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Is there such a thing as a "lightweight" Stingray 5?

#44
Nephilymbass said:
Kind of off topic but I know a little something the stingray 5
View attachment 2842107

And if you want that vibe in a bass that’s super light weight I’d recommend you look for one of these used. It’s the warwick FNA

View attachment 2842105 My first Warwick was this model. They were around $1900 new back in the day, I’ve seen used ones go for half that.
View attachment 2842104Similar vibe to the stingray in the low register, I think high up the neck it’s a bit warmer and less pingy than the SR5 but yeah much lighter.
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Does that Warwick really sound like a Stingray? I've played so many basses with the MM style pickup (Lakland 55-02 for example) and they sound NOTHING like the aggressive bark of the SR5 to me.
 
#45
Sparkdog said:
Does that Warwick really sound like a Stingray? I've played so many basses with the MM style pickup (Lakland 55-02 for example) and they sound NOTHING like the aggressive bark of the SR5 to me.
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I think the Spector Rebop MM does - here's a direct comparison. No idea how much those weigh though.

 
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#46
Petebass said:
Plenty of room under the pickguard for some chambering ...... I'm just sayin'.
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As a matter of fact...the ace up my sleeve here...I just talked to a very experienced tech who chambered her Les Paul and got it from 11 pounds to almost 8! I'm thinking that if I can find an SR5 in the 9.5 to 10 pound range she could work her voodoo and shave off a pound or so and it wouldn't even be that radical a surgery.
 
#47
Here is mine:

BBF45FE2-7361-460D-AFF9-90F7451BEF00_zpsefulwvg0.jpg


8456B113-37AE-487F-B7CC-32573B11C4BB_zpsqn2ggpfa.jpg


It was pretty lightweight to begin with. Then I had the tuners replaced with UltraLights, and had the neck pickup removed.
 
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#48
I don't think I saw the suggestion in the thread yet (apologies if I missed it). If you are happy with the G&L, why not look into an Empress Kiloton 5, L2500, M2500, or L1505? Admittedly the L series basses do not sound exactly like the Stingray 5, but many players (myself included) prefer them to the Stingray. Don't get me wrong, Stingrays are wonderful basses. In fact, I was shopping for one when I tried the L2500 for the first time. I just don't know that I have ever played one that I would consider lightweight.
 
#49
Sparkdog said:
Does that Warwick really sound like a Stingray? I've played so many basses with the MM style pickup (Lakland 55-02 for example) and they sound NOTHING like the aggressive bark of the SR5 to me.
Click to expand...
As I mentioned I think In the lower register it’s def got that stingray vibe. High up the neck I think the FNA has a fuller sound where the stringray has a lot of attack but not as much body. There’s a lot of basses with mm style pickups. The FNA is an ash body, just like a stingray and I think the difference in neck wood is why it has some slightly different charecteristics playing high up the neck.
 
#53
My first Stingray was about 11.5 pounds. It was beautiful (vintage sunburst with matching headstock), sounded fantastic, and everything about the feel was perfect for me, so I accepted the weight. But then I saw my current one pop up for sale and the seller said it was under 10 pounds, so I jumped on it. It felt and sounded every bit as good as my first one and I think the honeyburst was even prettier and it was noticeably lighter. So I kept it and sold that first one. This one isn't light, but it was never an issue playing three hours with it on me.

Not sure I ever actually weighed it, but if I did it was so long ago that I forgot I ever did it. Maybe I'll do that tonight. I can tell you that it feels quite a bit lighter than my L-2500 but feels a bit heavier than my Precision V.
 
#54
Have been playing my SR5 for over 5 years. I have bever weighed it. Has never been an issue and I’m not looking to sell so I had no reason to weigh it.

I have the HH pup’s. I’m sure going with the basic single humbucker would shave some weight.
 
#59
I havent' read all these, but you could build a warmoth with a swamp ash body, and even have it chambered to further lighten the load. If you use hipshot ultralight tuners that will save you maybe another pound or so.
I think you could get this done for under 8 lbs. if you pick the right lightweight materials.
 
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#60
Well, I just bought an SR5 from a fellow TB'er so the adventure begins! According to what I found online the Schaller BM tuners it comes with weigh 3.46 ounces each. I have a full set of Hipshot Ultralite Lollipops that weigh 1.93 ounces each, so swapping those out means I shave 7.65 ounces or nearly a 1/2 pound off the weight, and all from the headstock which is the LAST place you want excess weight. That's a step in the right direction :)

Thanks for the feedback lads, much appreciated.
 

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