NBD! Musicman makes nice stuff.

[ToneMonkey]

Jeebus. Pay no attention to the naysayers. Tough room.

 

[DirkP]

Looks like a G&L copy of a MusicMan bass. Or a MusicMan copy of a L1500 with the control plate of the L1000. With a toasted neck indeed.
Sorry to spoil the party, but I always admired MusicMan for not jumping on the vintage train and just offering contemporary instruments. Now - maybe due to financial reasons - they are just doing what everyone else is doing. I could still somehow accept the Classic series and have respect for Ernie Ball to openly admit that he did this for economic reasons.
Now this: Vintage instruments, copies of Fender instruments, endless combinations of the same old things just remixed. They are losing their identity. But - as mentioned before - maybe it is just necessary for them to survive or they think it is.

 

[jd56hawk]

Bravo!!! Congrats on that beautiful bass.

I don't think he bought it, since he said the neck was amazing.
It does look good, though...but I think it'd look better on a Firemist Gold or Dropped Copper StingRay.

 

[devnulljp]

OP's is a beauty.
But they need to make a 5 string PJ Caprice. Bonus points for fretless in the first pic. I'd buy that.
Next bass is going to be another Stingray 5. I keep buying Stingrays and selling them. Next one will be a keeper.

 

[Daniel Piper]

Great bass.

Warmoth is just as mass produced.

That neck is suhweet!

A ray is a ray, not many custom builders will make one (body shape that is) that I have seen.

 

[selowitch]

I own three basses: A lightweight 2009 Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass; a medium-scale Traveler TB-4P (even lighter); and a 2001 Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay 5H that must weigh 10.5 lbs. I am not crazy about the weight of the StingRay, but its rock-solid dependability, sound, and feel are nearly impossible to beat and the one I reach for again and again to rehearse, record, practice, and perform.

 

[mikeswals]

Got a few in mind, obviously not gonna mention. Hell, I'd rather go warmoth.

Not me. A Warmoth would only be worth about 700-850 bucks on the market no matter how much you spending on building it.

 

[mikeswals]

Sorry to spoil the party, but I always admired MusicMan for not jumping on the vintage train and just offering contemporary instruments. Now - maybe due to financial reasons - they are just doing what everyone else is doing. I could still somehow accept the Classic series and have respect for Ernie Ball to openly admit that he did this for economic reasons.

But this is NOT a Classic.

 

[Gothic]

I don't get the backlash and all the defending. I never said they were crap or even that I don't like them. And sure, the bass the OP posted is indeed good looking. I just said -I- would prefer other stuff at those price points. As for the "run of the mill" comment, that's referring to them being mass produced. The bongo may be weird looking but it's still a mass produced instrument. I hold the same opinion for other brands as well.

 

[Relsom]

“Run of the mill” is not something I’d use to describe a stingray, much less a bongo. Yeah i can go warmoth and i can go kiesel or whatever and spec it all out how i want. For less money. Neat. That works for a lot of people and that’s great. But i want a friggin stingray. Or i want a friggin bongo. Simple as that. If the price is right and the quality is right then why not? Who cares where or how it was made?

I'd have to agree. It's a good thing that EBMM, with their undeniable consistency of fit, finish, and overall build quality can be classified as "run of the mill". Good for them for raising the bar, and having done that for years now.

I pretty sure I'd get lost on that neck too. It would have to have some pretty well defined side markers for me to get along with it. I've had extreme birdseye fretted necks with tiny side markers that I couldn't keep because of that.

 

[glocke1]

Seems like everyones crawling out of the woodwork on this..

I'd have to agree. It's a good thing that EBMM, with their undeniable consistency of fit, finish, and overall build quality can be classified as "run of the mill". Good for them for raising the bar, and having done that for years now.

I pretty sure I'd get lost on that neck too. It would have to have some pretty well defined side markers for me to get along with it. I've had extreme birdseye fretted necks with tiny side markers that I couldn't keep because of that.

I was actually surprised...I played it for a good 20 minutes and was able to find my way around reasonably well and thats without having touched a fretless bass for 15 years at least.

I have been studying double bass the past six months though, so i think that helped.

Now, if I were playing that bass on a dark stage with little to no lighting? That would be a different story entirely. there's been a couple of gigs the past few months where the stage was so dark I even had trouble finding my way around on a fretted instrument.

 

[burgerdj]

MM makes consistently excellent quality basses with great wood selection and bespoke preamps and pickups. The BFR takes this to the next level. Custom? Maybe not. Boutique? You betcha.
And their customer service is outstanding. If I needed a fancy fretless in this price range, I’d be hard pressed to not pull the trigger.

 

[Frank77]

That's a beautiful bass. I much prefer the look of MM basses without the infamous oval pickguard.

That price tag though...it is definitely "totally handmade, custom luthier build" territory.

 

[db59]

Now I'm scared to post....its a nice bass?........there are also other nice basses? ......does
Anybody here like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale?

 

[glocke1]

MM makes consistently excellent quality basses with great wood selection and bespoke preamps and pickups. The BFR takes this to the next level. Custom? Maybe not. Boutique? You betcha.
And their customer service is outstanding. If I needed a fancy fretless in this price range, I’d be hard pressed to not pull the trigger.

Need? No....

Want? Yes...The ease with which i found the notes on this bass surprised me quite a bit and frankly this bass kept me up all night.

The only thing that concerns me is the pickup. Im not sure I'll be able to as warm/bassy as a sound as I like.

 

[FugaziBomb]

View attachment 3570118

They make exceptional instruments. They are the best mass produced factory bass makers of any I have tried.

I'll second that. I've never picked up a new EBMM that didn't feel and sound great. I can say the same thing about Ibanez at a fraction of the cost, though...

 

[burgerdj]

The only thing that concerns me is the pickup. Im not sure I'll be able to as warm/bassy as a sound as I like.

The MM preamp is extremely well voiced and can get properly subterranean. Don’t let the bridge position put you off - let your ears judge. If you check out some threads on the various MM pickup configurations, a lot of players flirted with the HH and HS only to come back to the single H.

 

[Samatza]

I own two Stingray 4H that are 20 years apart. They feel and sound the same, pretty much like any Stingray I’ve ever played.
So if nothing else there is consistency in the builds and they are very reliable.
Do you like what you see in the OP pic? If you do then it’s for you and if you don’t it’s OK too. We don’t all have to like the same things.

 

[Slevage]

Nice fretless! Yep, MM makes nice stuff.
OLP clones of Stingrays can be nice too @ $159usd (pawnshop).
View attachment 3570185

OLP’s look a lot like Stingrays.
Having owned a Stringray in 1977, that’s all I can say.

 

[Michael Jewels]

I absolutely love Stingrays, for their sound, feel and looks.
The bass in post #1 is right up my alley looks~wise: sunburst without a pickguard.
If I had the money, I would buy it.
The only thing I might add would be piezos.
I have an Ibanez SRF700 fretless, which has two magnetic pups, and piezos. To me, a fretless needs piezos.
Mike