NBD Musicman Stingray HH fretless

[bhunt1]

I ordered this 2 months ago through the Musicman Design Experience and got it today. It is phenomenal. There are so many tonal options but they all have that great Musicman tone. The finish is trans teal and it's darker than I thought it would be but still looks great. Weight = 8.25 lbs! Just the complete package. I'm in an oldies cover band and would like to play this with the band but not sure I can pull that off tone wise and skill wise. Can certainly play the heck out of it at home.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

Oh man, I really love that color. If I were you out order a white pg as well. I think the teal would pop a lot more.

 

[TheReceder]

I really like mine.... But....
I really... really... really... like yours.
That fretboard is gorgeous... that body color... well it's really really really.... well... I'm getting repetitively redundant...

 

[JRA]

i agree with @TheReceder --- you've got a beautiful ax! wow! glad it plays so well for you --- congratulations on your new fretless instrument!

 

[Dana R Gregory]

Fretless is soooooo much fun to play. Remember, Jack Bruce and Bill Wyman played fretless so go ahead and rock that beautiful bass!

 

[humbuckaroo]

These StingRay finishes tend to be darker in room lighting. Take it outside or on stage and it'll liven right up. My Fallout Green 4H is the same... looks dark and boring in house but when the lighting is right... it's incredible.

 

[Root 5]

I ordered this 2 months ago through the Musicman Design Experience and got it today. It is phenomenal. There are so many tonal options but they all have that great Musicman tone. The finish is trans teal and it's darker than I thought it would be but still looks great. Weight = 8.25 lbs! Just the complete package. I'm in an oldies cover band and would like to play this with the band but not sure I can pull that off tone wise and skill wise. Can certainly play the heck out of it at home. View attachment 7432042

Gorgeous! I would like an unlined fretless Stingray HH too!

 

[BassicJazzy]

Oh man, I want one too. That is just exactly everything I want in my next fretless. Congratulations!

 

[BassicJazzy]

I went to the site and designed one, almost pushed the trigger, came SO CLOSE. I've only been playing fretless for 7 months, so I'll wait until I fully deserve such a fine instrument. Wow, they are nice.

 

[roccobass]

It's beautiful, man. Heck, if it just a general oldies band and not a specific tribute situation, I say go for it. Since you're playing a lot at home and getting used to it, I would say go for it and take it to practice and see how it goes.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I ordered this 2 months ago through the Musicman Design Experience and got it today. It is phenomenal. There are so many tonal options but they all have that great Musicman tone. The finish is trans teal and it's darker than I thought it would be but still looks great. Weight = 8.25 lbs! Just the complete package. I'm in an oldies cover band and would like to play this with the band but not sure I can pull that off tone wise and skill wise. Can certainly play the heck out of it at home. View attachment 7432042

One question - - Did EBMM deliver it properly set-up? Did you have to make any adjustments?

 

[Lefty Joe]

What @roccobass says. Maybe just use it on a slow song first, work your way up to faster songs.

Last cover band I was in, I wanted to bring fretless for a couple songs, and they said no -- they'd had bad experience with previous bassists. So when I sneaked it in next session I knew my pitch accuracy had to be spot on -- no taking chances, just hit my notes solid as any fretted bass. And that worked, because it showed them fretless could be done without intonation problems. But I had worked my way up to that level over several years, mostly on slower songs.

 

[Lefty Joe]

I ordered this 2 months ago through the Musicman Design Experience and got it today.

Nice that their 'lefty' tax is only $100 -- and some pretty nice paint options. If I had $3k for a bass I'd certainly have to try one!

 

[BassicJazzy]

Nice that their 'lefty' tax is only $100 -- and some pretty nice paint options. If I had $3k for a bass I'd certainly have to try one!

They seem to have lots more options than the Fender Custom shop has, at least for fretless. Prices seem reasonable, compared to the Pino or BFR models on SW. Around $2,800 for a single p'up righty model. I am trying to restrain myself.

 

[bhunt1]

Thanks for all the positive responses, I am going to see if I can play one set of 15 songs on fretless and go from there. To answer the question - no issues with setup.

 

[roccobass]

What @roccobass says. Maybe just use it on a slow song first, work your way up to faster songs.

Last cover band I was in, I wanted to bring fretless for a couple songs, and they said no -- they'd had bad experience with previous bassists. So when I sneaked it in next session I knew my pitch accuracy had to be spot on -- no taking chances, just hit my notes solid as any fretted bass. And that worked, because it showed them fretless could be done without intonation problems. But I had worked my way up to that level over several years, mostly on slower songs.

Yes indeed on having to be spot on. Comes with practice and being relaxed.

