drTStingray

I doubt it. They're pretty good though but I doubt you have played one (of the 2018 models) hence me coming to a certain conclusion. If you do and still have complaints then fair enough. Going back to the Scott Ball comment, I think he said he didn't expect people would find issues with the balance of the G string sound on the 2018 model - presumably the pre amp voicing, 18 volt electronics and neo pick ups see to that. There are a lot of detailed differences so you have to try one to pick up all the nuances - for me the new necks are the best I've ever encountered on a bass - the finish on the roasted maple really makes for a tactile and very playable feel. Mine have ebony fretboards so also look great.

I'm not worked up. Just don't like such negativity. If you haven't tried a new one then you haven't lived to be honest. There have always been people with complaints about Stingrays - some of it is a boring rehash of oft debated subjects. For every moaned about EBMM bass I generally find about 15 with the opposite view. We just have to agree to differ. Many are saying the latest versions are the closest to boutique quality you can get in a production bass - I have bought two and I concur with that view. They are stunning - which is probably why they're selling so many 👍

These negative threads do amaze me. Several things Spring to mind:- 1) I'm guessing virtually no one in this thread has played an 18 volt neo pick up version? Try that before you moan. 2) I use them more or less exclusively and have none of these problems. I don't think I'm just lucky across the number of basses I own - they are all set up correctly however (based on factory recommedation) 3) If you don't like them why don't you just go and play something else and stop moaning - not every bass suits everyone - I went off Precisions in the 70s and nothing has changed my mind since - my initial annoyance was caused by hearing them disappear in front of house mixes or sounding very unrefined - I think they're actually grossly overrated unless you're playing music with a 60s vibe - do I start threads bemoaning them - no. 4) I'm pretty sure that some people who berate these basses have other axes to grind - and probably poor home or after market set ups or string choices on their basses. Get a good set up from someone who doesn't think everything has to be set up as a Fender. 5) Other people have played my Stingray Classic - normally they sound great but one in particular sounded awful - the only difference was the player's skill and style. (Limited or agricultural I'd describe it). 6) Listen to recordings with a Stingray (eg Ed Friedland) - the sound balance across strings is fine - is he lucky or just skilled? 7) If you really want to lose upper string sound on stage try playing an upright in a large band or a Fender Jazz with loud rythmn guitarist and left hand piano. I would wager everyone talking about string balance is not talking about front of house but directly in front of back line on a loud stage - probably rock music. And we haven't even talked about EQ settings - another area where some people get very confused!! (And turn everything up full)

Agree - maybe more. It's not unusual for classics to have flame and Birdseye - mine has both. That's a very nice looking Stingray Classic bass. That Bass has non standard strap locks - see if you can get the original strap buttons if you buy it.

Are you saying you walked out into the audience and heard this effect or are you relying on the sound on the stage 2 or 3 ft in front of your amp and speakers? If the latter, that's a common issue with bass guitars generally and particularly in a loud stage mix. I would very much doubt it was lost in the front of house mix.

I'm guessing from these comments most if not all of you haven't played a 2018 Stingray Special? The new 3 band is quite different and along with the neo pick ups and 18 volt electronics make for a great experience. What you guys talking about the earlier 3 band compared with the 2 band are hearing is the filter cutting the boomy frequencies plus the way the mid is voiced. If you turn the mid down some way, boost bass and treble a little you'll get closer to the 2 band sound. You can get more bass response by moving the position you pluck the bass towards the neck - rather than over the pick up (such as where you pluck a Precision or even closer to the neck for instance). The Stingray has always had more bass and treble than a Precision - that was part of the point of it in the first place - giving the player more flexibility and ability to control their sound.

Lack of bottom end is not something I associate with Stingrays. The latest 2018 Stingray Specials have even more available if required, along with a very musical 3 band EQ and all the playability, build quality but more. Worth trying one.

This is very likely what happened. Necks swapped by original dealer as either the person buying this bass wanted a rosewood or the person buying another wanted a maple. It seems to occasionally crop up.

Extremely sad circumstances but as a fan of Bernard Edwards since he first emerged in the mid 70s, and probably my biggest influence at that time, I find his groove on this, and bass sound is just great - just like it was from the 70s. I have the album of this and love it. And of course, the guy was directly responsible for me buying a Stingray in the first place. I still love that fat and thumpy sound.

Blimey - first Jaco noodling and now this - whatever next 😯😬😂 I too quite like the occassional Steve Harris wangbangaboomalong as well (with apologies for any 60s/70s Eurovision song potential copyright infringement...)

I just received my copy - which seems to contain 75% of articles which have appeared very recently in BGM (eg John Deacon) - even down to the review of the Stingray 2018 Special being identical and carrying the same awful photos (miscoloured) that appeared in BGM. There are hundreds of them on Talkbass and Basschat that are better quality - and in case it escaped BGM they were already reviewed in BP magazine months ago without Mike Brooks' crazy moaning about the weight of a 5 string just over 9 pounds. It sounds to me like the US subscribers may be less than pleased. Perhaps Sylvia Bluejay could have a quiet word with the editorial team about quality issues 😉 👍 I used to enjoy both magazines for their different content and approaches - if one is going to be a slightly time warped copy of the other largely, then that is frankly abysmal.

