KiOgon Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Really liking the look of the new range - courtesy of Andertons , (no connection), never had a Stingray and probably never will, but N I C E very nice 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Lovely but sooo much money now!!! £800-1000 rise in 2-3 years.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mastodon2 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 It's good to see them catching up with the sort of developments that other manufacturers have been making in the last 20 years. I wonder if these new generation rays will be less prone to deadspots. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 42 minutes ago, Musicman20 said: Lovely but sooo much money now!!! £800-1000 rise in 2-3 years.... And that is the barrier to entry for me, the prices are just silly. Will have to wait for a used one to crop up in the right colour which will no doubt take a while to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 sold my stingray for £650 about 5 years ago, too much twang and not enough growl for me, these are way overpriced IMO. Check out the overplaying thread, this guy certainly need too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Loving the all black HH and charcoal H, Not loving the prices though. Glad I’m not after one otherwise the plastic would take quite a beating this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Musicman20 said: Lovely but sooo much money now!!! £800-1000 rise in 2-3 years.... That's not just Stingrays, just about every bass that 3 years ago was retailing at the £1000-£1500 ish mark has shot up by a similar amount. It's like the manufacturers have adjusted their prices to allow for the weakness of sterling, then rounded that figure up to the nearest £500. Edited September 1, 2018 by Cato 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedVee Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 I too will purchase used instead of ordering new from EB. The new prices are far too much along with the wait time of 12 months for it to be delivered is pathetic. It should not take 12 months for a guitar that is machined to be made and sent to the UK from the US. If it was 1918 I could understand it but not in 2018. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 I've always wondered who it was that bought new Stingrays. EBMM have touted their consistency in build quality as their trademark for years. That, coupled with their massive production volumes, has meant that used basses have never been in short supply - unless you were maybe after an original Sterling model, before the lineup became confused as 'Sterling' also came to denote the cheap range and the Sterling model faded into the background. I don't know if they even still make it. That said, I'd never buy a used Stingray without playing it first, as they suffer from dead spots like nothing I've ever known, but the weak G string irritates me even more. I've read of people using mix-and-match string sets to use a heavier G for more oomph, that sounds ridiculous on a bass of that sort of price. For the price of them now, I can't see why anyone wouldn't just pick up a used Modulus Flea bass. Even if you don't covet the Lane Poor pickup, I find them to sound better than the Stingray, as they don't have such a naturally scooped sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 51 minutes ago, Chris2112 said: I've always wondered who it was that bought new Stingrays. EBMM have touted their consistency in build quality as their trademark for years. That, coupled with their massive production volumes, has meant that used basses have never been in short supply - unless you were maybe after an original Sterling model, before the lineup became confused as 'Sterling' also came to denote the cheap range and the Sterling model faded into the background. I don't know if they even still make it. That said, I'd never buy a used Stingray without playing it first, as they suffer from dead spots like nothing I've ever known, but the weak G string irritates me even more. I've read of people using mix-and-match string sets to use a heavier G for more oomph, that sounds ridiculous on a bass of that sort of price. For the price of them now, I can't see why anyone wouldn't just pick up a used Modulus Flea bass. Even if you don't covet the Lane Poor pickup, I find them to sound better than the Stingray, as they don't have such a naturally scooped sound. It's only 'naturally' scooped if you want it to be. A pickup placed at the Stingray spot (even if wired in parallel) is hardly lacking mids... I love my mids and that's how I arrived to the Stingray, which I use most of the time. Just like those complaining the Jazz is too scooped... that's only true if you use both pickups on full and only with certain combinations of pickup heights setup and strings... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 25 minutes ago, mcnach said: It's only 'naturally' scooped if you want it to be. A pickup placed at the Stingray spot (even if wired in parallel) is hardly lacking mids... I love my mids and that's how I arrived to the Stingray, which I use most of the time. Just like those complaining the Jazz is too scooped... that's only true if you use both pickups on full and only with certain combinations of pickup heights setup and strings... They're scooped if you turn the bass and treble up all the way, which seems to be a surprisingly popular way to use them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Knew I'd seen that charcoal sparkle finish before 😁 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misdee Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) I suppose it's not EBMM's fault that the pound has crashed against the dollar since 2016, hence the high price for these basses. Regarding dead spots and weak G strings, I've got a hunch that these basses may well suffer from them less than previous Stingrays. The new design pickups and preamp are substantially derived from the Bongo, which definitely doesn't suffer from either of those problems. Dead spots were a problem from the outset with the Stingray design.The reason Leo Fender designed the 3+1 headstock arrangement was to counteract a very pronounced dead spot at the 5th fret on the E string of his early prototypes. Maybe EBMM have found a way to banish the problem (or at least temper it) by means of brute force with the new 18V preamp and neodymium pickup. Edited September 2, 2018 by Misdee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) Extraordinary to see such negative vibes, and I'd wager none of you have seen one of these in the flesh let alone played one. Go and try one before you comment. I have one (more details to follow tomorrow) - the revoiced preamp does sound very musical even on full mid boost. The weight loss is very noticeable - I have a light Stingray and Sabre and this is noticeably lighter than them. The output is huge. The changed body and neck contours feel really good. Oh and flawlessly constructed and the roasted maple is the slickest neck I've ever played. What's not to like (other than the price - but this is easily as good if not better than say a Fender CS) Regarding string to string volume - this bass is very balanced - The pre amp is revoiced - I don't think people will have an issue with that even if the EQ settings