Stingray Classic Returns

[facetsquared]

they are mostly loved here. They are. Bass la


Definitely looks off. The real ones on Sweetwater also have this "flaw." Real 70s Stingrays on reverb do not have this. I can't unsee it now!

A ‘lineup’ photo on the MM site shows four basses that have the plate aligned differently. The white one is especially off. Not great…!

 

[Johnny Alien]

I searched production jobs at EBMM. I found two listing wages: An “entry level” production position that pays $17/ hour and a “wood miller” position that pays up to $28/hour. This suggests that the mentioned average of $17/hour is not correct.

There is some salary information on Indeed

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I first became aware when they posted some sanding positions a year or two back and it was somewhere around $15 an hour which seems really low considering the area.

 

[Siiverado44]

Just wanted to add that it makes all the sense in the world to just look for a used Classic Stingray, which can be had in mint condition for under $2000 if you look for a month or two. Also comes in like 20 colors. If you must have a 100% accurate 70s recreation in full, than you have to pay this amount. This thread can go for 5000 pages and the price won't change. There's not much to debate.

I wonder how these sound compared to the classic? It would seem the only difference is that the retro appears to have a long pole pickup. I agree the classics are awesome. Beautifully built and honestly looks better than these due to the tinted Birdseye neck. And you get a normal neck plate, better bridge geometry, and truss wheel.

 

[Mike Vee]

There is some salary information on Indeed

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I first became aware when they posted some sanding positions a year or two back and it was somewhere around $15 an hour which seems really low considering the area.

I live in LA. The "area" doesn't mean anything. Just because there are rich people and expensive houses there are just as many uneducated, unskilled poor people. This "area" has a MASSIVE income difference and many, many people working blue collar jobs are basically in poverty. There are tens of thousands of people flowing in that are willing to work for very cheap, so unskilled or low skilled jobs don't pay a lot and never will in these types of conditions. If the state didn't intervein, the wages would be even lower, but they don't really allow true free market here.

 

[SteveCS]

. I can't unsee it now!

Sorry about that (the visual equivalent of an earworm - an eyeworm?), but I'm sure others would have noticed in due course.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I have two of the first batch of Classics from October 2009. No epoxy on those preamps either.

And I haven't found any of my relevant photos, so I'll concede - I must have conflated the Classic, and Old Smoothie.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Sorry if it seemed like I was going after you specifically @TimBosby! Your original quoted point is a sentiment that I've seen echoed in many EBMM threads - and I think there is definitely a true component to it (i.e., higher wages = higher costs). Same goes for materials, supply chain, shipping, taxes, regulation...the list goes on and on and we're all living that reality. Basically, basses cost more because everything is more. And it sucks because, well, who doesn't want a less expensive bass?

But I do take issue with the idea, even if it's just a feeling or a casual belief, that EBMM is somehow doing people in their region a solid, bucking the trend of...well, by implication, other people not paying a living wage, or other musical instrument manufacturers not paying a living wage, or that it's harder to make a living in SLO unless you work at the Ball plant because they pay "well". Until somebody who works making instruments at EBMM steps forward and voices their opinion on their compensation, I reluctant to just take Big Poppa's word for it.

Full disclosure - I'm a huge Ernie Ball Music Man fan. I own several of the guitars and basses, EBMM and Sterling. I'm drooling over this new bass like most of you.

I searched production jobs at EBMM. I found two listing wages: An “entry level” production position that pays $17/ hour and a “wood miller” position that pays up to $28/hour. This suggests that the mentioned average of $17/hour is not correct.

I don't have any insight into this either way, and we've veered way off topic, but just the per hour rate might not tell the whole story :

What if they also provide employee medical insurance, dental plans, and other perks?

 

[Christcr]

I like the modern Stingray's truss rod adjust at the bottom of the neck.

Oh, I do too. In fact, I wish Fender would have stuck with that "wheel" adjuster they used briefly on the elite series. It's much easier to tweak. But... I also say if we are going to do a "reissue" model, we should keep it as close as possible (barring any crappy QC or cheap junk components from the time) to the original target. For instance, my Fender Custom Shop '55 P-bass is about as close as Fender could get to the original... warts and all. BUT... I love the thing. Primitive, a bit hard to adjust, but it has an incredible sound and "vibe," and it plays surprisingly well for 1950s design technology. I wouldn't even have considered buying it if it would have had the "wheel" truss adjust, even though it's a little bit of a pain in the rump to adjust as it is in its original form. Hey, if I want a modern high-tech bass, I'll buy one (and I do have a couple).

OOOHHH, yippee! I just got a tracking number email from Music Man on my 70s Stingray. Friday. Gotta have patience now...

 

[VeryTallBassist]

What pickup and preamp did you go with to make it sound like a pre-EB?

John East 2 band and the Seymour Duncan SMB5D, believe it or not. I tried a few vintage alnico pickups and they were all a little too smooth with the John East. The 90's style ceramic pickup gave it some edge back, and combined with the vintage style 2 band it's really nice and extremely close to my old Cutlass 1. Granted - that bass may have been a little brighter to begin with since it had a graphite neck.

