Stingray Special. Anything I should know before ordering?

[Muttleybass]

Huge MusicMan fan here. I had a 4 string Sterling that I absolutely loved. Then when I switched to playing 5 strings I wanted a 5HH Special so bad I could taste it. Then I tried a few. Not just one, but a couple. Everything is perfect about the bass. Quality, sound, look... but the G string kept slipping off the neck whenever I got near the 12th fret. None of my other basses do that. I could be extra careful with my fingering, but if I'm paying almost $3,000 CDN for a top end bass, it should be perfect. That issue is just unacceptable and totally disappointing. So, I went with a Sandberg California II Dark Glass.

 

[Dasgre0g]

The G sting is not weak on the Specials. I obviously have no issue with G string weakness or pulling of fretboard . I own 3 of them. But to be fair, I am a female with small hands and short fingers . I find these basses to be the most comfortable 5 strings along with my Sandberg.

I’ll admit to owning and selling my first StingRay5 Special HH Aqua Sparkle because I didn’t give myself Enough time to adapt to it. I found the neck pickup got in the way of my slapping and the switching wasn’t giving me what I needed, so I thought . After returning to the single H, I became more acquainted with the instrument and bought a Fretless and HH. My technique has cleaned up quite a bit. I learned more about how to get the sounds I needed with the right EQ and amp settings/ pairings.
Strings are also important . I run custom lights and extra slinky on everyone of my basses. No more fighting and no more string slipping issues . I use a much lighter touch and get more out of my basses than ever before.

Basses are not one size fits all. If you have larger hands and a heavier hand approach , it might not work for you.
For me they are perfect.

Thank you.

 

[_Obra_]

Specials and ''Before specials'' are so much different, especially regarding that G string.
OP asked about Special, so all the answers describing ''before special'' problems are just gonna confuse him.

NO problems with weak G string on Special, no ''dead'' E string, no frequent neck movement, no heavy weight pieces...(not talking about differences in preamp and sound).

My Special 4H is perfect, and also dont have a problem on 5H with G string slipping.
My advice is just go for it, you will be very satisfied.

 

[Geri O]

Let’s clear this up once and for all, guys…

The proximity of the G string to the edge of the fingerboards of the MM 5-strings is a result of the narrow spacing of the strings. Not a design flaw or fault of the bass. And ultimately, one has to decide if they want to play basses with such narrow string spacings. It’s a choice, not a design flaw to overcome.

I positively don’t care what anyone buys or doesn’t buy. But this nonsense of a “design flaw” is pure ignorance. And how much of a “flaw can it be if there’s a huge boatload of players out there playing SR5s (including me)?

Just the FACTs, MA’AMs….

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Huge MusicMan fan here. I had a 4 string Sterling that I absolutely loved. Then when I switched to playing 5 strings I wanted a 5HH Special so bad I could taste it. Then I tried a few. Not just one, but a couple. Everything is perfect about the bass. Quality, sound, look... but the G string kept slipping off the neck whenever I got near the 12th fret. None of my other basses do that. I could be extra careful with my fingering, but if I'm paying almost $3,000 CDN for a top end bass, it should be perfect. That issue is just unacceptable and totally disappointing. So, I went with a Sandberg California II Dark Glass.

Perfection is like beauty… it’s in the eye of the beholder or the one holding the bass. I can back and forth between my Specials and my Sandberg without any issues. I own them all for what they bring to the table. I own multiple Specials because they all play and feel the same.
I own my Sandberg because it doesn’t play feel or sound the same.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I am most likely going to get a Special 4H sometime this year.

But if I was to go 5 String; Stingray5 would be eliminated based on tight string spacing and G Sting on the edge.

At my age now not willing to ' Put in the Work' to adapt as one member chastised

Going 5 String first look would be G&L CLF L2500 750

 

[pbass6811]

I’m about to order a Stingray 5 H special in black with maple neck. Unfortunately nobody has any in stock for me to try anywhere close by so I have to order and hope for the best. They do have a 30 return policy though. Before I commit to ordering is there anything I should know in advanced like common issues etc? Has anyone got a heavy one compared to the advertised weight from Ernie Ball website? Do you love the sound?
Thanks

My 5HH Special in Black & Maple should be here tomorrow or Tuesday. I just got a 4H last week. These are my, I dunno, 7th & 8th(or 9th & 10th, not really sure)Stingrays. I'm well aware of the G-string "issue", as I've experienced it on previous SR5's. Having said that, I find that as my technique has improved, the "issue" isn't really much of an issue. I've also found that as I've become more proficient, I'm starting to prefer tighter string spacing.

With the Specials, EB seems to have addressed everything being criticized, namely, redesigning the pickups so that the strings are always over the pole pieces. Weak sounding strings were not a thing I noticed with my two previous Stingray Specials.

I've been playing Spector basses for the last couple of years, and I'll continue to do so, but these SRS's are fantastic and a different, but equally awesome, sound for me to work with.

