New MusicMan Stingray BFR - thoughts?

[Marc DLarosa]

Thoughts? I've gotten rid of all of my Stingrays, after falling in love with EBMM, Sterling's. They just fit my style/ sound better. No hate for The Ray. Although... I do miss my 2010, Classic, just a bit...

As far as this bass goes? Limited to 100, they'll sell out in a day, a few will wind up here, and other places for more money. Then... well... you know...

DarkRay, anyone?

 

[rashrader]

Nope. No thoughts at all.

 

[BobKos]

That price is getting into Sadowsky territory.

No it's not. Have you seen a new USA Sadowsky under $5000 in the last year?

 

[Mike Sorr]

That is an insane price for a production bass.

 

[Todd Hamby]

I initially thought no, but just became one of the 100.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I have 11 stingrays. That price point kept me away though.

I initially thought no, but just became one of the 100.

I see what you did there. Tried to throw us off the scent so that you could snag one for yourself !!! Slick move !! Congratulations !!

 

[dave64o]

That is an insane price for a production bass.

Not going to disagree about the price and Musicman is a production manufacturer, but this isn’t a production bass.

 

[ModuMan]

As far as this bass goes? Limited to 100, they'll sell out in a day, a few will wind up here, and other places for more money. Then... well... you know...

DarkRay, anyone?

I agree with this completely. I didn't quote the whole thing because I still love my Classic and wouldn't give it up.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Looking at responses here I’m gonna disagree with the overall assessment, It’s actually reasonably priced, maybe at most by only 200-500 too much. But it’s still 2 grand cheaper than a fender or Gibson with a lot more attention to detail.

those pole pieces are a solid 2/5 inch bigger than the classics pole pieces and special routing has to be done to the body to make those work. If anything the classic was missing that pickup, the classics were great basses too but that 1 inch long pole piece pickup is a lot of what makes the 76 sound the way it does.

7.5 is my favorite radius on a neck too and a 7.5 radius neck takes more time to build than an 11, finding a suitable chip replacement for that bass is gonna be hard too, the chip was discontinued in 2018, chips aren’t super expensive but going from a couple cents a chip to ten dollars a chip adds up. The neck is a three bolt with microtilt, something Ernie ball hasn’t done their entire tenure owning musicman and producing basses with that neck configuration is gonna cost extra because it takes people off the normal building process

my guess though is that this is a limited run or this bass is gonna determine how the classic looks in 2026, I got a feeling it’s coming back that year

the classic always was closer to a 79 or 80 than it was to a 76, the 76 is significantly different than the 79 for a number of reasons but mostly the pickup

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

I think the price is great for what it is: lacquer finish, long pole pickup, all accurate details.

A real 76 radio knob is well over double that. The Cliff StingRay was insane priced for not being a vintage item. And you're still under most 77-79 vintage Rays.

and most importantly it’s under warranty and you can buy parts for it, which a 76-83 is not covered under warranty because Ernie hall didn’t own musicman at the time

 

[IronLung1986]

Looking at responses here I’m gonna disagree with the overall assessment, It’s actually reasonably priced, maybe at most by only 200-500 too much. But it’s still 2 grand cheaper than a fender or Gibson with a lot more attention to detail.

those pole pieces are a solid 2/5 inch bigger than the classics pole pieces and special routing has to be done to the body to make those work. If anything the classic was missing that pickup, the classics were great basses too but that 1 inch long pole piece pickup is a lot of what makes the 76 sound the way it does.

7.5 is my favorite radius on a neck too and a 7.5 radius neck takes more time to build than an 11, finding a suitable chip replacement for that bass is gonna be hard too, the chip was discontinued in 2018, chips aren’t super expensive but going from a couple cents a chip to ten dollars a chip adds up. The neck is a three bolt with microtilt, something Ernie ball hasn’t done their entire tenure owning musicman and producing basses with that neck configuration is gonna cost extra because it takes people off the normal building process

my guess though is that this is a limited run or this bass is gonna determine how the classic looks in 2026, I got a feeling it’s coming back that year

the classic always was closer to a 79 or 80 than it was to a 76, the 76 is significantly different than the 79 for a number of reasons but mostly the pickup

Interesting stuff. How long was the long pole pickup used? Just 1976? What's different about the sound?

