Musicman Stingray Special Action

[Misdee]

I am hankering for a Stingray Special, but I seem to remember some talk of it being difficult to set the new design bridges for a low action. If I were to purchase one of these basses I would need to get the action pretty low ( about 11/2 mm on the E to 1mm on the G, give or take a tiny bit) for my taste.  Would a typical  Stingray Special accommodate these specs? If any existing owners out there have any input I would be very grateful. 

Normally I wouldn't be particularly concerned as I know how to shim a neck, but EBMM  basses are usually shimmed at the factory with a piece of plastic  as a matter of routine, if I understand correctly. Replacing the existing shim with a thicker one, or adding a second additional shim wouldn't really be ideal on a £2000+ bass. 

[Old Horse Murphy]

I have a 5 string and used to own a 4 string too. Through a combination of adjusting the truss rod and the saddles (and a bit of back and forth) I got probably one of the lowest actions I've ever had on a 4 string. 

[Misdee]

Thanks, that is is good to know.

[ped]

The bridge saddles are quite big barrels. On my Pre EB ray I have the G string as low as it can go which is just right but to go as low as my full time slapper I’d need to file the groove down a bit. That can be done easily with some abrasive cord. Because of my technique and lack of energy I have done this on most of my basses!

[Misdee]

That's a good idea Ped, but would be reticent to start filing down the bridge. I would be more likely to shim the neck. 

[ped]

4 minutes ago, Misdee said:

That's a good idea Ped, but would be reticent to start filing down the bridge. I would be more likely to shim the neck. 

I’d much rather file the groove a bit than wedge something in the neck personally - each to their own though! You can always buy a spare saddle. 

[Misdee]

12 minutes ago, ped said:

I’d much rather file the groove a bit than wedge something in the neck personally - each to their own though! You can always buy a spare saddle. 

Let's face it, neither approach is ideal.

I asked the initial question because I have enough problems in my life already without  paying over two grand to give myself another annoyance, if you see what I mean . I suspect rather like yourself ,Ped , if a bass isn't set up pretty much just how I want it, I don't really enjoy playing it, no matter how good it sounds. I've been at this game long enough to know  that, by now ,my own peculiarities are likely to be with me forever😄.

 If these new  lightweight Stingray bridges are particularly problematic I could easily live without one, but it sounds like I might be able to wrangle the action low enough. As I said previously, the complicating factor is the EBMM  basses are usually shimmed already at the factory. A shim is O.K,   but needing  multiple shims is a bit of a bodge job on a bass in that price range, in my opinion anyway . 

[Chiliwailer]

 I got mine when they landed here in 2018, so much what I’m about to say is about the early ones, so I’m unsure about the current state of play.

The saddles can be a pain in the proverbial, I’ve experienced and seen that the grub screws sometime slip. But I was sent replacements free of charge. 

Some people also found some grub screws too short, and again were sent free replacements. 

Lastly, I see on TB that quiet a few in the States needed a Plek to get a low action. 

All said, great basses if you like that kind of thing and fancy the different flavour of this version. 

[Misdee]

2 hours ago, Chiliwailer said:

 I got mine when they landed here in 2018, so much what I’m about to say is about the early ones, so I’m unsure about the current state of play.

The saddles can be a pain in the proverbial, I’ve experienced and seen that the grub screws sometime slip. But I was sent replacements free of charge. 

Some people also found some grub screws too short, and again were sent free replacements. 

Lastly, I see on TB that quiet a few in the States needed a Plek to get a low action. 

All said, great basses if you like that kind of thing and fancy the different flavour of this version. 

Thanks for the insight. Those are exactly the problems that I was referring to. I will have to investigate further...

[EdLib-3]

Just saw this thread and I too have problems with this design. I have to say that my experience of the new super lightweight bridge on my Stingray Special is that the grub screws on the bridge saddles constantly slip when I'm trying to adjust the action, it's a real hassle. It's the only thing that isn't top, top quality on the bass for me. This flimsy design is really not an improvement on the original pre 2018 chunkier bridge for me, I'd be willing to deal with the extra weight and have a sturdier bridge in return. I think I've also got some audible buzzing coming from vibration of the lightweight hollow saddles when I play the bass acoustically (which is quite often).

 

 

 

I had a look on the Ernie Ball Music Man forum based on other comments in this thread, and Ernie Ball send out replacement bridge saddles or longer grub screws free of charge for those affected by the slipping or the issue with the bridge bottoming out but apparently it's only if you can provide  proof of your receipt as the original purchaser. I bought this bass used a couple of years back so I'd have to pay to rectify one aspect of the bridge that shouldn't be an issue on such a high quality instrument and still have the flimsy bridge design that I dislike. I was thinking of maybe swapping the stock bridge for a black Gotoh 201B-4 bridge but I'm hesitant to mess with such an amazing bass. Has anyone else done / considered doing this. Is this sacrilegious?

Edited July 31, 2023 by EdLib-3
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