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What can you tell me about this Stingray?

Taustin Powers

Taustin Powers

Gold Supporting Member
Oct 7, 2002
1,791
3,404
Berlin, Germany
#1
This Stingray is up for sale locally through a friend. Supposedly it's from somewhere around the 1970's. I haven't seen it in person yet, but I can check it out on Thursday.

What can the EBMM enthusiasts tell me about this bass, just from this photo? What are some things I should check out to learn more about it? I mainly play fiverbangers now, but if this has the right kind of vintage mojo, I might be interested,

vintageray.jpg
 
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#4
Hard to say from that photo but it looks like it could be pre-Ernie Ball.

Pickguard and string retainer are not original. Possibly (but not definitely) a refinished body.

The output jacks were not switching jacks for the first couple of years so the preamp is always on and eats batteries. A collector might not want to change that but I changed mine to make it more usable.

The three-bolt neck plate is questioned by many but I've never had a problem with mine.

There are no body contours so some people find them uncomfortable. They also tend to be heavy.

The necks have gotten dodgy on some of these. 12th fret kink or an overall forward bow is not uncommon. That's not just true of MM but of a lot of basses from this era. The bullet truss rod nuts are often stripped. Make sure an allen wrench doesn't slip. Check the condition of the frets - if it needs to be refretted you're looking at adding a few hundred dollars to the cost of the instrument.

The preamps can die in these 50-year-old basses. I wouldn't say it's common but it has been known to happen. Some of the very early preamps are not protected against reverse polarity so make very sure you put the battery in the right way or you can fry the preamp.

Those are all the things I can think of to watch for. Some are common to all basses of that age and some are specific to MM. Again; the photo doesn't tell me definitely that this is a pre-EB bass - only that it might be.

If you don't mind the weight, these can be killer basses as long as they've remained in good condition. My '78 is pretty beaten-up; it's far from a collectors' item but it sounds pretty fantastic and the neck feels great.

The prices of these have climbed pretty high in recent years. If the asking price is ridiculously high, you might consider seeking out a mid/late 1980s model - they had most of the same features as the originals but were lighter, had better quality control and body contours. Just my $.02
 
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#7
Taustin Powers said:
Any rough idea what would be a fair price range, if this really is a genuine pre-EB Stingray?
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I stopped looking when the prices started to make my eyes water a couple of years ago.

Your best bet is to look at recent sales on Reverb for similar condition instruments. Don't look at current asking prices - look at actual sales. Things are selling slowly right now but sellers are still opening with very optimistic prices for just about everything.
 
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#13
That bass looks legit as far as I can tell. The nut isn't original either - just another consideration. I believe EBMM will sell an original style string retainer.

This bass is very much what I would consider player condition. The price should reflect that. It's probably a really nice bass but it's well-played.
 
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#18
Lo-E said:
The output jacks were not switching jacks for the first couple of years so the preamp is always on and eats batteries. A collector might not want to change that but I changed mine to make it more usable.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I didn't know the jack wasn't switching. So you just have to swap out the jack, not the entire pre, right?
 
#19
Number179 said:
Interesting, I didn't know the jack wasn't switching. So you just have to swap out the jack, not the entire pre, right?
Click to expand...


I wouldn't worry about it too much, the 9Volt 2 band preamp draws such a tiny amount of current, the batteries last almost indefinitely (mine is a switching socket, but I've got over 10 years out of a battery before - there's video from CLF of them digging out the original StingRay prototype, which had a 20 year old battery in it, and worked fine).


But yes, you'd just swap the output jack.
 
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#20
Number179 said:
Interesting, I didn't know the jack wasn't switching. So you just have to swap out the jack, not the entire pre, right?
Click to expand...
Yes, you just swap the output jack and switch the negative lead through the jack. The sleeve of the guitar cable connects the battery negative to ground when you plug in.
Wood and Wire said:
I wouldn't worry about it too much, the 9Volt 2 band preamp draws such a tiny amount of current, the batteries last almost indefinitely (mine is a switching socket, but I've got over 10 years out of a battery before - there's video from CLF of them digging out the original StingRay prototype, which had a 20 year old battery in it, and worked fine).


But yes, you'd just swap the output jack.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what kind of battery that was... mercury, perhaps, but with modern 9V alkaline batteries that bass was killing them in a matter of two weeks or so. With a switching jack installed they now last over a year. Two weeks seems pretty extreme but I researched it and that number is not unusual. An always-on preamp is thirstier than one might expect.

I'm still not 100% sure that isn't an old refin on that bass. The cracks and the wear would suggest it's the original finish but I'm not used to seeing MM clear finishes turn quite so amber. It could be original; anything's possible, but I would look closely for signs of a refinish such as sanding marks.
 

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