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

It seems like a really faithful recreation which EBMM doesn't seem to do so often. The StingRay Classic and Old Smoothie both had the more modern (and I think objectively better) 6 bolt neck joint, where this one has the original 3-Bolt Micro Tilt, as well as the much desired nitro finish and bullet truss rod. For my money though, those differences don't make me want to drop more than $3k on a bass.
When I first saw the announcement I kept trying to justify it to myself, but I already have a Sterling Ray4 with EMG's that I don't mind, and I could really only justify an upgrade if it really was superior in build and electronics. So the only 'Ray I'd really consider is the SR Special.

that pickup is very different from the classic and the special, the poles are about 1 inch long where as I believe the classic and other ebmm basses have a 3/5 inch long pole piece. Longer poles will cut the highs and boost the bass, giving you less glassy sounding highs.

Is the the same as the Cliff Williams sig without the relic job?

. Pretty much but it’s a lot cheaper and has a pickguard lol

As an EB fanboy, I’m feeling kinda “meh” on this one.

Instead of some of these BFR’s I wish EB would offer a menu of build options instead, even at a premium cost like this bass is (ie. colors, fretted/Fretless, 2-band vs 3- band preamps, 9 volt vs 18 volt, alnico vs ceramic pickup, standard bridge vs mute bridge, etc). I’d happily pay an up charge from the standard model cost if I had options available to do so.

I really miss this company pre-pandemic when they had a bit more variety to their line with the classics, standards and still innovated occasionally (Game Changer, Bongos, etc.). Not to mentioned when they still offered fretless options as standard and more than 3 colors at a time on base models.

Really miss fretless as an option cause I think a lot of fretless players would like the sound of them, though they definitely sound really weird compared to most fretless basses, they get pretty subsonic pretty fast. But I definitely miss the alnico pickup a ton, the way the volume treble and bass knob interact is very different on the neodymium pickups and new preamp. The old 2eq and 3eq with alnico setup was much closer together in sound than the special is to either in my opinion. For those of us that know, the special sounds a little closer to a bongo than a stingray, they sounds good though.

It is not an Old Smoothie. Old Smoothie is modern construction with a few tweaks (pickup and small frets, for the most part).

This new thing is as close to a vintage-accurate pre-EB reissue as EB has ever done, and possibly ever will do. Three hole neck plate and skunk stripe/bullet neck! Reissues are not EB's thing, but I have always wished that they were. Well, this one's for me.

It’s what EB should have been making all along: pre-EB specs, but EB build quality. It’s going to be a better bass than the Leo-era ones, which were brilliantly designed and drop-dead gorgeous, but were plagued with build quality issues. It will have “the look” and “the feel,” but will be built better, brand new, under warranty, significantly less expensive than an original, and WILL hold its value well.

Bullet truss rod and micro-tilt are big selling points to me. They make setup so nice and easy, not to mention that they look 1,000X better than the modern neck attachment and truss rod. These construction elements are in no way actually disadvantageous to their modern equivalents – only in people's minds.

Lots of comments about how insane or greedy the price is, but I don’t see it. $3,500 isn’t a ton of money for a well built tool that ticks all your boxes, has never been available before, and might not be available again…especially when the closest equivalent on the market is almost 50 years old, very rare, twice as expensive, not as well built, not as playable day-in-day-out, and not company or dealer supported. On the contrary, I was surprised by how fair the sticker price is. I expected five or six grand. Those who want something this special for $2,000 also must not want their countrymen working for EB to earn a living compensation package for their skilled labor, or want the company to survive.

To me, it was a no brainer. This is the bass I have always wanted from EB, and I feel that the price is beyond fair. I ordered one within 15 minutes of finding out about them…and I already own a “real” ‘77 that I have been playing since 1988, and that is the bee's knees. This new bass easily falls in to place with a very specific type of market demand that has been there for almost 40 years. They could easily sell more than 100 of them, for $1,000 to $2,000 more each.

Now, if only they’d give the Sabre Bass the same treatment! It’s a better bass than the Stingray, IMO.

Bwhahahhahaha we all know the sabres the better bass, it’s just marketed to musicman guys so it doesn’t sell! It would be legitimately brave for them to reissue the 79 Sabre as it was 100% was, a lotta bugs on that bass. I love them though, the flaws make em sound cooler to me, I got a real 79 and a Frankenstein 84 with the preamp of a 86 and the pickups of a 79

The long pole pickup reissue is a long time coming!!!

May we please have some other Classic models with this pickup, please? I'd like a Classic with an oil finish, wheel adjuster, stainless frets, and 6 bolts. IMO, those are all improvements.

