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Stingray 5 30th Anniversary

I know I must be getting monotonous, but do you have any demos? Still got some time to decide whether or not to pull the trigger on this or a classic SR5...

Having had a classic SR5 and now a 30th SR5, the feel of the 30th is much better to me. The 7.5" radius and gloss on the back of the classic neck (easy enough to fix, I've sanded down several necks now) were not my favorite. I've never had an issue with pulling the G off of the fretboard, but did it several times on the classic that I had.

That said, there was something magical about the pre in the classic when dimed. Very thick, yet still articulate SR tone. The 30th on the other hand, needs minimal tweaking for my tone goals (I either leave it flat or boost everything just a hair). The 30th feels great and sounds great. The only area where I prefer the classic is just straight looks. I've always preferred the normal SR4 pickguard and banana control plate as opposed to the amoeba-shaped SR5 pickguard. That said, I'd take the 30th every day over a classic. As always, YMMV, but I thought I'd chime in since I've owned and gigged both.
 
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Having had a classic SR5 and now a 30th SR5, the feel of the 30th is much better to me. The 7.5" radius gloss on the back of the classic neck (easy enough to fix, I've sanded down several necks now) were not my favorite. I've never had an issue with pulling the G off of the fretboard, but did it several times on the classic that I had.

The radius, whether it's 7.5" or 11", refers to the fingerboard radius, not the radius of the back of the neck.
 
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So now you've got me thinking SR5 30 and a SR Classic... which, hey, great! But I'm in the "limited space" thing, which, you know what, is just fine... I'll pull the trigger when December rolls around. :)

I am, however, worried about whatever they're revealing in January for their Reserves... cause if that's a classic SR5 in White/Rosewood/Roasted....
 
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So now you've got me thinking SR5 30 and a SR Classic... which, hey, great! But I'm in the "limited space" thing, which, you know what, is just fine... I'll pull the trigger when December rolls around. :)

I am, however, worried about whatever they're revealing in January for their Reserves... cause if that's a classic SR5 in White/Rosewood/Roasted....
Headstock looks short, more like a 4 string.
 
So now you've got me thinking SR5 30 and a SR Classic... which, hey, great! But I'm in the "limited space" thing, which, you know what, is just fine... I'll pull the trigger when December rolls around. :)

I am, however, worried about whatever they're revealing in January for their Reserves... cause if that's a classic SR5 in White/Rosewood/Roasted....

That one looks like a 4....!

C
 
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So now you've got me thinking SR5 30 and a SR Classic... which, hey, great! But I'm in the "limited space" thing, which, you know what, is just fine... I'll pull the trigger when December rolls around. :)

I am, however, worried about whatever they're revealing in January for their Reserves... cause if that's a classic SR5 in White/Rosewood/Roasted....

This looks like the Old Smoothie in the 30th Anniversary SR5 package as shown in this thread from the Ernie Ball forum:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

They were ordered by dealers at NAMM in 2017. This one will come out early next year. I know Mojo's Music will be getting one as will DuBaldo. DuBaldo already have it on their website:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
This looks like the Old Smoothie in the 30th Anniversary SR5 package as shown in this thread from the Ernie Ball forum:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

They were ordered by dealers at NAMM in 2017. This one will come out early next year. I know Mojo's Music will be getting one as will DuBaldo. DuBaldo already have it on their website:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Ahh...prefer the normal humbucker instead of the Smoothie's, thanks for the heads up. Anyways, due to monetary reasons, I won't be able to get the 30th Anniv. I will be getting a Classic 5 eventually (after more debating I'd rather have that sick 2-band tone than the versatility...), sorry everyone. Although, in the future, I'd be happy to take one out of someone's hands...
 
Ahh...prefer the normal humbucker instead of the Smoothie's, thanks for the heads up. Anyways, due to monetary reasons, I won't be able to get the 30th Anniv. I will be getting a Classic 5 eventually (after more debating I'd rather have that sick 2-band tone than the versatility...), sorry everyone. Although, in the future, I'd be happy to take one out of someone's hands...

Well just got one delivered but it's going back due to some unfortunate QC issues with the neck pocket, very uncharacteristic for Musicman. Lucky for me I didn't sell my standard SR5 and since it's perfect I'll be keeping it.
 
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Neck pocket fit, you mean?
The bottom of the pocket appears uneven so the neck won't seat flush. The neck was slightly out of alignment when the bass arrived and my guess is this lack of full contact in the pocket is why it shifted. I checked the screws to make sure they were snug, and they are, but the neck still won't seat properly. The side of the neck is also not flush with the pocket itself on the treble side and on the bass side there is a chip which they painted over at the factory but you can still see the small dime-sized indent at the 18th fret. Again very uncharacteristic for Musicman. They usually have top flight QC.
 
Just when I thought I had my GAS cured walked into a local shop and they had one of these on the top rack. Seen it a few times didnt realize it was a 30 year anniversary model.

A salesman was putting stuff away nearby and asked if he could get it down. Simply put I was blown away. Lightest Ray5 I have ever touched. Asked the manager if he could weigh it... 8.75 lbs...crickey!

Going to see how low they will go on price since it is on clearance...
 
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Just when I thought I had my GAS cured walked into a local shop and they had one of these on the top rack. Seen it a few times didnt realize it was a 30 year anniversary model.

A salesman was putting stuff away nearby and asked if he could get it down. Simply put I was blown away. Lightest Ray5 I have ever touched. Asked the manager if he could weigh it... 8.75 lbs...crickey!

Going to see how low they will go on price since it is on clearance...

This sounds like a clear case of Buy It Now!

Seriously, they're great basses and at that weight... Make sure someone else won't beat you to it!
 
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This sounds like a clear case of Buy It Now!

Seriously, they're great basses and at that weight... Make sure someone else won't beat you to it!

Funny it has sat at this store for close to a year. I didnt know that it was a rare model, let alone the lighest SR I have ever touched. It was always high up and out of reach.

It stinks that I don't think I can swing it financially. Have a lot of other goals of wanting to pay off my debt by the end of the year. My partner would flip and I dont have enough gear to sell and trade up without depleting my collection. 24 months no interest finance is tempting.