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MusicMan Cravings

wintremute

wintremute

mediocrity at its finest
Oct 16, 2014
6,942
29,552
Vegas
www.youtube.com
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
#1
So I've never really been a fan of the MusicMan basses, simply because I really don't like the way they look. I don't like the 3/1 tuning peg layout, and I don't like the egg-shaped pick guard.

Last night I saw Prophets of Rage, and Tim Commerford's sound was one of the best I've ever heard at an arena concert. He was cutting through the mix so clearly, yet still had a powerful low end and growl. All he played was MusicMans (men?), mostly this one:

tim-commerford-of-prophets-of-rage-performs-at-shoreline-amphitheatre-picture-id605488220.jpg


I just don't know how to put in words how impressed I was with his sound. I'm sure his gear had a lot to do with it, and the soundman doing his job (because, honestly, everyone sounded really good, I could hear everything pretty clearly), but I'm sure that bass was a huge part of it.

Stupid GAS.
 
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#3
Same with Rage, not a fan, but that player sounds great!

Music Mans ("Men"? The debate rages. See what I did there?...:D) definitely take a lot of players, including me by storm. I can't get that sound out of my head. I just bought a gorgeous American Elite Jazz and it's great, but I picked my 2002 Stingray Five and spent two hours with it last night. I really have a dilemma when deciding which bass to play.

Having said all of this, they aren't universally loved, but they are by a large portion of bassists out there.
 
#4
mdogs said:
Not much of a fan of any of the Rage stuff, but Timmy C can make about anything sound great. Having said that, you have now experienced the essence of MM, it's always good if you get along with the looks of a bass, but nobody's paying to see your bass, sound is where it is at!!!!
Click to expand...

Nobody's even paying to hear me play! But I may have to get one for my own enjoyment at home. Maybe the cats will chip in some change they find in the couch.
 
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#5
Geri O said:
Same with Rage, not a fan, but that player sounds great!

Music Mans ("Men"? The debate rages. See what I did there?...:D) definitely take a lot of players, including me by storm. I can't get that sound out of my head. I just bought a gorgeous American Elite Jazz and it's great, but I picked my 2002 Stingray Five and spent two hours with it last night. I really have a dilemma when deciding which bass to play.

Having said all of this, they aren't universally loved, but they are by a large portion of bassists out there.
Click to expand...

I guess for my next arena tour, I'm going to have to get me a MM.
 
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#6
wintremute said:
So I've never really been a fan of the MusicMan basses, simply because I really don't like the way they look. I don't like the 3/1 tuning peg layout, and I don't like the egg-shaped pick guard.

Last night I saw Prophets of Rage, and Tim Commerford's sound was one of the best I've ever heard at an arena concert. He was cutting through the mix so clearly, yet still had a powerful low end and growl. All he played was MusicMans (men?), mostly this one:

tim-commerford-of-prophets-of-rage-performs-at-shoreline-amphitheatre-picture-id605488220.jpg


I just don't know how to put in words how impressed I was with his sound. I'm sure his gear had a lot to do with it, and the soundman doing his job (because, honestly, everyone sounded really good, I could hear everything pretty clearly), but I'm sure that bass was a huge part of it.

Stupid GAS.
Click to expand...
Timmy C has a great sound, and I love his playing style. As far as the Musicman sound, I agree with you totally! I do disagree with you on the look, as I like the look of the pickguard on the standard Stingray. FWIW, there's no routing under the pg on a standard or HH configured Stingray, so you can rock it naked as long as you don't mind a few pg screw-holes. A clear pg is also a viable option. I just picked up a NOS Stingray HH in the discontinued Honeyburst color, and it's been awesome. It's the 3rd Stingray I've owned (previously owned a Standard 4H and Classic 4H), and my favorite by far. Also, the oil finished necks on most stock Musicman basses are phenomenal. Not to push you over the edge, but GC is currently running a sale on their older-stock Musicman basses, so you can save a few hundred on a new bass (that's what I did)......
No affiliation, but if you're thinking about it, now might be a good time!

Oh, and, pics:bassist:
IMG_1596.JPG

IMG_1599.JPG

Lovely 2-piece ash body, 5-way pup switching (neck solo, inner coils, both pups, outer coils, beidge solo), a hair over 9lbs. It's a beast. I plan on swapping the pg for an aged pearl, but it needs nothing, imo.
 
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#7
wintremute said:
So I've never really been a fan of the MusicMan basses, simply because I really don't like the way they look. I don't like the 3/1 tuning peg layout, and I don't like the egg-shaped pick guard.
Click to expand...

