8 string StingRay (sort of)

[vonfog]

Ok, it started its existance as an OLP StingRay copy, but now it's an 8 string monster in BadA$$ Black.

more pictures at www.comnet.ca/~hfogo.



Thanks,
Adam

 

[spectorbassguy]

Looks pretty cool . How's it sound?

Here's the link:

http://www.comnet.ca/~hfogo/

 

[easelkillya]

Yowza! That's pretty wicked. Did you do it yourself? Ever thought of trying it on a REAL StingRay?

 

[vonfog]

Thanks, Spectorbassguy, for fixing that.

It sounds great -- here's a sample:

www.comnet.ca/~hfogo/adamfogo/after_the_fact_instr_demo.mp3


easelkillya, I did most of it myself -- my uncle made me the brass nut and string retainer and my grandfather made the maple plugs for the original tuner holes.

I did think for a long time about doing it to a real StingRay -- but I couldn't figure out a way to do it without drilling into the headstock. And it's not like I had any spare StingRays kicking around anyway. I couldn't bring myself to butcher one of mine.

In the meantime I started playing 12 string bass but I am a slave to the Music Man sound, so I started modifying my 12, sticking a Music Man pickup in it, etc. But (not surprisingly) it never really sounded like a Music Man

This one came up, damaged, on eBay and I got it for $150. So I figured, let the experimentation begin. The bass actually sounded very good when I got it, very close to a StingRay. Boost the lows and highs a bit and I bet most people wouldn't know the difference. I figured Ernie Ball wouldn't have licenced something that looks like a StingRay if it sounded like crap.

It definitely has the Music Man sound -- it's a little less focused low on the neck, but the middle and upper registers are really warm and the bass has great sustain. The slab of rosewood is actually thicker than on my '89 StingRay, but it isn't nearly as pretty.

My next project is turning an OLP StingRay5 copy into a 12 string. I can't leave well enough alone!

Thanks,
Adam