My push-pot often does not stay in the "in" position. Would not surprise me if it fails eventually.
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SBMM Stingray Short scale
- Thread starter dralionux
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- short scale bass
The EBMM parts store has a replacement for $15My push-pot often does not stay in the "in" position. Would not surprise me if it fails eventually.
It lists the US built guitars and basses it is used for…One wonders if the quality is the same?
500k Push/Push Potentiometer
Entry states “This part is not intended for Sterling by Music Man instruments.”
Yes, that is their stock disclaimer for every part. I asked about the tuners and was told that the SBMM is a licensed agreement and that they have no way to know whether a specific part will or will not fit. I would expect with a pot there wouldn't be any problems
I'm a gig bag kind of guy. All of my instruments live in gig bags and I've owned scores of them - Mono, Reunion Blues, Glenn Cronkhite, Body Glove, Access, Protec, Levy's, Gator, SKB...
I was really happy when I learned that a number of guitar bags were long enough to accommodate my short scale stingrays. My EBMM short scale stingray lives in a Gator Pro-Go guitar bag. I like everything about that bag except the interior color = white. It fits that bass perfectly, has great features, and is a reasonable weight. I was able to get one a few months ago when the price was running at $129. Since then the going price on that bag has been $169 which I couldn't justify for my SBMM stingray short scale. I was looking seriously at the Gator transit - a level below the Pro-Go. Going price on Reverb is $109. Someone here mentioned the Levy's level 200 bag as fitting and I saw one on Reverb for $84. I liked the Levy's bags I'd had before well enough so ordered it. It arrived today.
First observation - you get what you pay for. It is not nearly as substantial as the Gator but one can't expect it would be. The padding is a little less dense. There is no way to remove or hide the straps. There are only two pockets which seem to be reasonably sized. It would be nice to have another smaller pocket at the headstock.
Here's the biggest issue. The interior area at the headstock is a bit too tight. The tuning machines push into the padding on both sides. The treble machine is particularly bad as it hits at the joint between the two areas of padding. Bang that part of the bag against something and I expect you'll damage the tuner. The fact that the padding is less dense may actually be a positive here as that lessens the pressure on the machines during normal use.
So... I pulled out the EBMM and the Gator bag to compare. The headstock area on the Gator bag is a little larger, but not much. The biggest difference is the shape and size of the tuners. They stick out about 1/2 inch further on the SBMM compared to the EBMM. I hadn't thought about that difference between the two basses. If/when I replace the tuners on my SBMM, I'll likely go with the lightweight EBMM tuners for that reason.
Back to gig bags - would I purchase the Levy's again? I'd probably spend the extra and try the transit although it may or may not have any additional space compared to the Levy's.
FWIW, the Glenn Cronkhite is my favorite bag. He has retired and sold the company since I bought my bag but it is a great bag, custom fit for each model of instrument. My Lowden acoustic lives in one. The Protec Contego is my next favorite although the guitar bag will not hold our basses and the bass bag is 34 inch scale size. So they're out for us. I had a Mono M80 and liked it well enough although I think they're overpriced. My understanding is that the short scale stingrays fit in the mono guitar bags.
I was really happy when I learned that a number of guitar bags were long enough to accommodate my short scale stingrays. My EBMM short scale stingray lives in a Gator Pro-Go guitar bag. I like everything about that bag except the interior color = white. It fits that bass perfectly, has great features, and is a reasonable weight. I was able to get one a few months ago when the price was running at $129. Since then the going price on that bag has been $169 which I couldn't justify for my SBMM stingray short scale. I was looking seriously at the Gator transit - a level below the Pro-Go. Going price on Reverb is $109. Someone here mentioned the Levy's level 200 bag as fitting and I saw one on Reverb for $84. I liked the Levy's bags I'd had before well enough so ordered it. It arrived today.
First observation - you get what you pay for. It is not nearly as substantial as the Gator but one can't expect it would be. The padding is a little less dense. There is no way to remove or hide the straps. There are only two pockets which seem to be reasonably sized. It would be nice to have another smaller pocket at the headstock.
