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StingRay Encounters

#81
Dr. Cheese said:
Is the price SBMM’s due to your exchange rate? I would think SBMM’s would be less expensive since Australia is so close to Indonesia.

I think my Super 5 sounds great too, but it is more “polite” sounding than a Stingray.
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Exchange rate - yes, you got it in one

More 'polite' sounding - yes that's one way of putting it. Another would be
"there are few basses 'ruder' than a stingray". LOL. I find the 'snarl' unbeatable for some things, but totally inappropriate for others, in which case it needs to be dialled out otherwise it'll dominate the tune too much. Flats and winding back the treble make it more usable/versatile. I put flats on my 3EQ, dialled back the treble, bumped the mids, put a hunk of foam in the bridge and got a good sound in our small modern jazz combo. Flats really tame them a lot. You lose most of the zing, a good deal of the snarl and clank, and get a lot more smooth punch.
 
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#82
i played some gorgeous pre-ebs at a shop i visit! like 4 of them in one place, fretless and the stingray pickup do some really weird things, im a sabre guy, i like that bass' sound more than the stingray sound, but the fretless one hit the same deep lows a sabre does, and actually i think a fretless sabre might end up being too muddy or too bassy, which is crazy. the pre-eb fretless stingray i think might have been one of the fattest basses ive heard, i dont think every fretless player is gonna like it, it actually sounds sorta like a synthesizer bass or something with a high pass filter.

other really remarkable stingray i played was a gorgeous sounding 2007 HH 5 string, which i would have bought if it was a four string, i do believe that one had alnico pickups, but if it didnt it could have fooled me. shop is still selling it for a really really low price, 1300 dollars, which is insane, they dont make that pickup or that preamp anymore!
 
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#83
Mrtoodamnsabre said:
i played some gorgeous pre-ebs at a shop i visit! like 4 of them in one place, fretless and the stingray pickup do some really weird things, im a sabre guy, i like that bass' sound more than the stingray sound, but the fretless one hit the same deep lows a sabre does, and actually i think a fretless sabre might end up being too muddy or too bassy, which is crazy. the pre-eb fretless stingray i think might have been one of the fattest basses ive heard, i dont think every fretless player is gonna like it, it actually sounds sorta like a synthesizer bass or something with a high pass filter.

other really remarkable stingray i played was a gorgeous sounding 2007 HH 5 string, which i would have bought if it was a four string, i do believe that one had alnico pickups, but if it didnt it could have fooled me. shop is still selling it for a really really low price, 1300 dollars, which is insane, they dont make that pickup or that preamp anymore!
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This is very true. One just has to listen to Pino Palladino playing with Paul Young to appreciate that particular sound. Pino's virtuosity, coupled with the snarl of that 2 band EQ and the woodiness of the fretless board made for some wonderful sounds, especially when he used that octave pedal. What a superb player.

 
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#84
ToddB1963 said:
This is very true. One just has to listen to Pino Palladino playing with Paul Young to appreciate that particular sound. Pino's virtuosity, coupled with the snarl of that 2 band EQ and the woodiness of the fretless board made for some wonderful sounds, especially when he used that octave pedal. What a superb player.

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yeah its really incredible how bassy that thing gets with the bass knob dialed all the way up, it sounds like it has a neck pickup in there, without a neck pickup of course!
 
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#86
Cory rich40 said:
My stingray special 5 HH. I wanted a 5 string bass again after 10 years of playing my fender 4 string. I’ve relied on zzounds since 2018 because of their payment plans. Well in 2020, they weren’t offering payment plans on American fender products for a while. I saw a 5 stingray stingray special 5 HH and I purchased it. Fell in love with the tone so much that I sold a fender 4 stringer. A year later I purchased a Bongo BFR 5 HH. Now I alternate between the 2 of them with every other gig. I will say that music man basses ruined my love for fender basses. In my opinion a fender passive bass can’t come close. And I’m not saying a fender sounds bad
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Me too!! :thumbsup:
 
