drTStingray

Me too - they’re not taking orders but I’m on their list ‘should something become available’ or a production slot I guess. But to reiterate, the thought of the long wait after ordering is a bit daunting. I’ve also seriously thought about ordering a Jaydee - they really are fabulous value. One of the reasons for liking the Wal particularly is Alan Spenner is a favourite bass player of mine - and I saw him use one live and he really got a fabulous sound - plus he used the Wal with Roxy etc. Also Percy Jones - to me it’s all on a par with Pino/Bernard Edwards with Stingrays and Mark King with Jaydees (not that I could ever approach his level of competence with slap bass 😀) - but the finger style sound is great as well.

I bet he’d have got told what’s what if he’d asked Chris Squire the same question when in a band with him! Seriously, there is nothing like a new set of roundwounds on a bass - flatwounds are a bit of a 60s throw back which have become popular again in recent years - but many players use muting technique to get a similar effect (can be dull thudiness) - but having the appropriate zing for other styles of music post dating the 50s/60s, but pre dating the modern trend for them. Flat wounds on a bass with extended treble sound like a Stingray can be cool (Bernard Edwards type thing), but too often, flatwounds simply sound dull to me (as do worn roundwounds) - just my view though. I think they stifle some of the flexibility of some basses (would you put them on an Alembic…..) Of course, in the 60s, flatwounds were all you could get - in the 70s/80s they were simply unavailable generally in shops (U.K.) - it’s only in recent years that people have become more interested in them - it was the same in the 60s for guitars but how often do you come across a guitarist who uses flatwound strings now - few and far between, if ever in my experience. There’s no rule with all this - do what suits you and your playing style, many styles do not suit dead strings. As I first said, there’s nothing like the sound of new bass strings and especially roundwounds - poor John Entwhistle must be turning in his grave, all this talk of flatwounds!!! 😂

As an unashamed Bernard Edwards fan, a Stingray - probably natural with maple board - possibly a 5 string 🥰 I don’t have a natural 2 band 4 string….

I used my brilliant white and gold job on an outdoor party - Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Sunday also 😉 it sounded huge!!

I’ve heard people say this as well - if you try a Stingray Special you find this doesn’t happen - but they have neodymium pick ups and an 18 volt pre amp so are more powerful. Its interesting, I tried out a couple of 70s Precisions a couple of weeks back and was expecting them to sound very different from Stingrays, especially as far as the G string was concerned - curiously they didn’t at all. Having played a couple of deps recently with bands with rock sets, and crunchy guitars, and using a Stingray I found I needed to be in certain parts of the octave and on certain strings to avoid being in identical frequencies to the guitars at times (and to turn up) - to avoid disappearing into the bottom end morass - the guitarists tended to play with lots of bass sound and bar chords favouring the bottom strings - the only other time I’ve experienced this type of problem has been with keyboard players with heavy left hands (and possibly they hadn’t noticed they’re playing in ensemble so don’t need to play absolutely everything). Im afraid that certain parts of bass guitar are going to disappear into the mix when playing in those sort of situations - however a Stingray can most definitely be made to cut through a mix, or alternatively form a part of it by playing technique and EQ - however it should always be judged by the sound coming out of FoH rather than a poor stage mix!! If it causes a problem, best bet is to move on to something else (exactly what I did with Fender P and J type basses way back!!).

I first found the joy of them when I bought a new one at the beginning of the 80s - fat sound, perfect neck shape (for me), plenty of highs when required, sound great recorded or live. The latest Stingray Specials have sublime feeling/playing necks. I have a number of Stingrays ranging from fretless (with flats) to fretted (with flats and rounds), to 5 strings, to a Tim Commerford long scale signature which is passive with series/parallel/single coil selection. Ive concluded that I prefer them with rounds (slap sound is brighter), and prefer to mute the strings through playing technique if I want a thumpier sound. But make no mistake, if you want thumpy, then a Ray will do it - especially with flats and using the individual string mutes (if the version you have had them). Basically a great all round bass that can give a range sounds from fat, warm and thumpy to zingy, to searing slap, to mid heavy fingerstyle burpiness.

Currently mine is a Musicman Sabre (2 band EQ) - but has been a Stingray HH and a Stingray Special HH also. Of course, they’re all blue 😀 I have used an SR5H or SR5HH also at times and would do again where a 5 string is appropriate or required.

I think this is true of a lot of people from the 60s - the bass was not very audible at that time through the sort of record players and radios people listened to the music on - it wasn’t until the end of the 60s when multi track recording using a lot of tracks became the norm, and in the U.K. at least, people started to seek out ‘hi fi’ stereo systems to play the new stereo records on (prior to that most output was mono). Who listened to it on the hissing coming and going Radio Luxembourg as well - I know I did!! However there was enough bass for players to be influenced by the Motown style - I certainly was - and in the later 70s you encountered new musicians like Bernard Edwards and Pino Palladino displaying their advanced take on Motown style, on far better instruments through far better amplification and recorded far better also - and these guys showed us the way!!! The original Motown thing only became major for bass players more generally in the late 80s with the general unmasking of the hitherto unknown players and with transcriptions and playalongs from the ‘Standing on the Shadows of Motown’ book. Along with people insisting on playing it on sunburst elderly Precisions (but forgetting about the Motown interface they played them through and effectively turning the clock back to the 60s)!!! Rather a lot of rose tinted glasses and complete ignorance of the improved instruments and amps, and players who developed from that style in the altogether more bass focussed 70s and 80s!! I don’t have a problem with 60s stuff - I do with the insistence that this was the be all and end all of everything - it was characterised by pretty poor reproduction of generally mono recordings recorded on embryonic multi track systems - with pretty rudimentary amplification and many cases, instruments!!

