Despite having played a (borrowed) Stingray a few times, in a thrash metal band years ago, I know nothing about these basses. All I remember (I may have been a little refreshed at the time) was the biting tone which fitted perfectly with my style of playing in such a band. For a few years now I've played in an acoustic duo and I have two beautiful short scale basses built by our very own @Jabba_the_gut that are perfect for this endeavour. However, I have, for years now, had a hankering for a solid bodied electric bass. I've been through a few but, for some reason, I've mostly avoided the bigger names. My first 'serious' bass, bought thirty five years ago at The Bass Centre, was a black Jaydee Supernatural and the last was a Fender JMJ Mustang, but, apart from the borrowed Stingray, I have never really had the (sober) Stingray experience.
So...
I need some help from all the Stingray experts. If you were going to buy a Stingray, what would you go for? New? Used? Are there particular years to look out for? I think I've read about there being a pre and post period of some sort? Just to give you a starting point, I quite fancy the look of this 2022 Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray Special 4 currently on sale at Bass Bros, but that's purely on looks, if you had 2K (or 4K for that matter) to spend on a Stingray what would you go for and why?