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NBD- ‘86 Stingray

#21
Lo-E said:
In my opinion (which might not be worth all that much…), the shape of the EBMM necks from around ‘86 until around ‘88 or ‘89 are the nicest they ever made. I’m personally a fan of the 2-band pre but that’s just me and my ears.

That time period, for me, was the golden age of Stingrays. Most of the features of the original ‘rays but with body contours and a more secure neck attachment. They’re absolute winners. Enjoy your new Ray!
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I agree with you. Last week I finally found and bought a 1989 StingRay and immediately sold my nice but heavy Classic, and the Special is in the local classifieds.
 
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#22
H K said:
Gorgeous! Those finish lines, oooooh weee. Is it nitro, you think? I mean 40 years will crack poly too, probably.
I wonder if the pickguard is original, or if it was white/parchment, which would look great too.

Nice score man, congratulations.
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I think the finish is polyester, not polyurethane, which would explain the jaunty craquelure. I wish my polyurethane finished basses would check like this lol. I think the original pickguard was clear acrylic. It was falling apart when the guy I bought this from got it, so he replaced it with this black one. I’m really digging the Halloween vibes lol
 
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#23
cataract said:
Back in the early ‘aughts I owned a 2006 or 2008 3eq 4H for a hot minute that I didn’t really bond with, it was way too sizzly for my liking. It might just be the alnico pickup but holy heck, this one sounds lovely even with the treble fully boosted lol.
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It's been almost 20 years, you probably can't hear those frequencies any more 🤣.
Just like Leo Fender, which is probably why he kept bumping up the treble content of his basses over time 🤣.
 
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#24
_Obra_ said:
It's a beautiful bass!
I always thought they were introduced 3EQ preamp in 1987.
Also, i think on 4 string StingRays they were always Alnico pickups until neodymium in 2018. Ceramics were only on 5 strings. But yet again, maybe I am wrong...

Really cool bass!
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Internet search (AI?) says StingRay basses had ceramic pickups from 1992 until 2008.
 
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#29
Thanks for all the kind words, folks. I forgot to mention that I do have 3 of the original bridge saddles. I’m not sure which one is missing or if they’re all the same.
IMG_8518.jpeg

I might try to find an era correct replacement at some point but like I said, the ones that are on it are doing the trick just fine!
 
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#35
cataract said:
Thanks for all the kind words, folks. I forgot to mention that I do have 3 of the original bridge saddles. I’m not sure which one is missing or if they’re all the same.
View attachment 7340696
I might try to find an era correct replacement at some point but like I said, the ones that are on it are doing the trick just fine!
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I bought some from here Shop Ernie Ball Music Man - Bridge Parts - Parts You can also purchase a single tuner from the same site. Nice bass. Hot.
 
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#37
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#40
Wood and Wire said:
The neck is definitely 1986.

But the body stamp looks like it's 1985...
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Looks like 6 to me, but from what I’ve read it’s not uncommon to see mismatched month or even year stamps on Stingrays from this era. I’m gonna check the date codes on the pots tomorrow. But if this was indeed sent in for a 2EQ->3EQ preamp swap, the mystery might grow even further lol. I’ll post my findings!
 
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