Rod Trussbroken
Moderator
Music Man instruments only please.
- Thread starter Rod Trussbroken
- Start date
This is one of my favourites
There is a great story behind, too
The story of this bass starts in the USA but soon see most of its action in Germany.
It was assembled on nov 1976 and it is the very first inca silver stingray ever produced by CLF. It is the only silver finish stingray produced in 1976. It has a sister stingray guitar produced in the same days.
Body and neck are dated oct 1976.
It was born with white pickguard. When it was decided to ship the bass (and the silver guitar) to Frankfurt music show the pickguard was changed to black and the preamp updated to the last model , since at musicman they wanted to have the instruments in perfect look and shape when displayed on the shows
Once in germany it was bought by a country band bass player . It may be given to him by music man , as well, since the bassist was in a very famous band (Truck Stop) and he has been music man endorser (he was one of the first bassist using MM stingray 5 in Germany).
He used the bass in hundreds of shows and, of course, this involved dings and scratches. Maybe for bring it back to its former mint condition, during the 90s, the owner decided to make the bass be painted in light blue.
In these two videos you can see the bass in the hands of Uwe with the two different colors.
Some year later the bass was sold to a guy in Hamburg that kept it until some years ago
I saw the bass in ebay Germany and bought it with the unknown about the possibility to restore it to the original color. It was a bet but I succeed…
There is a great story behind, too
The story of this bass starts in the USA but soon see most of its action in Germany.
It was assembled on nov 1976 and it is the very first inca silver stingray ever produced by CLF. It is the only silver finish stingray produced in 1976. It has a sister stingray guitar produced in the same days.
Body and neck are dated oct 1976.
It was born with white pickguard. When it was decided to ship the bass (and the silver guitar) to Frankfurt music show the pickguard was changed to black and the preamp updated to the last model , since at musicman they wanted to have the instruments in perfect look and shape when displayed on the shows
Once in germany it was bought by a country band bass player . It may be given to him by music man , as well, since the bassist was in a very famous band (Truck Stop) and he has been music man endorser (he was one of the first bassist using MM stingray 5 in Germany).
He used the bass in hundreds of shows and, of course, this involved dings and scratches. Maybe for bring it back to its former mint condition, during the 90s, the owner decided to make the bass be painted in light blue.
In these two videos you can see the bass in the hands of Uwe with the two different colors.
Some year later the bass was sold to a guy in Hamburg that kept it until some years ago
I saw the bass in ebay Germany and bought it with the unknown about the possibility to restore it to the original color. It was a bet but I succeed…
From the web page of Patrick Djivas (bassist of progressive/fusion Italian group PFM - Premiata Forneria Marconi - Wikipedia ):
"In 1976 I was in Los Angeles with PFM and we were sponsored by Music Man.
One day they invited us to visit the company and introduced us to Leo Fender. He lived in a small lab and worked without interruptions. The others were not particularly impressed by that meeting, while I was in front of the man who had invented my instrument !!!
So, since we had two cars, I stayed there, spending all afternoon with Leo, in his lab. You must know that Fender could not stand cigarette smoke, and this fact had precluded him from all kinds of social life. He was totally unaware of everything, even that he was a myth to all bassists in the world. When I told him of how many hours I spent in front of the windows of the shops in Nice to play his instruments with my eyes, he wondered. Between a chat and the other we came to talk about the bass without frets and he told me: "When 25 years ago the first electrified guitars arrived, the sound level of the orchestras, which was based on the volume of the guitar, increased significantly The bassist was no longer heard, he could not even play in tune, it was a real torment because the available pickups were not suitable for double bass, so I came up with the idea of making an instrument with frets, that was more precise. Thus the "Precision” bass was born (which, for the record, had the shape of the Telecaster) It was 1952. (Only later , at the end of the 50s, it took the form of Precision that we all know.) Here it is, "he said turning his gaze to a rack where there were all his prototypes. Yes, he picked it up and played the first bass Fender ever built !!!!!!
Leo continued: "And now you, after so many years, when the volumes have reached unimaginable levels, you come to talk about bass without frets?!! ...". Because you must know that until then, Fender had never made a bass without frets. The Fender fretless were manufactured after 1965, when Leo sold Fender to CBS. I explained to Leo that the technique of the musicians had evolved and that there were people like Pastorius (whom Leo had never heard of) who easily managed to play on a fretless bass guitar. I used mainly fretless because left the broader range of expression available. That was one of the most beautiful afternoons of my life.
