question about musicman stingrays

1. The Stingray isn't a Jazz OR a Precision bass. It's it's own animal. Very distinct tone. A bit hi-fi sounding with pronounced mids. But you can roll those back with the tone controls.
2. IMO, You can slap and pop on both 4 and 5 strings the same.
3. Yes, you can use a Musicman for any kind of music. They're pretty versatile.

 

A stingray is a stingray, jazz and p as far as styles are just that, jazz pickups and p pickups the stingray is in a class of it's own. I would say that if you plan on eventually playing a 5 then I would go for it now to make the transition easier. And yes, you can absolutly use the ray for almost any style!

 

you beat me moon!

 

and I still want that spector!

 

2: IMO it's harder. I say only get the 5 if you know you'll need the 5th string. Keep in mind a 5 will have a wider neck and usually closer string spacing, which can make slap harder.

 

I find the Stingray 5 harder to slap on due to the significantly narrower string spacing compared to the Stingray 4 I had.

I ended up purchasing a 55-02 so i had a 5er I was comfortable slapping on. My Jazz 4 string is my clear first choice for slapping on these days.

 

The stingray is a great bass for many things. I'm a slapper, but have never liked the spacing on a 5 string. The 4 is the funk machine IMHO. The stingray cuts thru a mix like nothing else.

 

I have one... superb basses... it's still a Fender IMO...

 

Saw this one kid playing one to Hysteria and then to Boston's More Than a Feeling and both sounded fantastic.

 

As others have stated, a Stingray is it's own animal, though it was initially described as the next step in the evolution of the P bass. 'Rays can be used for just about anything, though IMO they are not as versatile as a passive bass like the J or even a P for that matter, due to their active electronics. I find them to have basically one definable tone with little variation when adjusting your picking position/attack, i.e whether you're plucking up near the neck or back near the bridge, the tone is fairly even and consistent, which can be a great thing but also less responsive to playing style.

Still, a classic bass with a uniquely definable tone.

 

The HH Stingray is another step in the evolution as far as I am concerned. What a monster!!!

 

I use my 'ray for funk and hard rock and it works well for both. It cuts better than any other bass I have used, and the playability is bar none imo. The neck just feels soooo nice.