drTStingray

Looks great - I just realised it has no ash trays also! Congratulations.

I would like to play one of these - appear to have more fundamental sound and more sustain. The cobalt flatwounds sound interesting as well.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1425049052' post='2703413'] TI are dirt cheap at Thomann at the mo. Even with shipping. [/quote] Yeah I noticed that - don't know how they manage it! I've had a set of TI flats on my Classic Ray for a couple of years now - the sound is excellent and it's fine for slap also - I used it for a gig a couple of weeks back and was reminded just how good the sound is and the string tension is almost the same as regular round wounds. I have EB Group 3 flats on a fretless Stingray and would recommend these as well - again the tension is on a par with round wounds but you get great tone, and with the fretless plenty of mwah - and easy on your fretboard.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1424639000' post='2698677'] Just quoting this to keep it here when your humour gland is reconnected! [/quote] Very kind and generous of spirit of you thanks - fwiw the original comment was only v mildly funny albeit quite clever IMHO.

I think that's the fullest and best live bass sound I've heard Jaco get. With Weather Report Xawinul used to double a number of the bass parts live on synthesiser (notably Teen Town) presumably to get somewhere near the recorded sound, which seemed to have effects on the bass. When I saw Weather Report live I was a little underwhelmed by the bass sound, in comparison with the recorded versions. As with all types of illness, medicine has moved on in leaps and bounds but the idea of someone with bipolar having difficult relationships with people sometimes and occasional medication relapse causing bizarre behaviour is still as valid now as then. However you wouldn't focus on a disabled person falling over and in a similar way we should not focus on Jacos sometimes strange behaviour in some sort of judgemental way - to do so demonstrates ignorance. Some interesting stuff in this thread about his basses and bass equipment which I didn't know before.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1424628679' post='2698491'] I can't tell. Are you saying it's the finest instrument in the universe incapable of being bettered? Or are you saying that you can't polish a turd? [/quote] Depends on your viewpoint. They did a great design job with that bass and the standard electronics do the job extremely well. It most certainly ain't a turd!!

Fabulous bass. The Birdseye is stunning on some of those late 80s early 90s MM basses. Apart from the extra pick up the bass looks very original down to the matte white scratch plate. The extra pick up would be in P bass area so the sound would be interesting. The original pick up should be Alnico with the switch in parallel nearest bridge, series nearest neck and single coil at centre - interesting to know how they wired the extra pick up and whether it's based on coil selection. The SR5 is such a solid bass - mine is the most acoustically alive of all my basses - incredible body resonance. If the bass is blueburst the body wood will be poplar or alder, so slightly more mellow than ash.

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1424080446' post='2692216'] You on the staff at EBMM? I do 'actually' like it. I love the easy playability and I've managed to get a nice lightweight one as well. Considering the positives of the instrument I reckon the "missing" 10% is far more likely to be the missing "15%" or more on another bass, even if it was another Ray - assuming I could find another one as light. All production line basses are a compromise based on the lowest common denominator most likely to generate a sale at a particular price point. However the relatively recent introduction of the HS and HH model 'Ray shows that EBMM realised there was a market for something different - it's just that they don't want the punters doing it themselves for some reason. I'd happily try installing a EBMM Single coil at the neck position on my Ray, but EBMM won't sell the parts. Even Ricky will sell parts! EBMM seem to be the only maker that insist that their stock instruments are absolutely perfect. They are the Apple of the guitar world (I like Apple too - but improvements or options are also obvious there) [/quote] No I'm not - just a fan particularly of Stingray 5s. My 2003 SR5 cost £995 brand new - although not worth more than its new cost, it would probably fetch not too much shy of that value. I'm with Rodney 72a - I have a number of Musicman basses - the two pick up variants add a number of sonic dimensions but I tend to use two or three stock settings with them. However recorded there are lots of possibilities - eg try soloing the piezo pick up if fitted, on a Musicman. I did precisely this for a sub E hip hop line on my Bongo - now that is very different!!!! The reason there are lots of aftermarket options for the Stingray (though not as much as for Jazzes and Precisions) is the market for upgrading copies - indeed the East can be had with a control plate but it doesn't fit an MM - it fits an OLP. There's nothing wrong with changing the electronics on an SR etc but you will lower the resale value (and John East v stock 2 band apart) probably not make much difference. I use my 2 bands regularly and apart from upping the low mid on the Mark Bass a little, have all the control I want in my fingers, where I pluck the strings, how hard I pluck the strings and the onboard EQ. I would certainly not modify them - I would buy a different bass if I wanted something different. There are a reasonable number of HS and HH SR5s on the resale market - you're better off buying a used factory version IMHO.