Same here. The pickguard can always be removed on the 4-string. I'm not sure about the 5-string pickguards though. I play 5-strings and I like the tuning peg layout on those but the 4-string headstock looks too puny :/

The body size is what really puts me off from these basses despite how amazing they sound. That natural finish one looks really good even with the pickguard!

If I remember correctly, Commerford played a Stingray in the early days then switched to Jazzes. Looks like he's back to Stingrays?

Stingray has to be the coolest name for an instrument.
 
Last edited:
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#10
I have had a wonderful experience with quite a few Music Man basses. The best sounding one I have heard is my dad's Classic Sterling. Holy cow, is that bass sweet in every respect.

I always seem to pull the G string off of the fretboard on the 5's so they are out. I would love to try a Classic 5 without the compensated nut. It is high on my gas list.

I'm sure Tim C had a huge low end and clear highs coming from his 2 band Classic Ray. They seem to have a wider response than the 3 band. Adding mid control seems to take away something from the treble and bass.
 
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#11
Dr. Cheese said:
I have had my share of Music Man GAS lately. A lot of you guys know how much I love the Music Man Caprice, but I played a Custom Classic four string the other day, and I can't get that smooth tone out of my mind. Listening to all of those Joe Dart demos of Music Man basses on YouTube has not helped either.
Click to expand...
I miss my Stingray Classic a lot.
 
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#14
Tbone76 said:
Timmy C has a great sound, and I love his playing style. As far as the Musicman sound, I agree with you totally! I do disagree with you on the look, as I like the look of the pickguard on the standard Stingray. FWIW, there's no routing under the pg on a standard or HH configured Stingray, so you can rock it naked as long as you don't mind a few pg screw-holes. A clear pg is also a viable option. I just picked up a NOS Stingray HH in the discontinued Honeyburst color, and it's been awesome. It's the 3rd Stingray I've owned (previously owned a Standard 4H and Classic 4H), and my favorite by far. Also, the oil finished necks on most stock Musicman basses are phenomenal. Not to push you over the edge, but GC is currently running a sale on their older-stock Musicman basses, so you can save a few hundred on a new bass (that's what I did)......
No affiliation, but if you're thinking about it, now might be a good time!

Oh, and, pics:bassist:
View attachment 970159
View attachment 970160
Lovely 2-piece ash body, 5-way pup switching (neck solo, inner coils, both pups, outer coils, beidge solo), a hair over 9lbs. It's a beast. I plan on swapping the pg for an aged pearl, but it needs nothing, imo.
Click to expand...

Well crap...time to check out GC.
 
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#15
wintremute said:
So I've never really been a fan of the MusicMan basses, simply because I really don't like the way they look. I don't like the 3/1 tuning peg layout, and I don't like the egg-shaped pick guard.

Last night I saw Prophets of Rage, and Tim Commerford's sound was one of the best I've ever heard at an arena concert. He was cutting through the mix so clearly, yet still had a powerful low end and growl. All he played was MusicMans (men?), mostly this one:

tim-commerford-of-prophets-of-rage-performs-at-shoreline-amphitheatre-picture-id605488220.jpg


I just don't know how to put in words how impressed I was with his sound. I'm sure his gear had a lot to do with it, and the soundman doing his job (because, honestly, everyone sounded really good, I could hear everything pretty clearly), but I'm sure that bass was a huge part of it.

Stupid GAS.
Click to expand...

Have you watched his rig rundown yet?

Rig Rundown: Tim Commerford | Premier Guitar
 
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#18
Yes! Stingray's are fantastic basses. Like P-Basses, the pickup is in the sweet spot. It's just a different sweet spot.

I believe the 5 strings were a completely ground up design and somewhat different than the 4's.
 
#19
wintremute said:
So I've never really been a fan of the MusicMan basses, simply because I really don't like the way they look. I don't like the 3/1 tuning peg layout, and I don't like the egg-shaped pick guard.

Last night I saw Prophets of Rage, and Tim Commerford's sound was one of the best I've ever heard at an arena concert. He was cutting through the mix so clearly, yet still had a powerful low end and growl. All he played was MusicMans (men?), mostly this one:

tim-commerford-of-prophets-of-rage-performs-at-shoreline-amphitheatre-picture-id605488220.jpg


I just don't know how to put in words how impressed I was with his sound. I'm sure his gear had a lot to do with it, and the soundman doing his job (because, honestly, everyone sounded really good, I could hear everything pretty clearly), but I'm sure that bass was a huge part of it.

Stupid GAS.
Click to expand...
Really? I've got a beauty SR-5 in the classifieds right now!
 
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