Brook_fan Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Just read about their new instrument in this months Bass magazine. I don’t get it- surely it is just a guitar? The designer says in came about when he enjoyed playing chords in the second octave of his bass. Mate, just get a guitar, instead of trying to invent something this ugly!! Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 (edited) The Stinger The Stinger is our funky wee mutant of an instrument. It's not an electric bass guitar and it's not an electric guitar ... it's actually a bit of both. The Stinger sports a 20-inch scale length and uses a mix of bass and guitar strings (.085 to .013) that are tuned in the standard guitar register to normal guitar tuning. Designed from a love of the chorded voice of an electric bass in the second octave, the Stinger has a depth and fullness that only can come from the larger strings found on a bass. String spacing is in keeping with our Slimline option at approx. 16mm between strings at the bridge, making it perfect for both fingerstyle and pick playing. The nut is 65mm wide and while it may at first seem to be a bit of a handful, most players settle into the neck in just a few minutes. The Stinger is available in both the F Series configuration with headstock tuners and the G Series configuration, which incorporates the Tomm Stanley™ Tuning System, an electronics upgrade, stainless steel hardware and the lightweight control knobs we use on our M Series instruments. Edited March 9, 2018 by TheGreek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 Agree that it isn't the best looking instrument... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 $1695..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted March 9, 2018 Share Posted March 9, 2018 To be fair, it’s not a new concept, Wing Basses have been doing it for a few years: https://www.wingbass.com/product-category/instruments/ The whole ‘just get a guitar’ thing is boring, it’s completely different. But I do agree that the Stonefield is not the eaiest on the eyes. But none of their range are overly pretty......they sound great though! To be fair, I think the only thing I hate with a passion is the inside-out strat jack socket, it just looks soooo amateur! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomm Stanley Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 (edited) Hi all, Tomm Stanley from Stonefield music here. I always like hearing comments from the bass community and you'll find me popping in on other sites to engage discussion around our instruments, so thanks go out to Brook_fan for initiating the thread. While the Stinger is tuned the same as a guitar and the voice is totally different. You simply can't get this voice, typically found in the second octave of a six string bass, on a guitar. As noted by Sibob, Wing have been doing a short scale six-stringer for some time now but we extended the scale length so it's application is not primarily a travel instrument and the facility for playing chords is much greater. The price point is what it is ... very little build cost changes re the build just because 14 inches of neck is removed. The 'controversy' over our external jack plate always makes me chuckle. It does have the look of an upside down Strat plate but it's not. We designed the plate and have them machined from billet aluminium. They are an integral part of the instrument's electrical shielding, though that's not where the inspiration came from: the placement is a totally ergonomic choice. Stand with your bass on a strap, hold the cable in your right hand (left for lefty players) and bring your hand to the lower corner of your bass; that's where you find our input jack. No feeling around trying to find the jack, no need to lift the bass and look for the jack, no need to be scratching up the side of the instrument as you blindly poke for the jack. Finally, when you put the instrument in a stand, you can leave it plugged in without the protruding cable getting in the way of the stand support. Some ask me if it gets in the way of the control knobs. Nope; I can reach down without even looking and by touching the cable immediately know if I'm going for the tone (closest to the bridge) or one of the volume controls. Such a simple design, so many benefits, so much controversy For more on the Stinger and it's application check out these vids from our stand at NAMM18 in Anaheim: And feel free to hit me with any other questions or comments. All the Best, Tomm Edited April 29, 2018 by Tomm Stanley Typo 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naxos10 Posted April 29, 2018 Share Posted April 29, 2018 Hi Tomm, Welcome to Basschat and thanks for explaining the reason behind the philosophy of the Stinger - very interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 On 09/03/2018 at 15:44, Brook_fan said: Just read about their new instrument in this months Bass magazine. I don’t get it- surely it is just a guitar? The designer says in came about when he enjoyed playing chords in the second octave of his bass. Mate, just get a guitar, instead of trying to invent something this ugly!! Robbie Ugly? Air guitarists might disagree... As with ukuleles a decade or so ago, short scale instruments are enjoying more popularity than I've ever seen before. Innovation like this relieves the boredom if nothing else. I mean how many Fenderish designs do we actually need? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brook_fan Posted April 30, 2018 Author Share Posted April 30, 2018 Hadn’t realised just how wide that neck is. Now, being a classical guitarist I have always found the 52mm width of most classical necks to be quite a handful, but....65mm? Wow! Good luck with it all Tomm, I really wish I was able to try one out, as actually the videos show they sound pretty cool. I like the woodiness of your larger instruments, though not so keen on the stonefield signature across the body. I think this is unnecessary. When playing guitar I play in CGCGCD tuning, so I can only begin to imagine what this beast might sound like in that! I do an arrangement of “She Moved Through the Fair” where I think this, with a bit of reverb and delay, might sound awesome!! Robbie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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