Argh! I'm almost relieved it's sold to someone else already, seeing it sit there temptingly while I'm skint would've been painful.
Thanks for letting me know. 
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Music Man StingRay Club | PART FIVE
- Thread starter fivestringgecko
- Start date
-
- Tags
- club
Thanks for letting me know. 
The seller did a great job showing the finish in his pics. It even looks like there's a bit of purple in the darker part of the burst. I can see why you like it, and I actually like it more now!Argh! I'm almost relieved it's sold to someone else already, seeing it sit there temptingly while I'm skint would've been painful.
Since it's what we do here I thought I'd share my impressions so far for my first Stingray. This is not intended to preach to the converted but as hopefully helpful info for those following the same path.
The quick back story is that I have been playing well over 30 years and have owned a huge variety of bass brands and styles over that time, always searching for something. Often finding it but realizing it after the fact when I'd already moved on to something else. And not necessarily always on a quest for tone but simply something different. I'd guess many of us are restless like that. So after my last (and probably LAST) Spector, a trade offer lit my interest in a Stingray. So I was intrigued and went about doing some research. I realized that it had never really shown up on my radar and I gave some thought as to why. And I think the answer is that in my head I had some prejudice in thinking that there was no way that a single pickup could really cover that much ground and it would be limited to whatever a usual bridge position pickup could offer. But what was offered as trade bait was the H/S model so I got to thinking that this was a safe way to tread into these waters. I'd have to admit that though all the basses I have owned the ones I have preferred have been J/J configurations. Most notably the Lakland DJ5, which is still very high on my all time hit list. But the more research and listening I did the more I was drawn to this model. I did not make the trade because it did not make financial sense but I did find another H/S model for sale that was in stellar shape at a price I could live with. A safe way in and out if it didn't suit me.I do it all the time so I know the drill.
On receiving it it was strung with Chrome flats. I have limited experience with flatwound strings and while I love the feel the sound in my head has always been a roundwound sound. So while I waited for a set of 2836 Regular Slinky's to be delivered I played with them a bit just to see what they offered. They sounded very rich, deep and thumpy. Perhaps perfect for a second bass and a great sound just really just not as versatile as I like and I was hoping the new strings would give this bass some life. I have been a DR Hi Beam user for a long time but sometimes I think hey create problems for me and the way I like my basses set up. Lately they seem to be so damned clanky, buzzy and loose feeling that it got really frustrating. So where I would have normally just robotically installed a new set of those I decided to see just what this would sound like as it would have come new and install the EB OEM strings. They have been highly praised on these basses, which I found refreshing since most stock strings are simply meant to get the bass sold, and there was little to lose in trying. And, as expected, they have transformed the bass. It took some patience and small step tweaking to get the setup where I like it. At first it was a bit stubborn but I believe that I have found the sweet spot of neck relief and bridge saddle height that gets me to my preferred 12th fret action of 5/64 across the lowest 4 strings and 4/64 on the G. I'll go up a 64th if I have to but really like it here. And that's actually right at the EB listed recommendation of 3/32". Intonation was a bit off but a very easy adjustment. Most curiously almost every pickguard screw hole was barely hanging on and easily stripped. Perhaps that is because the body wood is a bit softer than than maple or ash I am more familiar with. But this is picky stuff, not that unusual and another easy fix that won't repeat itself as long as I own it.
One attractive thing for me with these basses is that they are USA made. That doe not always guarantee superior quality but it makes me happy to be able to get that at these prices. But the quality is very good. And the fretwork on this one was as good as any I have had with only a couple very minor high spots that I won't bother working on because they just don't have any impact on things. They polished up very nicely too. A nice application of Gerlitz Guitar Honey on the fretboard has that looking new. Body finish is perfect and I really like that they use a real damned screw for the strap buttons. They are the longest and most effective I have ever seen stock, and the first I won't have to upgrade. That's a pro quality touch. The neck finish on delivery initially disappointing. The oiled finish was rough in some spots over the grain and generally unpleasant. But after following the instructions I cleaned with the Murphy's Oil Soap (2:1 or 3:1 mix) and dried. Then took some passes with some #0000 steel wool. Results were immediate and impressive. l followed with a couple applications of the recommended Birchwood Casey Gun Stock wax has yielded superb results. The neck feeling is so much improved and incredibly silky and fast. I now love it.so right now, cosmetically it's a nice as you'd find brand new. The biggest, albeit it minor, complaint is the quality of the finish on the tuner keys. They seem to tarnish from touch far too easily. All other chrome seems bright and sturdy. I'll try some Simichrome on them to see if I can also get them looking new as well.
