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Which MusicMan ?

#41
mdogs said:
Sabre, cuz.
Click to expand...

I will say though that the absolute best MM that I ever owned or played for that matter, was a PDN HSS Reflex. That thing had more usable sounds in that any bass I have ever heard. It could send P basses home crying to their mommies and it did the Stingray thing at least as good as a Stingray. If I could have got on with the body shape and size...
 
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#43
LadyLoveStingRay5 said:
I have really come to appreciate the quality and diversity in this companies bass offerings.

Which model MusicMan is your favorite and why?
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Clear and simple enough question, but this is Talkbass, so some of us have to get annoying in our responses as I'm about to :).

I think it depends on what people (you) are looking for.

Ant Illington said:
Paging @Joe Nerve.
Click to expand...

:) If you read the thread I started about my favorite bass being my newest bass, I think you'd take that back. I was crazy in love with my Sterling, then my Bongo, then my Stingray, then my Big Al, then my Caprice.

Here's what I can tell the OP, regarding my experience and opinion.
  • First and most importantly, a neck pickup on any of the mentioned basses opens up HUGE palette of sounds that aren't available in the single pickup versions.
  • There is a certain burpy, funky, 70s/early RHCP sound that can only be found in 2 of their basses. IME. A Sterling and a Stingray.
  • The Bongo has an interesting sound character all it's own. If you watch enough YouTube clips you'll pick up on it after a while. It's a hard to explain, cuz sounds are hard to explain, mid rangy kind of thing.
  • The Caprice does not sound like a jazz bass, a p bass, nor any other p/j bass I ever played. It has a rounder, mellower tone that cuts and sits really well in the mix. It can get aggressive - but in more of an over driven as opposed to cutting kind of way.
  • It's impossible for me to say which MM is my favorite. It depends a lot on which day of the week it is :).
  • The 3 pickup Big Al is the most versatile of my MMs.
  • Some people think the Bongo is ugly.
  • Some people think the Bongo is sexy.
  • I don't think a bass can be sexy but I think the Bongo looks awesome.
  • On all my active MMs I started considering 1/3 of the way up on the tone controls to be "flat". Preamps are super aggressive, and if you're used to passive basses, doing the 1/3 thing can get you in the neighborhood of Fender like tones.
  • Stingray has a thicker, more P bass like neck than the others.
  • Stingray (mine, at least) is heavier than all the rest.
  • If I were forced to have only one I'd PROBABLY go with the Bongo but couldn't tell you exactly why. I think because I feel I have the most control over that sound for some reason (could just be I've played it the most of all of them).
  • If you do go for a double pickup, having owned HHs and HSs I've found the HSs to be a little bit more versatile. The HH Bongos I owned (had 2) were both harder to tame than my HS. Could be a placebo effect due to the dual humbuckers, but I don't think so.
I didn't read the entire thread, but I'll repeat that if the OP writes a little bit more regarding what he's (she's?) looking for in a bass, we all could be of better assistance.
 
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#45
I used to be a real Music Man fanboy - as in the only basses I'd ever even consider were EBMM.

Not the case anymore, but I do still believe that when it comes to consistency and quality Music Man takes the cake. Every one of their instruments I've played new in a store has been fantastic. They're one of the few companies where I'd be comfortable buying an instrument new online without ever playing the physical one I'm buying.

I love the natural finish they have on the back of their necks. Feels very smooth to me. My Reflex is still to this day my favorite bass neck I've ever played - and the electronics with the Game Changer system are super fun, even if sometimes a little overwhelming. That's another thing I've always appreciated about EBMM, in an industry obsessed with looking backwards and "everything good was invented in the 60's and 70's" I feel like EBMM is one of the few major companies who have really tried to create new and innovative designs. Bongo, Big-Al, Reflex/Game Changer. Of course the industry being what it is, those will never sell as well as a classic Stingray, and I don't blame them one second for coming out with the Cutlass and Caprice (a lot of people gave them grief for "just making P and J bass clones now"). Hard to make money innovating when most bassists just want a P or a J.
 
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#47
I don't play it as much because I need to user a 5er in my current band (I play a Stingray 5 H in it) but I am absolutely in love with my Classic Stingray 4 (my avatar). I prefer one pickup basses and the 2 band eq just sounds home to me. I would get rid of ever other bass I own before I get rid of that one.
 
