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Music Man Stingray - Rock?
- Thread starter AkaGoal
- Start date
Soooo..the older ones are better then?
Generally speaking (of courses there are always exceptions), in the 90s EBMM used some crazily figured necks for their basses - all sorts of flaming and obscene amounts of birdseye, etc - whereas nowadays that degree of figuring seems to be reserved for the Classic series of basses. As for the unquantifiable aspect of "feel", I have yet to meet a 90s EBMM that I didn't immediately fall in love with, whereas with the current instruments they are all great, but it isn't every single one that has that "swoon" factor to it.
Can you explain that swoon factor to me? I think my english let me down this time haha :'D
Honestly they're probably the most versatile, hardest working basses on the planet.
Most of the basses I see being used by bands covering all types of venues & all kinds of music "are" Musicman basses....
I think you were pulling our leg with this question.
I have an 83' and a 96' (2-band and 3-band).
Both are great and here are some observations as I bought the 83' used in about 1986 and have a lot of hours with both.
* Some of these basses are really heavy; Expect to pay $850+ for a used lightweight model that is really clean
* As mentioned earlier, they have a very scooped tone which is a love it or hate it thing
* They record very well and can take loads of EQ for more mids if desired without bad mojo
* The G string has less bottom and many consdier this to sound quieter. If you play and watch a VU meter, the output is there but the tone changes consdierably. Search for a post from John K as he had worked for Leo and discussed this item.
* For me personaly, I take a P or J out for rock; slapping, funk, and other types are best suited for a Stingray in my mind. I just don't think the natural tone of a Stingray is what your hear on records by folks like Tom Hamilton from Aerosmith.
* My opnion may not be the same as yours; it is one of my favorite bass tones at home alone but sits in the mix differently than other basses IMO/IME
Give it a try
Both are great and here are some observations as I bought the 83' used in about 1986 and have a lot of hours with both.
* Some of these basses are really heavy; Expect to pay $850+ for a used lightweight model that is really clean
* As mentioned earlier, they have a very scooped tone which is a love it or hate it thing
* They record very well and can take loads of EQ for more mids if desired without bad mojo
* The G string has less bottom and many consdier this to sound quieter. If you play and watch a VU meter, the output is there but the tone changes consdierably. Search for a post from John K as he had worked for Leo and discussed this item.
* For me personaly, I take a P or J out for rock; slapping, funk, and other types are best suited for a Stingray in my mind. I just don't think the natural tone of a Stingray is what your hear on records by folks like Tom Hamilton from Aerosmith.
* My opnion may not be the same as yours; it is one of my favorite bass tones at home alone but sits in the mix differently than other basses IMO/IME
Give it a try
Definitely sits differently in the mix than your typical P-bass tone. Not for better or for worse, in my opinion. But there's definitely a more scooped tone, which probably adds to why these basses seem so bright. I've only done 2 gigs with my 3-band ray and I found myself rolling the treble control almost completely off, setting bass flat or slightly boosted, and then controlling my actual tone with the mid knob - in the same way I would normally use the tone knob on a P-bass. I found putting more mids into it would considerably brighten up the sound without going over the top, ala treble boost. It also added more presence to the overall tone, as would be expected.
Lovely wood on that neck; my mid 90's EBMM Stingray has a nice one, too, not quite that figured, but close. Will try & remember to post some pics here, much love for the 'Ray!
MJ
