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Why aren't there Stingray/Sterling clones?

#61
taylor16 said:
Obviously plenty of options for high-end boutique jazz and precision basses but none for music man basses. Why?
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Fender came out with the Dimension bass, which I guess doesn't qualify as "boutique" but it's sort of a copy. G&L has the L1500. Ibanez has Prestige ATKs. Modulus makes some that are close enough. Brubaker is another like that.

I found this in another thread, but these guy's make something close : Kinal Basses

Here's the thread : Does anyone make a boutique StingRay "copy"? | Page 2 | TalkBass.com

It also could just be that MusicMan goes after people a lot harder than Fender did when they make copies. It seems Fender only really goes after folks that copy the headstock design.
 
#62
sorry if i contradict anyone, but yamahas rbx and trbx, and ibanez srx are not "clones" of the stingrays. correct me if i", wrong, but i thought that stingray pickups are wired in parallel... or at least they have the option to. yamahas and ibanez srx's are wired all series. they might look similar, they all have big pole pieces on the pickups, but the sound and even the bodies are completely different.
 
#63
rogerbmiller said:
To be clear I think there are great reinterpretations of the SR and Sterling but they are far from clones. I think of the Warwick FNA, the Ibanez atk etc. They borrow the single beefbucker in the spans spot but take it in their own direction from there. And they are great.

But sterling sand Rays have an undeniable magic. Especially older Rays. I have a 94 SR with a neck caked in Birdseye. It is pure magic.
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+1. Having owned two '90s era EBMMs, that was a magical era for them. Ridiculous necks in terms of birdseye and flaming, and incredible sound and feel. Not to knock the current instruments at all, but wow, those '90s instruments were special.
 
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#64
I have to say I've never been a big fan of the sting ray (despite owning a turser clone) but over the weekend I tried a few of the sterling S.U.Bs out and I'm quite stunned at how solid they are. I've never liked active pick ups but those things sound great and was incredibly responsive. Plus the neck-Oh lawd did I love the neck.
 
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#65
blindrabbit said:
+1. Having owned two '90s era EBMMs, that was a magical era for them. Ridiculous necks in terms of birdseye and flaming, and incredible sound and feel. Not to knock the current instruments at all, but wow, those '90s instruments were special.
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Indeed. The B0 numbers are the gospel to so many. And while they are indeed amazing (I feel lucky to have a B02 fretless SR- as in "Holy Pino Paladino Batman!") I really have come to favor the 90s. My 94 "Birdie" and by '95 Burst with transitional bridge (oversize but no mutes) are impossible to put down once you pick them up.
 
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#70
I'm with blindrabbit. At the price, I could find nothing wrong with em. I'm tempted to pick one up used just so I can drop a set of split coils in it and see what kind of monster I can make.

edit: and like I said in my previous post, I've tried MM/ST style basses all over the map and could never get em to sound good. These ones actually sounded great right off the wall. plus at that price point, you're not going to find a guitar with that kind of construction and features.
 
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#73
DWBass said:
Been gigging mine for 2 years now. I did change out the electronics for a full EMG setup though. Neck is straight as an arrow and I have not touched it since I've had it. Fret ends need filing down but that's it.
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Seriously good to hear nice things about these, especially because I hear so many horrible things about the old OLPs.

MusicMan really is an impressive company. And offering affordable imports will ensure the company's health.
 
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#74
A friend of mine has had a single pickup OLP for years. Not bad. I set it up years ago. A couple years ago, I built a 2 band clone and installed it, wiring the pickup in parallel.

That bass came to life. Incredible range and punch. I plays great, sounds as good as any MM I've heard or played, and looks fantastic.

I almost bought an old, beat up, maple neck OLP 5 string last year. It was an awesome feeling bass but needed a preamp. I just didn't need another bass and I built my own 5 string MM type years ago.
 
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#75
SBMM said:
One of the reasons for the creation of our Sterling By Music Man and SUB Series lines was to 'gut' the middle and lower priced knockoff market with an officially licensed, sanctioned, Music Man designed product built to high quality standards.
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I am so tempted to forward this to John Hall. IMO he's just leaving all kinds of money on the table by just giving the market up to the Chinese knockoffs.

I am fortunate to have an EBMM Ray, but I'd *much* rather buy a SBMM than something from a no-name Aliexpress vendor.
 
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