are abused. And the slap tone remains wonderful - clever eh? Just to correct some errors in Misdee's post - there was an issue with quality control from CLF who made the pre EB basses initially, which affected amongst other things necks on pre EB basses - indeed rigorous quality control was instituted as dealers rejected the instruments and eventually this created a relationship breakdown because CLF were either unwilling or not capable of producing a product which would meet MMs requirements (this was the 70s!!!) - it's all readily available in print - the issues included inoperable truss rods, dead spots (at the very top end of the neck), rattling truss rods and worse. Those in circulation didn't have those issues. Edited September 2, 2018 by drTStingray 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I’m really excited about these. I’d love a 5 String to go with my much modified 2005. Alas I cannot afford one. I’ll just have to hope the Specials are not just for 2018 and that some used ones will turn up in a year or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 It is a lot of money to buy one, but Andertons must be confident of selling them, as that's a lot of working capital to sink into a shipment of one type of instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyuuga Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) 2 hours ago, Misdee said: I suppose it's not EBMM's fault that the pound has crashed against the dollar since 2016, hence the high price for these basses. Not sure what's your point here. The price of EBMM instruments soared on all currencies (including Euros and Dollars) not just pounds. So it really doesn't have much to do with the pound going down. 16 minutes ago, Graham said: It is a lot of money to buy one, but Andertons must be confident of selling them, as that's a lot of working capital to sink into a shipment of one type of instrument. Definitely. Not sure how many they're going to sell. I, for one, would love to have one of those but 2100£/2300€ is way too much for a bass. It's not even the price in itself, it's the fact that, like most of us, I'm a weekend warrior/gigging musician who plays on a lot of bars and travels a lot to play. I don't exactly have a roadie who can carry my stuff around and make sure it stays intact. I just can't feel comfortable lugging around such an expensive piece of gear and having the constant fear that it might get stolen and/or badly damaged. And I can't afford having one of those high end basses just for home practice/recording sessions obviously. My instruments are a tool and therefore they need to serve a constant purpose - in this case, long trips & rough gigs. The ideal price point for me is around 700€-1000€ because you can still get a very high quality instrument but at the same time if something happens to it it's not THAT problematic. I mean it'd still be a huge loss but way better than losing a brand new 2300€ instrument... Edited September 2, 2018 by kyuuga 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I don’t worry about taking nice kit out. I buy good insurance. Anyone who gigs without it is an eijit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Fenders have also continuously gone up in price, I don’t think the issue is the collapse of the pound, although it probably doesn’t help. As far as I can see the real issue is that guitar / bass sale numbers are in decline globally, and that’s coupled with the influx of cheap chinese instruments eating up a big share of an already diminishing market, so the big manufacturers are changing their business models to ensure they can maintain their usual levels of income despite dwindling sales. So we end up with a smaller number of ‘exclusive ‘, nicer, but way more expensive instruments. It’s likely to carry on like this unless the companies eventually downsize, which I think is also inevitable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 22 hours ago, Beer of the Bass said: They're scooped if you turn the bass and treble up all the way, which seems to be a surprisingly popular way to use them! Indeed... but if you do that and find it too scooped, it would make sense to try another setting instead of saying "nah, it doesn't work" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarshallBTB Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I want one. Loads of money but this ticks all the boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 I'm one of those people referenced above that bought a brand new Sterling. I've only had it since April 2016 but the price has gone up by £520 in that time which equates to a price rise of 34%. That's just incredible. I'm not sure about the reference to too much twang with a Stingray - are you sure it wasn't a Stingray guitar? 🤔 That would get you loads of twang. I'm not sure what to make of the new Stingrays or what the future holds. The new ones have elements of both Sterling and Bongo incorporated in them now so I'm unsure how that will affect the Sterling and Bongo models. I think that they will certainly be interesting and will give one a try if I have the opportunity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 On 01/09/2018 at 19:58, Beer of the Bass said: They're scooped if you turn the bass and treble up all the way, which seems to be a surprisingly popular way to use them! The Americans have coined a rather irritating term for this: 'diming' or 'to dime'. That said, I have always found the Stingray to be a bit of a thumpy, scooped sounding bass. If Leo was looking for something of a midpoint between the Precision and Jazz, he had perhaps found it. The pickup, for all its connotations of being in a 'sweet spot', is just too far away from the saddles for my taste. The eye can be deceived by the size of the bridge plate but the measurements matter. I like pickups closer to the bridge, effectively in a jazz bass position or closer. I always thought that the Stingray 5 sounded better with its neodymium pole pieces. A wider adoption of those is a positive for the Stingray range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 The Stingray 5 originally had alnico pickups, then switched out to ceramic. When they brought out the Sterling 5 they switched the pickups back to alnico. I'm really not understanding the 'scooped' thing that so many people have been talking about here. As someone who loves lots of mids then I shouldn't like the sound of my Sterling but it's right on the money for me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 (edited) The Musicman sound CAN be scooped, as can all basses I guess, if you knock out the mids (although you can do this on the bass unlike a passive Jazz). A Jazz is definitely more scooped to me. Lot's of high end, lots of rumble. I think, without referring to any graphs, that the thing I like with the Stingray is the low mid kick (quite low on the low mids I think....could be wrong) then there is a rasp aggression in the high mids close to the treble, should you want it. Also, the mid control on the 3 band and 3 band + basses obviously allow for loadssss of mid. These new basses look fantastic but I'm already well equipped with basses so I doubt I'll be getting one in the foreseeable future. Edited September 3, 2018 by Musicman20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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