Yeah I never got on with the HH but liked the HS I tried, hope this is good too
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
Yeah I never got on with the HH but liked the HS I tried, hope this is good too
Not sure what the color would have been called, but it IS pretty.
So that would make it an alnico. I've never played one, but would love to hear one in person.
So that would make it an alnico. I've never played one, but would love to hear one in person.
Yeah I'm excited to try it next to my Special with the same strings and really hear the difference. I do like older Stingrays but also love the Specials... Maybe one day we'll get a Special HS but not holding my breath
I totally dig your taste and choice. I'm in a dilemma to do the same myself...
Hi @Obra
I stayed away from 5 Strings when I bought my Stingray Special mainly didn't think at this time [Old with 45+ years playing 4's] I would have desire and patience to adjust to a fiver muting and String Spacing and even though Stingray's seemed to have decent B tone still was never moved by sound of most.
BUT Then I listened to this Video and may have some regrets
What gauge B string on this Bass?
Good headphones a must if you listen
I stayed away from 5 Strings when I bought my Stingray Special mainly didn't think at this time [Old with 45+ years playing 4's] I would have desire and patience to adjust to a fiver muting and String Spacing and even though Stingray's seemed to have decent B tone still was never moved by sound of most.
BUT Then I listened to this Video and may have some regrets
What gauge B string on this Bass?
Good headphones a must if you listen
Last edited:
Hi @Obra
I stayed away from 5 Strings when I bought my Stingray Special mainly didn't think at this time [Old with 45+ years playing 4's] I would have desire and patience to adjust to to a fiver muting and String Spacing and even though Stingray's seemed to have decent B tone still was never moved by sound of most.
BUT Then I listened to this Video and may have some regrets
What gauge B string on this Bass?
Good headphones a must if you listen
Do yourself a favour and get a fiver. I highly doubt you would ever regret it. I have fours and fives and love both.
Day 1 with the WALing Stingray.
I had a chance to plug it in for an initial run thru, after giving it a thorough once over, no need to show the routes in the cavity, I’m completely impressed with how articulate the multicoil pickups are. I’ve never played a WAL and I’ve never played a Stingray so I can’t compare before and after. sorry.
I have played one other multi-coil in the past and this setup sounds superior.
I can’t say that I actually care much for the bass. My stable is all Indonesian, from smaller companies, and the Sterling just doesn’t hold up. From the tuning pegs, to the feel of the back of the neck, what I would consider a cast off rosewood fretboard that has a strange grain (Hard to tell with the strings on), to the weight, this sucker is heavy. But who cares because it plays ok and sounds freaking amazing.
I will probably pick up an EBMM stingray in the future, because I’ve held a few that felt amazing. But in the meantime I have a great setup. I’ll call this one a win!!
I am however going to fit it out with black hardware and get it closer to a Wal(ish) DarkRay!!
I had a chance to plug it in for an initial run thru, after giving it a thorough once over, no need to show the routes in the cavity, I’m completely impressed with how articulate the multicoil pickups are. I’ve never played a WAL and I’ve never played a Stingray so I can’t compare before and after. sorry.
I have played one other multi-coil in the past and this setup sounds superior.
I can’t say that I actually care much for the bass. My stable is all Indonesian, from smaller companies, and the Sterling just doesn’t hold up. From the tuning pegs, to the feel of the back of the neck, what I would consider a cast off rosewood fretboard that has a strange grain (Hard to tell with the strings on), to the weight, this sucker is heavy. But who cares because it plays ok and sounds freaking amazing.
I will probably pick up an EBMM stingray in the future, because I’ve held a few that felt amazing. But in the meantime I have a great setup. I’ll call this one a win!!
I am however going to fit it out with black hardware and get it closer to a Wal(ish) DarkRay!!
Hi @Obra
I stayed away from 5 Strings when I bought my Stingray Special mainly didn't think at this time [Old with 45+ years playing 4's] I would have desire and patience to adjust to to a fiver muting and String Spacing and even though Stingray's seemed to have decent B tone still was never moved by sound of most.
BUT Then I listened to this Video and may have some regrets
What gauge B string on this Bass?
Good headphones a must if you listen
I've been playing more 4 string recently but I will always have a 5 string Stingray (or 2 or more...) in my stable. Amazing B string and very versatile
Buy used and if you don't like it you can sell and break even pretty easily
Hi @Obra
I stayed away from 5 Strings when I bought my Stingray Special mainly didn't think at this time [Old with 45+ years playing 4's] I would have desire and patience to adjust to to a fiver muting and String Spacing and even though Stingray's seemed to have decent B tone still was never moved by sound of most.
