drTStingray

Ah I think I particularly remember a bit with that - everything stops and the solo triangle beat introduces a broken down orchestral lead in (there's probably a technical term for this) prior to the full blown chorus play out. Clever these sessions guys 😏 although the band itself and singer were pretty good as well. What a great song and fabulous arrangement. Theres a recent Basschat thread with reference to the sessions guys - the bassist was not Herbie Flowers but another guy whose name escapes me.... drummer was Clem Cattini.

Another shout for the humble cow bell. One of the bands I play in covers this - we didn't realise what was missing until the singer added the cow bell!! Low Rider - War (and the You Tube link won't embed so you have click on it 🤔) https://youtu.be/WeKw6c9aTJ0

They all got them till late 94 I think. I've got a 93 fretted with mutes as well (it's basically like the Fretless). In terms of using them, I have from time to time - my Classic recorded great with them turned on - very very thumpy (with roundwounds) The other thing is they work well just slightly engaged - I've sometimes used them like that on the Fretless. I've used pieces of foam rubber but to be honest the proper mute design is better and offers more flexibility - I've even turned them on live for specific songs. The mute design was lifted by MM from the original Fender Mustang back in 1976.

Fretless 93 as built. Note offset thumb screws and mutes. Note photograph angles can be deceiving. I'd say the OP bridge is the same but less the mute kit and plus the hex bolts. Apparently the mutes were deleted owing to potential injury to users - presumably the same heavy handed bu**ers who complained about pulling the strings off the saddles 😂

The earlier version of the Flea bridge does have the mutes fitted - my Fretless has it and mutes. I think the later bridge (up to 96 when the shorter bridge was introduced) was the same with the mute plate and screws deleted and the hex bolts placed in the holes - so the kit ought to fit.

I sometimes despair on this forum but I guess it takes all sorts! Another thread had a brilliant jammed version of Watermelon Man described as elevator music so I shouldn't be surprised people dissing Goodbye Pork Pie Hat as it's a bit jazzy!! I never liked it much until I heard Marcus Miller's version - somehow more bluesy. So when asked to play Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, if you're a bass player you should suggest this version. It has a sublime bass solo from about 2 mins 15 seconds also Should be good for slow/smoochy dances. Those Members bemoaning instrumentals, have you never tried that famous Shadows number Albatross? 😏😂 if we play this I always ask if we can do another Shadows one after it!!

I guess someone has to - rather like caravans, they have the ability to massively annoy the rest of the motoring populace on country roads........and nothing to do with Stingrays. I guess a good analogy would be a Range Rover - capable of agricultural activity but also luxurious and powerful (not sure whether the build quality analogy fits - perhaps Toyota for build quality). Yes having had my 4HH Special for 6 weeks or so and done a range of gigs, rehearsals etc I'd describe it as a refined instrument. It's supremely comfortable to play. Well pleased!!

I don't think anyone's said it yet so I will:- SLAP BASS Audiences love it. Go to any Stanley Clark gig or Level 42 gig and you'll see. It gets the biggest reaction by far, bar none - followed by:- FRETLESS BASS - just play that Paul Young song. Followed by:- MUSICMAN BONGO Just about the only bass I've ever played which consistently gets the public coming to talk to you about - often women!! In glowing, complementary terms. So I guess the answer to the OP is slap bass played on a Fretless Musicman Bongo - is what the audience wants to hear from the bass player. Now then - that Bert Weedon book - when was it produced - 1958 or so? That was back when you couldn't hear the bass at all and people either used very low powered guitar amps (whilst guitarists used similar amps) or even home made concoctions!! (I bought the Mo Foster book - fascinating stuff went on back then). I think Bert was just humouring bass players with that comment as even then I'm sure they were not only struggling to be heard but the guitarists were always too loud as ever 😀

I agree with the fundamental principle that everyone is entitled to their view. However the phrase 'quality instrument', which EBMM instruments have always been, and the term 'agricultural' don't sit correctly together and for that reason, I think the comment is wrong. My own view of the 2018 Stingray (compared to the earlier variants) is they're simply different - and really the description in the early 90s product sheet quotation I posted applies - they've made careful modifications, the sum of which produce an excellent instrument (they also address some people's criticisms of weight - although this is possibly more pertinent for the older player, better sound balance etc etc) - there are also some other useful changes like the hugely playable, ultra slick, roasted maple necks. As all of EBMMs basses are hand finished the necks are all very marginally different - but not that much so and frankly there has never been a chunky neck Stingray like say a late 60s Precision in that respect (the fact it wasn't was a huge selling point to me in the 70s) - or indeed a five string Stingray with a very chunky (baseball bat) neck. Im afraid I disagree, therefore but you're entitled to dislike them for whatever reason you wish.