 

[IronLung1986]

Ahhh, the wonderful 3 bolt neck with micro neck tilt.......(cough!)........and the wonderful bullet truss rod adjust.........(cough!).

What else does it have? The battery that stays on all of the time? And the 2 band eq with the no flat response indentation notches?

I wonder if these also come in the weight range of the originals? A friend of mine in Australia has an old original Stingray and it weighs just under 15 lbs.

Sorry for my negative post. But aren't we all getting tired of "re-fried bass guitars" with rich man's list prices?

View attachment 5237261

You may have very good points with everything else you mentioned but I will hear no ill spoken of the non-detented 2 band!

 

[drTSTingray]

A ‘lineup’ photo on the MM site shows four basses that have the plate aligned differently. The white one is especially off. Not great…!

View attachment 5237768

I don’t know if any of you have tried to take a square on photo of several basses but owing to the perspective change the ones off centre, even though the dimensions can be identical, can look different sizes - same with people.

It’s especially true of apparent inconsistencies in string alignment on basses - I would suggest a misaligned bridge is nigh on impossible for a bass where the body is produced on a CNC machine with super fine tolerances and assembled with the level of skill and QC employed by EBMM. As an example note the difference in size (apparent) of these basses (most of which are identical in dimensions).

 

[eqvolvorama]

So today I tracked down a Heritage Natural Retro that supposedly weighs 8.75lb. I’ve never plunked down this kind of change for a new bass but I figure there’s a first time for everything.

 

[liverbird]

So today I tracked down a Heritage Natural Retro that supposedly weighs 8.75lb. I’ve never plunked down this kind of change for a new bass but I figure there’s a first time for everything.

What do you mean by 'tracked down' - I thought the Heritage Natural instruments are only sold via the EBMM website?

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

So today I tracked down a Heritage Natural Retro that supposedly weighs 8.75lb. I’ve never plunked down this kind of change for a new bass but I figure there’s a first time for everything.

What do you mean by 'tracked down' - I thought the Heritage Natural instruments are only sold via the EBMM website?

That is what I thought too.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I don’t know if any of you have tried to take a square on photo of several basses but owing to the perspective change the ones off centre, even though the dimensions can be identical, can look different sizes - same with people.

It’s especially true of apparent inconsistencies in string alignment on basses - I would suggest a misaligned bridge is nigh on impossible for a bass where the body is produced on a CNC machine with super fine tolerances and assembled with the level of skill and QC employed by EBMM. As an example note the difference in size (apparent) of these basses (most of which are identical in dimensions).

View attachment 5238020

Your collection is BLUETIFUL !!!
Did you have a Cruz teal Special5?

 

[drTSTingray]

Your collection is BLUETIFUL !!!
Did you have a Cruz teal Special5?

Thanks - and yes I’ve still got it (still with black pg ex your good self there wasn’t room to fit it in that photo and I’m also conscious that Scott Ball once sort of told me off on here, I think, for calling it blue!! When I went to collect it from Andertons, we unboxed it next to a guitar display, on which was a seafoam green Telecaster - my cruz teal bass was pretty close to it in colour - although I know some of those Stingray Special colours were based on classic hot rod car colours.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Thanks - and yes I’ve still got it (still with black pg ex your good self there wasn’t room to fit it in that photo and I’m also conscious that Scott Ball once sort of told me off on here, I think, for calling it blue!! When I went to collect it from Andertons, we unboxed it next to a guitar display, on which was a seafoam green Telecaster - my cruz teal bass was pretty close to it in colour - although I know some of those Stingray Special colours were based on classic hot rod car colours.

In pics it looks Tiffany Blue to me.

 

[drTSTingray]

What do you mean by 'tracked down' - I thought the Heritage Natural instruments are only sold via the EBMM website?

Absolutely - The Vault exclusive, according to the marketing. However, I have come across Vault instruments being sold by retailers (in the U.K.). Specifically Kingpin Stingrays and Crescendo Bongos. Presumably nothing to stop them from ordering them via The Vault?

 

[bcbassman]

Can someone explain to me why the spoke wheel truss rod is so much better than the bullet truss rod? I mean I get why it's better than a vintage Fender style where you have to take the neck off, but you don't have to take the neck or the strings off to adjust a bullet truss rod any more than the spoke wheel. And you still need some kind of tool to adjust both.

Don't get me wrong I love my Stingray and the spoke wheel but I never understood why people think it is such an advantage over a headstock adjust truss rod. But I'm genuinely curious to know. Does it function better adjusted from the butt end?

Why the Spoke Wheel Truss Rod is better:
1.It won't strip out by using the wrong sized Allen wrench.
2.It doesn't remove wood from the headstock at its weakest point.
3. Bullet Truss rods can burst through the fingerboard if the neck wood is weak in that area. (this usually happens to Jazz basses bc of the first fret inlay).

 

[eqvolvorama]

What do you mean by 'tracked down' - I thought the Heritage Natural instruments are only sold via the EBMM website?

Yep. EBMM has great customer service.