Enjoy - These are great - and sound particularly good. Interestingly they've been used in one or two famous settings - not least james brown's band in the later 2000s - one of the two bassists used one. Prices for them seem to be rising if the list price is anything to go by!

A fair comment - I haven't tried anything beyond the ABM, MAG and that 180 combo the name of which escapes me - they were all fine. I've used mine for material ranging from fusion to Shadows tribute and it was very focussed and warm sounding - in fact I lent my ABM rig to my son who had a gig with a 70s/80s/90s soul/dance covers band. I went along to watch and the sound, with an EBMM Stingray was fabulous - all you could ask for. My MAG was used, miked up, for a series of recordings by different bass players by a studio and again, the sound was excellent (hence the studio wanting to use it after I took it along for my one track. I too have used a Rumble combo - it was ok but not well defined especially at volume.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1424199362' post='2693793'] I think we made it a rule around page 2 that sensible answers would be banned, this is not allowed, grab your stand and walk out, do not pass go or collect your £200 [/quote] On the contrary Pete, I find it's the gigs with music stands where I do leave with £200 - occasionally!!!

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1424384700' post='2695887'] The nice, expensive custom shop stuff is going to sound good though! [/quote] I used them for years, both the ABM series and MAG series and found they sounded good (where I was standing) and even better out in the audience. For the price point the MAG series is great. The ABM could have a nice vintage feel to the sound. Mind you I was using a proper bass rather than a 60s mudbucket (but I know even these sound good through an Ashdown. The only reason I rarely use my ABM now is I've gone to class D lightweight with neo speakers for weight and portability reasons. The real problem is usually with player or instrument. If you can play cleanly through headphones and get a nice sound then that is generally how you'll sound recorded direct to a board. There's no reason why your Precision won't sound ok - it's the Maris piper boiled potato of basses - some people prefer the dauphinoise or chipped variety offered by more up to date designs, though others think these simply add unwanted overtones - I'm afraid im in the Jaco, Stanley, Mark King, Bernard Edwards and Pino camp - the unwanted overtones sound great to me - talking of Pino, he has a Precision and uses Ashdown and sounds fine to me. I've never sought to emulate the bass sound of American MOTR music, indeed it doesn't appeal to me other than a passing interest - I never knew who Glaub, Osborne or Beck were until they had signature Lakland/Fenders!!!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1424041602' post='2691993'] There's a fair few knobs here, too. Ha! *Runs away* [/quote] Oo er Mr Discreet .........

[quote name='Drax' timestamp='1424033976' post='2691870'] After a fretted 5, and the new Sire Marcus Miller V7 has stirred something in me. Pornographic unboxing on the Other site hasn't helped. Think might have to be the 5 in natural ash / maple. [/quote] V nice - a fair few knobs there?

[quote name='tom1946' timestamp='1423722965' post='2688222'] I don't understand why sterling put stuff out like this? to me it's quite unplayable without a lot of fiddling about with amp settings. [/quote] V nice bass - you can't beat black and maple - Interesting mod, and I heard a great demo of the Aguillar EQ and pick up in a pre EB Ray. You may find lowering the pick up helps. As you lowered the action when you got the bass it's possible the pole pieces were too close to the strings afterwards. I find Stingray basses are at their best (for my style of playing) with the action slightly higher than very low - too low and I find that any slight digging in whilst playing results in notes sounding like they're being popped as opposed to simply plucked.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1424032933' post='2691854'] It's easier to adapt the 10% of a bass you like 90% of than find one that is 100% what you want off the hook though. [/quote] I guess so - I think I've ended up adapting the 10% to various basses myself rather than modding them.

I'd very much like to try one of those new fangled neck through Stingrays. Other than that I'm going through a disturbed time of thinking I want an old P or J bass off and on - until I hear them played - that white one above is gorgeous. So I have reverted to lusting for a pre EB Stingray in natural or sunburst (or a new EBMM Classic Ray in natural). But I don't need another bass either .............. doh!!! Also a Stingray in peach!!

