I have an oppurtunity to buy a first year stingray.

[Asomodai]

Hey guys.

Heres the scoop, I have come into a bit of money, And i could buy two very good modern basses (A vigier and a yahama attitude)

However, I may possibly have a bead on a ORIGINAL FIRST YEAR musicman Stingray. Its in pretty good nick and plays bueatifully. The value would only increase and i know i love the musicman sound. I could sell the current SR4 i have and get something else with the money as well.

However I dont know what to do. I love my current ray very much, But it doesant sound anywhere near as goodor play as good as the older ray.

This is alot of money to play around with. I am unsure of what to do, i will be going back to play the ray tommorow and A/B with the current one.

I just dont know if the quite large amount of money is worth it. Alot of the price is because its vintage, it also plays very well. But i could probably find another bass that plays just as well for less money.

I know alot of you would be biased towards musicmans in general. But try and see this from a neutral perspective. I already have a very nice ray, has a good sound, plays damn well. But i have an oppurtunity to buy something thats better in nearly everyway. But for over three times the amount i bought the more modern one for.

I know the older one is a little different, laquered neck. different fretwire sizes. And a different sound. But is it worth it?

-Rob.

PS serial number starts. B003XXX Could this be a 76 or 77? It seems to be alot of 77's were in the 3000's. The guy selling could be wrong about the age.

 

[phatduckk]

personally I'm not much for vintage gear.

In the end its all about what you want and whichever instrument makes you pick it up more. If the older Ray "does it" for you & you can justify the $ then its all up to you.

PersonallY i'd rather buy a new 2 band ray - but that's just me

 

[midopa]

or even a used sub bass. cheap, same 2eq, awesome playability and sound

 

[the unrepentant]

hey man
Personally, if it was me, and i knew that it played better and sounded better than the newer ray, then i'd instinctively go for what felt better to me. If it was sight unseen though, i'd go for a nice newer slightly used one for half the price. But this is just me.

Coming from a fellow BC'er however. I have to say, get what feels right in your hands and sounds right to you. nobody can tell you what feels/sounds right. It's always nice to keep at least one ray in your arsenal though

And for heaven's sake, make your mind up!!

 

[Elad_E]

you say it plays beautifully. have you played it?

I have a mint pre EB, an '00 EB and recently got a mid-90's fretless and frankly they are three different basses.

while I love the pre-EB neck and sound the 00' EB has became my go-to bass. it seems to have a more solid, rounded and even tone (both are 2 banders) and feels more rigid than the older Ray which while having a classic Ray sound owns more to late seventies' Fenders than to the boutique quality EBs from the last two decades.

 

[Asomodai]

you say it plays beautifully. have you played it?

I have a mint pre EB, an '00 EB and recently got a mid-90's fretless and frankly they are three different basses.

while I love the pre-EB neck and sound the 00' EB has became my go-to bass. it seems to have a more solid, rounded and even tone (both are 2 banders) and feels more rigid than the older Ray which while having a classic Ray sound owns more to late seventies' Fenders than to the boutique quality EBs from the last two decades.

Yes i have played it. It plays better then my current SR4 which i thought was the best of the best.

is it true that many necks and bodys from pre EB rays were thrown together regardless of the year I may have to check out the exact year they both are if so.

 

[Aussie Mark]

You should ask the owner to unbolt the neck if possible, so you can confirm body and neck dates. Those early thin profile necks sure are sweet.

At the end of the day your decision boils down to value for money. If it plays better than your other basses and will be a good investment, it's worth it.

 

[oli@bass]

However, I may possibly have a bead on a ORIGINAL FIRST YEAR musicman Stingray. Its in pretty good nick and plays bueatifully. The value would only increase and i know i love the musicman sound. I could sell the current SR4 i have and get something else with the money as well.

However I dont know what to do. I love my current ray very much, But it doesant sound anywhere near as goodor play as good as the older ray.

Hm... I'm not a big fan of "vintage" instruments, but maybe you should still factor in some of these thoughts:

1.) Whether that particular bass will increase in value is highly speculative! Vintage music instruments have no "real" value, just what it they are worth to prospective buyers. And thus the selling price is tightly dependent on the current economic situation and fashion (let's face it -- beat up old Fenders are not better, just a fashion).

Therefore, since you not seem to have money to waste, I would not buy the bass with such an assumption. Either it's really worth all that money to you or not. IMO, to pay more for an old one than for a brand new ordered one is the same as throwing money out the window -- if you can afford it, then enjoy doing it and don't look back, otherwise don't. (However, to "put the money on the bank" is nowadays not the best idea either)

2.) Yes you can sell your current EB StingRay. But that means the vintage 'Ray will probably become your main axe. Are you really willing to do that: Pay a superstitious premium price for a mint vintage instrument and then take it to every dirty bar, on open air stages in the rain, or smash it over an amp in the heat of the moment. Would it really become your main player? And would you really kiss that speculative high value good bye?

I love my basses -- the real players even more so -- and real players are hard to replace, yet I want to take a player on stage. But I prefer to use a common modern player than a rare museum piece player. On the former, I have a chance to replace it if anything happens to the instrument, on the latter I'm simply out of luck.

3.) IMO, you should not only compare that vintage StingRay to your 2000 model. Also check out some of the latest ones, 2006 onwards, especially the dual pickup models. Maybe they have even more to offer. For all that money you could probably also get a new SR dual pickup and a Bongo and something else, all ordered to your spec.

4.) Keep in mind that it is harder to find spare parts for a 30 year old bass than for a 3 year old one. Maintenance cost could be considerably higher, and you need to find a luthier you can trust. Also if you're on the road.


Now... a first year 'Ray in mint condition you said? Damn... I certainly wish I had the opportunity and the money to waste

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

If you are buying the bass as an investment and have to sell other basses to make this your only bass (or main player), then I probably wouldn't do it. If you are buying this bass because it's a great bass and you intend to play it and the "vintage" value is secondary, then you might want to pick it up.

 

[Colin]

In my opinion, the new ones are so much better

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

As Aussie Mark said, you should ask the owner to unbolt the neck. B003xxx is more likely to be 1977. Also ask to see under the control plate.

Have you tried a brand new SR4 with 2EQ electronics?

 

[Colin]

As Aussie Mark said, you should ask the owner to unbolt the neck. B003xxx is more likely to be 1977. Also ask to see under the control plate.

Have you tried a brand new SR4 with 2EQ electronics?

Gav, do you go to strip bars and ask to see under their bras?

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Yeah...I wish