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#87
Pet Sounds said:
I have a long love-hate relationship with StingRays which has morphed into mostly a love-love relationship. In 30 years of playing, buying, trading and (too occasionally) selling, I have parted with two EBMM Sterlings (somehow I never bonded with Sterlings) and several overly zingy (for my tastes) StingRay 3-band 4H models. Quite awhile back, I had a pre-Ernie StingRay that I traded straight up for a restored '64 Precision Bass. I also traded a beautiful 20th Anniversary 4H as part of a deal for an all-stock 1967 Precision Bass, which I love.
My biggest quarrels with StingRays were always weight, quiet G strings and the zingy, zippy sound that seemed baked in to some old 3-bands (I know many love this aspect of StingRays). On the plus side, I've always loved the beauty, playability, quality components and incredible workmanship. As others have said, I've never played a bad or poorly built StingRay.
As I've mentioned before elsewhere, the Specials solved all of my issues with the previous 3-bands. Probably my favorite StingRays are, No. 1, my Amethyst Sparkle Special and, No. 2, my Burnt Apple Special with flats. Lately, however, I'm also rediscovering my two early Ernie Ball 2-band StingRays, which are wonderful in their own way when EQ'd properly!
I have better amplification now than I did early in my bass journey, which I'm sure also has helped in the tone department.
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I can relate. I think if you like the StingRay signature sound, there is something from the different eras that will be a good option for most.
 
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#88
I’ve owned three Stingrays:

2006 Stingray 5HH (ceramic)
1D1852F3-01B8-4270-B832-C807FBD3D160.jpeg




2007 Stingray 5HH (ceramic)
B2AA1616-30BE-4410-95DF-8381503B46A8.jpeg




2019 Stingray Special 5HH
CBF7E253-83EC-4BB2-B7F1-5CEFF5928275.jpeg




I still own the 2007 and the 2019 and they are lifetime keepers. The only reason I sold the 2006 is because it weighed 11 pounds and I found the 2007, which weighed only 9.5 pounds.

Obviously I’ve only owned HH models but I played an H In the local Guitar Center. While I do like the classic single H sound, I love the versatility of the HH so I’ve stuck with that.

As I’ve said in a couple of Stingray threads, on paper the Special should win the top spot for me. It’s lighter, it has a less aggressive tone with a warmer low mid focus than the ceramic and suits my band’s play list very well, and the body contouring theoretically makes it a little more comfortable to play.

If I have to pick a favorite between the ceramic and the Special, I’d have a difficult time. I say that they’re my co-number ones and that’s basically true. I enjoy my other basses, but the ceramic and the Special get a combined 75% of the gig time and they share that more or less equally. Either could easily be my only bass and could cover any playing situation I’m likely to find myself in. But, I have to admit that the ceramic has a slight edge. Very slight. However, I’ve had the ceramic for about 15 years and know it inside and out. It’s aggressive when I want it to be and can be tamed to whatever extent I need while still sounding great rather than “tamed”. It’s even worn flats for most of the last four years and never sounded tamed with them, it simply sounded fantastic.

However, I’ve only had the Special for eight months, so who knows what will happen over time? Like I said, it could easily be my only bass and I’d be completely happy.
 
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#94
My #1 and really pretty much my only, a 1996 (or 1998? it’s a little weird actually, but not that interesting) stingray 5H with the ceramic pick up. Haven’t had much time with the specials but I agree with the sentiment I’ve seen some here that they’ve made the specials a bit too polite sounding for my taste, and I prefer the 90s early 00s ceramic to the pre special alnico. The ceramic pickup 5’s are just dynamite, frankly this bass does a lot to set me apart sonically from the armies of p bass w flat wounds bassists I often share a bill with on gigs. Also agree that I’ve never seen a bad stingray, too heavy or poorly set up, sure, but never seen QC issues or a fundamentally bad stingray. Music man is really an amazing manufacture if their basses are your cup of tea. I do wish you could get replacement parts without having to send an old part back, that’s frustrating on their end. My ideal stingray would have the weight savings of the special but the electronics and pickups from a mid 90s stingray 5. Mines 10.5lbs which is doable for one or two sets, anything more than that and I just use my back up Mexican jazz bass but it’s pretty rare that I’m playing longer than 45 minutes to an hour and 15 these days. This thing plays LIKE A DREAM, the best neck I’ve ever felt, all for the comparatively low price and 1.1k
77BC2DC0-7E4E-42B5-BCAB-F2884C542886.jpeg
 
