stingrayPete1977

Only cheaper than a new classic and only when they come available anywhere other than Andybaxters, £1900 minimum for most of his now, if they are the prices he is getting for them then the pre EB is on the move upwards, resales of classics don't look that strong either even as new condition classic 5's are dropping below £1300 which is a massive saving on list price! I still want one though

My pre EBs both have something the classic doesn't but it's hard to pin down, they certainly have more thump and from the neck profiles they feel as different again as my Jazz does to my 2002 Ray I traded on here.

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1353091054' post='1871629'] Either Sterling Ball is a m***e bag of biblical proportions, or this bass is a total ringer. If I were the owner of EBMM, etc, it would be in a glass case in my boardroom as we speak. [/quote] If they already have a X model then this ones not as important IMO plus there does not appear to be much of a nostalgic link between MM and EBMM, for me they bought a humbucker, oval plate and the 3 and 1 tuners/headstock shape. Although the design was good in the first place in reality they are quite different basses, the necks are totally different in profile and gloss finished, the pickup windings are different, the EQ's were different for the most part until the settled on 2 band,the slab body, the string through bridge, the 3 or 4 bolt necks, the standard truss rod setup, so its that oval guard and overall look that make them the same, if you remove that then they are quite different to the EBMM versions IMO

Its listed on the musicman.org site, I checked it yesterday as soon as I saw this thread, It's also when I realised it looks just like mine

Yes

Already asked the wife to see if we can raid the savings, "no"

Not many Rays have a white guard on natural, my '82 does and its grown on me and stands out from the common natural with black ones, It's quite nice that mine looks like the first one Here is my look alike! [attachment=123790:Pre EB 1982.jpg]

From what I have seen the later pre EB basses look to be better built than the earlier ones, they say the bodies were made by charvel of Jackson guitar fame.

Peter Hook bass round your knees?

I stayed on the 5 only for about a month then started to play the odd song on a 4, now I'm fairly competent (or equally as incompetent) on either. If I didn't love my '82 pre EB so much I might of ditched the 4's altogether though.

[quote name='Bassnut62' timestamp='1352739063' post='1866795'] eyes left for a glimpse of the '79 Ray I've owned since about '83. it's a natural with maple neck and black scratch plate. lovely bass... [/quote] Is it on display in the pre EB thread yet? '79 a fine vintage sir

[quote name='mikeswals' timestamp='1349808372' post='1830865'] I see another oddity on your preEB StingRay.....a fretboard dot inlay at the 21st fret. That's the 1st time I've sen a preEB with that dot. [/quote] Its a very unusual setup, I wonder if its some kind of prototype EB bass from the very start of the EB takeover? the only thing missing is the body contours as the made in USA plate I think stayed for a while until stocks had dried up and there are a few with the old logo that have body contours which pre EB never did so we know they used some old necks right at the start, obviously the bridges went on for years. Also if it had come with the clear scratchplate from the factory that normally went with the trans red I could see it being easier to miss a screw, is it even possible it came with no pickguard at all as it will have the later style pickup cutout that follows the pickup shape unlike my pre EB's that just have big rectangles cut away. Hhmmmm interesting bass, could of been played by Sterling Ball himself

[quote name='anthomp' timestamp='1328304636' post='1525396'] still with me after sh*t hit fan time...just... [/quote] Heres a funny thing, the black one is mine now! saves me putting a picture of it on here though! I wish I could of taken the rootbeer one off you too but the wife said no

[quote name='clashcityrocker' timestamp='1352833360' post='1868136'] Going to pick up a 5 string tomorrow....I gave in! It's a squier vm in natural, a lot of bass for little money. Will see how I get on.... [/quote] Hide all your 4 stringers for a couple of weeks and dive straight in with a gig on the 5, it soon focuses the mind trust me! I bought my first 5 on a saturday lunchtime and played a 2 hour set with it that night, there were a few [i]grace [/i]notes here and there but it was easier than taking both to a practice for weeks on end to try and swap onto it . Just stay away from the B at first then chuck in a few 5ths or octaves below on it once your happy where the E is, then start playing off the E on the B string and play a few scales etc, you will never go back (not fully back anyway, I still like my 4's too so it can be done to use both).

To put a slight twist on this and congrats obviously, as much as I like the yob idea, and I am still on the lookout for a mint root beer 77 ray with hang tag and teardrop case myself, if I had been given either a 77 p bass or strat on my 21st all those years ago I would of been very happy but even more so with a pre CBS Jazz and it's value even more so now, especially if I had turned out a drummer or ballet dancer I would be very happy with a P bass from my dads year of birth instead '54 (not '51 unfortunately) Just keep a copy of The Sun from the baby's birthday and put it in the case of a nice early 70's Jazz or something

Do people that play 4 string basses only play the E string then? If your playing the B when your meant to be playing the E then surely those people would be playing their E when aiming for the A and so on, I'm confused.

See I told ya

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1352644332' post='1865484'] Every piece of kit I've come across with an external voltage selector switch, has had it recessed, very stiff to operate and normally requires a tool like a screwdriver to move it from one position to another. [/quote] I was trying to be diplomatic

Only just seen this thread, outragous!

This is probably why some amps have the voltage switch hidden inside the amp....but as its a small class D head its aimed at travelling musicians that need it accessable.

13mm open/ring ended I'd say

You also get the little moustache man on the headstock so its got to be good!

They pop up on eBay more often than you would think you know, the guy I play bass for has one and its not bad at all, the tort guard is only single ply so its starting to buckle up a bit but other than that its a solid piece of kit that sounds pretty good once it's put into the mixing desk.