pineweasel

Have you tried a Sandberg Superlight?

She's a great all-round musician, singer and songwriter too. Her debut album The Corporate World came out in 1988 and really should have been a hit. The single:

The EBMM FAQ states that you should adjust the truss rod with the strings under tension

Sounds like the neck is bowed backwards, so the strings are too low and rattle on the frets? In which case you need to loosen the truss rod in order to let the string tension pull the neck forward again. I also have a Stingray which is very susceptible to changes in the weather, and had to tweak it a bit last week.

The link in my original post above works for me.

Another vote for Dunlops. My recent flats experience has been Chromes (too stiff), TI Jazz Flats (too floppy), Dunlops (just right)

I find the soloed split humbucker of my TM5 slightly disappointing, with noticable volume drop and so-so tone. Certainly not much jazz bass honk and the least useful pickup setting. I will add that I've not played the bass through a loud amp and with my band yet, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt. According to my instruction leaflet it's the neck coils that remain active.

They are made in San Luis Obispo, just as they have always been. There’s a dubious new law which says you can’t say something is made in the USA unless it’s 100% American sourced, and as EBMM probably get some small components from elsewhere they have chosen to play safe. American Fenders don’t say Made in USA anymore for the same reason.

That was a great show. Chris McQueen was playing a nice looking Moollon Tele too.

It's a tough one. It took me several months to go from being able to play the whole song slowly to get up to speed, practising several times a week for 30 mins or so. I used a metronome and gradually increased the tempo. Usually I tried to play the whole song, occasionally repeating specific sections that were particularly troublesome. When you play the song you get some respite from the 16th notes at the chorus. Of course, the first time I played it live our drummer kicked it off even faster than the recording!

Bought a five string D’Addario set last month, purple B. But the tapered B I got separately was gold.

The body shape change was more recent than the name change, so you can find VM5s with the old shape.

Try emailing Hipshot. They are very helpful in my experience.

I don’t know about cheaper options, but the Pro-Ject Juke E is well regarded integrated turntable and amplifier, just needing a pair of speakers (which you can find bundled for under £500 total) e.g https://homeavdirect.co.uk/pro-ject-juke-box-e-all-in-one-turntable-q-acoustics-3010-speakers

iRig UA? https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irigua/ Oh hang on, only one input there..

Pick Up The Pieces

“The bass sounds live, but it’s actually midi. I grew up on Daft Punk, the Bee Gees and some cool European DJs, so those bass lines are ingrained in my soul. It’s like my favorite mix of disco and Euro-funk stuff. Also, with the wonderful world of midi, you don’t have to be the best bass player. You can play it [rough] on keyboard, and go in and fix it. I’m definitely not the best musician, but I can hear it in my head and make it happen with midi.” https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ian-kirkpatrick-songwriter-2020.htm

The 80s songs my band play go down really well, e.g Footloose, Let’s Dance, The Heat Is On. I really enjoy playing them too.

I have the first three instruments I bought: a £30 Kay classical guitar in 1979, an Aria steel-string acoustic in 1980 and my Westone Thunder 1-A bass in 1983. Still play them all from time to time.

Does the Ray 34 have the oil & wax neck finish? This does leave the wood more exposed to humidity changes than a poly coat. I’ve noticed it with my own Stingray.

Looks like it's this one:

I’d be checking out the Wilcock short scales https://www.wilcocklondon.com

Stability of the saddles themselves? Most replacement bridges are better engineered and hold the saddles firmly in place, whereas they can wander a bit on the simple BBOT.

Would this actually work though? Surely a big part of the Stingray tone is the MM preamp?

I have a a TM5 Superlight and agree with all this. It's the lightest solid guitar of any kind that I have owned. It's also the best playing one, I think due to it having a Plek setup at the factory. My only concern is that the Paulownia body may be susceptible to dents. I've also been considering a Stingray Special, but I wouldn't think of them as especially lightweight. Lighter than previous Stingrays to be sure, but most of them are still in the 8-9lbs range.