Lol. Mine came wth the truss rod wheel tool as well. I thought it was a one off mistake.
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Stingray Classic Returns
- Thread starter LadyLoveStingRay5
- Start date
Seems silly to include, but all the case-candy bags seem to come with the truss-rod tool. Probably easier to provide the same bag for all basses than to have a specific Retro bag.
How does it sound?
Also just curious if the A note on the E string has less sustain then the other notes like mine?
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I dream of a 5-string Old Smoothie.
Odd. I've had countless EBMM with truss rod wheel and have never had a factory tool.
EB was saving them for the Retro series.
So far pretty good - bearing in mind it's sporting fresh out of the pack flats and is "almost " setup. I don't have the "clank" I typically associate with 'rays from past experiences.
String presence / output seems consistent. I haven't touched the pickup from factory height but dropped the action a bit and none of the strings are coming across as "weak".
Volume full up, treble I guess 25%, bass 50% seems like an ok starting point with mediocre headphones to me but obviously need to get familiar here. Hard to judge but approximate settings. I am waiting on my amp to get serviced then I should really be able to get a better sense of things.
Sustain seems good aside from the g string 7th fret but that isn't unusual.
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Cool. just curious if the A note on the E string has less sustain then the other notes like mine did?
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Spent a little time trying it out and it seems to me that notes from 5th to 7th fret E don't last as long as others. If I ditch these strings and fall back to stainless rounds I can check again but I want to try to give these a fair shot first.
This is pretty much the same as what I discovered with the 5th being the worst. 6th and 7th was not as bad but yes less sustain then the rest. Putting a capo on the headstock helps.That tells me it’s not the strings.
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They’re a fairly recent addition, along with the draw-string bag. Available for $5 from EBMM if you like; $12 with the bag, hex wrenches, various wipes and a sticker.
That is disappointing - I'm sorry it wasn't what it should have been.
Your comments made me having a closer look at my Retro-Ray.
Headphones on and here we go:
- The pickup is fine.
- The A-note on the E-string. No issues.
- Dead-spots on the G-string D & E-flat notes. The notes are there for a 2-3 seconds, but flow into a metallic like high pitched ringing real fast.
- The weight checked on a detailed scale. 10.2
The bass sounds and looks amazing.
The weight, that is something I need to think about. It's quite a lot heavier (2 pounds) than I am used to, although it's perfectly balanced playing seated. I wish more shops list the (exact) weight.
The dead notes put me off a little bit to be honest.
I'm going to leave it in the case for a few hours and give it another spin later today, and make up my mind.
I am open to opinions
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Are these dead spots perhaps the nature of this beast? I’m just asking because I’ve never played one but maybe this is why changes were made to this design?
I’ve heard people complain about StingRays having a weak G string. Maybe this is what they were referring to.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/do-stingrays-have-the-infamous-dead-spot.1507579/
As for that “ metallic high pitch ring”…. that is exactly what I don’t like about certain era of StingRay basses. The Old Smoothie, Specials, and passive Short Scales don’t have what I call that “ metallic ping”. Ernie Ball Slinky ( Cobalt) Flats might help tame that metallic ring and still give you punch and sustain.
I’ve heard people complain about StingRays having a weak G string. Maybe this is what they were referring to.
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/do-stingrays-have-the-infamous-dead-spot.1507579/
As for that “ metallic high pitch ring”…. that is exactly what I don’t like about certain era of StingRay basses. The Old Smoothie, Specials, and passive Short Scales don’t have what I call that “ metallic ping”. Ernie Ball Slinky ( Cobalt) Flats might help tame that metallic ring and still give you punch and sustain.
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I have that 'metallic ring' with Special in same area after 3/4 seconds holding note not on initial attack of note no Ping sound.
It is not a problem for me since I never hold any G string notes that long and only noticed because after reading recent post I checked every note on Bass by letting them ring out
[ I have felt those notes just a tad in neck on initial attack but sounded fine within Music.]I don't consider them 'Dead Spots' when compared to my past P basses
I think you are right. It must be the design because all three of us are experiencing dead spots. My other stingrays don’t have them. Personally it wouldn’t be much of an issue to me if on the G string but on the E string is a big issue.
Personally I don’t think it’s a dig deal if on the G string. The weight is a little on the heavier side. Looks like they very allot. Mine was 8.9 lbs. that is the lightest I have heard of so far.That is disappointing - I'm sorry it wasn't what it should have been.
Your comments made me having a closer look at my Retro-Ray.
Headphones on and here we go:
I don't know what to say. Should you go or should you stay:
- The pickup is fine.
- The A-note on the E-string. No issues.
- Dead-spots on the G-string D & E-flat notes. The notes are there for a 2-3 seconds, but flow into a metallic like high pitched ringing real fast.
- The weight checked on a detailed scale. 10.2
The bass sounds and looks amazing.
The weight, that is something I need to think about. It's quite a lot heavier (2 pounds) than I am used to, although it's perfectly balanced playing seated. I wish more shops list the (exact) weight.
The dead notes put me off a little bit to be honest.
I'm going to leave it in the case for a few hours and give it another spin later today, and make up my mind.
I am open to opinions
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The only bolt on neck I don't have that g string 7th fret thing happen to me on is my Fender VI.
The balance of mine is excellent, I tried it with one of those really slick couch seatbelt straps and it stayed put. Even though it's apparently 1 pound heavier it "feels" about the same as my 8.8 precision bass holding both together.
The balance of mine is excellent, I tried it with one of those really slick couch seatbelt straps and it stayed put. Even though it's apparently 1 pound heavier it "feels" about the same as my 8.8 precision bass holding both together.
