Your first hit

[TTG]

HI, I'm chuck and I have been hooked on EDMM basses for a few years now...I played for over 20 years before finding this addiction (I must have been High to not do it sooner...(just tying in the hit scenario):

First I was stupid and when a friend of mine needed a car, he offered me his early 80's stingray but instead I sold him the car for $300. Anyway, a few years ago I was at a local shop looking around when I saw a bass I had to put in my hands - a Black Onyx. Man did that bass play and sound perfect! Unfortunately, I did not have the money at the time. Time passed but I still wanted a 'ray So I started keeping an eye out for one cheap. I finally found one ('96 trans teal) then within 30 days of that, I also got a SUB Sterling (white with black). Both of these basses quickly became my favorites and when I had to sell off my gear for medical bills, I sold all my F***** stuff first. Some of those I had since I started playing but the EBMM just played and sounded so much nicer. Then the dreaded day came when I had to dig deeper and sell the remaining gear I had. Both basses gone and it left me to heal on my own (from the medical issues). Been back to work for a few months and aside from 1 event putting me back out for a month, I have been saving and now I'm putting the wife back to work so I can get a Bongo 4hh and start collecting all over again. I would like to find a Black Onyx again except this time, bringing it home with me!

[thunder]

my first bass was a 94' sunburst ray (not the tobbacco burst). my mother offerend to buy me a used car. i decide i rather the bass. i played many gigs with this bass. lots of good times. i feel i made a great choice............ and thanks mom.

[johnfrazier]

I'm more of a lurker than a poster, but here goes...

In 1984 my college roommate played a '79 Stingray while I played my '66 Jazz. I could never hear myself when we played together so I went looking for a something with a little more punch. I found a badly beaten up '77 fretless at Music Gallery in Highland Park, Illinois. The bass (B006310) had been traded in by its original owner, Dan Lakin, so I did a deal with Frank, the owner, that included a round of golf at Kemper Lakes, a nice course outside Chicago. That's where I worked summers during school. That was my first Stingray.

I checked around and concluded B006310 may have been a prototype (it had a maple fretboard). I had it refinished in Daphne Blue by Chip Jurkovac at Hamer Guitars. In 1992 I traded it back to Dan Lakin for a 1988 SR5 in trans red. See, way back then, if a "vintage" guitar wasn't original, it wasn't thought to have much collector value...and I'd refinished it and didn't have the original case...so I figured it was a novelty piece at best. Earlier this year I saw a similar '77 (finished in white with a fretless fretboard) on ebay with an asking price that brought tears to my eyes...

I did track down Dan Lakin this year and asked if he still had the '77, and it took him a few minutes to remember me and orient himself, but eventually he recalled he'd sold it, he couldn't remember to whom. So that's the end of that, unless someone on the site knows where B006310 is now.

[MK Bass Weed]

In the late 70's, when I was but a bass pup, I saw Chuck Mangione in concert, and his bass player Charles Meeks, played an all natural Sting Ray. He took this solo in a song called 11th Commandment, I think it was the first time I EVER heard slapping on a bass....I was blown away and never forgot that sound. In 1987, when I was looking for a 5 string that was actually playable AND had a great tone, this very very cool dealer named Charlie from Long Island NY actually had a Sting Ray 5 in his store and told me to check it out. The neck, the sound, everything about it was perfect right there in the store. Charlie also said, 'you can order it in this custom peach color', which of course I did, because you can't have enough peach colored basses. When it came, it had a white pick up cover and pick guard, and I immediately called EB and requested a black cover and black guard. Knowing the guys in my band, they would have called it the "Creamsicle" at first site and would never hear the end of it. This now is the Tony Levin signature color, I believe he likes Creamsicles. I've moved on, back to a MM Ray, with just 4 old strings and the HH configuration. But that Ray 5 had the best damn neck I ever wrapped my hand around.

MJK

[MrMusashi]

cool to hear all these stories.. sure makes me understand why we are so passionate about our instruments

i got one word for y'all: Sledgehammer

MrM

[Rano Bass]

I was hooked when i saw a Sade live video, Paul Denman's tone is fabulous.

[Figjam]

My story is a little interesting.

I basically ordered my first ebmm, my 97 sterling, blind. The only exposure I had previously had with ebmm was playing a used LEFTY sr5 at my local shop for all of 5 minutes. It was a really interesting color, i think it was las vegas gold, (but I did not know how rare that was back then).
I noticed it had amazing tone and a great sounding B string.

Couple years went by and i bought a sterling used. Turned out to be the best bass ive played to this day. 3 days with me and i still love it to bits.

[bovinehost]

I have a photo up on the studio wall of me in 1978, 1979.

I'll have to scan it when I have a bit of time.

[NorM]

I know this is the wrong side but you predominantly fat string players have cool reads over here once and a while.

For me:
A Steve Morse Clinic

The barb on that hook was unmitigable.