Specials and ''Before specials'' are so much different, especially regarding that G string.
OP asked about Special, so all the answers describing ''before special'' problems are just gonna confuse him.

NO problems with weak G string on Special, no ''dead'' E string, no frequent neck movement, no heavy weight pieces...(not talking about differences in preamp and sound).

My Special 4H is perfect, and also dont have a problem on 5H with G string slipping.
My advice is just go for it, you will be very satisfied.

@_Obra_ , most definitely, knows what he's talking about. I've watched a bunch of his videos and the man can play and he's got a wide variety of basses! If you haven't seen any of his YouTube vids, look him up, it's good stuff!

 

[Kilgore777]

Perfection is like beauty… it’s in the eye of the beholder or the one holding the bass. I can back and forth between my Specials and my Sandberg without any issues. I own them all for what they bring to the table. I own multiple Specials because they all play and feel the same.
I own my Sandberg because it doesn’t play feel or sound the same.
View attachment 4937112

You are a bass playing lady after my heart! I have pared down to just three basses and one is a 4 HH SR Special and one is a Sandberg "PJ" (VT - 4 string with Lindy Fralin PUs). They are the best basses that I have ever played (and I have gone through a number, including a 1961 "all original" P-Bass). I love them both for different reasons and they so different. Both have great tone and the Sandberg's neck is probably the easiest that I have ever played. The Special will always have a place in my heart as it is just so bad-ass (and those tones..... ahhhh)... it is built like a freakin' tank! But the Sandberg is light as a feather.... very different but both are so good.

 

[roccobladr]

I always thought the G string issue on my SR5HH was just my aggressive playing. Glad it’s not just me.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

What does that even mean? Design in the real physical world means compromise. For some people those compromises are a nonstarter, for others a nonissue; only you can decide where you fall on that spectrum.

OP asked
"...is there anything I should know in advanced like common issues etc"

I believe that once you get north of two grand, there should be absolutely no issues and no compromises. The design of the StingRay is a proven winner; it's success speaks to this.

 

[Roger W]

OP asked
"...is there anything I should know in advanced like common issues etc"

I believe that once you get north of two grand, there should be absolutely no issues and no compromises. The design of the StingRay is a proven winner; it's success speaks to this.

There are compromises in everything. A pickup truck makes compromises between mileage and the ability to haul small loads. Compromise is a part of design and engineering.

 

[ics1974]

Thanks everyone. Since I already own a Stingray 5 HH from 2007 I don’t really notice the g string as much a problem. I assume the Stingray Special 5 H would be the same. Everything else seems like a great improvement. I ordered the bass and hopefully I can get it sooner then later. Again thanks for everyone’s input

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Thanks everyone. Since I already own a Stingray 5 HH from 2007 I don’t really notice the g string as much a problem. I assume the Stingray Special 5 H would be the same. Everything else seems like a great improvement. I ordered the bass and hopefully I can get it sooner then later. Again thanks for everyone’s input

Congrats !! Looking forward to your initial impressions and pics. I hope you enjoy it even more then your current one.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

There are compromises in everything. A pickup truck makes compromises between mileage and the ability to haul small loads. Compromise is a part of design and engineering.

Hmmm. So what's the compromise in my main bass, a USA Lakland 4460? Because I've probably done about 1,500 gigs on that thing and I cannot find a single issue.

 

[Roger W]

Hmmm. So what's the compromise in my main bass, a USA Lakland 4460? Because I've probably done about 1,500 gigs on that thing and I cannot find a single issue.

You seem to be equating “compromise” with “compromise in quality”. The compromises in your 4460 derive from many design decisions initially made by Leo Fender. The 4460 (I’ve owned both a Skyline and USA version) is meant to be a “better” Jazz bass. I’m putting better in quotes because not everyone will agree that the 4460 is better. Fender’s design goals were to make a more portable bass instrument that could be played with precision via frets and that, because of its resemblance to the guitar, could be used by guitarists. He was already following the manufacturing ideas of Eli Whitney and Henry Ford (interchangeable parts, assembly line production) to produce Telecasters and he carried that forward into both the P bass and Jazz.
Your 4460, like the Jazz bass, has a scale length of 34 inches, 12 inches shorter than most double basses, a bolt-on neck, not a set neck, and a solid body with two single coil pickups. Why isn’t it the same scale length as a double bass? Because it would be impossible for you to play while it was hanging off your shoulder like a guitar. It would also be less portable in general. Fender made compromises as part of the design process and Lakland worked within those same constraints.
Compromise is inherently part of the design process for anything. The design constraints and compromises of a 1 ton pickup are necessarily different than than those of a VW Beetle. To say that there are no compromises in your Lakland 4460 is inaccurate but doesn’t mean it’s a bad bass at all.

 

[jivetkr]

I think the 5 H is better than the HH. Being able to run the pickup in series is where it’s at for me.

 

[jd50]

Maybe it's my playstyle but I've never had a problem with the G string coming off the side of the fretboard. I've owned multiple SR 5s, Special 5s, and BFR 5s.