mtd kingston kz 5 or MM stingray 5

[Leftybassist4]

I have been playing bass for a few years now I ask have done money saved and I am looking to upgrade. I am interested in five string just so I can get the extra range. Since I am left handed, I RARELY get to try a good bass out with the body, neck, and strings facing my direction which makes shopping for a nicer bass difficult since so much of "which bass is better" is judged by how it feels in one's hands. Anyways, I have been scouring ebay and Craigslist and I currently have my eyes on a stingray 5 and a kz 5 and I wanted to hear people's thoughts on those and/or other 5ers in a similar price range. My other problem is that I play almost exclusively finger style and YouTube is full of videos of people showing off their "guitar center chops" solo slapping technique, instead of actually playing standard bass lines with drums or something behind 'em. So I can't ever get my hands on these basses and I can't quite hear what it would sound like if I were to play it in a band. I do my best to judge basses by reading reviews, threads, comments, and by watching videos, listening to albums, but advice would be appreciated, especially as to which of the two mentioned basses would be better for finger style. Thanks.

 

[Sav'nBass]

I have never played a Stingray but I own a KZ5 and als. KH5 (Kingston Heir) and I would reccomend that you sonsider. KH5 as well. The Kingstons are very well made basses. Consider asking around here who lives near you. Who knows maybe there is a TBer who is a lefty with one of these basses that wouldn't mind letting you try it out.

 

[gleneg61]

I feel ur lefty pain!! U can never go wrong with a MM of any kind, slap, fingers or pick it'll always cut thru. I had a Korean MTD 5 about 10 years ago, the single passive MM pup model like the Heir, it was fine but I personally found the asymmetric neck fatiguing, coupled with the 35" scale n 19mm bridge spacing, bearing in mind I'm 5'6 & play high strap, jazz nerd style which made a biggish difference for me but it's MM in all except 4 the weight factor in my books. Hope this helps!

 

[DeliriumTremens]

I'm a MM fanboy, but that said, the Stingray is a killer bass regardless of playing style and if you decide it doesn't work for you then it's always an easy sale because MM basses retain their value so well and there is always a market for them. For me, I've owned numerous Fenders, German Warwicks etc and once I got the Stingray I've never really GASsed for anything else

 

[Geri O]

Sure, I'm an unashamed MM fanboy (if that's possible at 55 years old), but the MMs had the same effect on me as one of the previous posters. I played Fenders exclusively forever, but when I finally got ahold of my MM Ray 5, I couldn't put it down. I even bought a new Precision, thinking I'd want to have around and while I do and I'm glad I have the Precision, I still reach for the MM every time.

I have friends around that say "Try my Yamaha, try my Ibanez, try my whatever", and I did for a while, but I just don't waste the time anymore.

In your case, I think a left-handed MM Ray 5 would be quite valuable in case you had to sell it for whatever reason. That's the direction I would go.

 

[Bassplayer14712]

Did you make a choice of which one to get? I have both and love them both. One thing that I have found out getting older is that when I play a four hour gig, the KZ5 has become my bass of choice mainly because of the weight (under 9 lbs) where my Musicman Stingray 5 (I have two of them), both are a lot heavier. That way my back doesn't kill me as much at the end of a gig. I also just dropped new Bartolini pickups and preamp into my KZ5 and it sounds amazing!!