I really hope this is where they’re heading, I regret every day I didn’t trade in my 3eq for a classic back when they still sold them, those longer poles sound great too.

Interesting stuff. How long was the long pole pickup used? Just 1976? What's different about the sound?

Longer poles were used from 76-78, once in a rare while you’ll find a long pole piece pickup in a 79 but basically the longer the pole the more mellow the top ends going to be and the more responsive the bass is going to be. Not only that the long pole piece pickups were wound to be about 600 or 700 ohms less than the later short pole piece pickups, adding even more to them sounding darker. Basically if you wanted a more mellow and more dark sounding stingray this would be the bass to go for! My thought though is they probably introduced the shorter poles with higher resistance because the stingray was a hit, and it had brighter highs and people liked that so they pushed it further!

 

[swink]

Im sure they will sell.To 100 suckers. That doesn't mean they are not overpriced nonsense. Fender have been doing it for years. Same plank of wood, rebadged, massive price hike. If I was going to spend that much on a bass I wouldn't be falling for the old rehash of an old bass. An there is no doubt that is Ernie sales plan. Nothing exiting about it. Apart from his bank balance.

Here is one of the 100, and I wish you a pleasant acquaintance.
EDIT: I found another one of them for you....

To me, it was a no brainer. This is the bass I have always wanted from EB, and I feel that the price is beyond fair. I ordered one within 15 minutes of finding out about them…and I already own a “real” ‘77 that I have been playing since 1988, and that is the bee's knees. This new bass easily falls in to place with a very specific type of market demand that has been there for almost 40 years. They could easily sell more than 100 of them, for $1,000 to $2,000 more each.

Congratulations on your purchase! I completely understand your reasoning. I'm happy for you finally found your thing at a reasonable price.

I initially thought no, but just became one of the 100.

Congratulations as well.

 

[Mrtoodamnsabre]

Here is one of the 100, and I wish you a pleasant acquaintance.



Congratulations on your purchase! I completely understand your reasoning. I'm happy for you finally found your thing at a reasonable price.

if I didn’t waste the money I had on casette tapes and drum parts I would have thought twice about buying that bass lol. No joke, a fully serviceable pre eb stingray! I gotta demo a smoothie though, I used to be a stingray player, maybe that will make me come back to it

 

[Gizmot]

Hard to think of any bass that’s built “better.” Different or more preferable to a specific bassist? Sure, but EB is consistently top shelf.

Also, they are pretty flexible in my book:

if this EBMM has the sound you’re looking for and does everything you want, then by all means go for

Hard to think of any bass that’s built “better.” Different or more preferable to a specific bassist? Sure, but EB is consistently top shelf.

Also, they are pretty flexible in my book:

If this EBMM bass does everything you need and you’re okay with its high price by all means get one. Their build quality is good and for that high a price it should be.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I’m sure to some this will be somewhat of a dream bass come true.
Sonically , it would be for me in a lot of ways. But unfortunately for my hands and body , it isn’t a perfect fit. Not to mention the lack of a low B.

I think they are well worth the asking price. Seems to be a perfect reproduction. However , it seems like they would have came stock with the same or near identical Flatwounds lie they did back in the day.

 

[MMBF]

Thoughts? I've gotten rid of all of my Stingrays, after falling in love with EBMM, Sterling's. They just fit my style/ sound better. No hate for The Ray. Although... I do miss my 2010, Classic, just a bit...

As far as this bass goes? Limited to 100, they'll sell out in a day, a few will wind up here, and other places for more money. Then... well... you know...

DarkRay, anyone?

Sold out already

 

[MMBF]

Not going to disagree about the price and Musicman is a production manufacturer, but this isn’t a production bass.

Your correct this is not a production bass and EB had to do a lot of work to replicate this 76 trust me on this one. In fact they got it spot on the knobs are a hair smaller on the plastic portion that it. The company who made knobs in 76 are not longer around. This is more like a custom build thats for sure. I have a bass and its great. Hats of to EB on this one.

 

[Bass4LifeRS]

Leo is the man. Kudos to Ernie ball company for honoring his design. For a price like that I’d dig it if they started a mod shop, where I could mix and match old and new features.

 

[mikeswals]

Interesting stuff. How long was the long pole pickup used? Just 1976? What's different about the sound?

My Feb '78 still has the long pole pickup.
Its deeper sounding.

The long pole was gone by 79 production.