Thoughts on Stingrays

I had an American Fender P. I was dissatisfied with the E string sound. I had a Stingray 5 and liked the overall quality of the MM and low end sound. If I was to get a 4, I'd get a Sterling. More versatile electronics.

 

I like my Stingray just fine. It's probably my favorite, but I occasionally swap it out with my Ric 4001 to give us both a break...

 

I have my ray 5... i like mine... excuse me.. I love mine... the three way switch selector offers a bit more variety.. the sterling rocks the house to.. sound different than the ray.. but i like it.. consider it too.. did i mention i love my ray

 

I like Sting Rays too. The only thing to look for is that the G string lines up with the polepiece. Some of them don't line up so well, for some reason. Other than that, a very solid feeling, good sounding bass.

 

I bought a Warwick FNA a couple of years ago and I love it, it is warwicks version of the Stingray. This year I traded my Modulus Q5 for a Stingray 5 and I love it. The Ray just has a unique tone that is not really produced by any other bass. I have also found it to be more versatile than I would have thought. The EQ and preamp are matched well to the pick up and the neck on mine is birdseye with a pau ferro board (i think?) and it is very easy to play IMO. Overall I am impressed with its quality and I am starting to get the itch for another one, perhaps with a maple board.

 

I dont own a stingray, but have played a few, and they are really nice. built like a tank, with killer looks. Other than my babies, has to be my favorite bass in the looks department. I find the tone very similar to my Ibanez usa ATK 5 string, though my ATK sounds more "tinny" at times. If I could get a creme Ray 5 with a blood red pearloid pickguard in the oval shape, with the chrome control cavity cover and a pickup without rounded edges, I would never have bought my ATK. does the Ray 5 appear to have edges that are more rounded than the 4? Im not a fan of that either. Aside from my dislikes about the 5 I still think the 4 is dead sexy, in any color available. (but esp. in a vintage creme with a funky pearloid pickguard)

 

yeah, the ray 5 has a more rounded edge, while the 4 is almost like a slab, with very little contouring.

I love them both though

 

I have a Sterling (still an MM), however, I play it in series ('ray is wired in parallel) and I love it.

The Stingray's great, I put mine in Parallel every now and then, it gets too warm for my tastes though, but that's probably what you're looking for.
Mine's also a maple fretboarded, too.

I like how I can just pick harder, and get tons of bite out of mine. Yet pick softer, to get a really soft, and mellow tone.

If you do a search, you'll see tons upon tons of opinons.

 

I have a 76 Stingray. I love it. It is well rounded and sounds fat..... Dont know if they all sound this way but I love mine....
If I were to buy another one, I would look for an early model like the 76..... But if you are in to newer electronics and more strings Im sure ernie ball can accomodate you.

 

supposedly the stingray 5 and 4 string models don't sound the same, even on the 4 strings they both have. Whenever i'm in a store with both, i'm too giddy with the 5 to pick up the 4, that i haven't actually checked it out for myself...

I ordered a stingray 5 ... trans blue, maple, matching, black pearloid, piezo's... a month or 2 ago... it won't be ready until mid march but oh boy am i gona be happy.

oh, the transparent bodies are ash.... solid ones are poplar.... makes a little difference in sound...

 

love the tone!!!

they have a funky midrange voice that is too cool and i wish i owned one!!!

love the tone!!!!!!

oops- i may have already mentioned that.

see:
bassplayer.com,
gear,
5-string shootout

and play one again. if that don't sell ya, nothin will!!!

 

Actually, most Music Man basses are Ash, Poplar is just used here and there occaisionally. The Poplar is primarily used on solid colors, though.

 

The 'Ray 5 sounds more like a Sterling, but it does sound more like a 'Ray 4 than any other 5 on the market.

 

There's a 6-month backlog on Stingrays???

(and I heard you can get a Fodera in three weeks!)



That last bit was a joke, just in case you missed that thread.

 

*Homer Simpson voice*

Mmmmmmmmm......Stingray..mmmmm.



Quality basses,the neck of the ray is a bit fat for my hands but I guess I could learn to live with it.

 

yea.... horrible that i have to wait six months on it, but if i didn't, i'd spend the rest of the time i owned it (hopefully forever) wishing that i had gotten the trans blue, or the matching headstock... instead of whatever the store happened to have w/ piezo's on it....

 

If you love them, why do you want to know what we think?

Anyway, since you asked: I hate them. I hate how they feel, I hate the way they look and I hate their sound. I guess I differ from the rest of the bass-playing community in that way, as I think Musicman basses are really repulsive in every way, and WAY overpriced. (They cost around $2,000 here!)

But if YOU like them, please do not let my words bother you! It's only my opinion, and we all know what's said about opinions...

 

funny.... that's how i feel about fenders....

(runs & hides)

 

And you're a Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller & Stuart Hamm fan? How can you listen to your idols if you hate how they sound?