I`ve still got a stingray fretless 5 and after 10 years not a problem.Previously i`ve had fretted five plus pre-ernie ball sabre 4 string ........ again no problems ...... fabulous tone and great finishes.Sometimes the mid needs a boost during live performance ,to cut through,but its a very small trade off against the numerous plusses !
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Musicman Stingray lowdowns
- Thread starter barroso
- Start date
I have owned two stingrays a 1977 and a 1980.
I have never had a proplem with maple neck.
Solid finishes are not cheaper, they use wood that is less
spectaular tha wood on tranparent finish.
This is common pratice with all manufactuars.
As far a electronics, some people upgrade to say,bassline pickups.
To me the musicman stingray is one of the best basses made.
It's all what you like.
I own 2 stingrays. They are both played often and in all kinds of situations. I play often in outdoor situations, rain and shine, snow and sleet, year after year with Zero problems. The necks are still perfect, they stay in tune and they both sound like a bass should sound. I have never considered upgrading them in any component, they are upgraded when you buy them. The only thing that has every happned to me on an EB is a tuner bushing that would not stay in. I glued it, it's fixed and it wasn't really a problem anyway.
Well, what I said is MY opinion.
And yes, I have tried many of them out and NONE were to my liking, Maybe all the ones I triend out were lemons, I dont know... But What I do know is they arent to my liking.
And yes when its in my hands, there's nothing good I can say about them, But Like I've said, I do like the sound of stingrays when other people play them, just not me.
And yes, I have tried many of them out and NONE were to my liking, Maybe all the ones I triend out were lemons, I dont know... But What I do know is they arent to my liking.
And yes when its in my hands, there's nothing good I can say about them, But Like I've said, I do like the sound of stingrays when other people play them, just not me.
I have owned a boatload of EBMM basses, I feel that I can safely say they are the best quality production bass made. Bar none.
I bought one after the recommendations of the fine folk here, and found that it wasn't what I'd been led to believe... it was actually better (cliched, I know, but it really is that good). In fact it was so good I bought another one. At which point I ran out of money, which is probably a good thing as the 2nd one just gave me worse GAS.
Complaints? Er, well the tuners get finger prints on them. And the knurled pattern on the knobs is a bit too knurled for my taste. But that's about it.
Chris.
Complaints? Er, well the tuners get finger prints on them. And the knurled pattern on the knobs is a bit too knurled for my taste. But that's about it.
Chris.
Stingray owner here for slightly more than 3 years.
Slightly more than 3 years of no problems whatsoever.
Slightly more than 3 years of tone heaven.
The words, "Ernie Ball, " and "problem" are seldom found in the same sentence.
Seriously.
Current strings: DR High Beams. Great sound.
Mike
Slightly more than 3 years of no problems whatsoever.
Slightly more than 3 years of tone heaven.
The words, "Ernie Ball, " and "problem" are seldom found in the same sentence.
Seriously.
Current strings: DR High Beams. Great sound.
Mike
K tell me who else finds this funny.Figjam said:
essentialy:
nick: hey ive got GAS
me: for what
nick: stealth bongo
me: thats quite hippocritical, youve badmouthed MM's ear's off
nick: i know but that was before i played one, now i reallly want one
EDIT: just saw his thread, i guess my blocking him on AIM actually made him admit it to everyone. *pats nick on back*
Figjam said:K tell me who else finds this funny.
essentialy:
nick: hey ive got GAS
me: for what
nick: stealth bongo
me: thats quite hippocritical, youve badmouthed MM's ear's off
nick: i know but that was before i played one, now i reallly want one
EDIT: just saw his thread, i guess my blocking him on AIM actually made him admit it to everyone. *pats nick on back*
Nick is a kid and subject to learning that wisdom is not a first impression. Only thing is I don't see how anyone can't appreciate an EB bass for any reason as, if you aren't happy they will fix it. That alone says youth is not the voice of wisdom.
The Bongo while not the choice of some over looks, is a tone monster and probably the best of many good things EBMM has ever offered.
My SR 5 is in itself the best bass I have ever played. Low action no dead spots and never gets covered up no matter how many half stacks the guitar players have.
That said I am old. Not old enough to set standards however. One may not like MM basses. Nuff said. In fact when you can't say something good about something you should be quiet. IMHO.
There are lots of basses. Lots of fans of each. Each has a reason for his loyalty. They all do play a bass note.
tk
I only have a MM clone bass.
