Words do not do justice to this wonderful instrument. It is #16 of just 70 basses like it, made in June of 2020.
I bought my first Stingray, a 1977 model, in 1980. For over 20 years it was my only bass, until my back issues got the best of me and I could no longer play it. I'm 74 and have had to undergo five back surgeries since 2013. I have not been able to play it for the past15 years or so, and it is now up for sale in the usual places including here in the Classifieds. I finally realized that it would be better going to someone who will appreciate it, rather than just gathering dust in the rack.
I have been playing mostly 5s and mostly fretless ones for about 13 years. The weight is always an issue.
So I was flabbergasted when I saw an ad for this great looking limited edition a couple of weeks ago. I had hoped to be able to sell my own Stingray in order to pay for the new one, but I was too afraid it would be gone if I waited. Am I ever glad I pulled the trigger!
To begin with, it weighs a mere 7.4 pounds. When the ad for the BFR (Ball Family Reserve) series says they use hand-selected woods, they aren't kidding. I cannot imagine any other way of finding a Stingray that weighs as little as this one does, especially considering it's a 5 string.
It plays as beautifully as it looks. It is well balanced and comfortable either sitting or standing. The neck is great, and it comes with the best machine heads I have ever turned. The pickup, rather than the traditional Alnico, uses Neo magnets. It also comes with a specially-designed 3-band preamp and uses two 9v batteries for plenty of headroom and high signal to noise ratio. It also has a switch for selecting how the coils engage - single, series, and the traditional parallel setting.
The wood choices are just beautiful. EB-MM left off the traditional pick guard so that more of the wood could be exposed, and that was a great choice as you can clearly see.
It came to me with, coincidentally, the ONLY flats I will ever put on a bass, EB Cobalt flats which sound great and won't cause damage to the fingerboard.
I LOVE unlined boards. I learned to play fretless by playing in the dark, or closing my eyes if it was light, so I don't need or want fretlines. Instead, the neck has got superb figuring and looks just as great as the rest of the bass.
I am sure that this will be my #1 fretless for the rest of my life. I cannot imagine selling this. It is SO wonderful to be able to play an actual Stingray again. I so missed not being able to play my '77.
I have played OLPs, Ray4s and Ray5s, but even upgraded with the original 2-band preamp and the great Nordstrand MM4.2 or 5.2 pickup they still don't quite sound exactly like a "real" 'Ray. Problem solved!!!
I have included a few pictures.
Bud
I bought my first Stingray, a 1977 model, in 1980. For over 20 years it was my only bass, until my back issues got the best of me and I could no longer play it. I'm 74 and have had to undergo five back surgeries since 2013. I have not been able to play it for the past15 years or so, and it is now up for sale in the usual places including here in the Classifieds. I finally realized that it would be better going to someone who will appreciate it, rather than just gathering dust in the rack.
I have been playing mostly 5s and mostly fretless ones for about 13 years. The weight is always an issue.
So I was flabbergasted when I saw an ad for this great looking limited edition a couple of weeks ago. I had hoped to be able to sell my own Stingray in order to pay for the new one, but I was too afraid it would be gone if I waited. Am I ever glad I pulled the trigger!
To begin with, it weighs a mere 7.4 pounds. When the ad for the BFR (Ball Family Reserve) series says they use hand-selected woods, they aren't kidding. I cannot imagine any other way of finding a Stingray that weighs as little as this one does, especially considering it's a 5 string.
It plays as beautifully as it looks. It is well balanced and comfortable either sitting or standing. The neck is great, and it comes with the best machine heads I have ever turned. The pickup, rather than the traditional Alnico, uses Neo magnets. It also comes with a specially-designed 3-band preamp and uses two 9v batteries for plenty of headroom and high signal to noise ratio. It also has a switch for selecting how the coils engage - single, series, and the traditional parallel setting.
The wood choices are just beautiful. EB-MM left off the traditional pick guard so that more of the wood could be exposed, and that was a great choice as you can clearly see.
It came to me with, coincidentally, the ONLY flats I will ever put on a bass, EB Cobalt flats which sound great and won't cause damage to the fingerboard.
I LOVE unlined boards. I learned to play fretless by playing in the dark, or closing my eyes if it was light, so I don't need or want fretlines. Instead, the neck has got superb figuring and looks just as great as the rest of the bass.
I am sure that this will be my #1 fretless for the rest of my life. I cannot imagine selling this. It is SO wonderful to be able to play an actual Stingray again. I so missed not being able to play my '77.
I have played OLPs, Ray4s and Ray5s, but even upgraded with the original 2-band preamp and the great Nordstrand MM4.2 or 5.2 pickup they still don't quite sound exactly like a "real" 'Ray. Problem solved!!!
I have included a few pictures.
Bud
beautiful! and it sounds like the perfect choice and the perfect fit for you, @TriumphRider99! congratulations on your new instrument! 
)
