How or why did you start playing EBMM basses?

[toomanyslurpees]

I grew up in Calgary, there were no musicman dealers around here when I started playing. My first 'real' bass was a 96 jazz bass deluxe that I bought used right after high school. I moved up from the Kent bass I bought in 3 pieces for $50 and literally nailed the top back on so the jbass was a massive step up. I moved to Vancouver when I was 20 in Jan.01, I loved that jbass until I walked into Tom Lee music on Granville and tried out the first stingray I ever saw in a music store out of curiosity, I loved that jbass until that moment....(funny being that probably within the month that my first stingray was built)

I don't really know how I saved up for my first Stingray, I bought it new making $10 an hour detailing cars, living in North Vancouver and paying off my 91 S10, and all without the benifit of a credit card... I also bought a used SVT-CL that year, I was probably living off kraft dinner. (I remember being poor enough that the roommate and I argued over whether we could splurge and by real heinz ketchup)

On a side note, I ordered my first stingray, black with a matching head stock and a tort. guard, I never actually got that bass. I waited the three months and started harassing the bass guy at L&M. he kept on saying it should be soon, then I heard nothing. I went down there one day and there was a bass that matched my order exactly sitting in the store, but in sparkle black. When I asked about my bass he asked if I was interested in the sparkle black bass (which really wasn't my thing) then the story turned to another three month wait. He never did admit that was my bass in the wrong colour. Anyway, ended buying my first Stingray during a trip back to Calgary a little later, I figure all's well that ends well because I played every Stingay I could get my hands on and this one I picked purely because it felt just a little better than all the rest, not based on colour...

 

[drTStingray]

I've now forgotten why I started playing a Stingray it's that long ago!

But I was reminded last night - I was at a jam session and a guy had a nice bass, v popular these days (two names, beginning F and P) so I asked if I could borrow it when one of my turns to play cropped up - now I haven't played one of these things in public for a couple of years. It was quite nice to play but I had taken my Classic Ray and played earlier in the evening using it, with some guys who were into the country end of rock and roll/blues, where I was able to play solid but with groove and occassional fills (or are they frills).

Anyway my A and B session reminded me that the Ray is much more of a precision instrument whereas the other one favoured pretty straightforward bass parts - I know Nate Watts used one for Sir Duke but I would not fancy trying to play that on one, and have noticed he doesn't either. The best comparison I could make, and bearing in mind the ?? oz steak and smoker thread I looked at a few minutes ago, was it felt like using a normal knife to cut your steak rather than a proper steak knife if you get my drift.

So the answer, I'm reminded, is that the Ray helps me to play as I want whereas this other bass actually restricted me to playing in certain ways, generally by its ergonomics and response - being restricted is sometimes a good thing because it discourages over-playing, but often it's not - it just means it's difficult to play the whole pattern properly.

For me the EBMM Ray is a fabulous balance between vintage vibe and modern playability.

 

[Soul 24-7]

My story:

I had been playing Fender basses pretty much exclusively for the last decade or so. About two years ago some Fender enthusiasts met to show of their gems. Amongst them (apparently in some kind of subversive underground mission) was cellkirk74 bringing his Big Al and Bongo - that surely raised some eyebrows.

Later I saw the SR Classic video by Ed Friedland and I was sold.

 

[melvin7822]

I apologized if my story seems a bit drawn out. My first introduction to Music Man was from listening to Flea. I never really idolized him, but the sound of the StingRay was so unique that I just couldn't get it out of my head. Unfortunately, there were no Music Man dealers near me, so I got by with playing jazz basses. I remember in high school pining for a StingRay in blue dawn.

When I got accepted into the music program at the college I had always planned to attend, my mother bought me an inca silver Fender Jazz, again because Music Man was nowhere to be found in my area at the time (this must've been around 1999). In my head, I still had that StingRay sound and a year later, my local music store started carrying cheap Jay Turser copies. Since they were so cheap I bought a 4 and a 5 (blasphemy, I know). While they were decent, I knew in my mind they couldn't hold a candle to the real thing. But alas, being a poor college student I knew I had to deal and move on.

Fast forward to my first real job after graduating from college (2004), I finally had money to start considering a more formidable instrument. Guitar Center had just opened in my area, so I went to check it out. Lo and behold, I saw the Bongo for the first time and I hated the looks. My ignorance was so great that I didn't bother to even play it upon seeing it for the first time. I tried a few basses, but nothing really grabbed my attention.

Some time passes and I come back again, and this time I decided to try the Bongo. I was amazed. The moment I started playing, I forgot all about the looks and was really hooked on the sound and the 4-band EQ. Unfortunately, the Bongo was well outside of my price range. However, a new StingRay 5 in vintage sunburst/black pickguard with a rosewood board came in and it was on sale. I figured I had always wanted a StingRay and it's not like I could afford to be choosey. I put some money down to have it held for me and then I came back to trade in my inca silver Fender Jazz for the rest of the balance.

Perhaps it was a combination of ignorance and inexperience with gear, but that love affair did not last long. I could never get the B-string to sound like the other strings, and the sound of the instrument as a whole was a little too dark for me (in retrospect it was most likely because I took the Ernie Ball strings off right away and because it had a rosewood board and I was ignorant to the tone different). The final nail in the coffin was randomly coming across a Peavey Millenium that sounded more clear than my SR5 (again blasphemy, I know).