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#95
Cory rich40 said:
And talk about encounters with stingrays, I have a small observation. This isn’t my main rig, but I have used the fender rumble combo with my stingray and bongo on a few occasions and it almost sounds like its overdriving that little amp.lol. Those basses are quite powerful
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Indeed they are, took me awhile to find a compressor that didn’t overdrive my sound and suck out my low end because the output hit the compressor so hard. The TC spectra comp was a great solution as I can program the multi band to let some more low end come thru.
 
#96
ToddB1963 said:
Doc, you are right. These EBMM SR's are stellar basses, but IMO (over here at least ) they are now priced well beyond what they're objectively worth in my book. Almost beyond reach (a bit like Fender CS basses, which go for 7 - 8K over here: The Pino signature P is north of 8K - which is ludicrous. Even Ultra P's / J's are up between 3.5 - 4K).

Further, would you believe people here are asking 2.5 - 3K for nearly twenty year old used EB SR4 3EQ's? Even more insane is the price of the old vintage 2EQ's. I mean no one can dispute that they sound incredible (I certainly think they do), but 7-8k for a forty year old bass with a 3-bolt neck?
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FWIW, the Pino is $5000 in the US.
 
#97
dave64o said:
I’ve owned three Stingrays:

2006 Stingray 5HH (ceramic)
View attachment 4952356



2007 Stingray 5HH (ceramic)
View attachment 4952357



2019 Stingray Special 5HH
View attachment 4952358



I still own the 2007 and the 2019 and they are lifetime keepers. The only reason I sold the 2006 is because it weighed 11 pounds and I found the 2007, which weighed only 9.5 pounds.

Obviously I’ve only owned HH models but I played an H In the local Guitar Center. While I do like the classic single H sound, I love the versatility of the HH so I’ve stuck with that.

As I’ve said in a couple of Stingray threads, on paper the Special should win the top spot for me. It’s lighter, it has a less aggressive tone with a warmer low mid focus than the ceramic and suits my band’s play list very well, and the body contouring theoretically makes it a little more comfortable to play.

If I have to pick a favorite between the ceramic and the Special, I’d have a difficult time. I say that they’re my co-number ones and that’s basically true. I enjoy my other basses, but the ceramic and the Special get a combined 75% of the gig time and they share that more or less equally. Either could easily be my only bass and could cover any playing situation I’m likely to find myself in. But, I have to admit that the ceramic has a slight edge. Very slight. However, I’ve had the ceramic for about 15 years and know it inside and out. It’s aggressive when I want it to be and can be tamed to whatever extent I need while still sounding great rather than “tamed”. It’s even worn flats for most of the last four years and never sounded tamed with them, it simply sounded fantastic.

However, I’ve only had the Special for eight months, so who knows what will happen over time? Like I said, it could easily be my only bass and I’d be completely happy.
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part of the sound difference is your 2007 is wired is series and the special is wired in parallel.
 
#98
I can only really discuss the Specials. I have a 4HH (2021) and 5H (2022) love them both.
I played last year's 5H BFR fretless and it impressed me so I ordered the 5H with in weeks of playing it at GC.
Not that I need another bass LMAO but I would love to get a 5HH or a short scale(since it has more than 1 pickup configuration). Also it would be cool to get a USA Sterling (if only they had the same hardware as the specials). Bongo seems interesting as well so many basses so little money. LMAO!!!

Many years ago I played pre EB stingrays but it was so long ago I couldn't tell what I thought of them.
But the Specials are extremely well crafted instruments I highly recommended them if you can afford one.
 
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#100
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
Which Rumble combo?
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The 500. With those rumbles, we don’t have the option of an active input jack. I was just noticing that my stingray and bongo sounded louder when I use that combo. I’ve also gone amp crazy the last year. I would bet my other amps would be really loud to if I plugged my basses into the passive input. Remember, active basses are still kind of new to me, and I haven’t tried plugging them into the passive input jack yet only because I was under the impression you weren’t supposed to. But I guess I can
 

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