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New MusicMan Stingray BFR - thoughts?

#181
GIBrat51 said:
Like I said; I already have a Burnt Umber '19 4HH Stingray Special. And, although I'm sure that new BFR Stingray is very nice - I have no desire for one, regardless of how many pickups it has. The one I have fills the "EBMM 4HH Stingray" spot in my herd perfectly, and is all I need, thank you... But, feel free to ask, if you want one...:thumbsup:
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Oh I misunderstood, I thought you wanted to buy a lefty burnt amber. I misread that you already had one.
 
#184
N4860 said:
Oh I misunderstood, I thought you wanted to buy a lefty burnt amber. I misread that you already had one.
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No worries... They had a black lefty 4HH back when I got mine, too. But, black with a Maple neck and fretboard, vs. Burnt Umber with a Rosewood fretboard on a Roasted Maple neck? Wasn't a hard choice to make...;)
 
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#187
I love all things EBMM and with the exception of a USA Geddy Lee I recently bought, it's all I own now. I see this bass and thought, I'd really like to have that and I almost pulled the trigger.

I pulled out my Stingray Classic (2010s) and started doodling with it and decided, this one is pretty much the same for me. I bought it used, from a shop in Berkeley for $700. It was dirty, but in mint condition. It looks and plays great. It's the one I always end up going back to.

I'll pass on this new limited, even though it's quite beautiful.
 
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#188
Todd Hamby said:
View attachment 5021211 @Mrtoodamnsabre here you go ;)
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Jaw just hit the floor

they Fuccin rebuilt the 76 preamp dude! You know how amazing that is? Those are tantalum capacitors! They stopped using them in 1980, not even the cliff williams had tantalum caps on it.

I know it’s mojo stuff but it makes a difference in sound in my opinion. Tantalum caps have a much longer shelf life than electrolytic capacitors do and I’m pretty confident in saying those look like NOS
 
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#190
"Ball Family Reserve"... Even the name does not sound good to me. In fact, it means that what they make the most of the time ( the standards Musicmans ), despite their prize ( about 3000 dollars for the new ones ), would not be high level range ?? I know that Fender makes the same with their Custom shop models, but I really don't like the way they manage all of this. Anyway, I am satisfied with my Stingray, a standard one made 15 years ago, and even though I can have the money to by a BFR, I am not interested in buying one. It is understandable to have the wish to use a Stingray that sounds as closer as possible as the pre Ernie ball ones, and that's what I want too. So, this is why I am going to get by changing the preamp for a John East, that has a good reputation for this . Doing that upgrade, will we be sure that the BFR will still sound really better ? In fact, I think that this BFR Stingray is made for collectors and not really for musicians who are just looking for getting the best sound they can. Anyway, for ending my post, I will say that the look of this BFR could have been better with a natural color for the body and a black pickguard.
 
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#191
There is also something I wanted to say about what I can see when I watch this BFR Stingray. For example, the neck has a three-screw fixing : If they have left this way of joining the neck, adding a fourth screw and nowadays using a six-screw fixing, there can be a reason !
 
#192
Sacha 2A said:
There is also something I wanted to say about what I can see when I watch this BFR Stingray. For example, the neck has a three-screw fixing : If they have left this way of joining the neck, adding a fourth screw and nowadays using a six-screw fixing, there can be a reason !
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The BFR 1976 Sting Ray is a recreation of how the Sting Ray was in 1976.
 
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#193
nivagues said:
The BFR 1976 Sting Ray is a recreation of how the Sting Ray was in 1976.
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Yes I know ! But what I was trying to say is that maybe having a recreation of an old model does not necessarily mean that the quality is better. A lot of people in this forum seem to say that this BFR is better in all points than the younger Stingrays and I just have questions about this...
 
#194
Sacha 2A said:
Yes I know ! But what I was trying to say is that maybe having a recreation of an old model does not necessarily mean that the quality is better. A lot of people in this forum seem to say that this BFR is better in all points than the younger Stingrays and I just have questions about this...
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Nobody is in any doubt that the StingRay is one of the few instruments that has managed to continually mature, and improve, all whilst staying true to its original design brief.