But it's basically the same thing with a slimmer neck.
And I must say sometimes I enjoy the chunkier feeling Stingray neck as apposed to my TBC, and on the Stingrays I have played, the pres weren't as jumpy, but weren't as bright as my TBC.
Sometimes I like the feeling of the necks, sometimes I don't.
A complaint I have about them is how a lot of the little details aren't that great. Like little ends of frets sticking out of the neck, giving it a rough feeling. And the general overall lack of miniscule(sp prolly) details.
And sometimes they are setup with crappy strings and they feel and sound clanky.
But it's basically the same thing with a slimmer neck.
And I must say sometimes I enjoy the chunkier feeling Stingray neck as apposed to my TBC, and on the Stingrays I have played, the pres weren't as jumpy, but weren't as bright as my TBC.
Sometimes I like the feeling of the necks, sometimes I don't.
A complaint I have about them is how a lot of the little details aren't that great. Like little ends of frets sticking out of the neck, giving it a rough feeling. And the general overall lack of miniscule(sp prolly) details.
And sometimes they are setup with crappy strings and they feel and sound clanky.
Stingrays are great instruments, theres no 2 ways about it, just be sure to try out both the 3banders and the 2banders, as well as different rosewood and maple configurations. Ive had my 3band rosewood ray for about a year and although I love it to death i found that I kinda prefer the sound of the 2band rays. So I'll be trading my ray for another ray when I can
Well...
My first experiance with one was just over 45 Min or so. It was in bad shape (That I admit was the shops fault, or at least it could have been) First I dont find the shape of the neck Comfy, and I dont like the string spacing. The neck is just a little large for my taste (Maybe I should try a Sterling?) and in MY hands, I was not impressed with the sound at all, but I find I get all the tones I would want out of my other basses. The Neck was Loose
as in, it could wabble a bit. There were High a low spots all up and down the frett board. It needed a fret leveling job. And over the 45 mins of playing it, I had to re adjust the tuning almost three times, The strings were "Worn in" But not dead yet, and they certainley werent new.
My second experiance was at the same shop, I had them get a new one from the back out, they did. As soon as I saw it I noticed that the Nut had a Chip in it, Again the Neck was loose. Lots of Fret buzz all over the neck wich mean Poor Factory setup to me... New strings so the In tune factor didnt come in.
Maybe I just got Lemons, I really dont know. But based off of those experiances, I really didnt care for almost any aspect of the bass.
But I will say that I havent tried out a Bongo yet, and would love the chance.
My first experiance with one was just over 45 Min or so. It was in bad shape (That I admit was the shops fault, or at least it could have been) First I dont find the shape of the neck Comfy, and I dont like the string spacing. The neck is just a little large for my taste (Maybe I should try a Sterling?) and in MY hands, I was not impressed with the sound at all, but I find I get all the tones I would want out of my other basses. The Neck was Loose
as in, it could wabble a bit. There were High a low spots all up and down the frett board. It needed a fret leveling job. And over the 45 mins of playing it, I had to re adjust the tuning almost three times, The strings were "Worn in" But not dead yet, and they certainley werent new.My second experiance was at the same shop, I had them get a new one from the back out, they did. As soon as I saw it I noticed that the Nut had a Chip in it, Again the Neck was loose. Lots of Fret buzz all over the neck wich mean Poor Factory setup to me... New strings so the In tune factor didnt come in.
Maybe I just got Lemons, I really dont know. But based off of those experiances, I really didnt care for almost any aspect of the bass.
But I will say that I havent tried out a Bongo yet, and would love the chance.
Never had a problem with my SR5, sounds and plays great. Not to say that there aren't other good basses out there but my favorite is the MM by far.
Hi Everyone
As a recent purchaser of a beautiful brand new SR4 with natural finish and maple neck, I feel that I am now qualified to offer comment.
This is by far and away and without a shadow of a doubt, superior in every way to the instrument I previously owned and which was traded for this bass. I owned my previous bass, a '78 jazz , for 20 years and played it on hundreds of gigs. It was my only bass for all that time.This stingray is infinitely superior in all aspects...construction, finish, sound, touch, response.
It is perfect for all the styles of music that I love...Reggae,R&B, jazz, soul and funk and has a sound which "sits" in the mix much better than the fender.
It is currently strung with a set of 8 YO thomastic jazz flats and sounds phenomenally good.