At this point, I sold that SR5 to some person in Texas and stumbled upon MTD. I knew I couldn't afford an American one, so I ordered a Kingston Heir 5. Incidentally, it's sound reminded me a lot of the Bongo. The years that passed I ended up having so many problems with that bass (it was one of the first made) and added so many upgrades, that I was left with a bass that I was not completely happy with, all the while trying to chase the Bongo tone (I even installed an Audere 4-band EQ at one point). Every time I came across a Bongo, I was reminded of how awesome it was, but yet could not afford it.

This is now around the time that Sterling by Music Man came around. And now being much wiser about set up, strings, etc. I decided to give it another shot. I traded my MTD for it straight up and was sold instantly. Leaving the Ernie Ball strings on this time, I was very pleased. A few months later, I decided the time was right to finally buy an actual American made Music Man bass.

My upright had been gathering dust and I decided that I was always more of an electric player than upright, so I sold the upright. The Big Al was out around this time and it was calling my name, so I put in the order and the rest was history.

Today I'm very happy with my Big Al and I finally own the Bongos that I've always wanted after 8 years. Next on my list is a StingRay 2-Band SLO special, and I have a feeling it won't end there. Whew, finished

 

[mrfstop]

I just always knew they ( 80's MM stingrays ) were high quality and sounded baaaaad a&^%sed.
But back then just did not make myself afford one.
Then about a year and change ago, I picked up one at GC and gave it a half hour test drive
Finally got to see what all the stir was about.
It played like butter...neck like silk and had a monster tone.
I found that I loved Stingrays.

I went home and found a cheaper mint used one on the GC website and bought it.
Then loved that enough to go buy another...
And then began talking to fellow Musicman users on TB and on here.
Then began getting bitten my the whole EBMM bug.
It did not take long and I was selling off this bass and that bass to obtain the next musicman bass I gassed over....hahaha!!
Maybe I should see if there is some type of EBMM self help group for gassing EBMM junkies in the making? hmmmm?
I am now up to 4 Stingrays...2 Bongos ( 1 arrives Thursday... lol ) ...2 Big Al's...1 Reflex...

And I STILL have a few more on my G.A.S. list....
yikes this is nuts...
Somehow still married?!!??? hahhaaaa

 

[epitaph04]

I still remember...a few years ago, when I got Dream Theater's Systematic Chaos. I looked in the booklet, and I remember seeing John Petrucci's guitar, and most importantly, John Myung's 5 string Bongo. I remember just staring at the image...the Bongo just looked so good, so solid, I just wanted to reach in and touch it..it looked so damn killer!

Anyway, I always thought I'd be an Ibanez player. My hands are small, so their ultra slim necks and spacing on the 5 and 6 string basses were perfect for me. I had even tried some Stingrays at the shops I had been, and they never did anything for me. Crap setups thanks to the shops, and the necks on them just always felt bulky to me.

Fast forward a bit later, I kept getting fixated on that Bongo...seeing the pictures online of DT live, and watching Chaos in Progress with John Myung's stupid beautiful silver Bongo...I was in love, but no one around me EVER carried Bongos. I finally found a stealth black Bongo 6 at a GC in LA....I nearly screamed with joy as I had been looking for about a year or two for a damn bongo. Played it, felt all right, looked at it, played again, looked at it again, had a picture of me with the Bongo taken....

Anyway, my good bassist buddy (jelwood on here) linked me to some used Bongos online. My dad graciously accepted to pay for half of one and I waited...and waited. It then finally arrived in its 6 stringed, Sapphire Black beauty.

I was (AM!) in love. After getting it set up (second hand woes) and tweaking it a bit afterwards...it plays AMAZINGLY. I love my ibanez 6er but the Bongo....theres just something about it. I cant quite explain it...like someone said before me, it just feels SOLID. Theres just something about a Music Man instrument....oh yeah it sounds freaking killer too!!

Because of that, I also even tried out some Stingrays, and I'm already planning on getting one next year. Its safe to say the EBMM bug has stung me good.

 

[mmbassplayer]

I have told this story a time or two here but am happy to share again. Having played the same 5 string bass for about 10 years I decided it was time to invest in a nice bass for the first time in my life. A trip to Guitar Center had me disappointed with the bass I thought I wanted for so long. It was unbalanced, weak sounding and somewhat difficult to play (well known German manufacturer that makes a bass you apparently only play with your thumb). The manager of that store put a Stingray and Sterling in my hands to try out and I was very impressed at how easy to play and how great they sounded. I left with a Sterling 4HS that day. Bought a Stingray 5 and Bongo the next month. My signature shows I have owned more than a few EBMM basses since then. JOSH

 

[dlb1001]

I had one of those Thumb things, too; just too hard to play with the neck dive.
So, went to the local Guitar Center and saw a Sterling 4HS. Tried it out but didn't leave with it but the sales guy said he put it up high on the wall so it wouldn't get handled by the usual riff raff. Came back and got it a few days and haven't looked back since.

 

[nurnay]

Fun reading through this thread again. Since I first responded, I did trade my Ray 5HH and ended up with my Ray 4H that I absolutely LOVE. Between that and the Big Al, I'm set on tone for days. I still want more EBMM's, though.

 

[dlb1001]

Well, I did get 2 more MM basses: a Ray 4 in Desert Gold and a SR5 in Desert Gold. I use the SR5 and the Ray for most of the stuff I play. Put EB flatwounds and it throws down a fat groove for blues. Still use roundwounds on the SR5, though.
I'm thinking about turning one of the basses into a fretless...just can't decide which one should get the change!