It helps when the design allows such an easily tweaked action via the spoke wheel truss rod. Ive reset both of my Specials recently - the 5 taking a bit more to and fro than the 4 - to be fair it was probably still settling as I only picked it up last month - and as we all know the weathers been up and down quicker than the proverbial - if Virgin Trains air con can't keep up (I've had a couple of sweltering journeys recently - on warm days following freezing ones) what chance your brand new living, breathing wood with low action!! Anyway they are both now perfectly set for me and are staying like it, so I'm very happy!!

V nice - congratulations - SR5s are great basses - in spite having just bought a new SR5HH special, my 2003 SR5H is still one of my favourite basses - as you say, the sound fits most situations so well.

I thought it was all good but noticed a complete change in their Bass sound on 2003 onwards. Whereas the bass was quite high in the mix and very audible previously the later ones had a far less audible, mixed in sound. Interestingly prior to that it was the same Precision bass and small miked Ampeg rig (PF plus 4 X 10) consistently, it looked like a 57 reissue Precision and Ampeg fridge with valve amp. Similarly with the guitar - changed from consistently 2 AC 30s to 1 AC 30. Anyway there was far less separation in the instrument sounds (a bit like quite a lot of modern rock music). Interestingly modern dance music like Calvin Harris has great bass (Chic circa 79/80) rather than that thin sounding low mixed stuff.

The earlier 90s colour is called sunburst and like yours, my 93 one has a matt white 3 ply. I've seen honeyburst (colour name from late 90s onwards) with black or white pg but as you say, not single ply so that may not be the original. Easy to replace with a matt original spec one from Chandlers though.

Superb - I'm sure you'll enjoy them - that sunburst does have gorgeous ash figuring as well. The aqua sparkles wildly in the right lighting.

A 1998 honeyburst 2 band with original matt black pg, and very probably a figured maple neck (birds eye?), AND OHSC? For £650 that's a steal if all original. If my place wasn't already full of MM basses I would have bought that!! Btw, those who prefer the 2 band pre amp, try a Stingray Special - I prefer them to my 2 bands - same sort of tonal area but more versatility - they done a great job on them 👍

Excellent - can be very civilised - I see its a specialised ladies night - last time I played at one of them they had male strippers on the bill as well 🤔😂 Its to be hoped they didn't have ironing boards set up in an adjoining room for their normally allocated ladies' activities...... 😬

Having tried once to find a venue to entertain a nice young lady (also a vegan) it wasn't long before I realised the frustration with so many restaurants offering what appears to be a token item on the menu to tick a box. Too right about allergies (especially shellfish) - having recently attended an expensive wedding as a guest, where an undefined soup was served as a starter and it turned out not to be a posh light coloured tomato soup but crab soup I was amazed no one keeled over - makes you wonder what some organisers and venues are on, especially with such high profile court cases involving people dying.

I think if I'd paid out £30 k or whatever the average wedding costs I'd be a bit miffed if the band, cleaners, waitors and heaven forbid - DJ went to the buffet first - even if the organisers said to (and I've played at ones where they have - host's delusions of booking rock stars syndrome I think...) id refrain until after the guests. Just seems wrong to me!!

Too right - however I've also payed events where it's a plate of sandwiches in the kitchen - I remember one in a v posh place (Thame) where it was a huge tray piled high with scampi, pizza and chips - but it was a long time ago......you can tell - not only scampi but rumbabas as desert!!

I suspect that what Bubinga was meaning is if you know all the notes on your fretboard then shifting to a 5 or 6 or vice versa shouldn't be an issue - well for me there are issues, but these are overcome after a minute or two's familiarisation - however when I first learned to play the bass, as well as learning actual bass lines to play along with songs and developing (eventually) fluency with that, I also learned all the notes on the fretboard - the latter has helped me a great deal and I now take it for granted - switching (in my case) between a 4 and 5 is relatively straightforward - we all tend to look at the world through our own eyes and ears etc but I'd presumed (possibly wrongly) that everyone learns all the notes on their instrument - if not I'd recommend it as it helps greatly - especially if playing with other people 👍😊

I have several 5s but more 4s. I tend to have fads of playing 5s for a period and then 4s for a period. Not too much problem going from one to the other but to get the best out of the 5, I find I need to approach it slightly differently - that's apart from muting more effectively (the low B especially), and playing with slightly narrower string spacing - thus requiring a little more care and accuracy. I've recently taken delivery of this to go with this, which turned up at the beginning of September The excellent thing about these, as well as being fabulous basses (and the same ebony board, roasted maple neck, lightweight ash body etc etc) is they sound more or less the same as one another - just the extended range on the 5 being the difference. I'm massively pleased with them.

Sounds great. All you've got to do now is choose the colour!! And there are a few to choose from. They and great basses and the new ones are even better. Here's my latest.

Talent, business and broad appeal?