Mokl

Westone Thunder 89 Stingray (still have, amazing) Rickenbacker 64 reissue Jaydee Super Session Wal Custom MK1 (wish I still had) G&L ASAT Thumb BO 4 (amazing) Lakland 55-01 Sei Flamboyant 5 Modulus Flea 4 Zon Sonus 4 (why did I sell this?) F Bass BN4 (wish I still had) Fender 76 P Bass ( wish I still had) Fodera Monarch VW Classic (amazing, still have) Bravewood fretless Jaco Jazz (still have) 77 Jazz black n maple ( Still have) Bacchus 4 string Jazz W/Audere Bongo 6 (still have) Alusonic Django 5 (still have, brilliant) Lakland 55-02 brilliant but heavy Jap Marcus Miller Jazz oly white De Gier Be Bop 70s - still have, lovely Stingray Special 2023 ( still have, lovely) Wal Mk 2 5er, never could quite love it, but I miss it. G&L SB-1 Goodfellow 5 String (Lowden era) Sei Jazz 5 I feel like I've had a good cross section, but not as many as others. I know now I like Stingray tone instinctively but wish I hadn't parted with many of the above, especially the F Bass and Zon (and Wal MK1, even though ergonomics were bad for me).

Ps I'm in the UK

Have you tried contacting them directly? It was years ago now, but they sent me some saddles for my 80s Stingray at no charge - was very impressed with how helpful they were. I just emailed them with a pic of the bass and serial number.

I have a Bravewood fretless Jazz and can echo the positive comments about the quality etc. I rarely play it these days, although really should sit down with it and become more closely acquainted with it again. There are a few niggles with it, main one being the side dots are essentially invisible (I think this has gotten worse as its gotten older) and although it's lined the lines are almost invisible too. I need all the help I can get on fretless, so this isn't ideal. He seems a good guy in my limited experience, but has a very particular way of doing business, which I respect but I suspect some may not like. I didn't want a pickguard when I ordered my bass (I was going through a Jaco phase), and whilst he clearly states he doesn't supply aged parts for general sale, thought he might have accommodated me when I had a change of heart! He politely declined to help, which was fine, but I can imagine this wouldn't go down well with all.

Oof, nice score!

A giant of the music industry if ever there was one, and what a life lived!

I've had an extravagant year for me, by recent standards anyway. Acquired an Alusonic Django Std 5 earlier in the year and very pleased with the tonal variety and playability of it. Somehow convinced myself I needed a Stingray Special a month or so back (I've had a late 80s Stingray a good 30 years now) and am really loving it now I've adjusted to the slightly different tone and getting to grips with the 18V preamp. It's a great sounding thing and really rekindling my passion for playing, so worth every penny. No duff purchases I'm pleased to say. A few difficult farewells to some lovely basses though.

I typically don't like Bartolinis, but ironically I had a Lakland 55-01 with the MK1 pickups in, and that sounded brilliant in a band context. It did have an upgraded (Bartolini) NTMB preamp though, so perhaps it was that?

That looks awesome 😎

When I worked in musical retail we had a few instruments stolen. The first places we would always check were Cash Generator/Converters. I can't speak for how they conduct their business now (my experience was over a decade ago), but back then they definitely didn't follow due diligence in establishing ownership of the items they were selling. This was borne out by the number of stolen instruments that used to turn up in there. I'm sure plenty of the stock in them is fine, but I would treat anything of half decent quality in there with a healthy dose of suspicion.

My Special comes in at ~8.8lbs, whilst my '89 is about 1lb heavier. I feel like a good chunk of that difference in my 2 basses is in the hardware. I'm fortunate that weight doesn't bother me (yet),within reason...

Looks vaguely Fernandes-y to me?

I've had a 2 band 1989 Stingray since the early 90s and it has been my main bass and reference for playability and tone since then. For years it was my only bass so always feels like 'home'. I recently picked up a Stingray Special as wanted to try the new 3 band EQ and to not rely too heavily on the 89 as a primary gigging bass. I'm really loving it, but the tone is quite different, especially the treble quality which to me seems 'sweeter' but not as transparent. The midrange character is also subtly different to my ears. It can get very close to the tones I like from my 2 band when bass and treble are cut. Boosted it sounds great, but different. In a band setting it's not huge, but I am already appreciating the bigger range of tones on offer. In summary I'm really glad to have both as they offer similar ground in the things I like about Stingrays, but different enough to justify having both! There's really great choice if you're in the market for a Stingray now, either pre-2018 used, the Sterling ranges etc etc that you're bound to find something you're happy with at a price you're comfortable with. I managed to pick up a new Special for not much more than I see then go for used, so deals are out there if you are flexible about colour and fingerboard material.

Weird double post thing..

Me too 😄

This is, in my view, the golden rule of live performance!

I'll definitely try the wax before the more drastic option! Thanks again.

Thanks for taking the time to comment and for the links. My Stingray's neck has a lacquer finish - I can see why they moved to the oil and wax a few years after mine was made. I don't have any problems with my 70s fender which has a lacquer finish, just this bass. As mentioned it's definitely worsened over the years. If the Scotch Brite treatment doesn't work I'll probably look at having someone strip the lacquer on the rear of the neck right back, then go the oil/wax route

Update, for anybody stumbling upon this thread and has any interest in my attempts to remedy the stickiness on my Stingray's lacquered neck: I've given the Scotch Brite treatment a try. Initial impressions are it feels really nice, but proof in the pudding will be next time I play it at rehearsal for a few hours.

I've got a late 80s Stingray which I've had since the early 90s. I haven't played it outside of my bedroom for quite a few years, but it's always the bass that feels and sounds like 'home' to me. Last night I used it in band rehearsal and it sounded brilliant, reminding me of why I like it so much. What I'd forgotten though is how sticky the neck's lacquer finish becomes when you get warm hands. I'm not a heavy sweater (!) but it gets very tacky very quickly, to the point of discomfort. It never used to be this bad, it's worsened with age. I'm thinking I might try to Scotch Brite the rear only. Had anybody tried this, and what level of success? I'm loathe to strip it right back and oil as it's one of the lovely birdseye/flame maple necks and a lovely rich amber color these days. Having said that, I'll never sell it so need it to be playable! Thoughts, advice? Many thanks

That is magnificent! Wish it were mine. Enjoy