So onto what mattered most. The sound. Since we don't have any live work planned for a while and my amplification gear is packed away in the trailer I only have a couple options to hear it. One is at home through my practice setup which is simply an iPod with the pocket GK app or at rehearsal where I use a cheap GK MB115 combo. With new strings installed and setup complete it sounded acceptable through the iPod. What it best offered was a decent representation of the flexibility and effectiveness of the onboard per and EQ. Sounded fine. But the first real test and eventual eye opener was at practice through the amp. No, this is not high end setup we're talking about, furthest from it. But it lives at the rehearsal location and and serves it's intended purpose well but it's never need what I would call impressive. But it was instantly transformed with the SR5 plugged in. With both the amp and onboard pre EQ's/tone controls set flat I was immediately struck with the 'muscular' sound. Just more depth and 'balls' or 'guts' (for lack of any better terms) than I have heard from it and that was clearly all attributable to the bass. This generated an instant smile that lasted the entire practice. And I found the overall clarity, the range of sounds and the ease of getting to them very enjoyable and really makes me itchy to get this out playing live. I will record with it next week for some band bar demos so that should also yield some interesting results as I have great things about the recorded sound as well with much reverence given to these as studio cornerstones.
But, in the end, the thing that quite possibly surprised me the most was just how versatile the full right, both coils, bridge only position was and I now know that that could supply all tonal versatility I'd need, especially live. Loads of deep, rich bass available from that alone and plenty more available by tweaking the bass knob on the onboard pre. Very nice piece this is, a real total package of sound and quality.
Gonna try an antique white pearl or a parchment color PG and add some chrome knobs to brighten the appearance up a bit and I think I'll be good to go for a while. If I can just keep from getting that restless bass syndrome too soon...
The quick back story is that I have been playing well over 30 years and have owned a huge variety of bass brands and styles over that time, always searching for something. Often finding it but realizing it after the fact when I'd already moved on to something else. And not necessarily always on a quest for tone but simply something different. I'd guess many of us are restless like that. So after my last (and probably LAST) Spector, a trade offer lit my interest in a Stingray. So I was intrigued and went about doing some research. I realized that it had never really shown up on my radar and I gave some thought as to why. And I think the answer is that in my head I had some prejudice in thinking that there was no way that a single pickup could really cover that much ground and it would be limited to whatever a usual bridge position pickup could offer. But what was offered as trade bait was the H/S model so I got to thinking that this was a safe way to tread into these waters. I'd have to admit that though all the basses I have owned the ones I have preferred have been J/J configurations. Most notably the Lakland DJ5, which is still very high on my all time hit list. But the more research and listening I did the more I was drawn to this model. I did not make the trade because it did not make financial sense but I did find another H/S model for sale that was in stellar shape at a price I could live with. A safe way in and out if it didn't suit me.I do it all the time so I know the drill.
On receiving it it was strung with Chrome flats. I have limited experience with flatwound strings and while I love the feel the sound in my head has always been a roundwound sound. So while I waited for a set of 2836 Regular Slinky's to be delivered I played with them a bit just to see what they offered. They sounded very rich, deep and thumpy. Perhaps perfect for a second bass and a great sound just really just not as versatile as I like and I was hoping the new strings would give this bass some life. I have been a DR Hi Beam user for a long time but sometimes I think hey create problems for me and the way I like my basses set up. Lately they seem to be so damned clanky, buzzy and loose feeling that it got really frustrating. So where I would have normally just robotically installed a new set of those I decided to see just what this would sound like as it would have come new and install the EB OEM strings. They have been highly praised on these basses, which I found refreshing since most stock strings are simply meant to get the bass sold, and there was little to lose in trying. And, as expected, they have transformed the bass. It took some patience and small step tweaking to get the setup where I like it. At first it was a bit stubborn but I believe that I have found the sweet spot of neck relief and bridge saddle height that gets me to my preferred 12th fret action of 5/64 across the lowest 4 strings and 4/64 on the G. I'll go up a 64th if I have to but really like it here. And that's actually right at the EB listed recommendation of 3/32". Intonation was a bit off but a very easy adjustment. Most curiously almost every pickguard screw hole was barely hanging on and easily stripped. Perhaps that is because the body wood is a bit softer than than maple or ash I am more familiar with. But this is picky stuff, not that unusual and another easy fix that won't repeat itself as long as I own it.
One attractive thing for me with these basses is that they are USA made. That doe not always guarantee superior quality but it makes me happy to be able to get that at these prices. But the quality is very good. And the fretwork on this one was as good as any I have had with only a couple very minor high spots that I won't bother working on because they just don't have any impact on things. They polished up very nicely too. A nice application of Gerlitz Guitar Honey on the fretboard has that looking new. Body finish is perfect and I really like that they use a real damned screw for the strap buttons. They are the longest and most effective I have ever seen stock, and the first I won't have to upgrade. That's a pro quality touch. The neck finish on delivery initially disappointing. The oiled finish was rough in some spots over the grain and generally unpleasant. But after following the instructions I cleaned with the Murphy's Oil Soap (2:1 or 3:1 mix) and dried. Then took some passes with some #0000 steel wool. Results were immediate and impressive. l followed with a couple applications of the recommended Birchwood Casey Gun Stock wax has yielded superb results. The neck feeling is so much improved and incredibly silky and fast. I now love it.so right now, cosmetically it's a nice as you'd find brand new. The biggest, albeit it minor, complaint is the quality of the finish on the tuner keys. They seem to tarnish from touch far too easily. All other chrome seems bright and sturdy. I'll try some Simichrome on them to see if I can also get them looking new as well.
