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Stingray Retro 70s - flats recommendations?

facetsquared

facetsquared

Supporting Member
Aug 8, 2022
563
1,732
#1
Hi, everyone. I have been trying to sell my StingRay Retro 70s for a few weeks now, but no takers yet. I guess it is not the worst thing in the world, as I may just give this beautiful bass another try. I am just not equal to it after so long with my Precision and Jazz basses.

I think part of the reason that this bass has not quite gelled with me is because I have it strung with GHS Brite Flats, which I find… a little strange. So much for my Bernard Edwards pretensions!

I wonder if anyone on here has recommendations on more traditional flats that work well with a 2-band StingRay? I tend to use LaBella Low Tension Flats and Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats on my P and J basses. But if there a particularly excellent string that suits the StingRay, I would love to hear. Thanks, all.
 
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#3
facetsquared said:
Hi, everyone. I have been trying to sell my StingRay Retro 70s for a few weeks now, but no takers yet. I guess it is not the worst thing in the world, as I may just give this beautiful bass another try. I am just not equal to it after so long with my Precision and Jazz basses.

I think part of the reason that this bass has not quite gelled with me is because I have it strung with GHS Brite Flats, which I find… a little strange. So much for my Bernard Edwards pretensions!

I wonder if anyone on here has recommendations on more traditional flats that work well with a 2-band StingRay? I tend to use LaBella Low Tension Flats and Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats on my P and J basses. But if there a particularly excellent string that suits the StingRay, I would love to hear. Thanks, all.
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To be honest, I don't have a retro-style Stingray (yet!), but I am a "serial string-tryer-outer", so this might be more "what not to do" kind of advice. Also, some of these were based upon one or two sets, so take it with a grain of salt.
  1. If you do not like bright flats, then I would avoid Ernie Ball Cobalt flats.
  2. Not flats, but I achieved the same mix of warmth/brightness with Fender Pure Nickels, just like I had with the Cobalt flats.
  3. D'Addario Chromes are fairly bright when brand new. Other may have something different to say about ones that are well broken-in.
  4. Ernie Ball Group III's seem to sound a lot like Chromes...at least, to my ears.
  5. DR Legends were very warm, thumpy and not much to my taste. However, if I were in a Motown-style band, I would give them a second chance.
 
#5
facetsquared said:
Hi, everyone. I have been trying to sell my StingRay Retro 70s for a few weeks now, but no takers yet. I guess it is not the worst thing in the world, as I may just give this beautiful bass another try. I am just not equal to it after so long with my Precision and Jazz basses.

I think part of the reason that this bass has not quite gelled with me is because I have it strung with GHS Brite Flats, which I find… a little strange. So much for my Bernard Edwards pretensions!

I wonder if anyone on here has recommendations on more traditional flats that work well with a 2-band StingRay? I tend to use LaBella Low Tension Flats and Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats on my P and J basses. But if there a particularly excellent string that suits the StingRay, I would love to hear. Thanks, all.
Click to expand...
I really like the Ernie Ball Cobalt flats on my Stingrays.
They start out a bit bright, but they mellow out really nicely, and retain some top end that makes the slap tone more modern than other flatwounds.
I feel like those strings are a great match for Stingrays.
I find Stingrays in general to be a bit aggressive on the top end so flatwounds sound really good to me on them.
 
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#6
My default flat - my starting point - if I'm stringing up a bass and haven't decided which flats will work best is Ernie Ball Group Flats. I like the Group IV, personally. I feel that the EB Group Flats occupy a really good middle ground in terms of both tone and feel. The tension and flexibility are right down the middle between very flexible (TIs) and very stiff (Chromes or GHS Precision Flats) and the tone is right in the middle of modern/bright and old school/thumpy.

They're a great all-around flat and give a good base line (bass line?) to adjust from.
 
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#7
I am going to strongly recommend Dogal JH-172 Flats. These are the greatest strings I have ever had on a Stingray. I have the JH-172s on several basses and they are great on all of them. They are truly the best on the Ray.

Yes they are expensive($150) and I am not you so your opinion may be different. I honestly never had a better(for Me) combination af bass & strings in about 48 years of trying.
 
#8
As close to the Bernard Edwards "real deal" as I'll ever get ... because I didn't get on with GHS Brite Flats, either. This is my '79, and it wears EB Group IV flats. Neither modern (like Cobalt Flats) nor vintage (like La Bella), the EB Group flats slot right about where Brite Flats do, tonally, without the stiffness and grippy texture. IMO. These EB flats string through body fine, and are neither bridge cables nor licorice whips.

