johnDeereJack Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Hi folks, I'm hoping to trace the previous owner of a 2005 EB StingRay 4-string I recently picked up in GuitarGuitar, Edinburgh. The bass was part of a trade-in and was listed for sale at £969 and came with a MM hard shell case. It's a 2-band / natural finish, with a maple neck, and rosewood board - serial is E45793. There was a bit of ambiguity regarding the date of manufacture (the ad said 2005, the sales guy said different) so out of curiosity I emailed Ernie Ball Customer Support with the serial number of the bass, along with the configuration (i.e. 2-band / natural finish / maple + rosewood) to get a definitive date. EB responded saying the bass left the factory in Feb 2005, but was fitted with a maple board, not a rosewood board, and said the neck had obviously been replaced. I've taken the neck off, and yes, the neck is dated after the bass left EB factory, so it appears that EB customer support are correct in the assumption that the neck has been swapped from the original maple / maple neck to a maple / rosewood replacement. Basically, I'm looking to hopefully contact the previous owner (have also asked the store to reach out to them) and find out why the neck was swapped - you can't simply contact EB and say 'Hi, can you send me a replacement neck for my bass, please?' so there has to be a reason..? I know it's most likely a long shot, but hey - gotta try! Anyhoo, here's the bass. Anyone recognise it..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Interesting ... but that aside, LOVE two band Stingrays. Sweet bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Could have been a fault with the maple neck Or perhaps he didn't like the agression of maple and preferred the smoothness of rosewood Like you say it's difficult to get replacement necks from EB But there are a few always for sale on eBay, etc I suspect there are many EB basses with swapped out necks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 It might just be a case of someone with multiple basses swapping his favourite neck onto his favourite body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted December 21, 2018 Share Posted December 21, 2018 Back in the late 90s a big music shop i visited to but my first real Fender, happily swapped the necks on two precisions so I had the configuration I wanted. It could be the distributor or the shop swapped necks for the customer rather than order a whole new bass in the right combination of colours and woods. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 This is very likely what happened. Necks swapped by original dealer as either the person buying this bass wanted a rosewood or the person buying another wanted a maple. It seems to occasionally crop up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 You bought it like that, so presumably you are happy with the combo? Plus putting a maple neck on still wouldn’t make it original, so I’d just enjoy playing it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 Some years ago I heard a story that Strings and Things would swap necks and bodies to meet specific orders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 The interesting question then is:- Does the bass having a different neck from the factory fit decrease its value? The answer must surely be Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingsta Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 Provided the neck is all good, then you still got yourself a killer bass. I'd personally love the RW / natural ash combo, so they'd have done me a favour!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 20 hours ago, gareth said: I suspect there are many EB basses with swapped out necks 20 hours ago, Beer of the Bass said: It might just be a case of someone with multiple basses swapping his favourite neck onto his favourite body. Exactly this I suspect. I have two EBMM Sterlings one rosewood and one maple and have switched the necks purely for aesthetics. I will however swap them back to original guise when I come to sell either of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 My 2007 Ray 5 was a fretless but now wears a fretted maple neck from an earlier bass (normal nut) , it's my favourite one to play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnDeereJack Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Thanks for all the replies, folks. When I contacted GuitarGuitar they offered to take the bass back, but it's now part of the (ever-growing!) family so it's staying with me. If I had the choice I'd rather have a maple board, but I bought it with the rosewood board, and if I hadn't done that wee bit digging regarding the serial number / date of manufacture, I'd be none the wiser regarding the neck not being original to the body, so I guess it's all a bit of a moot point? I spoke to Guitar Guitar on Friday to see if they had any info regarding the neck swap - they had contacted the fella that traded in the bass, and it turns out he's the second owner; he bought it from his bass tutor in 2011, and had no idea the neck had been swapped. He's offered to contact the original owner and get the story behind the swap, and it would be interesting to get the story behind it, but it's not high on my list of priorities right now. I'm just enjoying the bass for what it it - a really nice EB MM StingRay that looks cool, sounds killer, and plays exceptionally well! Merry Xmas, folks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 I almost pulled the trigger on that bass myself but he who dithers aboot.... Looked a nice bit of kit for a decent price. It`s good that GG offered to take the bass back and please report back if you hear anything re the story of "the wrong neck!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 On 22/12/2018 at 09:54, obbm said: Some years ago I heard a story that Strings and Things would swap necks and bodies to meet specific orders. I heard of this back in the late '90s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 (edited) On 22/12/2018 at 10:35, gareth said: The interesting question then is:- Does the bass having a different neck from the factory fit decrease its value? The answer must surely be Yes I don't see why edit: unless you're a collector? Edited December 29, 2018 by mcnach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 29 minutes ago, mcnach said: I don't see why edit: unless you're a collector? Originality is everything and lack of it will adversely effect market values Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 8 hours ago, gareth said: Originality is everything and lack of it will adversely effect market values I'm just not convinced. It's not on the level of a 1961 Fender Jazz or the like. (It is a much nicer bass for a lot less money ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted December 30, 2018 Share Posted December 30, 2018 I still think it would have some negative effect Yes I don't understand the money thrown at pre CBs fenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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