A week later, a Music Man executive came to our house. On entering he said, "Hi Patrick, how are you doing? Oh, by the way, this is a gift from Leo for you." Despite the mild California weather, I started to be covered in cold sweat as I opened the case the guy had placed on the table. I could not believe it: the first fretless bass ever made by Leo Fender was in front of my eyes, and it was MINE. Actually Leo built two basses, one for himself and one for me. He asked me to do a demonstration at the Anaheim music fair after a couple of weeks. The presentation went very well and Leo put the bass in production. The only flaw of that bass was the wood used for the board: maple.
It was a light wood, suitable for a fretted board but too soft for the fretless. After playing it just only a few times, there were grooves on the board, so I could not use it anymore. Fender gave me the neck used for the demonstration, which had been played very little, and he told me that he would put into production a neck with a board made with another type of wood. As soon as he was ready he would replace it. I talked to Pastorius, with whom I spent most of my free time (the night ...), who told me: "No problem, we put on the paint I used for my bass and we solve everything." So, after four or five hands of that paint, that was called "PETITE" and that was also used in Italy for the bottom of the gondolas (unfortunately it is no longer on the market), my maple board did not get grooved anymore, it is still perfect. You can think how much I am fond of this bass, the first fretless ever made by Leo Fender, the only one in the world to have a maple fretless board and, in addition, with the paint of Jaco on it.
I stayed in touch with Fender for quite some time. We often wrote to each other. He sent me the new preamplifiers or the new strings he was thinking of mounting on the bass and asked my opinion. After the death of his wife we were no longer in contact, but for me the memory of this true genius remains one of the magical moments lived with PFM. Perhaps ... the most magical of all ".
According to the original files of music man production, it seems that 25 Stingrays with a maple fretless board have been produced in total. Only 7, however, are documented in blogs or musicman enthusiasts sites. Some have been reconverted to fretted. This is very similar to that produced for Patrick Djivas having white pick up like his one. I have, for years seen, photos of this bass in various blogs on the net and has always been presented as a one of a kind for finishing, white pickup and radio knobs (possibly put afterwards). Just think which was my surprise when I saw it for sale on ebay. The original owner sold it to Cream Music City Brookfield WI. Subsequently, it was sold to a guy who, after years of research to find out the story, decided to sell it on ebay. The good thing is that the original sales documentation has been preserved. The original seller was Gregg George's Muscicenter in Illinois, who did the custom order # P010162. They were produced 3 fretless maple stingray on that day: this and two in natural finish. It was October 5, 1977.
"In 1976 I was in Los Angeles with PFM and we were sponsored by Music Man.
One day they invited us to visit the company and introduced us to Leo Fender. He lived in a small lab and worked without interruptions. The others were not particularly impressed by that meeting, while I was in front of the man who had invented my instrument !!!
So, since we had two cars, I stayed there, spending all afternoon with Leo, in his lab. You must know that Fender could not stand cigarette smoke, and this fact had precluded him from all kinds of social life. He was totally unaware of everything, even that he was a myth to all bassists in the world. When I told him of how many hours I spent in front of the windows of the shops in Nice to play his instruments with my eyes, he wondered. Between a chat and the other we came to talk about the bass without frets and he told me: "When 25 years ago the first electrified guitars arrived, the sound level of the orchestras, which was based on the volume of the guitar, increased significantly The bassist was no longer heard, he could not even play in tune, it was a real torment because the available pickups were not suitable for double bass, so I came up with the idea of making an instrument with frets, that was more precise. Thus the "Precision” bass was born (which, for the record, had the shape of the Telecaster) It was 1952. (Only later , at the end of the 50s, it took the form of Precision that we all know.) Here it is, "he said turning his gaze to a rack where there were all his prototypes. Yes, he picked it up and played the first bass Fender ever built !!!!!!
Leo continued: "And now you, after so many years, when the volumes have reached unimaginable levels, you come to talk about bass without frets?!! ...". Because you must know that until then, Fender had never made a bass without frets. The Fender fretless were manufactured after 1965, when Leo sold Fender to CBS. I explained to Leo that the technique of the musicians had evolved and that there were people like Pastorius (whom Leo had never heard of) who easily managed to play on a fretless bass guitar. I used mainly fretless because left the broader range of expression available. That was one of the most beautiful afternoons of my life.
