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I want a Stingray...I really do...

#61
JC BASS 91 said:
Yeahhhhh...don't get me started on the Bongo. I hate them more than roasted maple. LOL
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Curious, what do you not like about roasted necks? Is it just cosmetic?

I will say this, I love roasted necks, especially the stability. Funny though, there was one brand I did not find it stable. That was a EBMM Stingray :bookworm:

I will at this, that was the early days of roasted and it was loaded with birdseye (notorious for not being stable).

Side note: I wrote that Musicman sticky and used them with Blue Man for years. At one point in time I had 7 of them. Love them live, but not in the studio (that’s just me, other players slay with them in the studio).

Get any clone you want, make sure that pickup is in the sweet spot, get the Nordstrand and John East pre and you will get that core sound. You will…:thumbsup:
 
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#62
TonyP- said:
Curious, what do you not like about roasted necks? Is it just cosmetic?
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I just don't like the way they look. I find them horribly unattractive. I have found over the last thirty years or so that if I don't like the way something looks, I'm less likely to pick it up and use it. If it is aesthetically pleasing to my eyes, I am much more likely to pick it up and play the bass. I understand the idea behind the roasted maple, but I just can't get past the way they look.

People are allowed to dislike the way something looks, ya know? :cool:
 
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#63
Bugspray said:
You can't go wrong with an original Inca Silver example, except they are really hard to find.
View attachment 5067074
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Not only the Ray, but the L1K were at the Sam Ash in Richmond about a month ago. Thats mucho dinero for a refin, but to each his own.
4727865514928114981.jpg
 
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#64
I own 2 Sterlings. Neither has a roasted maple neck.

I replaced the overly hot SUB Ray4 pickup with an Aguilar AG 4M and am happy with the bass now, especially after I shaved the neck to make it narrower front to back.

I also own a Classic Ray24 (I believe it was the Ray24CA). I added a series/parallel switch to this one. The stock wiring is, I believe, serial. I actually prefer the parallel tone; when switching to parallel I have to increase both the volume (difference is considerable) and the bass tone control.
 
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#66
JC BASS 91 said:
I am going to start by saying that I am what you would call a researcher...an informed consumer.

That being said...

I would love to get myself a Stingray, but there are some factors feeding into my decision making process that I'm to the point where I absolutely cannot seem to make a decision.

I think at this point I am 'overinformed' and unable to decide what to do.

Part of my problem is that all of the new breed of EBMM and SBMM Ray34 basses all have roasted maple necks. I absolutely despise the look of it. I just can't bring myself to accept it...and some of the color combinations that minimize the look of the roasted maple necks are not ones that I get super excited about.

Yes, one option is to try and lay hands on a much older EB or SBMM that didn't use the roasted maple necks, but all I am finding are SUB series basses...which could be an option (see below) or basses that are going for $3000-$5000 or more, and I'm just not going there.

I have read probably 2/3 of the way through this thread (and pretty sure my brain oozed out my ear at one point from information overload):

Music Man sound and pickups

I have also watched some superb YT videos where they do a direct comparison between a EBMM and SBMM basses.

I have also watched countless videos where they take SUB series basses and upgraded them to try and achieve this sound or that sound and seem to be pretty dang successful. There's even one out there where a guy took a Squier Precision bass and turned it into a VERY convincing sounding copy of a pre-CBS Stingray!

I have read COUNTLESS threads on various forums where you will get supportive arguments for either/or. Some saying you just gotta save and get the EBMM. Some that say you can get most of the way with the Ray34. Some that even say you can get a Ray4 and upgrade the tuners, pickup and preamp and nail the classic late 70s MM tone. There was even one post I read (not sure which forum that was on, now) where a guy said he bought a EBMM and traded out the pickup and preamp to get the classic 70s tone over the more modern sound of the stock bass. <shrug>

Options I have considered:
1. Buy an EBMM Stingray and learn to live with the roasted maple neck.
2. Buy a Ray34 Stingray and learn to live with the roasted maple neck and upgrade the tuners (which seem to be a weak point from most of the threads I have read).
3. Buy a Ray24CA (which seems to be this bizarre mix of configurations with a jazz bass nut width) and upgrade the tuners, pickup and preamp.
4. Buy a Ray4 Stingray (which also has the jazz bass nut width) and upgrade the tuners, pickup and preamp, and possibly the bridge.
5. Buy a custom body and neck from Warmoth and build it out with the pickup and preamp.

