BFR StingRay teaser.....

[BobKos]

I'm looking at these. Seriously. I don't have one in my area to play live, so I'll be buying based on reputation and user input.

For those who are fortunate enough to own one - Do you like it as a playing bass? What's the tone like compared to a standard ash body / maple neck / rosewood HH SR4? Would you buy again for playability reasons? I want a NICE SR4 HH. I was going to convert a 30th Anniversary to HH when I ran across this model. I think the 30th would be a GREAT bass set up as an HH, but this bass may be better with the mahogany neck.

Please share your thoughts and experiences.

 

[Sonnyonbass]

That...is....such...a...beautiful...bass!

If I had the money....
But im saving up for a new 5er. Probably a Sterling 5 because my sterling 4 is such a fine playing bass.

 

[UniTap]

They got 2 of 'em at my local musicstore... It's getting harder and harder to leave without one of them. ;(

 

[ekb16b]

I was going to convert a 30th Anniversary to HH when I ran across this model.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Oh wait, yeah get the redwood.

 

[BobKos]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Oh wait, yeah get the redwood.

I was going to do the HH conversion RIGHT. Buy a used HH Stingray, Use all EBMM parts, routs carbon copied from the HH body, etc. I think it would be a REALLY nice bass.

I still might do it. I don't know that the BFR is a GREAT bass for $2600. That's why I posted my inquiry. How well does it play and sound? Does it equal the sum of it's parts? Or is it just a pretty Stingray?

I'm guessing that the mahogany neck of the BFR adds a richness to the tone. That's what I'm after. I think my SR4 H is a bit brittle. I am thinking that - by looking at the materials involved - the BFR SR4 HH is a much smoother bass with a bit less crispness than a standard bass. True? I wish there was one near me so I could check it out.

I can do the HH conversion to my 30th for considerably less money than $2600 and be pretty sure I'll have a great bass when I'm done. I'll have what I'm after - a non-ash bodied Stingray HH.

Besides - everybody elses' 30th will go up in value just a smidge because I just 'destroyed' one - right?

Actually - there are lots of 30th SR4's being sold cheap right now. I think storage / display in the Guitar Center stores really caused alot of damage to them. For some reason they're the collectible that really didn't stick. Maybe 5 years from now people will appreciate them, but today they're being offloaded into the market for standard SR4 prices. It doesn't make sense, but that's the way it is. I paid $1200 for mine new with fancy HSC. I passed on one used for $850 recently. I wouldn't feel bad about hacking mine or even buying another to hack up. The bass would be a custom keeper for me, so collectibility would not be an issue.

That's the way I look at the BFR as well. It would be a keeper for me. As such, I will want it to be a great player for me. Not a museum piece. I want to enjoy it as a bass. Not as a piece of figured furniture.

Help me out guys. Who owns a BFR SR4 HH that can comment from experience on how it sounds and plays?

 

[five7]

That has to be the best looking musicman ever!

 

[MrMusashi]

dear bobkos.. if you hack up a 30th sr4 i will.. i hafta.. i.. argh!

sweet talk the eb gang to sell ya the 30th prototype with hh instead

MrM

 

[Calaveras]

Yeah, just go get a warmoth parts bass for that kinda stuff.
I'm not down with the collector bs. A bass is fer playin.
But willfully savaging such a bass...