Lets talk about Musicman

[WinterMute]

4 hours ago, thepurpleblob said:

The 5-strings are "what were they thinking?" dreadful. Neck is too narrow, the G-string is insanely close to the edge and the pick guard is the wrong shape. Just my opinion of course 😄

I don't play mine that much because I mostly play 5s now but it's definitely not going anywhere. 

Agreed on the pick guard, and the G string on the Bongo took some getting used to I'll admit, but the 20th Anniversary SR5 without the guard and with slightly different spacing is in a different league... 

The 25th Anniversary is also a monster, but I don't like the semi-single cut shape so much. Sounds magnificent though.

[martthebass]

39 minutes ago, casapete said:

Any idea how light please? 🙂

You still searching for the holy grail 7.5lb Ray Pete?.......

[stingrayPete1977]

As I put in another thread recently, you don't have to have the 80s style five string, this is mine. 

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, casapete said:

Any idea how light please? 🙂

The new 2018 Ray Specials have an average of 8.5lb for the 4 string - but some on Talkbass have bought a few and found the odd one under 8lb!

 

That's what I'm looking for. They land in September. A 4HH at 8lb would be a dream come true!

[SpondonBassed]

3 hours ago, ezbass said:

Sadly, no, but I’m going to start playing the intro to Sledgehammer differently from now on, you’ll see why when you watch it.  

Oh you like the funk finger thing?

I'm not sorry if I never see them again.  I don't care for the sound either much.  It's nowt special for saying you look like a prat using them.  I like Levin's playing for the most part though.  I even like the Chapman Stick stuff.

I'll enjoy his take on the Stingray when I can commandeer the living room sound system.

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, SpondonBassed said:

Oh you like the funk finger thing?

I'm not sorry if I never see them again.  I don't care for the sound either much.  It's nowt special for saying you look like a prat using them.  I like Levin's playing for the most part though.  I even like the Chapman Stick stuff.

I'll enjoy his take on the Stingray when I can commandeer the living room sound system.

Ah, I thought you wanted to see them. I was once enamoured of the idea, but I’ve now moved on. I always much preferred  TL’s standard playing, but I was a fanboy at the time and wanted to have a go at funk fingers. His DB playing is rather good too, but that’s for another thread.

[casapete]

5 hours ago, martthebass said:

You still searching for the holy grail 7.5lb Ray Pete?.......

I am Mart, but realise it's only a dream....

5 hours ago, fretmeister said:

The new 2018 Ray Specials have an average of 8.5lb for the 4 string - but some on Talkbass have bought a few and found the odd one under 8lb!

Or is it....?!! Sounds promising, will watch with interest.

[gjones]

7 hours ago, casapete said:

Any idea how light please? 🙂

I just weighed it at 8lbs. The same as my P bass. My Jazz is a pound heavier.

[rodney72a]

12 hours ago, gjones said:

I had two USA Stingray SUBs which I loved the sound of but did not like the, baseball bat like, painted necks.

I recently played a second-hand Stingray, at my local guitar shop, that had a fantastic Jazz like neck.

I believe it's the SLO version.

Of course I bought it immediately!

The USP is the Stingray's low mid punch, which sounds to me like the combination of a bass guitar and kick drum playing simultaneously.

It's also very light.

If it's the SLO Special (1.5" nut width) it will say so on the decal.

[andruca]

Used to have 3...

 

Now I only own 2, lost the Sterling and made my own HS from a Ray35...

 

Can't say enough good things about them. No 5er plays like it, no bass holds its ground in a mix llike it, the low B is better than that of many 35" instruments, fit&finish is like boutique quality but with a tone that's full of personality (a feat many boutique instruments lacking, a sound of their own).

[stingrayPete1977]

That teal one is lovely, great neck too. 

Edited August 3, 2018 by stingrayPete1977

[stingrayPete1977]

I've got the matching blue sparkle to that but with a maple fingerboard, it's also a later version with the Alnico pickup. 

I've got a black and white one with a ceramic pickup that was fretless. 

A stingray classic five. 

And a six string jobbie.

free screenshot

[CameronJ]

Oh yes, @andruca the teal one with maple neck is very nice!

[kyuuga]

23 hours ago, andruca said:

Used to have 3...

 

Now I only own 2, lost the Sterling and made my own HS from a Ray35...

 

Can't say enough good things about them. No 5er plays like it, no bass holds its ground in a mix llike it, the low B is better than that of many 35" instruments, fit&finish is like boutique quality but with a tone that's full of personality (a feat many boutique instruments lacking, a sound of their own).

How do you like the HS model? it's rarely talked about (H being the obviously most popular config followed by HH) but I feel it's probably the most versatile and not as obtrusive as the HH. Do you feel that way?

[steantval]

My one and only bass, always wanted one and have zero interest in any other.

Teal green and does everything I want for the bands I have played in, never fiddle with the EQ, everything just set flat out, may just knock the tone pot back a bit on some numbers.

