Was 2006 a good year for the Stingray?

[swink]

Your StingRay5 always catches my eye.
It is such a natural beauty. The tort and rosewood with all of that great figuring on the neck and headstock with the body grain really looks amazing.

That's a great compliment, from the "sparkle-princess" you are. thanks.
Drool as much as u like (it's for free) but #1 is not leaving the collection for the next 10 decades

 

[Mike Vee]

I have a 2006... white... matching headstock... without any pedals and with very little effort on my behalf its the meanest / nastiest sounding bass I own - Its a keeper. Oddly, mine has a push/pull mid-range knob/switch. The push/pull kinda sounds like its going Series/Parallel.(I've never taken it apart to see what's going on - I like it - its working - don't touch it).

Ooo that's really pretty …. Would look amazing with a tort guard haha. Love the rosewood.

 

[Mike Marshall]

yeah just make sure the G string isn't weak relative to the others. I had this issue with several StingRays I owned.

I had a late 80's with a weak G, but with a 3 band EQ I cranked the middle and the G became audible. I think if I had just used a mixed set of strings like a Brite Flat on the G it may have addressed the issue. I think the G was so bright/ Twangy it would get lost in with the Guitars.

 

[Jim C]

I have found that Sunbeams work well in SR's with a weak G although I also like them for Fenders

 

[Mike Vee]

Hmm, we'll see if this bass has a weak G. I am not going to think about it, it should be a non-issue.

 

[tbz]

With Stingrays there are "better" years and then like standard years. I've never heard of them having a bad year.

"Better" years would be the early 90s stuff. QC was really really tight then, wood quality was really high. You'll see lots of nice figuring on transparent finished basses from then, and they often have things like nicely figured birdseye maple necks.

But they just don't have bad years.

 

[Lo-E]

I don't recall that there was ever a bad year for a Stingray.

This.

 

[Mike Vee]

With Stingrays there are "better" years and then like standard years. I've never heard of them having a bad year.

"Better" years would be the early 90s stuff. QC was really really tight then, wood quality was really high. You'll see lots of nice figuring on transparent finished basses from then, and they often have things like nicely figured birdseye maple necks.

But they just don't have bad years.

woo! well mine is on the way and I am beyond excited. just have to decide to try TIs or LaBella LTFs on this guy. i am not a fan of the EB cobalt flats. i want that Bernard Edwards style tone.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Specials don't have a weak G. I have a custom set of cobalt flats on my StingRay5 Special. I can get Bernard's tone through my Fender Rumble . But I can also get Paul Denman , Luis Johnson , and Allen McGreir. Those strings are really versatile. They can thump , pop, smooth out , and growl.

I'm really pleased with that set up. It won't clank like the 3 band ceramic ash/ maple Rays, but that's not what I'm after.

GHS flats are what came standard on Bernard's StingRay. You might give them a try. I love TI flats on my Fretless StingRay5 and my PBass.

 

[Mike Vee]

Specials don't have a weak G. I have a custom set of cobalt flats on my StingRay5 Special. I can get Bernard's tone through my Fender Rumble . But I can also get Paul Denman , Luis Johnson , and Allen McGreir. Those strings are really versatile. They can thump , pop, smooth out , and growl.

I'm really pleased with that set up. It won't clank like the 3 band ceramic ash/ maple Rays, but that's not what I'm after.

GHS flats are what came standard on Bernard's StingRay. You might give them a try. I love TI flats on my Fretless StingRay5 and my PBass.

GHS brite flats, correct?

My SR Special was the only bass I ever liked TIs on, well... that was setup low with them without buzz, and they were AWESOME. But man, LaBella LTFs just never dissapoint. Best feeling string out there IMO.

 

[swink]

With Stingrays there are "better" years and then like standard years. I've never heard of them having a bad year.

"Better" years would be the early 90s stuff. QC was really really tight then, wood quality was really high. You'll see lots of nice figuring on transparent finished basses from then, and they often have things like nicely figured birdseye maple necks.

But they just don't have bad years.

By example, and to make someone happy.

@LadyLoveStingRay5

 

[Wood and Wire]

I sold my 3006 Stingray 5 with piezo. It was heavy as well.

I would have hoped they'd have figured out the weight issue, in the intervening 984 years.

 

[Wood and Wire]

There are those that say the 83' was sometimes dicey as it was the last year of Leo and things were maybe not as organized with suppliers, etc.
I bought my 83' used in about 86' and it been stellar so not true in my case.
I've talked to a couple guys on this board with 83's and there's have been good too.
Other than weight, all the SR's have been great IMO/IME assuming you like the tone.

1979 was the last year of Leo / CLF involvement.
After that, they subcontracted to Kramer.

The final straw between Music Man, and CLF was when Leo's factory supplied 1000 necks with defective truss rods.

It's unclear if those necks were scrapped, or the truss rods were replaced, but it sounds as if the error was spotted before any of those instruments ever left the production line - so it's unlikely they ever entered the market.

 

[tbz]

Hmm, we'll see if this bass has a weak G. I am not going to think about it, it should be a non-issue.

If it does, legit just use a compressor in your signal chain. Should sort that out pretty easily.

I've run into that and I think it's something you will see when you pair a Stingray with certain amp and cab combinations. It's less about the specific bass itself ime.

 

[Mike Vee]

If it does, legit just use a compressor in your signal chain. Should sort that out pretty easily.

I've run into that and I think it's something you will see when you pair a Stingray with certain amp and cab combinations. It's less about the specific bass itself ime.

I actually don't even have an amp. I'm just a studio musician and use my UAD Apollo X. I use the B-15 or SVT amp sim (both are amazing) and always follow it with an 1176 compressor (also amazing).

 

[Smooth_bass88]

There are those that say the 83' was sometimes dicey as it was the last year of Leo and things were maybe not as organized with suppliers, etc.
I bought my 83' used in about 86' and it been stellar so not true in my case.
I've talked to a couple guys on this board with 83's and there's have been good too.
Other than weight, all the SR's have been great IMO/IME assuming you like the tone.

Leo was long gone from Music Man by 1983. He and George Fullerton stared G&L in 1979/1980.

 

[ModuMan]

Specials don't have a weak G. I have a custom set of cobalt flats on my StingRay5 Special. I can get Bernard's tone through my Fender Rumble . But I can also get Paul Denman , Luis Johnson , and Allen McGreir. Those strings are really versatile. They can thump , pop, smooth out , and growl.

I'm really pleased with that set up. It won't clank like the 3 band ceramic ash/ maple Rays, but that's not what I'm after.

GHS flats are what came standard on Bernard's StingRay. You might give them a try. I love TI flats on my Fretless StingRay5 and my PBass.

I tried Cobalt Flats on my Classic 4 and they were still too zingy for me, or at least the sound I am going for. Love 'em on the Jazz but not quite what I'm looking for on the SR. I have an old set of TIs that I bought and - being so expensive - had never committed to a bass lol so I'm going to try those.

Nice to know about the GHS flats, I'll check those out as well.

 

[Mike Vee]

I tried Cobalt Flats on my Classic 4 and they were still too zingy for me, or at least the sound I am going for. Love 'em on the Jazz but not quite what I'm looking for on the SR. I have an old set of TIs that I bought and - being so expensive - had never committed to a bass lol so I'm going to try those.

Nice to know about the GHS flats, I'll check those out as well.

The only bass I really liked TIs on was a Stingray.