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New EBMM Short Scale Stingrays
- Thread starter Djadja
- Start date
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- ebmm musicman short scale stingray
That’s the one I jumped on. I seriously can’t believe the Black Sparkle is the most popular finish, from a sales perspective that is. I think it’d look much better with black hardware and pickup poles. Even gold would look better. IMHO, the standard silver hardware makes it look much less exceptional. It’d be nice if they’d let you buy the hardware color of your choice. I’d even send my silver hardware in so that they wouldn’t think that they’d end up on a bootleg Stingray.
I talked to Shelley at MM and he said the heaviest ones they had ready to ship were just a few ounces over seven pounds. Mine came in at six pounds nine ounces
My Starry Night in my avatar is about 7 lbs 3 oz.
As for the price, look at a USA Fender built in limited numbers like these are… and be aware of the difference in QC (from what I have experienced, there is no comparison). Compare it to some of the smaller production companies where QC is more similar and you’ll see the price makes more sense and is pretty much at parity. Given that I plan to have the bass for decades, it doesn’t sound like too much to spend this amount.
Yes you can get a nice instrument these days for $500 and certainly for upwards of $1000. Only you can decide whether any bass is worth $2500, but these EBMM’s are extremely well made and well designed. Mine too is a desert island bass. If something happened to it, I’d replace it with the same in a heartbeat. I also have 2 of the SBMM SS’s. One I had defretted as I couldn’t justify spending $2K or more on a bass to mod. The 2nd is stock and is my backup for somewhere I don’t want to take the EBMM. They are nice but they are not the equivalent of the EBMM.
I found very little difference in playability and sound between the SBMM and the EBMM shorties I own.
The main differences are in: fit/finish, materials, and weight.
At least on mine, the neck shape, body contours, neck finish, and quality of the electronics are different enough as well to make a real difference in playability. Sound is trickier as the different fingerboard, strings, and setup on my different basses makes direct comparisons more difficult. All that is not to say that the SBMM, when you find one with either good QC or has had poor QC addressed, is not an excellent bass. I would not be upset to have to play gigs with my SBMMs... but if something happened to my EBMM, I would search for another immediately.
I'm with you. I have a new bass being delivered this week that I ordered several weeks ago. I looked/drooled at EBMM short scales before I made my purchase, but none available at that time.
Anyone know how often they drop a batch of short scales like this?
They do one drop of Stingray short scales annually. They may have a special edition or signature shorty here and there, but those aren’t nearly as frequent and will run you a bit more money.
Yeah, took ½ a second to bond with mine. After that I bought the SBMM they had at the store because it was set up so well. I was busting my nads trying to find fault, to no avail.
Same situation as Chevy selling plenty of new Corvettes. Some people value them, some don't. My 1998 Toyota pickup will get me from point A to point B just as well as a Corvette would. But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't love to have a Corvette and would pay the price if my finances allowed. Saw a new one at the gas station just today. Drool.
I received my short scale Stingray today. I was just lucky to go to EBMM website by chance and saw that they just released the new batch. I hadn't been on their site for a month or so. When I saw they have the sparkle gold... that was it. Had to have it. I missed out on the purple one a couple years back and wasn't going to miss out on this one. I had a real hard time deciding between the goldbar and blood orange. There is a guy down the street who has a Dodge Challenger that looks like it is almost the same color as the blood orange Stingray bass--absolutely GORGEOUS car color. I'll bet it is stunning on the bass as well. I might have to sell one of my other basses and pick an orange one up before they are gone. Hey... my justification would be one with EB Slinky rounds and one with EB Slinky flats!!!
Anyway, here it is. It's a stunner and sounds great! Plays great. And is only 6.9 pounds. This one actually sounds tighter, punchier, and beefier than I remember the one I had a few years back being (at least working from memory it seems that way).
It's what we are calling a "resistor" these days.
Very nice !! Wow!! Sparkles !!Same situation as Chevy selling plenty of new Corvettes. Some people value them, some don't. My 1998 Toyota pickup will get me from point A to point B just as well as a Corvette would. But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't love to have a Corvette and would pay the price if my finances allowed. Saw a new one at the gas station just today. Drool.
I received my short scale Stingray today. I was just lucky to go to EBMM website by chance and saw that they just released the new batch. I hadn't been on their site for a month or so. When I saw they have the sparkle gold... that was it. Had to have it. I missed out on the purple one a couple years back and wasn't going to miss out on this one. I had a real hard time deciding between the goldbar and blood orange. There is a guy down the street who has a Dodge Challenger that looks like it is almost the same color as the blood orange Stingray bass--absolutely GORGEOUS car color. I'll bet it is stunning on the bass as well. I might have to sell one of my other basses and pick an orange one up before they are gone. Hey... my justification would be one with EB Slinky rounds and one with EB Slinky flats!!!
Anyway, here it is. It's a stunner and sounds great! Plays great. And is only 6.9 pounds. This one actually sounds tighter, punchier, and beefier than I remember the one I had a few years back being (at least working from memory it seems that way).