A week later, a Music Man executive came to our house. On entering he said, "Hi Patrick, how are you doing? Oh, by the way, this is a gift from Leo for you." Despite the mild California weather, I started to be covered in cold sweat as I opened the case the guy had placed on the table. I could not believe it: the first fretless bass ever made by Leo Fender was in front of my eyes, and it was MINE. Actually Leo built two basses, one for himself and one for me. He asked me to do a demonstration at the Anaheim music fair after a couple of weeks. The presentation went very well and Leo put the bass in production. The only flaw of that bass was the wood used for the board: maple.
It was a light wood, suitable for a fretted board but too soft for the fretless. After playing it just only a few times, there were grooves on the board, so I could not use it anymore. Fender gave me the neck used for the demonstration, which had been played very little, and he told me that he would put into production a neck with a board made with another type of wood. As soon as he was ready he would replace it. I talked to Pastorius, with whom I spent most of my free time (the night ...), who told me: "No problem, we put on the paint I used for my bass and we solve everything." So, after four or five hands of that paint, that was called "PETITE" and that was also used in Italy for the bottom of the gondolas (unfortunately it is no longer on the market), my maple board did not get grooved anymore, it is still perfect. You can think how much I am fond of this bass, the first fretless ever made by Leo Fender, the only one in the world to have a maple fretless board and, in addition, with the paint of Jaco on it.
I stayed in touch with Fender for quite some time. We often wrote to each other. He sent me the new preamplifiers or the new strings he was thinking of mounting on the bass and asked my opinion. After the death of his wife we were no longer in contact, but for me the memory of this true genius remains one of the magical moments lived with PFM. Perhaps ... the most magical of all ".
According to the original files of music man production, it seems that 25 Stingrays with a maple fretless board have been produced in total. Only 7, however, are documented in blogs or musicman enthusiasts sites. Some have been reconverted to fretted. This is very similar to that produced for Patrick Djivas having white pick up like his one. I have, for years seen, photos of this bass in various blogs on the net and has always been presented as a one of a kind for finishing, white pickup and radio knobs (possibly put afterwards). Just think which was my surprise when I saw it for sale on ebay. The original owner sold it to Cream Music City Brookfield WI. Subsequently, it was sold to a guy who, after years of research to find out the story, decided to sell it on ebay. The good thing is that the original sales documentation has been preserved. The original seller was Gregg George's Muscicenter in Illinois, who did the custom order # P010162. They were produced 3 fretless maple stingray on that day: this and two in natural finish. It was October 5, 1977.
muggsy
Well-known member
I no longer have the 30th Anniversary Stingray but still have the other three.
danny-79
Well-known member
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MarcMurder
Well-known member
Not too much a story behind anything but since I started playing a bongo in 2012 it had been my dream bass to own a sparkly pink bongo. Super thankful to the MM dudes for making one happen
wannarock8
Well-known member
A few of you have long histories playing Music Man basses. I finally became an owner in August 2020 after selling the two fretless basses I’d been playing before that.
Bassman1962
Member
Mine so far but I’m always looking for new ones
Bassman1962
Member
Bassman1962
Member
Bassman1962
Member
A
It was assembled on nov 1976 and it is the very first inca silver stingray ever produced by CLF. It is the only silver finish stingray produced in 1976. It has a sister stingray guitar produced in the same days.
Inestex - Latest News
Inestex - Latest News
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Michael Murphy
Well-known member
Here are a few of mine...
All my Bongos before i got the Dargie fretless:
Then added the Dargie fretless 5 (but minus the Sapphire Black, hiding in its case somewhere):
All my Bongos before i got the Dargie fretless:
Then added the Dargie fretless 5 (but minus the Sapphire Black, hiding in its case somewhere):
Michael Murphy
Well-known member
The 2 PDN Honeybursts -- Big Al 5 and Sterling 5:
And Big Al with his Reflex cousins:
And Big Al with his Reflex cousins:
Michael Murphy
Well-known member
The 2 with all-rosewood necks; the 2 Sterlings i had at the time (have since added 2 more):
Michael Murphy
Well-known member
The 2 additional Sterlings:
Michael Murphy
Well-known member
That same Sterling 5 fretless with the white pickguard removed... I was going to put on a black one, but i kinda like it this way for now.
Michael Murphy
Well-known member
A couple of 4-stringers -- a fretless Dargie, and a Redwood top:
Bassman1962
Member
Very nice collection you have there sir.