BUT Then I listened to this Video and may have some regrets
What gauge B string on this Bass?
Good headphones a must if you listen
Delving into the work of Tony Levin is not a good way to avoid buying a Stingray 5!
Hi @Obra
I stayed away from 5 Strings when I bought my Stingray Special mainly didn't think at this time [Old with 45+ years playing 4's] I would have desire and patience to adjust to a fiver muting and String Spacing and even though Stingray's seemed to have decent B tone still was never moved by sound of most.
BUT Then I listened to this Video and may have some regrets
What gauge B string on this Bass?
Good headphones a must if you listen
I also play 4's only - for me personally, I don't like the huge string feel and I don't think ANY B string has the same tonal timbre as the other strings - they sound like mud/dead string. (I've had Canadian Dingwalls/MTD in 5's - I sold all of them).
I totally get the advantages of having a B string (moving vertical with fretting hand vs horizontal)...but the Cons outweigh the Pro's - for ME. String spacing/extra muting/relearning..meh...I will stick to 4's - do BEAD if I need too.
This leads me to an off topic moment - I had to ditch the factory strings on my Stingray Special (fingers started having a reaction to the metals used - nickel?)...so a couple weeks ago, I switched to the cobalt flats...which just started to break in -
I was liking the flats..but the string tension felt too much and my fret hand was getting tired quick. I just put a set of TI flats on it - and now it feels to damn floppy - I think I am a string Princess now lol...guess I will go back to my GHS Pressurewounds - I didn't put them on yet only because I have been practicing the Chucking Technique and the wear on my index fingernail was a concerned thought.
Thoughts on flats or half rounds on the Specials? Thx - sorry for the long winded msg - cheers
Try the Super Slinky (Cobalt) flats. I use these and TI flats on my StingRay Specials . The exception being my Old smoothie which has GHS Bright Flats for that instant Bernard Edwards tone.
Never tried them on my Stingray but I found Dunlop flats very comfortable to play, with a tension similar to the same gauge rounds.
That's interesting. I've never used Cobalt Flats, based on my impression (from reading TB) that they have a pretty flexible feel. I instead prefer strings that feel pretty stiff, such as Chromes, LaBella DTFs, DR nickel Lo Riders, Elixir Nanowebs, etc. And, like you, I can't stand the flexible feel of the TI Jazz flats.
I've used Pressurewounds before, including twice on my ceramic SR 5, and liked the way they sounded on that bass. However, they're about as flexible a string as I'd use and I'd actually prefer an even stiffer feel (FWIW, I love nickel Lo Riders). Since you've gone through some recent string changes, do you have an impression of how the stiffness or flexibility of the Cobalt Flats compares to that of the Pressurewounds? Mauybe my impression is wrong?
I used the white pkg orange letters - I think they were 45-105 IIRC - Personally I find the GHS ML Pressurewounds to have less tension and easier to do quick bends - I could totally be wrong and it's like a placebo effect lol... I may take up @LadyLoveStingRay5 idea on the GHS bright flats - I have never tried them..may be worth getting.
I find with the TI's, soon as I started chucking, the string would catch my finger and it would mess up the rhythm bcuz it was floppin around too much - maybe normal fingerstyle, they would be great...but not for what I got the Stingray for.
Found this: Lots of info.
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.daddario.com/globalassets/pdfs/accessories/tension_chart_13934.pdf
Pages 10-12 are bass related...I will print it out later and give it a good read.
Thanks everyone - always appreciate you
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,118
- 256,180
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
Brite Flats stayed on my '79 'Ray (for that Bernard Edwards thing) for three months before I ran out of patience. The stickiness eases off with play.
EB Group 4 stainless steel flats are now broken in nicely at 25 months, and they're staying right where they are. They also go through-body without complaint. Very underrated strings!
EB Group 4 stainless steel flats are now broken in nicely at 25 months, and they're staying right where they are. They also go through-body without complaint. Very underrated strings!
Thank you - you ran out of patience due to the stickiness? or tension?
I had never heard of the Group 4's - I just found them online - interesting. Tension/feel of these will do chucking nicely then, I assume. Thanks for the additional info.