Here's the biggest issue. The interior area at the headstock is a bit too tight. The tuning machines push into the padding on both sides. The treble machine is particularly bad as it hits at the joint between the two areas of padding. Bang that part of the bag against something and I expect you'll damage the tuner. The fact that the padding is less dense may actually be a positive here as that lessens the pressure on the machines during normal use.
So... I pulled out the EBMM and the Gator bag to compare. The headstock area on the Gator bag is a little larger, but not much. The biggest difference is the shape and size of the tuners. They stick out about 1/2 inch further on the SBMM compared to the EBMM. I hadn't thought about that difference between the two basses. If/when I replace the tuners on my SBMM, I'll likely go with the lightweight EBMM tuners for that reason.
Back to gig bags - would I purchase the Levy's again? I'd probably spend the extra and try the transit although it may or may not have any additional space compared to the Levy's.
FWIW, the Glenn Cronkhite is my favorite bag. He has retired and sold the company since I bought my bag but it is a great bag, custom fit for each model of instrument. My Lowden acoustic lives in one. The Protec Contego is my next favorite although the guitar bag will not hold our basses and the bass bag is 34 inch scale size. So they're out for us. I had a Mono M80 and liked it well enough although I think they're overpriced. My understanding is that the short scale stingrays fit in the mono guitar bags.
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Yes, that describes exactly the one I looked at. Will definitely require replacement.
Agreed, the Levy's bag foam is not a dense and stiff foam, more a plush and forgiving foam. In my experience, I've not found it to be an issue, and have never suffered headstock damage to my instruments, even in much less protective cases. I don't think I've had any problems with the headstock fitment of my SBMM Ray in my Levy's bag. It fits similar to what you showed:
Maybe my roadies are extra careful?
I only use gig bags for my basses, for rehearsals and gigs. I don’t have any roadies—no one handles my basses but me. I’m very careful, so for me it’s less important for the gig bag to be super-protective.
If anyone else did handle my basses, they would be in hard shell cases.
If anyone else did handle my basses, they would be in hard shell cases.
The only time I use a hard case is when I’m flying with my instrument. That is very rare so my hard cases are in storage. Like @loucook , I’m the only one who handles my instruments. At that point, whatever makes that easier to carry and maneuver and is more convenient actually becomes the safest solution. That equals a gig bag. I would also agree that if the gig bag is too large or too heavy, it defeats the purpose as it is no longer easy to carry and easy to maneuver. For that reason I’ve never liked the Reunion Blues Continental bags.
I’ve been using gig bags since the mid 90’s. I was doing a solo acoustic gig at the time playing a very nice Lowden guitar. It lived in a Calton case which was as protective as could be but also very heavy. My car broke down about two miles from my home one night on my way home from a gig. It didn’t feel safe to leave the guitar in the car and there was no public transportation or cabs available that late so I walked home, carrying the Calton. I think my right arm was 6 inches longer when I got home. The next day I started looking for a good gig bag and every guitar or bass I’ve owned has lived in one since.
I’ve been using gig bags since the mid 90’s. I was doing a solo acoustic gig at the time playing a very nice Lowden guitar. It lived in a Calton case which was as protective as could be but also very heavy. My car broke down about two miles from my home one night on my way home from a gig. It didn’t feel safe to leave the guitar in the car and there was no public transportation or cabs available that late so I walked home, carrying the Calton. I think my right arm was 6 inches longer when I got home. The next day I started looking for a good gig bag and every guitar or bass I’ve owned has lived in one since.
What a coincidence. My roadies have exactly the same names. May be they are related ?To be clear, my roadies are my right arm, and my left arm.
What seems odd to me is that you guys both have two roadies with one arm each. Maybe two roadies were cut in half lengthwise and you each got half of them?
Picked up my first short scale today - SBMM SS4. I went to GC several times over the past couple weeks to play these and I’m extremely impressed by it. Testing it live this morning at church.
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Does the SBMM (indonesian) Stingray Short scale have the same neodymium pickup as the EBMM (american) Stingray Short scale?
I think it is the same design, but the American version is likely wound in the factory here while the SBMM one likely comes from some huge factory somewhere in Asia. That said, I have both and they do sound very much the same to my ears.