From the thread referenced above as well as other sources, "the" pickup to get for that classic tone is the Nordstrand MM4.2 and pair it with the East MMSR 2 band preamp. With options 3-5, this is what I would do.

Options 1-4 give me the look as well as the sound in the end (maybe? Opinions vary...). Option 5 gives me the sound with the flexibility to make it look however I want. I have to admit, though, that part of my desire is to also have the look as well as the sound.

I think I have been down every rabbit hole with this, trying to come to a decision and I absolutely just can't seem to get there. I feel like there are too many options to get there, all at various price points, and to be honest, none of them get me exactly where I want to be...and after almost 2 years of research, where I have gone from option 1, to option 2, back to 1, then considered 3, then back to 1, then to 2, then thought about 4, then option 5, back to 1, back to 2, then to 1 again, then...you see where I'm going with this? For TWO YEARS!

Recently I have gotten to the point where I have come up with what I am calling "option ZERO"...where I just throw up my hands, walk away and just forget about the idea of getting a Stingray until one more or less falls in my lap that ticks off all my boxes for a price I'm willing to pay (which is pretty much the EXACT way I scored my Ric).

With the way things are going with my brain on this, I'm fast approaching option zero...
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I’m not reading all of that but congratulations or I’m real sorry that happened
 
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#68
Relsom said:
Not only the Ray, but the L1K were at the Sam Ash in Richmond about a month ago. Thats mucho dinero for a refin, but to each his own.
View attachment 5067299
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Yeah I saw that one too when I popped in their about a month ago. Refin or not, I was kind of surprised it was just hanging up there to grab. First time I laid my hands on one. I prefer the feel of a modern one. I took almost the same exact pic.
 
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#72
Intrepid said:
Yeah I saw that one too when I popped in their about a month ago. Refin or not, I was kind of surprised it was just hanging up there to grab. First time I laid my hands on one. I prefer the feel of a modern one. I took almost the same exact pic.
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I didn't even ask to hold it... the orange peel didn't warrant the price, nor was I even in the market for one. I held the L1K for about 3 seconds...handed it right back since it was about 12 pounds. Lovely setup though.

I'm good with my USA Sterlings and my '87 Ray. Sold my Classic Ray and the Old Smoothie this week.
 
#73
Eminor3rd said:
Stingrays without roasted maple necks can’t be THAT hard to find, can they? I mean they were all over the place until just the last few years
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The problem I am running into in that respect is that in my area, I have yet to come across one in a store or pawn shop that I could lay hands on and play. I don't like buying a used instrument unless I can touch it and play it first. The ones I have come across in this area are color combinations that were not pleasing to me. They played and sounded great, but I don't do oranges or greens, which seems to be all anyone around here is getting rid of.
 
#77
JC BASS 91 said:
I think I have been down every rabbit hole with this, trying to come to a decision and I absolutely just can't seem to get there. I feel like there are too many options to get there, all at various price points, and to be honest, none of them get me exactly where I want to be...and after almost 2 years of research, where I have gone from option 1, to option 2, back to 1, then considered 3, then back to 1, then to 2, then thought about 4, then option 5, back to 1, back to 2, then to 1 again, then...you see where I'm going with this? For TWO YEARS!
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seriously? you're past the point where most folks would just flip a coin! best out of three? five? seven? :laugh:

IME/IMO, when folks shop for an ax based on 'looks', they're the ones most likely to ditch the instrument later because, "i just couldn't bond with it." good luck, but be careful! :thumbsup:
 
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#78
Mantis Tobaggan said:
I am surprised at all the roasted neck hate.
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For me, I see it as a solution to a shortage of seasoned wood, and it has some added benefits in terms of stability, and to some degree weight.

It can also look beautiful, particularly with figured maple.

The problem, for me at least, is that it totally upsets the contrast ratio between a maple board, and the black dot markers.

I personally insist on plain, or Amber tint maple boards with black dots, for the fastest navigation on dark stages.

Whilst I mostly rely on feel, I occasionally need to look at the board, and milliseconds count in those situations.

That's why I steer clear of Rosewood boards (the only exceptions being Rickenbackers with the large shark tooth inlays, and Jazz basses with M.O.P. block inlays. And in both cases they have a white neck binding, with black dots), the milliseconds add up, and you can mentally trip up.

I find roasted maple board with black dots even more difficult to navigate in the dark, than some rosewood boards.

However, if I were into rosewood boards, I would totally have one on a roasted maple neck.
 
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