Players who continually eschew the instrument as a "one trick pony" must be "one trick players".This instrument is all that a any serious bassist/musician could ask for.
As a recent purchaser of a beautiful brand new SR4 with natural finish and maple neck, I feel that I am now qualified to offer comment.
This is by far and away and without a shadow of a doubt, superior in every way to the instrument I previously owned and which was traded for this bass. I owned my previous bass, a '78 jazz , for 20 years and played it on hundreds of gigs. It was my only bass for all that time.This stingray is infinitely superior in all aspects...construction, finish, sound, touch, response.
It is perfect for all the styles of music that I love...Reggae,R&B, jazz, soul and funk and has a sound which "sits" in the mix much better than the fender.
It is currently strung with a set of 8 YO thomastic jazz flats and sounds phenomenally good.
Players who continually eschew the instrument as a "one trick pony" must be "one trick players".This instrument is all that a any serious bassist/musician could ask for.
I've owned a honeyburst 2-band Stingray 4 for over a year now. Of the 10 or so different basses I've been through in the past year, it has proven itself to be of the highest quality. The sound is quite simply wonderful as well.
My only quibble is that the string spacing might be a little broad for my hands to warm up to quickly. My Sterling plays like greased lightning; the Stingray takes a little more concentration.
My only quibble is that the string spacing might be a little broad for my hands to warm up to quickly. My Sterling plays like greased lightning; the Stingray takes a little more concentration.
Anyone who has read my posts know that my lefty SR5 is nearing my GAS-sy hands. This is a great post, with excellent advice, guys. Thanks so much.
My story - I went to the local music store with a nice job related payout, with the intention of getting myself a top job bass. Currently I have a MIJ Fender lefty Jazz. Nice enough, but not really my dream bass.
I decided I wanted to go to a 5, so I asked my store guy to check out whether they could get me:
a) a geddy lee
b) a USA 5 Jazz
c) a MM Stingray 5
I have already posted my disgruntlement regarding Fender and their lack of available lefties, but that's how it came down.
The only one of the three that I could purchase was the MM. The nice store guy told me that the MM was probably the best mass-produced bass on the market, and now I got all your thoughts from the Board.
No wonder I am a gold supporting member - this is the gold club for bass people!
Thanks again.
My story - I went to the local music store with a nice job related payout, with the intention of getting myself a top job bass. Currently I have a MIJ Fender lefty Jazz. Nice enough, but not really my dream bass.
I decided I wanted to go to a 5, so I asked my store guy to check out whether they could get me:
a) a geddy lee
b) a USA 5 Jazz
c) a MM Stingray 5
I have already posted my disgruntlement regarding Fender and their lack of available lefties, but that's how it came down.
The only one of the three that I could purchase was the MM. The nice store guy told me that the MM was probably the best mass-produced bass on the market, and now I got all your thoughts from the Board.
No wonder I am a gold supporting member - this is the gold club for bass people!
Thanks again.
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
Didn't read all of these, don't think I have to. I'm sure the consencus is that the people who told you that stuff seem a fry or 2 short of their happy meal. Own a bongo and a sterling and never had any of the problems you mentioned - quite the opposite in fact.
Also, I've never witnessed a bass not keeping it's tune. I've played the crappiest basses in the universe, I play pretty hard and I'm pretty active on stage, and I've never known a bass yet that I had to retune because of some technical reason.
Also, I've never witnessed a bass not keeping it's tune. I've played the crappiest basses in the universe, I play pretty hard and I'm pretty active on stage, and I've never known a bass yet that I had to retune because of some technical reason.
Funkize you said:Well...
My first experiance with one was just over 45 Min or so. It was in bad shape (That I admit was the shops fault, or at least it could have been) First I dont find the shape of the neck Comfy, and I dont like the string spacing. The neck is just a little large for my taste (Maybe I should try a Sterling?) and in MY hands, I was not impressed with the sound at all, but I find I get all the tones I would want out of my other basses. The Neck was Loose
My second experiance was at the same shop, I had them get a new one from the back out, they did. As soon as I saw it I noticed that the Nut had a Chip in it, Again the Neck was loose. Lots of Fret buzz all over the neck wich mean Poor Factory setup to me... New strings so the In tune factor didnt come in.
I'm curious about a couple of things... how long have you been playing?
What led you to believe the stingray needed a fret job? You seem a bit confused about setup issues later in the post.