[Bassnut62]

Over the first 4 years of playing back in the 80s I owned numerous basses, including a couple of USA Fenders; but I could never find one that just fit in every way. Then I saw a 1979 Stingray exactly like Bernard Edwards bass. I tried it, loved it, bought it and have never looked seriously at another bass. You can get any tone you need just by using your fingers in different positions or using a pick v close to the bridge, and tweaking tone knobs. It always sits perfectly in the mix. I’ve tried plenty of other basses, including other MM Rays; but none touch the tones of my trusty old bass.

I guess that’s why they are so special, especially the pre-EBs.

[bazzbass]

On ‎01‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 23:16, fretmeister said:

Does anyone care what non-players think about when buying an instrument?

not now that I'm older.

In my youth I was pining to have a Fender, but only had cheap basses. A Cimar Jazz, a Vantage thru neck,a Hohner B2A.

 

Now I have three Fenders.......I often use my SX Jazz.

I WISH I still had the Cimar, Vantage and Hohner ::)

[SpondonBassed]

52 minutes ago, bazzbass said:

I WISH I still had the Cimar, Vantage and Hohner ::) 

I have two out of three of those.  The Vantage is a bolt on fretless though.

[fretmeister]

The more I revisit this thread the more certain I am that I will just have to own one of the new Specials.

 

The only question now is 4H or 4HH

 

Can the 4HH sound just like the 4H?

[Bassnut62]

14 hours ago, Bassnut62 said:

Over the first 4 years of playing back in the 80s I owned numerous basses, including a couple of USA Fenders; but I could never find one that just fit in every way. Then I saw a 1979 Stingray exactly like Bernard Edwards bass. I tried it, loved it, bought it and have never looked seriously at another bass. You can get any tone you need just by using your fingers in different positions or using a pick v close to the bridge, and tweaking tone knobs. It always sits perfectly in the mix. I’ve tried plenty of other basses, including other MM Rays; but none touch the tones of my trusty old bass.

I guess that’s why they are so special, especially the pre-EBs.

And here’s the actual Stingray in about 1986. I’ll be wheeling it out again for the album launch gig at The Troubador on 7/9/18!

[BassTractor]

5 hours ago, fretmeister said:

Can the 4HH sound just like the 4H?

The bridge pickup is in the same position, so if both have the same electronics, then yes. I forgot exactly which ones come with 2-band EQ and which ones with 3-band EQ, but gather all "Classic" models come with 2-band. Somebody'll probably chime in.

Though: better be safe than sorry, and get a Bongo 4HH with 4-band EQ! 😃

Edited August 5, 2018 by BassTractor

[Deedee]

1 hour ago, Bassnut62 said:

And here’s the actual Stingray in about 1986. I’ll be wheeling it out again for the album launch gig at The Troubador on 7/9/18!

Heard about that, great story.  Best of luck to you all 👍

[Linus27]

Something I was thinking about today was why did Pino stop playing Musicman and move over to Fender? Did he fall out with Ernie Ball or did Fender offer him big bucks and a sig madel? He played a Stingray on so many albums I believe (Oleta Adams, Tears for Fears, Paul Young, Go West etc.) and the Stingray is not so far removed from a Fender. If it was the whole fretless thing, then he could of just played a fretted Stingray. Interested to know why.

[NJE]

22 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

Something I was thinking about today was why did Pino stop playing Musicman and move over to Fender? Did he fall out with Ernie Ball or did Fender offer him big bucks and a sig madel? He played a Stingray on so many albums I believe (Oleta Adams, Tears for Fears, Paul Young, Go West etc.) and the Stingray is not so far removed from a Fender. If it was the whole fretless thing, then he could of just played a fretted Stingray. Interested to know why.

I would guess he just likes a P Bass or that’s what people want to see/hear him play at a session? I don’t think it has anything to do with being offered money or falling out with anyone.

He has always played a pretty big selection of basses by different brands, he used a Bongo for a while and I saw him on the internet somewhere using one of the new passive MusicMan basses.

He used a 5 string single humbucker Lakland with the pickup in the sweet spot for a while as well as a custom made 5 string fretless Stingray copy so I guess like a lot of pro players he used whatever suits the music and the artist. I have seen him use a Moon jazz a lot too and no one really associates him with that brand or a Jazz Bass.

[Linus27]

1 minute ago, NJE said:

I would guess he just likes a P Bass or that’s what people want to see/hear him play at a session? I don’t think it has anything to do with being offered money or falling out with anyone.

He has always played a pretty big selection of basses by different brands, he used a Bongo for a while and I saw him on the internet somewhere using one of the new passive MusicMan basses.

He used a 5 string single humbucker Lakland with the pickup in the sweet spot for a while as well as a custom made 5 string fretless Stingray copy so I guess like a lot of pro players he used whatever suits the music and the artist. I have seen him use a Moon jazz a lot too and no one really associates him with that brand or a Jazz Bass.

Excellent, thank you for sharing.