Stingray popularity decline?

[Wood and Wire]

In the late 1980s, after Ernie Ball took over Music Man I recall seeing used Rays all over the place for $3-400. Then in the 90s they were all the rage again and used prices went back up.

Popularity is always cyclical. 15-20 years is a whole new generation of players, right? Over that period of time I've been watching renewed interest in short scale basses, funky budget basses from the 60s being reissued, long dead amp lines resuscitated, etc.

Back then, a heck of a lot of people were dumping Pre-Ernie Ball Stingrays, and replacing them with Ernie Ball versions : the body contours were a huge improvement, and string-through was a real drawback, in terms of the availability of strings at the time, so the top loading bridge was also a big improvement (although that was already transitioning, at the end of the Pre-EB era).


Who knows, maybe there'll be a run on cheap regular Stingrays, as people replace them with the new improved version...

 

[MattZilla]

I attended Warped Tour last year and didn’t notice that many stingrays like previous years.

what basses were most prominent?

It certainly hasn't been a problem for them. I mean, look at the roster of a-list rock stars that have played StingRays over the last 40+ years.

that roster is pretty short: Macca, Sting, Flea... are there any others? One third of A-List rockstars who play bass sometimes play StingRays.

speaking of logo designs, the backwards "F" on every fender has never been criticized. it honestly never occurred to me until I heard somebody comment on it years after I started playing them.

like Ferris Bueller's sister's nose, though it's not normal, it's not criticized because it's fricken gorgeous.

 

[CoffeeLove]

I still see people playing them, including myself. The market is saturated with "used" Stingrays, which might be one reason EB has come up with something different, in hopes to boost sales. Why buy a new Ray when a used one can be had for half the price. My 2 cents

 

[mesaplayer83]

Personally I think it’s one of the best looking headstocks in the business - fonts and all.

+1...

 

[mrjim123]

I always thought, and could be wrong, that the Music Man popularity really kicked off in a big way because they were the first, or one of the first, manufacturers to really mass produce basses with active electronics. I mean, there were Alembics, but who else sold as many with active electronics during the 80's? So, IF there has been a decline in popularity then it might be because so many manufacturers are selling active basses.

 

[Yammybass]

what basses were most prominent?

that roster is pretty short: Macca, Sting, Flea... are there any others? One third of A-List rockstars who play bass sometimes play StingRays.

like Ferris Bueller's sister's nose, though it's not normal, it's not criticized because it's fricken gorgeous.

Erin gray did get the nose fixed lol

 

[amper]

the active output clips the signal when using a pedalboard

lolwhut

Not ever in my experience.

 

[Lepparda]

Hard to think of a better looking bass.

 

[mesaplayer83]

I'm sort of kicking myself for not picking up a US S.U.B 5 back when they came out.

I had a US SUB 5 for a few years, and it was a real work horse - I sold it because I preferred the US Sterling 5 HS I also had(and kept), but have no complaints about any of the SUB basses... I had three different ones at the same time:

 

[amper]

Rics seemed mythological. We just never saw them outside of 70's concert footage.

Maybe in your neck of the woods, but not in mine. At least two indie rock bands in my scene used Ric basses: Lisa Zeuner from The Angry Breed (later Surefire Broadcast), and Steve Wagner from Smashing Orange.

 

[MattZilla]

Erin gray did get the nose fixed lol

so sad.

 

[mesaplayer83]

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.

+1 on all of the above - this thread is making me want to buy another Stingray, lol...

 

[eadg98005]

Revoiced.
Powerful Neodymium Pickups
The new and improved StingRay electronics feature powerful neodymium magnets, bringing you more output and a wider range of sounds

View attachment 3097134
View attachment 3097135
New 18-Volt Preamp
A newly designed 18-volt 3-Band preamp for extra clean headroom lets you dial in everything from modern punch to classic, vintage tones.

View attachment 3097136
Reborn.
Lightweight Performance.
Weighing in at an average of only eight and a half pounds, the StingRay is lighter than ever but still packs its signature punch.

View attachment 3097137
Reengineered Hardware.
Reengineered lightweight tuning machines create a more balanced neck while still providing ultra-reliable tuning stability.

And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out thy Holy Jazz Bass. Then, shalt thou count to four. No more. No less. Four shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be four. Five shalt thou not count, nor either count thou three, excepting that thou then proceed to four. Six is right out. Once the number four, being the fourth number be reached, then, plucketh thou thy Holy Jazz Bass of Antioch at thy audience, who, being haughty in My sight, shall rock it."


(And you just read that in Michael Palin's voice).

Revoiced.
Powerful Neodymium Pickups
The new and improved StingRay electronics feature powerful neodymium magnets, bringing you more output and a wider range of sounds

View attachment 3097134
View attachment 3097135
New 18-Volt Preamp
A newly designed 18-volt 3-Band preamp for extra clean headroom lets you dial in everything from modern punch to classic, vintage tones.

View attachment 3097136
Reborn.
Lightweight Performance.
Weighing in at an average of only eight and a half pounds, the StingRay is lighter than ever but still packs its signature punch.

View attachment 3097137
Reengineered Hardware.
Reengineered lightweight tuning machines create a more balanced neck while still providing ultra-reliable tuning stability.

 

[eadg98005]

Bongo repackaged?

 

[Mastermold]

Don't know about anyone else by I dig my SR5!

 

[mesaplayer83]

That is sweet. How could you be embarrassed by that.

Agreed - that is one fine looking bass, IMO...

 

[mesaplayer83]

Don't know about anyone else by I dig my SR5!

Yeah, I'm never getting rid of my Sterling 5 HS...

 

[mesaplayer83]

Who knows, maybe there'll be a run on cheap regular Stingrays, as people replace them with the new improved version...

Boy, I hope so - I'll be grabbing one if that happens...

 

[captainofsmooth]

I think they are gorgeous basses. But in my 20 years of playing, I’ve never encountered one that had a sound or feel I like. I’ve tried to like them, but I just don’t.

 

[Continuum]

I love this whole thing.

"The Strokes" effect. (Nikolai actually played a Sterling for a bit, most fans would be shocked!)

This stems from a time when everybody either played Warwicks or MTDs or Stingrays.

He was one of the only guys going classic back then.

Flatwounds & Stingrays. "Another Bites The Dust" had that combo.

The fonts ("typefaces" as we in the biz call them).

The original headstock had 3. Prisma (likely Futura Prism), a Drawn Brush at the end, and something similar to Neil Bold for "Music Man".

Ernie Ball uses Helvetica for Music Man's logo now. Either because they're lazy or I don't work there.

It's worth noting that the current Ernie Ball Music Man logo represents a merger.

The Stingray for me, is the bass of disco. It was designed to be used by Louis Johnson, who definitely was part of the Disco/Funk movement.

Disco knocked the breath out of rock big-time. It's almost a Disco symbol. Disco still isn't cool to a lot of people. I actually enjoy a lot of that old stuff.

The Lou Reed/Iggy Pop/Talking Heads crowd resisted a lot of that modern progress. The Stingray has always been battery powered. And expensive.