View attachment 7062804
Yes, it's very flashy. None of the photos that I've seen bring that out too well (including mine). The paint is gold, but the flakes are sort of a two color effect: slightly on the green side of gold and more on the orange side of gold. So, depending on the light, it's a really brilliant orange/gold or a really brilliant greenish gold. And all points in between. Very pretty!
And the build quality is primo. Perfect setup. I didn't have to touch a thing (and usually I spend quite a bit of time on new basses setting them up the way I like when I get them).
Another thing that is interesting to me is that the perceived string tension on short scale stingrays seems to be less floppy and tighter than on other short scale basses (like my Mustang), even with the exact same strings/gauges. Maybe it's just a psychological thing, I don't know, because theoretically the string tension between the nut and bridge for a given scale and given string gauge should be the same for the same tuning pitch. But it sure seems different. Yes, Mustangs are string through body for more string behind the saddles, but still that tension between the nut and bridge should be the same. I know... this is an ongoing argument, so I'm just saying... but it's something I noticed right away when I first picked up the bass. I even measured the string gauges with a caliper to be sure.
Man these are really fun. I’ve loved all the EB shorties I’ve played. My favorite shortscale by miles.
Orange is my favorite color, but I grabbed a Goldbar instead. I have two other EBMM shorties, as l wanted one with flats and the other with rounds. My first is a Starry Night, the second is a Silver Shadow (I got that one used for about 45% off the new price, so there was no way I was passing it up). I’d been planning on getting the Silver Shadow refinished as its factory coloring is meh. I saw the Goldbar and bought it credit. I’ll never get out of debt!!! Now, I’m not sure if I’ll sell the Silver Shadow or follow through with the refin. My wife is paying for a bass refin for Christmas. If I do end up keeping the silver, I’ll definitely have it redone. I’ve also been toying around with adding a set of Mustang-style bullet pickups and throwing in a Aguilar preamp. Unfortunately, I don’t have the skills or tools to do this myself, so it may stay a pipe dream. That Goldbar though, what a gorgeous bass!!!Same situation as Chevy selling plenty of new Corvettes. Some people value them, some don't. My 1998 Toyota pickup will get me from point A to point B just as well as a Corvette would. But I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't love to have a Corvette and would pay the price if my finances allowed. Saw a new one at the gas station just today. Drool.
I received my short scale Stingray today. I was just lucky to go to EBMM website by chance and saw that they just released the new batch. I hadn't been on their site for a month or so. When I saw they have the sparkle gold... that was it. Had to have it. I missed out on the purple one a couple years back and wasn't going to miss out on this one. I had a real hard time deciding between the goldbar and blood orange. There is a guy down the street who has a Dodge Challenger that looks like it is almost the same color as the blood orange Stingray bass--absolutely GORGEOUS car color. I'll bet it is stunning on the bass as well. I might have to sell one of my other basses and pick an orange one up before they are gone. Hey... my justification would be one with EB Slinky rounds and one with EB Slinky flats!!!
Anyway, here it is. It's a stunner and sounds great! Plays great. And is only 6.9 pounds. This one actually sounds tighter, punchier, and beefier than I remember the one I had a few years back being (at least working from memory it seems that way).
View attachment 7062804
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I got one. Cherryburst. My first thought was, "I made a mistake." It's my first shortie, and I know shorties are small, but I didn't think this bass would be that small. There's probably a reason why they don't photograph these basses with their larger cousins, but I got over my initial reaction soon enough. The small scale leaves me feeling amazingly nimble. I don't have the largest hands, and I've dealt with finger injuries in the past, so I'm very glad to have added this bass to the quiver.
The craftsmanship is up there, in the same conversation with my Mike Lull basses. Neck and body finishes are great. Electronics seem top notch, though I'm not overly impressed with the bass/tone push boost on the volume pot.
The neck has a high-quality look and feel. For reference, I have a Fender American Pro II Precision bass and I had a Fender American Ultra Jazz bass. I think both of these Fenders have a more than acceptable, if not a desirable, build quality and finish. The EBMM is a nose ahead of the Ultra. The rosewood fingerboard has a lovely high-grade grain, there are no dead spots, and the frets and fret edges are well-dressed. The gun oil finish on the roasted maple neck is perfect.
Per my request, they shipped my bass with a set of flats. I'm sure they're Ernie Ball flats, but I'm not sure what model. They have green silk, and if anyone knows what they are, I'd appreciate knowing it. The neck needed 3/4 tightening of the truss rod, probably because of the flats, but I threw on a set of LaBella Low Tension Flats and didn't have to adjust the truss back. Maybe a little neck relief is intended by the manufacturer. Now that I've removed the neck relief and lowered the action, I'm not sure I prefer the LTFs to the stock flats that they gave me, other than I think the stock flats would need a solid six months to really have the feel you're going for in a flat. The LTFs are 90% of the way there immediately.
