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Music Man basses

B

Bachh

Guest
Apr 8, 2014
41
4
#1
I'm considering buying a Music Man Stingray 4HH as my first serious bass (I'm 16) and pretty convinced that I should spend 15 hundred on a guitar because it's got it all. But a couple questions still boggle me.

1st I don't see as much on the music scene, considering it's just as good as fender and probably even better than anything out there.

2nd could you play it in jazz? it's the best funk machine hands down for slapping and finger playing with that signature thump, but could you play anything beyond that on a machine that just wants to shoot solid funk bullets? better phrased, is it suited for a maturer way of playing be it jazz or anything else that necessitates a thorough knowledge of music? silly question since you could play any genre on almost any bass (almost), but the Stingray doesn't exactly say "hey let's chill the hell out and play some jazz", it's aggressive and punchy by nature, and bound to that signature "thump" (really don't know what to call it else than "thump")

3rd is it really worth spending that much on an instrument? would i be better off on some mexican jazz bass (way cheaper)?

I plan on studying music and particularly the bass and well I want to have a high end instrument and not keep upgrading from bass to bass one step at a time and end up spending way more than 15 hundred (economically speaking). I might be young and inexperienced and whatever else you may say but I'm in love with music and that low end register which is often overlooked. So help a rookie out.
 
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#4
Stingrays, Jazz basses and, of course, Precision basses make up the vast majority of recordings and live gigs. Pick your favorite of the three and you really can't go wrong. Any can be played in jazz. As far as the $1500, that's for you to decide.
 
#5
Dave W said:
You don't see Stingrays in the music scene? They're everywhere.
You can play any genre on any bass.

I love Stingrays. I'm not sure that I'd say they're better than anything out there but they're pretty sweet.
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well you do see a lot more jazz basses around the music scene and in the music business considering any artist which gets famous own a jazz (though I am aware that Fender does give them free of charge to some artists and probably even pays some for publicity reasons so to speak).

I'm not claiming that a Stingray could overtake a Fodera (ie) but it's the finest build in the manufacturer range pf instruments (fender, ibanez, warwick...)
 
#6
I say yes, you should buy one if you really want it and you can afford it, but buy used. I think it sounds great for jazz. I have the single h stingray and it's as versatile as I could possibly ask for.
 
#7
Gorn said:
I say yes, you should buy one if you really want it and you can afford it, but buy used. I think it sounds great for jazz. I have the single h stingray and it's as versatile as I could possibly ask for.
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I'm a bit worried about getting a single H, primarily or tonal reasons. The doube HH seems to fill in all the gaps left by the single H since you can get 5 pu combinations. Sure it's all just variation on a theme but i would take the HH over the H any day
 
#8
MultiScaleMale said:
Stingrays, Jazz basses and, of course, Precision basses make up the vast majority of recordings and live gigs. Pick your favorite of the three and you really can't go wrong. Any can be played in jazz. As far as the $1500, that's for you to decide.
Click to expand...

My main question is why don't you see more famous artists using ones. I'm not claiming that famous bassists are better , far from that, but why is fender dominating the battlefield?
 
#9
Maybe I'm just picky, but I think Music Man, at least with their basses, is extremely overrated. You're waaaaaay better off getting a LOT more for your money, by ordering a custom from Carvin, as $1500 will get you a seriously nice instrument, and much nicer than a MM.
 
#10
If you like finished necks, get the classic. If you are going to play a lot of jazz, you might want to give a fretless version a try. Two pickups are more versatile than one, so try out an HS or HH model and see what you think. You may want to try a Bongo or Sterling or any other model MM makes, as well. Jazz, can be played on any bass. What famous players play, has no impact on my choosing a bass, if I like a bass, I buy it.
 
#12
The double H has more flexibility (I own both and use both) - the single H can easily be used in jazz and has plenty of variation - plucking position and style makes a big difference on the bass. When I say I use both, the band I play in has a range of music in the set including jazz with walking bass lines. I rotate SR4HH, SR4H 3 band and 2 band basses in this band from gig to gig and they cover everything we do from jazz to rock, funk and blues. There's even some slapping!

Watch Ed Friedland's review of Classic series Stingrays (single H pick up) and you'll see they have great versatility. The HH gives you four more distinct and usable tones but the downside is you have to get used to slapping/popping with the bridge pick up in the place where there's a big space on the H version.
 
#13
I've only had one Stingray (a 3-band 4-string fretless) but despite always liking their looks and liking the sound, I just didn't get on with it. A friend of mine has a Stingray 5 and also a Silhouette guitar and I feel the same about those two.

I'm going to try hard to phrase this without upsetting any Stingray fans, and I'll probably fail, but here goes: There's something very rudimentary about them. They are well built, but they feel oddly basic. It's difficult to describe. Sort-of plasticky? It was almost like I couldn't really feel that a human was involved in making them. They feel very 'machined'.

On the positive side I find their build quality is much more consistent than Fender, so if you play one and you like it you'll probably like them all (conversely if you play one and don't like it, like I did...). There are other brands that put out consistently high-quality mass-produced basses though. Yamaha and Warwick spring to mind. You'd expect it from Warwick but Yamaha instruments really are amazing for the price.

The only advice I would give is the advice you already got, that it's wise to buy used. If you do decide to sell it you'll be able to move it on for much the same price that you bought it for, so you won't have lost any money. I don't think I've ever bought a new bass in 25 years of playing. If you've already decided that a Stingray is the bass for you then go ahead and buy one. You'll find yourself in the company of many many other happy players.
 
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#15
A Fender Jazz and a Stingray both sound great but not at all alike IMO. I think (but not sure) that you could get the Jazz sound out of a MM HS model but you can't get a Stingray sound out of a Jazz. You might could kill two birds with one HS stone so try researching that.

I play a Stingray copy as my primary instrument, but I long for that huge and burpy Jazz sound also, so I feel your pain.
 
#16
I have a classic and a 3 band and I love them. I love how you can grab a stingray off the shelf at any music store and its usually set up perfectly from the factory. unless the store messed with it. the tone is incredible and fits in any genre of music. It is really snarly but that's just the way stingrays are you can take some of the zing out by using flats or backing off the treble.
 
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#19
You see so many Fenders because Fender created the solid body, electric bass category to a large extent.

As far as a Music Man- you can play any music you like with a Ray. Personally though, I'd go with s single PUP model. Or, go with a Sabre.
 
#20
drTSTingray said:
The double H has more flexibility (I own both and use both) - the single H can easily be used in jazz and has plenty of variation - plucking position and style makes a big difference on the bass. When I say I use both, the band I play in has a range of music in the set including jazz with walking bass lines. I rotate SR4HH, SR4H 3 band and 2 band basses in this band from gig to gig and they cover everything we do from jazz to rock, funk and blues. There's even some slapping!

Watch Ed Friedland's review of Classic series Stingrays (single H pick up) and you'll see they have great versatility. The HH gives you four more distinct and usable tones but the downside is you have to get used to slapping/popping with the bridge pick up in the place where there's a big space on the H version.
Click to expand...

I'm a self taught slapper (since my teacher says I'm not ready for this specific type of playing whatever) and picked up most my technique from guys like Les Claypool, Marcus Miller and all the other geniuses that I can"t recall their names because human brain, so I slap exclusively on the space where the neck and strings meet, and sometimes even on the neck for that fast thumb playing. I am aware that some prefer the larry graham approach but that's just not my cup of tea consdering the string tension
 
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