Oomo

Probably late 90s early 00s were when I was active playing and saw/heard a bunch of Stingrays the first time round. No idea when the Ernie Ball takeover happened or whether they were 2/3 band eq though... (ah, simpler times!)

I used to love the classic Stingray sound from back when I used to play, but never owned one. I've come back to bass after a bit of a break, and keeping half an eye out for a 2nd hand one if it comes up at the right price. I'm totally confused about all the changes to models though... Seems there's now a Sub4, Ray34, Sterling, Stingray USA etc. I didn't pay enough attention at the time, but guessing an old USA model would be the classic Stingray sound I loved. Are the others just updated versions? Or cheaply made models that should be avoided at all costs? If they're anywhere near the classic Stingray sound then I'd consider a new model too of course...

Yup, needs to dry very slowly, or risks warping, cracking, splitting etc. It takes years normally, unless kiln drying, which can speed up the process. Typically the ends of the wood are also sealed after felling (as that's where the most moisture is lost). The moisture is lost more evenly across the wood, and avoids problems by the ends drying at a different rate to the rest.

I've often wondered how to approach this when sitting down. Standing up, it seems easier to have the bass at the right height for a straighter wrist. Sitting the bass on my knee makes this a lot harder (without raising my elbow and shoulder, which then causes shoulder aches and pains...). I've tried resting on the other leg (classical guitar style), but that just gave me pain in the shoulder of my fretting hand when playing the low positions.