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God Help Me, I Think I Want a StingRay

Which is the right StingRay for me?

  • Ray4

    Votes: 16 8.5%

  • Ray34CA

    Votes: 13 6.9%

  • StingRay Classic

    Votes: 86 45.5%

  • Old Smoothie

    Votes: 21 11.1%

  • None of the above—something else

    Votes: 30 15.9%

  • None—this is a rabbit hole you should avoid at all costs

    Votes: 23 12.2%
  • Total voters
    189
#21
I picked up a Ray4. Just changed the strings. Even gigged it a few times. Great bass. Feels good, plays well, sounds really good (if you ditch the stock strings).
Then today, I installed the MojoTone MM Clone 2-band Preamp. Now it sounds amazing. So for a nudge over $400 (have to include good strings), It's totally ready for any gig or studio, and should the unthinkable happen, it's easy and affordable to replace.
If you want to stay on a tight budget, consider the path that I have taken with it. if you tend to engage in bass buying sprees, just get a USA EBMM SR of some variety and call it done.
 
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#23
Artman said:
I picked up a Ray4. Just changed the strings. Even gigged it a few times. Great bass. Feels good, plays well, sounds really good (if you ditch the stock strings).
Then today, I installed the MojoTone MM Clone 2-band Preamp. Now it sounds amazing. So for a nudge over $400 (have to include good strings), It's totally ready for any gig or studio, and should the unthinkable happen, it's easy and affordable to replace.
If you want to stay on a tight budget, consider the path that I have taken with it. if you tend to engage in bass buying sprees, just get a USA EBMM SR of some variety and call it done.
Click to expand...
I used the Mojotone 2 band on a build with a Nordy MM pickup in the MM Sweet spot. Great preamp!
 
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#25
bmusic said:
So one minute I'm thinking "Wow, that cream-colored Ray4 is so cool-looking, and for $299, what would it hurt to have one lying around to dabble with?" and the next minute, I've descended into "Great price on that used StingRay Classic!" It's that same old, sad story.

To backtrack a little...I love my Fenders, I'm a P guy through and through, I have enough basses and I have no space to put any more. Yada yada yada.

Putting all that aside...

What's the StingRay that'll scratch my itch? That'll give me the classic StingRay experience? I'm thinking one of the models with a single pickup and 2-band EQ, right? Which means...

Ray4: a taste of the game without breaking the bank. The danger is that I love it and it sparks an unhealthy desire for one of the pricier options.

Ray34CA: a step up, I guess? Slab body seems more authentic.

StingRay Classic: there's a beautiful used one I have my eye on, but do I really want to spend that much on my side flirtation?

Old Smoothie: don't know much about it.

I don't really want to go the vintage route, but...All opinions/thoughts welcome...
Click to expand...

Go big or go home. If you go cheaper you may want the the real thing anyway. Buy used that way if you decide it's not for you, you can sell without much loss.
 
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#26
I think I want a stingray too. Luckily, I bought it 25 years ago and still have it in the top two basses I play the most. I voted for the Classic. Slab body. Two band pre. THAT BRIDGE. Doesn't get any better. Lighter maybe, more modern, possibly—but that classic design is where it's at for me.
 
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#27
I didn't know I wanted a 'ray. I was in GC and happened to play a SUB4 and it hit me like a ton of bricks. This is the tone I've been trying to get out of my Jazz basses for years. A thicker, meatier version of the J bridge PU. Barky yet dark. Has a bite and growl.

Walked it with an unexpected NBD. After playing it for a few weeks I confirmed it was the sound for my live church gig (boomy room not conducive to P bass warmth) but I wanted a better one. Had a list of must-haves as long as your arm. I solved them with a Warmoth build.

I have no idea if it sounds anything like a "real" ray but based on the pickups and preamp (Nordy and East, plus series/parallel switch), it must.

NBD: Stingray something; Can you guess?

nbd-1.jpg
 
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#29
zortation said:
tldr:

Buy the used classic.
Sell it for what you paid for it if you don't like it.
Click to expand...

I have yet to actually play it, and won't get to until next week—which is probably for the best. Time enough to cool off a bit, ya know? Then it'll just be a question, once I'm holding it, of "can I bear to put it down?"

He's offered it for $1700, which seems like a good deal.

I just played a Ray4 and a Ray24 Classic at Sam Ash, and wasn't enamored with either. The Ray 4 needed a bit of a neck adjustment, and the Ray24 just didn't do it for me.

Maybe I need to consider the 3-band version. There's a cool-looking Koa-top Sterling on the Bay with a matching headstock...but that obviously ruins the trying-before-buying plan.
 
#30
Yes, never buy a bass without trying it.

Stingrays are great basses but you need to set them up and get the settings on your amp to work with the bass, they're very finicky that way. You hear a lot of guys say things like they can't hear the G string very well. That's because the preamp is voiced with a big dip in the upper lows, and if your amp can't address that then you're not going to have any meat in the upper register and you'll hear that on the D and G strings.
My $.02.
 
#32
I used to rag on the music man guys.

I have played exclusively Fender basses (occasional Nash) since the early 2000s. Picked up a Musicman Sterling off here a week or 2 back. It's been a game changer. The neck plays like a dream, tone for days and the quality on these things are fantastic. Plug it right in to my classic without any interface and can get incredible sounds out of the onboard pre amp.

I say go for it, but go for the real deal. Stingray or Sterling. I personally prefer the neck on the Sterling, but I'm a jazz guy.
 
#33
darwin-bass said:
I didn't know I wanted a 'ray. I was in GC and happened to play a SUB4 and it hit me like a ton of bricks. This is the tone I've been trying to get out of my Jazz basses for years. A thicker, meatier version of the J bridge PU. Barky yet dark. Has a bite and growl.

Walked it with an unexpected NBD. After playing it for a few weeks I confirmed it was the sound for my live church gig (boomy room not conducive to P bass warmth) but I wanted a better one. Had a list of must-haves as long as your arm. I solved them with a Warmoth build.

I have no idea if it sounds anything like a "real" ray but based on the pickups and preamp (Nordy and East, plus series/parallel switch), it must.

NBD: Stingray something; Can you guess?

View attachment 3982796
Click to expand...
Love the look of that Warmoth build! Probably set you back less than a new EBMM, too.
 
#34
As a P bass guy, I went through this same situation. I love P basses, but I also love the sound of a Stingray. I found a cheap used SBMM Ray34, the older model before they had roasted necks. I really liked it a lot and having the 3 band EQ was awesome. But I loved it for all of 3 months until I found a used EBMM Stingray for cheap and now I play it just as much as my P's.

I will add, I loved the Ray34 a lot, but hated the pickup cover. It was a 'ramp' instead of the regular Stingray cover. And if you decide to go for the Ray34 over the classic, the Ray34 has more of the Stingray sound than the regular Ray4.
 
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#36
I had a Stingray Classic, loved the thing. Played like a dream. I didn't love recording with it because at the time I wasn't smart enough to know to put in copper shielding.

I traded it on, and ended up with a Gibson Dove... so I made a series of great trades.

I would buy another. I want to buy another.
 

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