NBD - Stingray Classic RAY24CA

[Mike Vee]

New for '24 Olympic White option, changed the pickguard to black, and there you have it. A $500 2-band Classic-ish Ray that feels and sounds perfect in every way possible and with a 1.5" neck as a bonus. Under 9 lbs., extremely low setup, zero buzz, super flat neck, truss rod works perfectly, love it!!! EXTREMELY happy with this Ray24ca and barely a few dollars out of pocket.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Congrats! Blindfolded, I think very few people could pick between your bass and California made Stingray.

 

[ics1974]

New for '24 Olympic White option, changed the pickguard to black, and there you have it. A $500 2-band Classic-ish Ray that feels and sounds perfect in every way possible and with a 1.5" neck as a bonus. Under 9 lbs., extremely low setup, zero buzz, super flat neck, truss rod works perfectly, love it!!! EXTREMELY happy with this Ray24ca and barely a few dollars out of pocket.

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Nice looking bass you got there. I believe you can mod them to be wired in parallel like the Ernie Ball’s. I think Lobster has a video on that.
edit: found the video

 

[Mike Vee]

Nice looking bass you got there. I believe you can mod them to be wired in parallel like the Ernie Ball’s. I think Lobster has a video on that.
edit: found the video

Oh yea super cool video. I’ve seen all of Lobsters vids.

I’ve owned maybe 6 USA Stingrays. Honestly, however this is wired and whatever pickup it is, I prefer it over any I’ve played before. I don’t care if it’s a 50 cent preamp and tin pole pieces, it sounds great. I’m just going to leave it as it. It’s a little darker and fuller than others, and I like that.

 

[ics1974]

Oh yea super cool video. I’ve seen all of Lobsters vids.

I’ve owned maybe 6 USA Stingrays. Honestly, however this is wired and whatever pickup it is, I prefer it over any I’ve played before. I don’t care if it’s a 50 cent preamp and tin pole pieces, it sounds great. I’m just going to leave it as it. It’s a little darker and fuller than others, and I like that.

Then that’s even better if you prefer the Series sound. No work required!
I love the white with black pickguard BTW

 

[Mike Vee]

Congrats! Blindfolded, I think very few people could pick between your bass and California made Stingray.

They can have some crappy QA, the Ray34 I had was trash, it had like 4 things wrong with it from the factory, but this is the third Ray24CA I’ve owned, and all three of them have been absolutely flawless except one having a very, very stiff truss rod. This one is perfect though.

 

[Mike Vee]

Then that’s even better if you prefer the Series sound. No work required!
I love the white with black pickguard BTW

Thanks. The factory tort is, uh, gross.

 

[Lowendchamp]

Looks like EBCFs on it too!

 

[Lowendchamp]

I had a Sterling I liked before and one I didn’t but the good ones are great. Does anyone besides myself like the Sterling bridge better than the Music Man bridge? The only improvement I would make to the Sterling is offer the option of string mutes like the old school Stingrays.

 

[Mike Vee]

I had a Sterling I liked before and one I didn’t but the good ones are great. Does anyone besides myself like the Sterling bridge better than the Music Man bridge? The only improvement I would make to the Sterling is offer the option of string mutes like the old school Stingrays.

Yes, def Cobalt flats were installed right away!

This bridge seems the same as the older EBMM bridge, pre Stingray Special. I too wish it had mutes but honestly foam works better anyway.

 

[ComeHomeShane]

Solid choice to the black pg. Ony of my USA specials is ivory with black pg and it always gets a ton of compliments. But ya gotta agree on the quality of the CAs. I own a 35CA that the OG owner sanded down the neck and finished it in gun oil just like the specials. The damn thing feels so good I often forget it's not a USA.

 

[cholyoke]

Congrats! It looks great with the black pick guard. I have owned a Ray24CA and a Ray25CA. Both were excellent basses and led me to buying EBMM basses. These new white ones are very tempting.

 

[lowendblues]

You say you swapped the pickguard, who's making replacement guards for these things?

 

[Marc A Valero]

Real nice, I will likely be getting the 5 string version at some point.

 

[VeryTallBassist]

That looks awesome with the black PG! Congrats on getting one of the good ones!

I have a Ray25CA that I picked up used in mint condition for a steal at GC, enough so that I could mod it to taste and still be right around what a new one would have cost. Functionally that meant a new pickup, preamp, tuners, and strap locks. I agree with you on how it has a darker character, but I really wanted that zing so I paired a John East 2 band with the Seymour Duncan SMB-5D 90's SR5 style pickup, and installed a series/ parallel switch. Cosmetically I swapped the PG to antique pearl and added a set of Old Smoothie knobs for a little authenticity. I also sanded down the back of the neck and refinished with Tru Oil and wax, and then strung it up with EB Cobalt Flats.

I must have gotten one of the good ones because I would put construction up on par with any EBMM or pre-EB I have ever owned. With the mods I did, I honestly think it would win the blindfold test 10/10 times for feel, playability, and tone.

 

[Jhalb]

I owned the 5 string version. Great bass. I did add a mini toggle switch for series/ parallel also.

 

[BassAgent]

Oh boy that looks pretty amazing. Now I réally want one. As far as I can tell, they're not available in Europe yet. Does a standard black Stingray pickguard fit?

 

[dbsfgyd1]

New for '24 Olympic White option, changed the pickguard to black, and there you have it. A $500 2-band Classic-ish Ray that feels and sounds perfect in every way possible and with a 1.5" neck as a bonus. Under 9 lbs., extremely low setup, zero buzz, super flat neck, truss rod works perfectly, love it!!! EXTREMELY happy with this Ray24ca and barely a few dollars out of pocket.

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Score! Congrats.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

That looks awesome with the black PG! Congrats on getting one of the good ones!,,,,
I must have gotten one of the good ones because I would put construction up on par with any EBMM,,,,,
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Glad you guys said this, believe it or not I have a Ray4 that is a good one I bought about 5 years ago. The Sterlings can be a little hit or miss. But when you get a good one, it is that!

 

[Mike Vee]

You say you swapped the pickguard, who's making replacement guards for these things?

They sell them right on the website for $25