20250319_123305.jpg
 
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#10
facetsquared said:
Hi, everyone. I have been trying to sell my StingRay Retro 70s for a few weeks now, but no takers yet. I guess it is not the worst thing in the world, as I may just give this beautiful bass another try. I am just not equal to it after so long with my Precision and Jazz basses.

I think part of the reason that this bass has not quite gelled with me is because I have it strung with GHS Brite Flats, which I find… a little strange. So much for my Bernard Edwards pretensions!

I wonder if anyone on here has recommendations on more traditional flats that work well with a 2-band StingRay? I tend to use LaBella Low Tension Flats and Thomastik Infeld Jazz Flats on my P and J basses. But if there a particularly excellent string that suits the StingRay, I would love to hear. Thanks, all.
Click to expand...
have you tried rounds with it? For me the classic Sting Ray sound was always with rounds.
 
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#11
I generally keep rounds on my Stingray but I tried a few sets of flats. Like others here, I felt like the Ernie Ball Stainless Steel 5 String flats were the best. They were a good balance of zingy and thumpy.

I like Chromes and EB Cobalt flats also but they sound a lot like rounds so I just go with rounds. Chromes mellow after about a month of use and get to a pretty good spot but they are still not quite as good as the Ernie Ball flats in my opinion. Labellas are too old-school for me and I don't want to fork out the cash for TI.

I'd like to try the Labella Olinto flats sometime but I will put them on my L-2500 instead of my Stingray.
 
#13
iTzPrime said:
have you tried rounds with it? For me the classic Sting Ray sound was always with rounds.
Click to expand...


After 24 years playing Stingray5s as my main bass I've lately found I LOVE them on pretty used (or even what popular consensus would label "dead") rounds for fingerstyle. Fret/finger noise get dampened, but the punch and authority are still there, full blast. Some compression and some preampin' (fattening, maybe some slight crunch/grunt) and I'm ready to funk, soul or even ska/rocksteady to death

I use new rounds and pick the heck out of them for punk/metal, but for fingerstyle it's tasty dead rounds for me on Musicmen. Not only that, I've had one of my SR5s strung with flats for about 3 years and, even tho' I tried my best to like it, I didn't enjoy the feel nor found a tone I really liked. Probably 95% my fault/lack, I'm more comfortable with how rounds respond to my touch, and also the kind of attack I get with them. I also ended up using rounds in my fretless (not gigged, just a cheap "recreational" Tony Franklin inspired parts PJ 5er). But, unlike with my Stingrays, I like fresher rounds on it.

I say try some dead rounds, it might be free, just don't throw away your next used set. I wasn't playing my Rays on my own because of their "in your faceness". For me there's hardly anything comparable to a Musicman in almost any band context/mix. OTOH I prefer anything else (more tame creatures) for playing home. But since I have either of them with dead rounds I enjoy and connect with the solo Musicman tone more and more.
 
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#16
Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone! I am leaning towards the Cobalts, given so many of you rate them so highly. I also found a spare set of Group III flats (same gauge as the Super Slinky rounds that were fitted as factory). Maybe they could be a good bet, too? Just being careful to not waste another set of strings after I failed to get along with the Brite Flats.

Failing that, maybe I should go the LaBella LTF route? I love the woody thump they give on one of my P basses, and I think they could be interesting on a StingRay. The TIs maybe not so much.
 
#17
facetsquared said:
Thanks for all the recommendations, everyone! I am leaning towards the Cobalts, given so many of you rate them so highly. I also found a spare set of Group III flats (same gauge as the Super Slinky rounds that were fitted as factory). Maybe they could be a good bet, too? Just being careful to not waste another set of strings after I failed to get along with the Brite Flats.

Failing that, maybe I should go the LaBella LTF route? I love the woody thump they give on one of my P basses, and I think they could be interesting on a StingRay. The TIs maybe not so much.
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Group III should give good thump.
 
#19
mikeswals said:
Dunlop Flats, very supple, flexible, and to me feel and sound like the steel string they are.

I didn't get along with LTF because they sound 'plastic-y', and the limp noodle JF's drove me nuts.
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Right. I use Dunlop flats on all the basses that use.flatwounds I remember that the first Music Man Stingrays that came out had flat wound strings. They were not bright but sounded great when played with a pick. They are fairly low tension but not loose. I like them better than LaBella LTFs. They are not an especially bright bass string so it depends on what you want the Stingray Retro to sound like.
 

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