I lowered the action two or three turns on each string saddle screw. I might have someone take a look at the nut height because it feels a little high but only slightly. What I'm observing about the nut height might just be how flats sit in the groove as opposed to whatever rounds this bass usually ships with.
It's my first EBMM, and when I plugged it in, it presented a punchy, mid to mid high tone that I've always viewed as characteristic of other EBMM's I've played in shops. Again, my first thought was that maybe this was a mistake. I prefer Ps to EBMMs when pressed, but, again, my initial regret disappeared instantly when I played with other musicians live. I play in jazz combos, and in a "mix," it sounds fantastic. Some of the harshness of the tone melts away when other musicians are playing, leaving a subtle but transparent growl. I love it. The burpy jazz bass quality that is present when a jazz bass is played solo survives and pokes through, while a jazz bass can get lost in a mix. The passive electronics don't have the highs or the punchiness of an active EBMM, which is a feature not a bug for me. The tone knob is more subtle than my P and Jazz basses, and the series mode offers the closest approximate to the aggressive sound of an active bass. The other two modes (single coil and split coil?) are similar to each other and feel passive.
It's light. I have a couple heavy basses (10+ lbs), so I don't get how anyone could fret about a 6.9 oz versus 7.3 oz weight difference. Either way, it's extremely light relative to any non-exotic 34" bass out there.
I grade the Mono case as a mid to high "B." I have a Mono gig bag, which is "bomber," as they say. The Mono hard case doesn't seem to be as overbuilt, but it's fine. I won't be surprised if the stitching comes lose or the rubber bumpers fall off eventually or some other workmanship blemish presents itself at some point. But, again, it's fine. I'd rather have the Mono soft case than the molded hard case that comes with late model American Fenders, and I definitely prefer it to the gig bag one of my snazzy Mike Lull's came in.
The craftsmanship is up there, in the same conversation with my Mike Lull basses. Neck and body finishes are great. Electronics seem top notch, though I'm not overly impressed with the bass/tone push boost on the volume pot.
The neck has a high-quality look and feel. For reference, I have a Fender American Pro II Precision bass and I had a Fender American Ultra Jazz bass. I think both of these Fenders have a more than acceptable, if not a desirable, build quality and finish. The EBMM is a nose ahead of the Ultra. The rosewood fingerboard has a lovely high-grade grain, there are no dead spots, and the frets and fret edges are well-dressed. The gun oil finish on the roasted maple neck is perfect.
Per my request, they shipped my bass with a set of flats. I'm sure they're Ernie Ball flats, but I'm not sure what model. They have green silk, and if anyone knows what they are, I'd appreciate knowing it. The neck needed 3/4 tightening of the truss rod, probably because of the flats, but I threw on a set of LaBella Low Tension Flats and didn't have to adjust the truss back. Maybe a little neck relief is intended by the manufacturer. Now that I've removed the neck relief and lowered the action, I'm not sure I prefer the LTFs to the stock flats that they gave me, other than I think the stock flats would need a solid six months to really have the feel you're going for in a flat. The LTFs are 90% of the way there immediately.
I lowered the action two or three turns on each string saddle screw. I might have someone take a look at the nut height because it feels a little high but only slightly. What I'm observing about the nut height might just be how flats sit in the groove as opposed to whatever rounds this bass usually ships with.
It's my first EBMM, and when I plugged it in, it presented a punchy, mid to mid high tone that I've always viewed as characteristic of other EBMM's I've played in shops. Again, my first thought was that maybe this was a mistake. I prefer Ps to EBMMs when pressed, but, again, my initial regret disappeared instantly when I played with other musicians live. I play in jazz combos, and in a "mix," it sounds fantastic. Some of the harshness of the tone melts away when other musicians are playing, leaving a subtle but transparent growl. I love it. The burpy jazz bass quality that is present when a jazz bass is played solo survives and pokes through, while a jazz bass can get lost in a mix. The passive electronics don't have the highs or the punchiness of an active EBMM, which is a feature not a bug for me. The tone knob is more subtle than my P and Jazz basses, and the series mode offers the closest approximate to the aggressive sound of an active bass. The other two modes (single coil and split coil?) are similar to each other and feel passive.
It's light. I have a couple heavy basses (10+ lbs), so I don't get how anyone could fret about a 6.9 oz versus 7.3 oz weight difference. Either way, it's extremely light relative to any non-exotic 34" bass out there.
I grade the Mono case as a mid to high "B." I have a Mono gig bag, which is "bomber," as they say. The Mono hard case doesn't seem to be as overbuilt, but it's fine. I won't be surprised if the stitching comes lose or the rubber bumpers fall off eventually or some other workmanship blemish presents itself at some point. But, again, it's fine. I'd rather have the Mono soft case than the molded hard case that comes with late model American Fenders, and I definitely prefer it to the gig bag one of my snazzy Mike Lull's came in.
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