Me too - I have felt thus about EBMM (and MM before it) and S and T since my first new Stingray purchase around 1979. Thanks for the pointer and it's nice to see your enthusiasm about the free gifts - for those who don't know each instrument has the attached card in the case:- I do have to take issue with Luke FRC's description of the pre 2018 Stingray as 'agricultural' - those of us with these instruments (or many of them in some cases like Rodney72a, Hiram K and myself), this feels quite insulting. They have always been high quality instruments and capable of absolutely top rate bass sound of varying styles. See below - even Roger Sadowsky says so 😏 Now there are basses which are or can be rather agricultural in feel etc - sometimes of a name beginning with F. My experience is its sometime the players rather than the basses which fall into the 'a' category...😬

I've heard from other people it sounded really good. It'll be interesting to see whether EBMM market a signature model - it sounds entirely possible from the comments they've made.

I like them both up to a point - and Scott is very affable - but it has to be said I've learned as much if not more from Stuart Clayton and Hal Leonard (particularly Jaco Pastorius), along with Ed Friedland and the other educators in Bass Player and Bass Guitar magazines - and particularly some of their transcriptions. I sometimes feel like I'm a bit of a dinosaur in some respects amongst the Basschat populace, but am I alone in playing along to recorded music in terms of both learning and practice routines? I also find myself turned off by educators (no names mentioned) who have and suggest certain preferences in bass guitar make/model, particularly if they conflict with my own personal preferences.

Congratulations and enjoy - looks fabulous. I would be curious if/how the sound differs from my ebony necked example. Clearly the larger metal flake load on the aqua blue body is the other difference 😂😏 Ive found the single bridge H setting to be highly usable on mine thanks to the revoicing of the mid range. I must have been lucky with each of my dual pick up Musicman basses - both my 2007 blue Dawn LE 4HH and 2014 Classic Sabre Neptune blue edition are relatively light (noticeably lighter than my 9.75 lb Classic Stingray) - however the 4HH Special is significantly lighter than them also. I find myself using it a lot as its so comfortable - no back ache whatsoever after 2 X 1 HR sets. With all of these basses, I often use the middle setting (both Hs with all coils) - the slap sound especially is great and the finger style has a full but slightly scooped sound - so much so that I boost the mids when using it (has to be amp on the Sabre as its a 2 band). Another 4 months till I get the 5 string version of the HH......

I watched it as well - and agreed, Jon Cleary and band were great. As were Muse - in fact the whole programme was good. And all with audible bass. Great stuff.

Aren't we being a bit condescending and dismissive of the general populace assuming they haven't a clue what the bass does? After all everyone from a young age is accustomed to having a knob called Bass on most sound reproducing equipment which can be twiddled - and even the daftest of people know what effect turning it up has. So in a band most people assume the 'bassist' plays the bass. Granted that these days there seem to be drummers and sound engineers in cahoots to make it sound like the drummer plays the bass - in fact to make the drummer the most prominent of the whole thing sometimes it seems 😂😀 But seriously, I don't believe most people are unaware of the bass - that's why it should be nicely prominent in the mix, the notes should be clear (so as to provide the link between melody, harmony, rythmn etc etc) - and should not just be a subterranean amorphous wash of noise at the lower end...