@bhunt1

I had noticed sometimes I would be a bit off of first position of each string so I took the liberty of putting an extra dot down there on my fretless. I even made it ever so slightly bigger than the others because of distance and I have 65 year old eyes. . You might think about this is if it's an issue for you.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

One question - - Did EBMM deliver it properly set-up? Did you have to make any adjustments?

Have you ever purchased bass that was exactly the way you like it from the factory? I assume 10000% of the time that I will need to do my own setup on any bass, new or used.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Have you ever purchased bass that was exactly the way you like it from the factory? I assume 10000% of the time that I will need to do my own setup on any bass, new or used.

Good point. Only 1 out of five of my basses came set up the way I like it. That one was an Ibanez SR1350B Premium, and I still haven't had to touch a thing since getting it 18 months ago, even though I've changed strings. I've never had a bass built custom though, like this one, so I was curious to see if EBMM paid special attention to it. Seems from OP's response that they did?

 

[GIBrat51]

Yeah, that is one Hell of a good looking bass. And, being the happy owner of a lefty '20 4HH Special, I know it's a very good sounding one, too. I sort of agree with MIJ Fender Guy, though; it would look nicer with a different pickguard. My choice would be a Cream/Black/Cream one; like I have on... several... of my basses. My 4HH is finished in Burnt Umber with a Rosewood fretboard, so the Black Pickguard looks good on it.
A question; the fingerboard looks really nice, but... what is it? "Normal looking", streaky Ebony? I have a lined fretless Birdsong Fusion with a fingerboard like that; I'm very happy with it. I also have a Canadian '93 Fury Anthem lined fretless with a fingerboard that looks a lot like yours; but... it's Pau Ferro. Which, IMO is a great wood for fretboards (my fretted Birdsong Fusion II has one), but from the wear on the Fury Anthem - which has never worn anything but tape wounds - it seems to be just a little soft... Doesn't need re-leveling yet, but it's... close. However, I have no idea how much - or how hard - it was played before I got it...
If I wanted to have one made, it would have to be lined. My 7th grade music teacher declared me tone deaf - and banished me to study hall. It wasn't until a couple of years ago, that I decided to see if there were any left-handed lined fretless basses. Turns out - yes, there are. And when I looked, the first one that popped up was the Fury Anthem on Reverb. Since I started playing bass in 1968, I lost a lot of good playing years...
I am planning on having another lined fretless built. A Musicman 4HH would certainly be nice, but... I'm leaning towards a 32" scale one. I already have two 34" scale fretless bases, and a medium scale one would be nice. I'm thinking maybe a 32" Serek Sacramento - to go with the fretted 30" one I already have... Anyway;
Congrats on a really, really nice bass. And, don't worry about using it on stage. If you really do sound good at home? Then you're good to go...

 

[BassicJazzy]

Yeah, that is one Hell of a good looking bass. And, being the happy owner of a lefty '20 4HH Special, I know it's a very good sounding one, too. I sort of agree with MIJ Fender Guy, though; it would look nicer with a different pickguard. My choice would be a Cream/Black/Cream one; like I have on... several... of my basses. My 4HH is finished in Burnt Umber with a Rosewood fretboard, so the Black Pickguard looks good on it.
A question; the fingerboard looks really nice, but... what is it? "Normal looking", streaky Ebony? I have a lined fretless Birdsong Fusion with a fingerboard like that; I'm very happy with it. I also have a Canadian '93 Fury Anthem lined fretless with a fingerboard that looks a lot like yours; but... it's Pau Ferro. Which, IMO is a great wood for fretboards (my fretted Birdsong Fusion II has one), but from the wear on the Fury Anthem - which has never worn anything but tape wounds - it seems to be just a little soft... Doesn't need re-leveling yet, but it's... close. However, I have no idea how much - or how hard - it was played before I got it...
If I wanted to have one made, it would have to be lined. My 7th grade music teacher declared me tone deaf - and banished me to study hall. It wasn't until a couple of years ago, that I decided to see if there were any left-handed lined fretless basses. Turns out - yes, there are. And when I looked, the first one that popped up was the Fury Anthem on Reverb. Since I started playing bass in 1968, I lost a lot of good playing years...
I am planning on having another lined fretless built. A Musicman 4HH would certainly be nice, but... I'm leaning towards a 32" scale one. I already have two 34" scale fretless bases, and a medium scale one would be nice. I'm thinking maybe a 32" Serek Sacramento - to go with the fretted 30" one I already have... Anyway;
Congrats on a really, really nice bass. And, don't worry about using it on stage. If you really do sound good at home? Then you're good to go...

According to the Design App, EBMM gives you a choice of either the roasted Maple or Pau Ferro unlined board when you choose the roasted Maple neck, which this bass has. I think OP chose the roasted maple board? At least that's what it looks like to me. Pau Ferro would be darker. I think OP made a good choice!