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MusicMan Cravings

For those of you saying you can just remove the pickguard, can you do that and keep the thumbrest?
The Stingray doesn't have a thumbrest, but there's a company (Zeromod, I believe) that makes a thumbrest for the Stingray that uses 2 of the existing screw holes to locate their thumbrest. Pretty neat solution if you prefer a thumbrest on your bass.
 
the thing is ... being physically at that show, it would've sound very different than the recording of that show ... they have extra EQ and compression and of course they remove the sound of the crowd etc.

So yeah

Also a MM is pretty much a Fender shape with active. If I'm every bitten by the vintage bug it will be a EBMM.
 
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.

I love the egg-shaped pick guard, I really dislike the fact that they don't use it for the 5, which is what I have. The egg is totally unique and good, just stare at it for while and soon you'll find other pick guards to be overkill. Maybe.
 
Purely anecdotal, but we opened for a nationally touring act a couple weeks ago (Jackie Venson..check her out...she's good) and her bass player was playing a MM. Sounded okay, but a little thin in the highs, as was always my experience when i owned one long ago. The player was quite good. About 2 songs in, something went wrong with his pre amp (I'm guessing), and after the thing cut out for the third time, the bass player from band number two loaned him his 1985 MIJ Precision. The P sounded better in pretty much every way. This fellow wasn't using effects, so it was fairly apples to apples. The Fender just sounded better. This mirrors my own experience years before. I WANT to like the MM, but in my ears it's never as good.
 
Over a decade ago, i was playing a jam night at a pub that was organized by a friend. The only other bassist there had a Stingray and he was interested in trying out my 5 string p bass. He let me play his Stingray, and i fell in love. Not only the sound, but the feel of the neck was what got me. After that, i had to have one. Shortly after i bought an SR5, and about 5 years ago picked up a 4 string. Best sounding and playing basses ive ever owned. Ive sold a lot of basses in my time, but id never sell my Stingrays.
 
What thumbrest? They have never had thumbrests.

The Stingray doesn't have a thumbrest, but there's a company (Zeromod, I believe) that makes a thumbrest for the Stingray that uses 2 of the existing screw holes to locate their thumbrest. Pretty neat solution if you prefer a thumbrest on your bass.

Check out the pic in my 1st post. There's a long, thin black thumbrest. I guess he added it.
 
Interesting to see Tim playing MM basses again. When Rage first came out they blew my mind and it cemented my appreciation for the Stingray bass. But he only used the Ray for the first album. He switched to J basses for the Evil Empire album and his sound changed. He still sounded great but it was not a Ray! He has been a J player pretty much ever since so it is nice to see him going back to his roots. And it looks like he is rocking a Stingray Classic no less!

When RATM came out I spent years trying to find a Ray one at a good price (no real internet to speak of in those days) and finally got one in 1996. Twenty years later I now own quite a few of them and I find that they are one of my go to basses.

So yeah, if you have the MM itch, scratch it. You won't regret it!
 
There really is nothing quite like the MM sound. The headstock and the pickguard are a matter of taste, I rather like them myself. But tone trumps all, and Musicman has it.

I love MM headstocks. I think the overall profile is much sexier than a Fender. But like anything viewed from an aesthetic standpoint, it's all a matter of taste.
 
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Check out the pic in my 1st post. There's a long, thin black thumbrest. I guess he added it.
I can't see it on my phone, but he's known for modding his basses. If you do want to add one, though, it wouldn't be difficult. Screws or double sided tape could be used, with or without the pg installed (Just buy one, you know you want to;)).
 
They do use it for the Classic Stingray 5. :)

Well, you just cost me $2,000. Why the hell did they not use the egg on the regular? Oh well. I hope that I dont like the classic neck. I had a 93 (i know its not classic) and the neck did not work for me compared to my 2 year old sr5's.
 
Well, you just cost me $2,000. Why the hell did they not use the egg on the regular? Oh well. I hope that I dont like the classic neck. I had a 93 (i know its not classic) and the neck did not work for me compared to my 2 year old sr5's.

Yeah. You'll hate the figured neck, vintage size frets, and 7.5" radius of the fretboard. You'll hate the huge low end and snappy high end. Just go to basscentral.com and pick up the gorgeous blue one for 1499 so I don't have to!
 
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Yeah. You'll hate the figured neck, vintage size frets, and 7.5" radius of the fretboard. You'll hate the huge low end and snappy high end. Just go to basscentral.com and pick up the gorgeous blue one for 1499 so I don't have to!

Thank god its blue. I think blue is the worst. And the black PG w white PUP. Holy crap that's an ugly bass altogether. Haha. I have 2 blue basses wish that both were just about any other color. On the other hand, you did depress me as they have 2 orange bongo 5HH for $200 less than I paid them for my red one (which was a deal at the time) and I wanted orange the whole time! Grrr.