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Stingray popularity decline?

#82
ugly_bassplayer said:
For.me it sounds good but always lacked the bottom of a well balanced neck pickup. And imo high output is not really useful, more of a in store marketing type thing. It makes everything in the signal chain clip...pedals.... amp.....di....foh
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High output? I never played a Stingray whose output was too high. It's right there with your typical Precision.

Unless you dime that bass control, but why would you do that? I guess people used to passive basses tend to dime every knob... it's their fault then ;)

I love the Stingray's tight bottom end. It's fat, it's present, but you can easily control it so it doesn't get boomy, much more so than on a Precision, for example...
I find the position of the single pickup on a Stingray perfect.
 
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#83
nomaj said:
It seems like Music Man Stingrays aren't as popular with working bassists (especially rock bassists) as they were 15-20 years ago, while on the other hand, P basses, J basses and Rics seem more popular than ever in this niche.

Any thoughts on why this may be? The desire for passive grind is the only explanation that I can think of, since the Stingray is otherwise a marvelous instrument.
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Why do you say that? I see people playing StingRays all the time. Unless EBMM decides
to release its sales figures, it's really quite difficult to tell either way.
 
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#84
Never been a fan of Music Man. Don't like the design, pickup placement, pick guard, bridge, control plate, and especially the logo. Please don't take that as a dig to those who do like MM. Feel the same about G&L, except the ASAT bass. I'm sure my tastes don't have universal appeal either. That's a good thing. What a boring world it would be if we all liked the same things.

There have been many great players who've made great music wielding a Music Man so I can appreciate the brand. And if you rock a Music Man, keep on rockin'!
 
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#86
mcnach said:
How did you measure that?

I never saw the Stingray prominently in any genre... but it was always there, and to me it seems it still is. But Precision and Jazz basses outnumber it for sure. As always.

The 'passive grind' is a funny concept to me, for most active basses are just a passive bass with a preamp onboard... and any passive bass does get plugged into some kind of preamp too, the difference is the location and the effect that a long cable (loss/no loss of treble) may have...
Bogus, in one word.
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You disagree, then - OK. Calling my passive grind premise bogus ("bogus" - really? not pro, bro), is wide of the mark, however, for the reason that ugly bassplayer mentions: the active output clips the signal when using a pedalboard, and pedals are a big part of a rock bassist's rig these days.
 
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#88
nomaj said:
You disagree, then - OK. Calling my passive grind premise bogus ("bogus" - really? not pro, bro), is wide of the mark, however, for the reason that ugly bassplayer mentions: the active output clips the signal when using a pedalboard, and pedals are a big part of a rock bassist's rig these days.
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ONly... the 'active' doesn't need to have excessive output and clip anything.
I'm sorry you're offended, but it gets tiring to hear so much misinformation day in day out... (edit: I gave my reasons to call it bogus, feel free to say why you don't agree with them... it's a 'discussion' forum after all and we can disagree without harming kittens in the process)

Signed,
"bass player for many years using all sorts of active and passive basses without clipping poopie"

Next!
 
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#90
mcnach said:
I agree that the logo is pretty... ugly. BUt I can't imagine someone trying a bass and saying "I love it, it sounds great, feels great... but I'm sorry, I can't stand the logo" and putting it back on the rack :D
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I know one guy who likes Stingrays (hates the name Music Man) and also liked some of the Squiers he tried but (to use his words) “wouldn’t be caught dead being seen playing one.” I’ve also seen him put back some absolutely brilliant Fenders (his preferred brand) because he didn’t like the color.

So brand cachet and appearance definitely mean something to some people. I’m not one of them. But I know more than a few folks who do care. A lot.
 
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#92
inthebassclef said:
I actually had a chance to play a stingray special this week. The body maybe lighter but the neck isnt. Terrible neck dive and the bad easily was over 9lbs. Not terribly different than any other stingray I've played except it now has neck dive
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Mine balances better than any bass I own or have owned with the exception of an EBMM Big Al 4 SSS that I still regret selling.
 
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#93
EBMM has the highest quality QC and overall build quality of any major guitar manufacturer (read: not boutique). They put out consistently great stuff. I have always wanted a Stingray HH but couldn't handle the weight. Now that isn't a problem with the new SRS models and I am a happy camper. The coil tapping on the HH has cured me of ever needing a jazz bass. This thing is 8 lbs of super well made sonic fury.
 
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#94
Coolhandjjl said:
If you ask a beginner, or someone contemplating learning bass, it’s either a Fender Precision or Jazz, or a Rick. Music Man/Stingray? G&L?Dingwall? Never heard of those.

And the brand name Music Man and logo sucks. Makes me think of Hohner harmonicas or something like that.
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The bass triumvirate: a Pee, a Jay, a Rick and a Ray.
 
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#95
Coolhandjjl said:
I just can’t get past the mother-of-toilet-seat pickguard.
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I have to confess that I hated the look, and for years I just didn't even want to try one.

It was only when at one point I saw myself in a RHCP tribute band of sorts and the guitarist said "ah, you should try to play a Stingray". I laughed at him, of course, and continued using my Warwick Corvette $$ and the Ibanez SR... and one day I saw an OLP and tried it... and I liked it enough... then replaced pickup, added a nice preamp... and I thought "FINE, give me a Stingray"... and fell in love with the 2002 on my avatar. It's been my main bass ever since, although I do play others at times (Precision and P/J mostly).

At some point the Stingray stopped looking ugly to me, but I don't remember when.
 
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#99
40Hz said:
I always thought the one thing that hurt the Stingray more than anything else is the 'Music Man' company moniker and logo that looks like something off a kid's toy. And the overly busy (and straight out of the early 70s font) "Ernie Ball" they wedged on top of it doesn't help matters either. It seems hokey and out of place on that instrument.

Three different and totally clashing fonts? That mess would earn you an immediate F in any school of design that was worthy of the name. <EDIT - @project_c who teaches graphic design in a school worthy of the name disagrees with me on this. Be sure to check out his post later on for an alternative view. He makes good points. Published graphic designer @amper also disagrees. >

View attachment 3097196

And it’s totally unnecessary to have all that on it anyway. A Stingray is one of the most iconic looking basses out there. The body shape and oval pickguard immediately identify it. So why the need for all the verbiage on the headstock?
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I don’t really play my Stingray much anymore (even though I had a Nordstrand preamp with passive toggle installed). But the fonts on the headstock have nothing to do with it (in fact I’ve never even though about that). It’s more the passive grind point the OP made - my Ps just give me waaayyyyy more of that.
 
#100
nomaj said:
You disagree, then - OK. Calling my passive grind premise bogus ("bogus" - really? not pro, bro), is wide of the mark, however, for the reason that ugly bassplayer mentions: the active output clips the signal when using a pedalboard, and pedals are a big part of a rock bassist's rig these days.
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Doesn't clip any of my pedals. I guess YMMV.
 
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