So onto what mattered most. The sound. Since we don't have any live work planned for a while and my amplification gear is packed away in the trailer I only have a couple options to hear it. One is at home through my practice setup which is simply an iPod with the pocket GK app or at rehearsal where I use a cheap GK MB115 combo. With new strings installed and setup complete it sounded acceptable through the iPod. What it best offered was a decent representation of the flexibility and effectiveness of the onboard per and EQ. Sounded fine. But the first real test and eventual eye opener was at practice through the amp. No, this is not high end setup we're talking about, furthest from it. But it lives at the rehearsal location and and serves it's intended purpose well but it's never need what I would call impressive. But it was instantly transformed with the SR5 plugged in. With both the amp and onboard pre EQ's/tone controls set flat I was immediately struck with the 'muscular' sound. Just more depth and 'balls' or 'guts' (for lack of any better terms) than I have heard from it and that was clearly all attributable to the bass. This generated an instant smile that lasted the entire practice. And I found the overall clarity, the range of sounds and the ease of getting to them very enjoyable and really makes me itchy to get this out playing live. I will record with it next week for some band bar demos so that should also yield some interesting results as I have great things about the recorded sound as well with much reverence given to these as studio cornerstones.
But, in the end, the thing that quite possibly surprised me the most was just how versatile the full right, both coils, bridge only position was and I now know that that could supply all tonal versatility I'd need, especially live. Loads of deep, rich bass available from that alone and plenty more available by tweaking the bass knob on the onboard pre. Very nice piece this is, a real total package of sound and quality.
Gonna try an antique white pearl or a parchment color PG and add some chrome knobs to brighten the appearance up a bit and I think I'll be good to go for a while. If I can just keep from getting that restless bass syndrome too soon...
Last edited:
Is that a mahogany body and roasted neck? What kind of maple... flame? Birdseye?
Joeykun
pronounced ジョーイくん
- Jun 22, 2007
- 4,200
- 16,151
- Disclosures
- Endorsing: LAKLAND SADOWSKY GENZLER DARKGLASS NORDSTRAND TEMPLEBOARD KIRLIN DRSTRINGS ACCESS
Yes it is! A PDN Limited Run.
African Mahogany Body with a Neptune Blue finish. And a Roasted Birdseye Maple Neck. Weighs in at 9 lbs. Has a Hipshot D-Tuner installed and includes original key as well.
Joeykun
pronounced ジョーイくん
- Jun 22, 2007
- 4,200
- 16,151
- Disclosures
- Endorsing: LAKLAND SADOWSKY GENZLER DARKGLASS NORDSTRAND TEMPLEBOARD KIRLIN DRSTRINGS ACCESS
Joeykun
pronounced ジョーイくん
- Jun 22, 2007
- 4,200
- 16,151
- Disclosures
- Endorsing: LAKLAND SADOWSKY GENZLER DARKGLASS NORDSTRAND TEMPLEBOARD KIRLIN DRSTRINGS ACCESS
Incoming SR5!
Just snagged this baby in the TB classifieds. I have a thing for gold. Can't wait till it get's here! A couple of pics from the add until I can get make some of my own.
Just snagged this baby in the TB classifieds. I have a thing for gold. Can't wait till it get's here! A couple of pics from the add until I can get make some of my own.
Incoming SR5!
Just snagged this baby in the TB classifieds. I have a thing for gold. Can't wait till it get's here! A couple of pics from the add until I can get make some of my own.
So, YOU'RE the lucky one. It's stunning, especially that neck wood. I had been in very early discussions on this one and just could not justify it to my budget but it is a beauty.
Looking forward to your reaction and review. Congrats!
I couldn't rationally justify it either but I didn't let that stop me!
May I join? Here is my first Stingray. I have no doubt I will be keeping this one for life.
May I join? Here is my first Stingray. I have no doubt I will be keeping this one for life.
Of course you can join! Realize, though, that this is a secret society, and you are hereby sworn to protect our secrets. We are so secret, actually, that there are no numbers...
Damn damn damn. I was bragging to all my friends that I was going to show them my number. How embarrassing.
So that you can keep face with your friends, tell them that your number is "666". Tell them that you had to "do things" to get that number and then stare them in the eye....no blinking....until they punk out and look down at their shoes. Then tell them they had better not have any questions and to speak no more of this conversation and walk away.