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#49
This one...
TOWN8019CustomImage3496009.jpg
 

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#50
Joe Nerve said:
Clear and simple enough question, but this is Talkbass, so some of us have to get annoying in our responses as I'm about to :).

I think it depends on what people (you) are looking for.



:) If you read the thread I started about my favorite bass being my newest bass, I think you'd take that back. I was crazy in love with my Sterling, then my Bongo, then my Stingray, then my Big Al, then my Caprice.

Here's what I can tell the OP, regarding my experience and opinion.
  • First and most importantly, a neck pickup on any of the mentioned basses opens up HUGE palette of sounds that aren't available in the single pickup versions.
  • There is a certain burpy, funky, 70s/early RHCP sound that can only be found in 2 of their basses. IME. A Sterling and a Stingray.
  • The Bongo has an interesting sound character all it's own. If you watch enough YouTube clips you'll pick up on it after a while. It's a hard to explain, cuz sounds are hard to explain, mid rangy kind of thing.
  • The Caprice does not sound like a jazz bass, a p bass, nor any other p/j bass I ever played. It has a rounder, mellower tone that cuts and sits really well in the mix. It can get aggressive - but in more of an over driven as opposed to cutting kind of way.
  • It's impossible for me to say which MM is my favorite. It depends a lot on which day of the week it is :).
  • The 3 pickup Big Al is the most versatile of my MMs.
  • Some people think the Bongo is ugly.
  • Some people think the Bongo is sexy.
  • I don't think a bass can be sexy but I think the Bongo looks awesome.
  • On all my active MMs I started considering 1/3 of the way up on the tone controls to be "flat". Preamps are super aggressive, and if you're used to passive basses, doing the 1/3 thing can get you in the neighborhood of Fender like tones.
  • Stingray has a thicker, more P bass like neck than the others.
  • Stingray (mine, at least) is heavier than all the rest.
  • If I were forced to have only one I'd PROBABLY go with the Bongo but couldn't tell you exactly why. I think because I feel I have the most control over that sound for some reason (could just be I've played it the most of all of them).
  • If you do go for a double pickup, having owned HHs and HSs I've found the HSs to be a little bit more versatile. The HH Bongos I owned (had 2) were both harder to tame than my HS. Could be a placebo effect due to the dual humbuckers, but I don't think so.
I didn't read the entire thread, but I'll repeat that if the OP writes a little bit more regarding what he's (she's?) looking for in a bass, we all could be of better assistance.
Click to expand...

Oh, I HAD already read your heretical post mentioning your new fave but just because you obviously had a head injury doesn't mean that your old knowledge isn't good- and look how you came through!
 
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#53
mdogs said:
I will say though that the absolute best MM that I ever owned or played for that matter, was a PDN HSS Reflex. That thing had more usable sounds in that any bass I have ever heard. It could send P basses home crying to their mommies and it did the Stingray thing at least as good as a Stingray. If I could have got on with the body shape and size...
Click to expand...

I've always wanted to try out the Reflex. Looks sexy as hell. But I've always wanted to try the Bongo too, and the Big Al, and the Stealth, and the....you get the picture.
 
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#54
beaglesandbass said:
I don't play it as much because I need to user a 5er in my current band (I play a Stingray 5 H in it) but I am absolutely in love with my Classic Stingray 4 (my avatar). I prefer one pickup basses and the 2 band eq just sounds home to me. I would get rid of ever other bass I own before I get rid of that one.
Click to expand...
I loved everything about my Stingray classic when I had it, except the big neck would give my hand cramps and it was painful to try to play a whole show on it.. It's too chunky? and it's a 1.625" neck, if you've got some pull with EBMM please ask them to please offer a Stingray classic with a 1.5" Jazz profile neck. *That* could replace all of my other basses.
 
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#58
IMG_3338.jpg
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I own a Sterling 4H, a Classic Sterling, and a Caprice. Love all of them, and the classic's neck is a work of art. I'd say the Caprice is my favorite, though, and agree with another comment that they are not just an attempt at a P or J, but have a sound all their own.

I've steered clear of Stingrays because of the size, but wonder if the sound is that much, or any, different than the Sterling. I'm aware of the EQ differences, but are there worthy tones that only a Stingray can provide? I don't mean to redirect the conversation, but if anyone has an opinion....
 
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