light touch

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

That is same as Fender, Sadowsky and many others suggest

I was able to get my Fender Ultra P to 4/64 E 3/64 G but not comfortable and tone suffered

As I stated for me 5/64 and 4/64 tone was better and I can play easy and as fast as I will ever need even at 'Factory Specs'

I don't Slap much or Tap where super low action may be helpful
also I played '75 P for 25yrs always set at 6/64 & 5/4 but I do pluck between Medium and semi-hard at times no light touch

all depends on your style. I play finger style with flats and love my action slammed super low.

 

[Richard I]

My 4HH will never see 6/64 on low E...beside the fact I like higher action on all my bass, the Special will almost surely buzz or rattle with such low action - don't know why, considering that the frets ad properly leved, the neck is straight and the nut's perfect.
I'm curious about the body wood on yours, because the "selected hardwoods" always make me wonder


mine looks like having an ash body

 

[PrimitiveMan]

Re: shims, action etc. What a timely discussion for me to pop into. For a while now I've wanted to get my SR5 Special H a bit lower, but I've straightened out the neck as much as I feel comfortable with doing so, and have very little height left in the saddles before they bottom out. Just sitting here this evening playing and I decided it's probably time to get it set up by a pro.

I've already set up my two Fender's (USA Jazz V, MIM Player II P-Bass) with low, comfortable action, so was a little surprised I couldn't achieve this on my SR5 myself. I'd never considered a shim, but I guess it makes sense. I'm just now about to look for a solid SF Bay Area shop to help me with this. If anyone in the area happens to have a referral, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

Gary Brawer is probably the most renowned luthier in the Bay. He's a good guy but tends to be very busy and isn't the cheapest. He moved from SF to Berkeley during COVID. He used to work out of Real Guitars in the city and that shop still does good repair work as well.

Another good option is Jeremy Borkat, at San Francisco Guitar Tech , I used to live down the street from him and would go over there for some quick work sometimes. He's solid, the most reasonably priced, and the quickest.

A little further south in Los Gatos, is Keith Holland, who is also excellent, and been around a long time.

I've heard great things about Hugo Mermet who works out of Bananas at Large in San Rafael too. Never used him though.

 

[Dusky Bass]

Gary Brawer is probably the most renowned luthier in the Bay. He's a good guy but tends to be very busy and isn't the cheapest. He moved from SF to Berkeley during COVID. He used to work out of Real Guitars in the city and that shop still does good repair work as well.

Another good option is Jeremy Borkat, at San Francisco Guitar Tech , I used to live down the street from him and would go over there for some quick work sometimes. He's solid, the most reasonably priced, and the quickest.

A little further south in Los Gatos, is Keith Holland, who is also excellent, and been around a long time.

I've heard great things about Hugo Mermet who works out of Bananas at Large in San Rafael too. Never used him though

This is great; really appreciate the contacts

 

[aarono2690]

Wells boys and girls I'm buying a used Stingray Special 5 off the classifieds section one. Was able to confirm it's good to go.

 

[NicholasU]

With some upcoming potential job loss I have recently offloaded a G&L L-2000, a custom shop strat and a StingRay Special. Ended up with more funds than I really needed so decided I'd get a new guitar. Bought three different Strats and each one had an issue so all went back so I figured I was being told 'stick with what you know and buy a bass you fool'.

I am a huge Musicman fan and recently tried a BFR Grapes of Wrath DarkRay but for the price it didn't feel worth it. I then found a 2nd hand DarkRay at BassBros which I managed to buy for £1,850. It's basically brand new and still has the plastic cover on the pick guard. Absolute steal. Not as beautiful or unique as the BFR but half the price nearly.

Being the previous owner and also current owner of several StingRay specials I am absolutely delighted other than a set up issue I need to get sorted. For many the Dark Glass pre amp is a gimmick and I can understand that. However for me that flat EQs my amp (I always use the EQ on my basses) and has no pedals it is perfect. I can add a little bit of grit or full on distortion or fuzz straight from my bass. I can also leave the effects off and get a very nice Ray tone from it. Currently using my Grape Crush Ray with cobalt flats for my funk but this DarkRay for my RHCP/Rage/Incubus style stuff.

The ebony board feels like it may have more bite, sustain and punch than my rosewood boards when I play as well.

 

[ics1974]

6/64 for E 5/64 for G is the lowest I ever go. I have a heavy hand and get clank any lower. This is on any bass

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

6/64 for E 5/64 for G is the lowest I ever go. I have a heavy hand and get clank any lower. This is on any bass

How do you measure? I was just measure with the strings open, and I like 3/64 at the 12th fret.

 

[ics1974]

How do you measure? I was just measure with the strings open, and I like 3/64 at the 12th fret.

I measure at the 17th fret Old Fender habit. 3/64 is crazy low!

 

[jedwards]

I will just toss this out there. I purchased a Stingray Special 4H and the neck was all over the place, had a difficult time setting action low, and then during a gig the thing just went wonky. I was looking into shimming but just to test I loosened the truss rod, about 4 full turns then removed the neck - then reattached being careful not to over torque the screws - then tightened the truss rod (only needed about one turn). This seems to have fixed the issue, the neck has been stable at a decently low action and intonation once set has remained intact. I don't think the previous owner in may case messed with this, as the bass was pretty much new - so I wonder if one of the factory workers just was amped up one day having too many energy drinks. Might be worth a shot before shimming.

 

[Barticus]

My 4HH will never see 6/64 on low E...beside the fact I like higher action on all my bass, the Special will almost surely buzz or rattle with such low action - don't know why, considering that the frets ad properly leved, the neck is straight and the nut's perfect.
I'm curious about the body wood on yours, because the "selected hardwoods" always make me wonder


mine looks like having an ash body

My Grape Crush 5H looks to be Ash as well.

 

[Richard I]

Love the Grape Crush finish...never seen one in person here in Italy. My 2020 Ghost Pepper 5H is poplar, I think.