But for those that want a 1976 StingRay, well they stopped making those back in 1976...

Until now (and you get all the benefits of modern production, and consumer protection).
 
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#195
Sacha 2A said:
"Ball Family Reserve"... Even the name does not sound good to me. In fact, it means that what they make the most of the time ( the standards Musicmans ), despite their prize ( about 3000 dollars for the new ones ), would not be high level range ?? I know that Fender makes the same with their Custom shop models, but I really don't like the way they manage all of this. Anyway, I am satisfied with my Stingray, a standard one made 15 years ago, and even though I can have the money to by a BFR, I am not interested in buying one. It is understandable to have the wish to use a Stingray that sounds as closer as possible as the pre Ernie ball ones, and that's what I want too. So, this is why I am going to get by changing the preamp for a John East, that has a good reputation for this . Doing that upgrade, will we be sure that the BFR will still sound really better ? In fact, I think that this BFR Stingray is made for collectors and not really for musicians who are just looking for getting the best sound they can. Anyway, for ending my post, I will say that the look of this BFR could have been better with a natural color for the body and a black pickguard.
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Unless your preamp is a 3eq, a John east preamp won’t make a 2000s stingray sound more like a 76. The pickup in the 76 and the reissue are very different from the standard musicman pickup made after 78. That pickup format, 1 inch long 3/5 inch poles also isn’t very common in aftermarket basses because it requires pretty deep and sophisticated routing. The other thing, though less impactful on the sound is that John east is usually using modern components on his stuff, making the preamp closer to a 82 preamp than a 76.

I’ve played 76 or 77 stingrays before I really wonder how close this one’s sound is going to be and really hope to see one out there!

the post 78 instruments are great too! The pre 78s are definitely very different outside of just preamps!

I think they’re gearing up to release a classic based on a 76 that’s going to be around the same price range or slightly cheaper


Also that’s not to pan John east, he does a good job! And the circuit hes using is based on a 79 musicman Sabre, but that’s to say Ernie balls 2eq is identical to the 81 pre Ernie ball 2eq down to components and circuit, the board changes shape but it’s the same circuit
 
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#196
Mrtoodamnsabre said:
Unless your preamp is a 3eq, a John east preamp won’t make a 2000s stingray sound more like a 76. The pickup in the 76 and the reissue are very different from the standard musicman pickup made after 78. That pickup format, 1 inch long 3/5 inch poles also isn’t very common in aftermarket basses because it requires pretty deep and sophisticated routing. The other thing, though less impactful on the sound is that John east is usually using modern components on his stuff, making the preamp closer to a 82 preamp than a 76.

I’ve played 76 or 77 stingrays before I really wonder how close this one’s sound is going to be and really hope to see one out there!

the post 78 instruments are great too! The pre 78s are definitely very different outside of just preamps!

I think they’re gearing up to release a classic based on a 76 that’s going to be around the same price range or slightly cheaper


Also that’s not to pan John east, he does a good job! And the circuit hes using is based on a 79 musicman Sabre, but that’s to say Ernie balls 2eq is identical to the 81 pre Ernie ball 2eq down to components and circuit, the board changes shape but it’s the same circuit
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What I am trying to find is not necessarily the sound of the 76 Stingray. It is just that my model is pretty different from the one I've had a long time ago, made in around 88 ( with 2 equas ). That is the kind of sound that I want to be close to and not necessarily to the pre Ernie Ball stuff.
 
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#197
Sacha 2A said:
What I am trying to find is not necessarily the sound of the 76 Stingray. It is just that my model is pretty different from the one I've had a long time ago, made in around 88 ( with 2 equas ). That is the kind of sound that I want to be close to and not necessarily to the pre Ernie Ball stuff.
Click to expand...

A 2EQ SR4 (with single Alnico pickup) from c.1978 (Pre-EB) to current date Ernie Ball will have the same preamp and pickup as a 1988.
 
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