I disagree with this completely. I've been playing bass since the early 70s and started on the basis of appreciation of what players like Andy Fraser, Jack Bruce, Larry Taylor and Leo Lyons were doing - all of those players were fully appreciated in their respective bands and were far from hidden in a rumbling morass of sub frequencies. So I was someone who actively wanted to play bass. I've met one or two people since who are astonished at this, but there again they came from the guitar angle and also had no concept of what anyone other than a guitarist, drummer or singer's roles are in a 'rock' band. The bottom line is any GOOD musician is likely to be appreciated in any setting - be it pubs or wherever. So bass has lots of roles in musical settings and those who would confine it to a sub frequency morass have failed to understand most of the functions it performs. Of course there's a difference if you're playing say Neil Young or Leonard Cohen covers to say a wedding function band playing dance music (or even playing danceable music in a pub). A lot of 1960s nonsense in terms of ideas has been brought forward - one of which (and possibly true then in some selected cases) that the bass player drew the short straw and was somehow a failed guitarist. And part of the marketing of bass guitars in the late 50s was along the lines of 'guitarists - double your income by playing bass guitar' - that some people like Carol Kaye did is fact, of course!! if you're melting into the background and you don't like it you may be in the wrong band or need to develop playing ability to stand out a little more (if that's what you want to do)....

I've been to hundreds probably thousands of gigs - with all the famous bass players you can think of and no one has sung the bass parts - even to Jaco or Mark King. It just shows how important the bass can be!!

And so it should be 👍

Sounds brilliant guys - wish I'd been there. Isnt it excellent to have a band as accomplished as this playing music that really makes you smile - and with an excellent bass player. Can't beat it.

It all depends on the band and music but I think you'll find more people care about the bass than you'd realise. There's another thread on here about Vulfpeck and there's a video where you can clearly hear a large part of the audience singing along to the bass part of a song - which goes to prove that in that case many comments about the role and importance of bass on Bass forums are completely wrong. If you go to a gig where the music is groove bassed and you can't hear the bass properly you might as well go home. Which is why it's doubly irritating when the sound people mix the drums higher than anything else. As for image well that has a place dependent on the band - appropriate instruments - well that's a pile of crap - Fender basses were the best you could get in the 60s but ceased to be afterwards. It's all in the fingers of course 😏👍

I think it depends what make of bass you buy. Certainly with Musicman basses, my experience of ordering new ones (which I've done several times) is they always arrive set to 'factory specifications'. That their QC is amongst the best in the business (and all instruments are hand finished and set up) and probably dictates this. I can't speak for other makers but if there are some around selling instruments over £1500 that don't do this then I'd be very surprised - if there are then their customers should complain. if you buy a new bass that's been sat on the shop floor for ages, or worse still, has been 'tweaked' in the shop, then you may need to reset it completely. As almost everyone has stated in this thread, factory settings are a good starting point from which to tweak for individual styles and wishes in terms of playing - I do this with mine - some are set lower, some higher and some at factory setting dependent musically on what I use them for. Its an interesting discussion point because I, and a lot of other people, have never experienced , for instance the infamous Stingray weak sounding higher strings. That there are people that equally are sure their basses have suffered from this is interesting, despite all equivalent basses having the same components - the lack of knowledge of factory settings (which have been published on Musicman's website for at least 20 years) is also interesting - there's been a long held suspicion that the issue may well be down to after-market set up issues (including particularly pick up height).

A thought - there are now so many sub genres in popular music these days, and baffling ways of counting the sales of downloads, that I suspect rock (or even and roll) simply hasn't existed in reality since hmmmm - at least the 70s. That all us middle aged or even older folk are discussing this suggests the definition we're focussing on is actually somewhere way in that distant past - I'm sure many of today's teens view it as Grandparents music and apart from passing interest, it has absolutely no relevance to them whatsoever!!

It's been a whole 29 days since I picked up my new Stingray 4HHs - so technically I haven't BUT I suspect I fail as I have a 5HHs on order as well (not arriving until January!!).

As are their instruments!! No old vintage jobs in modern metal!!

I'm surprised anyone views factory set ups as arbitrary guides. All I can say is I'm glad you're not mechanics (technicians) servicing and fixing my car. Whilst there's scope for minor variation to suit style I think anyone varying too far is likely to be creating their own issues. I always ask anyone doing any repair work to set basses to factory settings - I'm quite happy to tweak beyond that within reason.