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1423951436' post='2690898'] I can hear the "other forum" exploding already! [/quote] You mean Talkbass?! I can't see the EBMM forum having much of a view although no doubt some may think you have taken leave of your senses and should sell the Ray and buy a bass you actually like?? It's your bass, your choice though.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1424012472' post='2691499'] Mine is the kind in the pic too - from Thomann [/quote] Yep - and mine!! Ordered it via my local music shop. You'll all be very pleased that I didn't use one for my New Years eve gig.......... Only a couple of bum changes mostly in one song but I did use a sheet for one song - it was perched on the floor. There was simply not enough room for my music stand!! The singer had one for the words and the keyboard player had one.

There's much to be said for attempting an authentic Andy Fraser TOTP approach to this IMO. He rocked backwards and forwards in a very gentle manner looking vaguely towards the ceiling with a facial expression as if contemplating the meaning of life with his arms crossed against the upper bout of his EB3 - if he had been smoking a pipe it would not have looked out of place - the perfect counter to Simon Kirk blowing his hair away from his face on beats 1 and 3, Paul Kossoff's guitar faces and Paul Rogers front man singing. It has to be said they looked a little out of place surrounded by teenage girls on that show - in stark contrast to their normal audiences of mainly long haired make musos at that time. The one thing you must not do (and I must say I've transgressed once or twice or more over the years) is to come in on the wrong note owing to daydreaming in the verses and worse still to have a mental aberration and actually forget how to play the high G and D pattern correctly - it sounds quite bizarre backwards. Worse still trying to improvise as in the version off Free's live version and getting those G and D chords in the wrong order after the guitar solo. Classic song which suffers from terminal over exposure unfortunately - as will any song which got to number 1 or thereabouts and includes a classic guitar solo. I can think of several others ....

Each to his own I guess but you guys must be Bonkers IMHO!!!! I got my 2003 SR5 out the other day - that bass has such a fast neck and it's simply aged in colour beautifully - even has a nice flame starting to show through - I would never varnish it - the only thing better is my Classic Sabre with oil and wax finish roasted flamed maple - that is also ridiculously fast to play. I did a gig on Saturday night and used my coral red Classic Ray - it was v nice and had a perfect Bernard Edwards sound with TI flats and Mark Bass - EBMM make a great bass and the necks are especially good, especially the classic Ray lacquered ones - they're certainly the least sticky to play laquered necks I've come across - totally different from say a Fender AV but even so they are still not as quick as the oil/wax ones.

[quote name='police squad' timestamp='1422442738' post='2672621'] just done a quick google, John Gold used to run the shop. Works for Fender Europe now (So it says on the forum I've just found this info) [/quote] I believe it was him! One of the members here put him in the frame last time this subject was discussed.

An interesting thread and as I recently qualified to participate in this thread thought I would contribute. My experience is it gets better as you get older - I'm happy to just lay back in the groove and play a couple of fills and bass hooks here and there. Great fun!! I find it far easier to relax playing these days - not sure if it's an age or experience thing or a bit of both. The one thing I find a bigger and bigger irritation is carrying the equipment in and out - despite having invested in lightweight cabs and amp it's still a pain!!! And taking two basses to a gig - well that's an exception rather than a rule these days. I have played in bands in recent times with plenty of mid 70 year olds so am v hopeful I'll still be doing it then. Oh and Blue, we also had the Singing Nun back in the 60s on our radios - as well as all the beat groups - others I recall were A Windmill in Old Amsterdam and plenty of Val Doonican songs!! It wasn't until 1967 that we had a specific national radio station for pop music!!

Fascinating - thought it was great.

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1422305605' post='2671010'] Had to grin when I saw an Eb - Stevie loves them black notes! [/quote] Yes - amongst several Stevie tunes which I have found consistently switched to E by guitar based groups. Another is I Wish. I think the flat keys maybe to fit his vocal range or are keys which suit horns better. I think you are right with the horn part - I play this song in a group and play that as root, b7, 6, 5, 6, root. You can probably use a b3 and 4 over the 5, 6 of the riff to harmonise. It seems to fit what our brass section plays anyway!! I also use the pattern as the format of a bass part over a couple of solos which follow particularly as the clavinet part is played on a guitar. It can be quite effective with some slap interspersed with finger style. Needless to say we play the song in E!!! None of the other players can possibly have played their parts along to the original as they would immediately be clashing by a semi tone!! I think it classes as a 'standard' which people sometimes play from memory rather than anything else.