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NBD - 77 Stingray, and a vintage Ray question

cripula

cripula

Dec 20, 2006
1,359
987
Canada
#1
I recently acquired what I believe is a '77 Stingray in the lousiest way - from the estate of a great friend :(
It was the favourite recording bass of a great musician and all around wonderful human being who'll be sadly missed. I feel very privileged to have it.

As I picked it up:
34252032015_bf9d9bef21_c.jpg


No sign of the original guard. Looking in the battery compartment shows the bass was originally white. It's been stripped, the pickguard holes filled, and re-shot with clear. The neck appears untouched and feels great, similar to a mid 70s B neck P bass, but a little thinner front to back. Very nice.

My original thought was to find a period correct pickguard for it as playing a bass without a guard is very foreign to my right hand, re-string it and call it good.
Then I decided no, it should stay exactly as I got it in tribute to the man.

Then I got it set up by my tech :D
Who emerged with a clear pickguard from the bowls of his shop. It felt so much better to play that it had to stay (thanks Dave!)

Quick drilling of the filled guard holes, and:
34252034885_d248fa7d95_c.jpg


34252030385_c77062b1be_c.jpg


If a proper 77 guard pops up I'll consider it, otherwise I'm happy with it like this.
Bass plays great and sounds like a great Ray should. I'm leaving his strings on it until they break or rot off.
Only negative... 10 lbs even :vomit:
That relegates it to home and studio use only. 9 lbs is my personal breaking point, and 8-8.5 lbs is MUCH preferred.

My question to the knowers of vintage Ray history: when did they start contouring the bodies?
This one is contoured - I'm guessing it was done when the refin was done. But I really don't know that much about Rays...

34252033495_5a491916df_c.jpg
 
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#4
Dave W said:
Im not sure when they started the contours. My 78' is a slab body.
Click to expand...

Thanks, it seems unlikely this one came contoured then.

two fingers said:
Can't help you with specifics of period correct Rays.....but....
1) That's a freaking cool bass.
2) The clear guard is a great compromise to make it yours and keep it his.
3) Sorry for the loss of your friend.
Click to expand...

Nice post man, thanks a lot.
 
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#7
Sorry about your friend first off.

Classic Stingrays are heavy. Mine is 10.5 and slab. But man, I love to play out with it, people love the thing. I use a wider leather strap and the weight never bugs me. I'd suggest that and see how it goes. The stingray is one of those bases that really shines when you push it through an amp with a drummer holding it down behind you.
 
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#9
Dluxe said:
Nice bass! I believe that they didn't start with the contours until the EB years. (1985?). Looks like yours is a '77 to early '78 judging by the bridge.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
It's a B004*** serial number which seems to put it squarely in 77 territory.
But I know about Leo F and serial numbers, lol!
One day the neck will come off and I'll know for sure, but it's really not that big a deal to me. More curiosity than anything else.

nivagues said:
Nice Bass and sorry to hear about your friend.

Pre-EB Sting Rays came from the factory with slab bodies. They were contoured after Ernie Ball purchased Music man in 1984. On the other hand, Sabres have always been contoured.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Ok, this was definitely contoured after the fact. Totally unsurprising, he wasn't the kind of guy to worry about keeping anything stock, and if it made the instrument play, feel, or sound better he wouldn't think twice about modding it.
He had a few vintage fender and gibson guitars that would make the purists (I'm sort of one of them...) weep :laugh:
 
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#12
Agreed with TwoFingers... what a great way to tweak the bass to your liking yet to keep the vision of your friend alive. Very nicely done.

Yeah, I just love clear pickguards on Jazz Basses and Stingrays because they cover solid wood, not wires and pots. And clear guards over natural and sunburst Jazz Basses and Rays are my favorites.

Losing good friends is crummy... but I can't think of a better way to keep their torch lit than with the power of a musical instrument. To place your hands on the same spots on the neck they did... to smell the bass that smelled the same way to your friend... to insert that cable into the jack just like they did... to produce those same growly notes your friend did... you'll have a number of beautiful ceremonies taking place every time you break it out.
 
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#17
That's super cool of you to honor your friend with his bass.
It's unfortunate that the weight of an instrument can be a limiting factor for many of us. Having said that, I played a stingray once, and it was pretty sweet! I hope you enjoy every note you get out of it.
 
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#20
Thanks everyone for the great comments.

I dont think theres a strap wide enough to make we want to gig a 10 lb bass :D but I'm impressed a bunch of you guys do. I may have to take it out for a short set somewhere sometime...
But I'm sure enjoying playing it. It's a very cool bass, I see what he liked so much about it.

Dr. Cheese said:
Get a big, wide, strap because 10lbs is great for an original Stingray!
Click to expand...

Horrifying. 10 lbs is great for a miniature dachshund. Not a bass :laugh:
 
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