Me got StingRay 5 Gas.... a few Q's??

[bubinga5]

Just wanted to ask a few Q's on a MM...Im really gassing for a StingRay 5ver.. I have wanted to try one out, but around my way its a little tricky..

I might be wanting to trading one of my basses for one at some point. Is the single H totally different from the HH? Are they heavy, Does the maple board differ alot to the RW..

I see they have them in Reverb for £999, and a few on here..

Thank for input in advance..

Edited January 30, 2009 by bubinga5

[Josh]

I think I'm going to have to admit to being impressed by some Stingray 5's as of late as well, I am seriously taking them into consideration for a trade option.

Edited January 30, 2009 by Josh

[dub_junkie]

I have a single H with a maple board (used to have another single H with a rosewood board) and the maple is maybe a tad snappier sounding,rosewood more rounded perhaps.It was the same with a pair of Sterlings when I owned both at the same time.
I much prefer the look of rosewood however and apart from the odd bit of lemon oil,its low maintenance.the gunstock oil/wax finish on the maple boards however gets quite grubby unless you clean it fairly reguarly imo. still,for some thats all part of the vibe.You've still got the same finish on the back of the neck whichever board you choose.

[bubinga5]

I heard Randy 'Hope' Taylor playing one on a certain album and loved the tone..A real working bass me feels.

[Monz]

I have recently gone from Warwick Corvette 5 to Stingray 5 and to be honest I am amazed how much more tonal variation there is and also how much more playable the instrument is. Add to this that the first gig with it last week the sound man nearly kissed my feet because he says it was so much easier to mix into the band sound.

I can say without any reservations that this Ray 5 is a masive step up for me [1]

PS Just loaded it with Status hotwires 40's as per OutToPlayJazz's recommendation and the sound is even better [2]

Also add.. mine is black single H with rosewood FB


[1] I'm a relative noob to bass, so my opinions might stand for jack sh*te lol
[2] I think someone better pass me a tissue

Edited January 30, 2009 by Monz

[martthebass]

Went through 3 5'ers on the way to a Ray5. Picked mine up a few weeks back and couldn't be happier. It's single H with a RW board. I'd agree it's a little less snappy than my single H maple necked Ray4 (played acoustically - so not subject to comparisons over the alnico vs ceramic pups) but it's marginal. I prefer the RW board - it's softer to play, well figured and as noted above, doesn't get grubby like the oiled/waxed maple ones.

Weight wise I'd say it's about the same as the DJ5 I had - 10lb and balances ok; it feels less of a handful than the G&L L2500 (US) it replaced. Comfortable on a long(ish) gig.

The best feature to me for the bass is the neck profile - very easy to play, slim front to back but the strings aren't too close together for me (like a few Spector 5's I tried - don't know if they are all like that?), or too far apart (like the DJ5 - for me that is!).

That price looks pretty good new, though you'd probably pick up a good-excellent one off here for £750?

[XB26354]

I too just got a Stingray 5 single H - natural with tortie scratchplate and maple board. The bottom end sounds just like a Chapman Stick to me, dry and clav-like, and there is surprising tonal variation with the selector switch. Weight is medium, a bit heavier than my US Deluxe Jazz (which is super light anyway) but balance is absolutely spot on seated or standing. Having played many Stingrays in the past and come away very unimpressed, this one is a belter. I believe that MM selects better grain ash for the natural models (hence the price upcharge).
Here is a pic, too!
Cheers
Mat

[Raslee]

I've got GAS for a S'ray fiver, i shouldn't really because i have far too many basses...and my lack of ability does not justify more...but i can't get Stingrays out of my GAS. I've had two 4's in the past and always ended up coming back to my jazzes...weird. I do miss the bottom end of Musicmans though for drum, n bass style music/reggae dubby stuff.
I have a Lakalnd JO5 which i love and is kinda like the perfect Jazz 5 for me but i can't shift these musicman thoughts. Maybe if i can sell my Steinberger Synapse 5 then a Musicman could be within the sites...i did promise the wife a holiday with some bass sale money...and that was that

[budget bassist]

Someone on the EBMM boards did two recordings of a sterling, one with a rosewood board and the other with a maple board (this was the same bass, just switched necks and same control settings) and the difference was VERY subtle.

As for H vs HH, totally different beasts, according to everyone on the EBMM boards.

[henry norton]

+1 on every comment above. I used to play a very early 5 with the single H (all that was available then) and never picked up my Jazz or Precision during the entire 4 years I used it, whereas the 2 band pre EB SR4 I swapped for it wasn't nearly as versatile and I tended to use my other basses more. The 3 band eq and the single/series/paralell switching gives a pretty good range of tones. I've never tried the HH - the H seemed versatile enough.

[JD1]

I've had H and HH variations over the years. HH was [u]much[/u] more versatile. If you are a slapper there's not much room because of the neck pup placement though. I still might go for a Sterling 5 at some point and if I do it will probably be an HS as there is a tad more room.

Build quality on every one I've had has been superb - bomb proof and the natural finish on the back of the neck is ace. Great basses.

[mrcrow]

my old fashioned single pup SR5 for sale or maybe a swop

hope this link will give you some idea of what it looks like

cheers

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=39305"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=39305[/url]

[funkypenguin]

As has already been said, the HH is harder to slap due to where the neck pickup is placed. I tried one through a large trace rig and it had a really meaty sound with both pups on full. like the H model taken up a level! the option to move between pickups and the added tonal variation this brings is a real advantage over the single pickup model.

The suppposed difference between RW and M fretboards...depends how closely you listen i suppose. i can tell the difference personally, and some people swear by one wood or the other. In my experience maple tends to give a brighter sound, rosewood a warmer sound. overall, the body wood, neck wood and EQ have much greater impact on the sound of the bass. if you get the chance, try a pair of stingrays with the different boards back to back and see what you think.

[XB26354]

One other thing I notice with a lot of SR5s is that the G is very close to the edge of the fingerboard - on some I have played it was 0.5mm from the bevelled edge of the fret. If you play very light and don't "shake" the string then you may be all right, but I found the string kept falling off the fingerboard. I have seen this on several SR5's and believe it is a minor design flaw. It certainly does happen with an SR4. The one I got above is about 7 years old and uses an older style nut (not the new Buzz Feiten style one). The G is cut 3mm from the bevelled edge of the fret and 4.5mm from the edge of the neck - feels so much better whether I play lightly or heavily (it is strung with DR 45-130s). Of course it may be no problem to you, which is why for the amount you may have to spend I would strongly advise playing one before you buy.