Well, she arrived. A black with maple fret-board neck Sting Ray. I'll post a pic in a bit.
I have had experience with this model of bass in the past and they all were not good ones. Let's just say, that QC has improved tremendously with this bass as compared to a couple that I had previously had.
This review is based on MY experience with Music Man basses.
The neck is perfect. It adjusted within minutes with the simplest truss rod setup I have ever seen on any bass. The frets have NO edge. As previously mentioned, this was one of the problems I had on another MM. Not on this bass however, the frets are just as perfect as you could ask for. I play with very low action and there are no high/low frets. Love it.
The body is another thing of beauty. I had always gotten a "stain" finish on my other basses and this was the first time I ordered a black one.
The finish looks wet. Perfectly smooth and no signs at all of the two piece body bonding. I have owned Rics where this was very obvious. Not on this bass however. The pup is loud and proud. The unmistakable "clickity, clickity" of the tone on this bass is glorious.
Now onto the active pre amp. I have read the the Sting Ray is a "one trick pony", stating that it's a great "slap bass". I disagree. Like I have said, I've owned three of these and I play progressive rock as well as pop rock originals. This bass cuts through and has great bottom end. Compared to my Spector Euro 4, it lacks a bit of super low end, but not much. And, that's what the bass knob is for on your amp.
The pre amp has the volume, treble, mids and bass. It has a good output but not a super loud output. It uses a 9volt battery and does not have a doubler circuit on it as do some other basses with an active pre-amp. The tone is pure Sting Ray.
Play-ability on this bass is superb. You WANT to play it. You want to explore the neck in all of its unfinished glory. And fast! My God. The only thing faster than this neck was Quicky Nickie from high school. And she made just as sweet sounds herself.
Lets focus on the neck a bit here. It is unfinished. No clear coat or finish what so ever. I believe that Music Man recommends an oiling, which I did and it just sucked it up into that beautiful neck wood. Also a waxing can be done. The thing to remember is that sweaty hands will have somewhat an effect on the wood. So, wax the neck now and then for protection. The frets I would say are medium. Not to wide and don't stick up to high. The edges are completely flush with the fret board and there is not a hint of them as you run your fingers down the neck.
Balance of this bass is a bit butt heavy meaning it's rear (body) is a bit heavy. But that is because of its rather hefty weight. Around 9 and a half pounds or so. Buy a wide strap and you should have no problem.
The build quality is superb. The solidness of this bass in your hands is quite evident when you pick it up. You would never think it was a bolt on as the sustain and power feel like something more.
To all over at EBMM, if this is what your basses are like now, consider me to be a future returning customer.
I have had experience with this model of bass in the past and they all were not good ones. Let's just say, that QC has improved tremendously with this bass as compared to a couple that I had previously had.
This review is based on MY experience with Music Man basses.
The neck is perfect. It adjusted within minutes with the simplest truss rod setup I have ever seen on any bass. The frets have NO edge. As previously mentioned, this was one of the problems I had on another MM. Not on this bass however, the frets are just as perfect as you could ask for. I play with very low action and there are no high/low frets. Love it.
The body is another thing of beauty. I had always gotten a "stain" finish on my other basses and this was the first time I ordered a black one.
The finish looks wet. Perfectly smooth and no signs at all of the two piece body bonding. I have owned Rics where this was very obvious. Not on this bass however. The pup is loud and proud. The unmistakable "clickity, clickity" of the tone on this bass is glorious.
Now onto the active pre amp. I have read the the Sting Ray is a "one trick pony", stating that it's a great "slap bass". I disagree. Like I have said, I've owned three of these and I play progressive rock as well as pop rock originals. This bass cuts through and has great bottom end. Compared to my Spector Euro 4, it lacks a bit of super low end, but not much. And, that's what the bass knob is for on your amp.
The pre amp has the volume, treble, mids and bass. It has a good output but not a super loud output. It uses a 9volt battery and does not have a doubler circuit on it as do some other basses with an active pre-amp. The tone is pure Sting Ray.
Play-ability on this bass is superb. You WANT to play it. You want to explore the neck in all of its unfinished glory. And fast! My God. The only thing faster than this neck was Quicky Nickie from high school. And she made just as sweet sounds herself.
Lets focus on the neck a bit here. It is unfinished. No clear coat or finish what so ever. I believe that Music Man recommends an oiling, which I did and it just sucked it up into that beautiful neck wood. Also a waxing can be done. The thing to remember is that sweaty hands will have somewhat an effect on the wood. So, wax the neck now and then for protection. The frets I would say are medium. Not to wide and don't stick up to high. The edges are completely flush with the fret board and there is not a hint of them as you run your fingers down the neck.
Balance of this bass is a bit butt heavy meaning it's rear (body) is a bit heavy. But that is because of its rather hefty weight. Around 9 and a half pounds or so. Buy a wide strap and you should have no problem.
The build quality is superb. The solidness of this bass in your hands is quite evident when you pick it up. You would never think it was a bolt on as the sustain and power feel like something more.
To all over at EBMM, if this is what your basses are like now, consider me to be a future returning customer.