I’m surprised no one’s posted one of the classic earlier 60s ones. or maybe a 70s one

Thanks for embedding @Ricky Rioli - Ill stand you all the likes achieved 😉 😂😂

This is very witty/funny as well I couldn’t find the one where he pretends to be someone who never changes his strings - and plays normally, but it just sounds muffled - Charles does that a bit on this.

But did you notice he changed to a Fender style bass for that one - with one string 😂

This guy is very talented (which will probably put some people on here off) - but it’s very witty and the observations are hilarious in some cases - Pop Producer is a classic!! (PS forum software seems to have stopped detecting video links……correction - now doing it!! 👍)

Most definitely Morissey (Steve) singing as well - I’m afraid it’s regularly utter unadulterated shite and that includes the lyrics - when I first heard this I thought it was a stream of consciousness but it seems to have actually been published (watch out for the lyrics that don’t scan properly in some places eg chorus - but that possibly doesn’t affect the song or singer that much 😂😂) - sorry but I never got The Smiths even though their guitar player seems ok (the music is chronically tinny as well). Song credited to Stephen (Steve) Morissey and Johnny Marr….. That (to many) kids paper (The NME) seems to have taken Morissey to their hearts following his long running (and published) correspondence with them in the 70s!! Give me Jaco any day - played great for the song (when it was actually a song) rather than a Weather Report extended jazz piece!!! For the naysayers have a listen to the album Hejira by Joni Mitchell. Now for Morissey’s classic composition……

This is Musicman’s pickguard supplier - they do quite a range of alternatives as well (Musicman used to list many as options many years ago).

I get that but even with pedals you wouldn’t have a Stingray or Stingray 5 fitted with a 2 band Darkglass EQ, which has quite a different voicing from the normal Stingray Specials. The two distortion sounds seem excellent to me as well - I’m guessing there’s a little more immediate and easy (mid song adjustment) at hand rather than with a pedal. A bit like an onboard EQ rather than having to do adjustments remotely on an amp. I guess it’s a combination that’s likely to appeal to a particular demographic in terms of the genres they may play which probably doesn’t include the likes of HKH and me - although I could have done with one for a dep I’m doing with distinctly rocky material!!

The white sparkle versions (4 and 5 string available) are particularly nice IMO though limited in numbers 😎 Starry night version also available.

I was quite used to R and B bands having excellent bassists at that time (of course, I only became aware of Louis Johnson in about 1977 and had no idea at the time I’d seen him). However the problem with the Stones was Jagger was still doing his 60s leaping and flouncing around - and audibly missed vocals and sounded out of breath during everyone’s favourite 60s hits. I quite like the Stones rhythm section - usually very tight in its own way. The Billy Preston band was much more polished in its performance. The Stones on that occasion just sounded generally knackered!!

This is true, but up to 60 yrs ago. @Newfoundfreedom is right to the extent they often exude blandness these days (not always though) - but there again they often did back in the 70s also. Maybe a comment on the players rather than the instrument. I tried a couple of 70s ones out the other day and was pleasantly surprised, particularly that they didn’t have hefty necks, so I was able to play them ok. Sounded and looked nice as well (one was rather heavy). Both were natural with maple boards - nice for that 70s Paul Jackson vibe.

If you’re taking the equivalent (or actual) van load of equipment then the export/ import requirements have to be dealt with going through the border (used to be - pre 1990s - a carnet - listing all the items on a form so the customs could look at it if they wanted to, to see if you were carrying any ‘additional’ undeclared items 🥴

A couple I can think of:- Brothers Johnson - part of the Billy Preston band (I remember seeing Billy Preston live, as support to the Stones and remarking to friends how brilliant the band was and especially the bass player!! They literally blew the Stones off stage - their only saving grace was Mick Taylor, but the Stones looked and sounded weary - I thought they were past it - how wrong can you be - it was 1973!!) Rose Royce - Edwin Starr

I thought I recognised the bass - the first Big Als had alder bodies but they changed to mahogany after a short while so this one, apart from the exquisite neck, is quite special - if it hasn’t already sold I might try it at the Bass Gallery next week 😎 Good to hear from you @rodney72a also 👍

There are exceptions IMHO!!

It’s a PDN version rather than a regular colour - 2015 PDN vintage tobacco burst. Unfortunately the Big Al was discontinued before the re-introduction by Musicman of the sparkle colours, which generally happened in 2018 when the Stingray Special was launched (a range of the sparkles was around in the 2000/1 era). Fuschia sparkle only appeared on the Bongo though. I agree - looks great - the colour may also be powder blue - doesn’t quite look like either though - maybe the lighting! I think sky blue is a metallic so you may be right. Cool colour - a Dargie Delight 2 - the colour flips between a brown sparkle and a green sparkle.

Thank you for your observation on my posting - I’m particularly flattered you find it necessary to observe all my posts - however you’ve obviously not done that very effectively as you’ve missed the Jaydee and Wal stuff. Not entirely sure who the ‘we’ you are referring to are? Perhaps you could elaborate??!! 😂😂 is there some sort of ‘Forum elite’ in operation here 🙄 Anyway you’ll be surprised to know I don’t particularly like the Big Al bass. I’ve heard they’re extremely good so might be interested in trying one. I have been a fan of Musicman basses since I first bought one new 40+ yrs ago and realised how good it was - my view hasn’t changed but I don’t like all the models they’ve introduced. Apologies if such enthusiasm irritates some individuals - I’m pretty sure not all members have that view.