jelwood
Active member
Hello all, I've been looking around for a new bass for a while and found this magnificent stingray in a local shop. It is a magical ray that sounds and feels like no other. I took the serial number, 32506 and asked Aziah about it and she said it didn't register in the Ernie Ball database. So I went back there today and took note of some details, hopefully with these details someone can tell me exactly what I'm looking at here.
1. The bridge has the serial number printed on it, in the space below the screws that are used to adjust intonation.
2. The body is this aqua blue color. Like, teal. You can see the grain of the wood through the finish. Unfortunately I can't remember if it was a one piece body or whatnot. EDIT: after browsing the EB finish sticky thread, the finish on this bass is in fact "trans teal." I am sure of it.
3. 2 band eq, one volume knob. Single humbucker. EDIT: also has the bridge mutes.
4. The neckplate is 4 bolt, does not say "Ernie Ball" on it anywhere, only Music Man and of course the Music Man insignia.
5. Here's what's baffling, the neck is a bird'seye maple with rosewood fretboard, it has a gloss finish and does say "Ernie Ball Music Man" on the headstock, made in San Luis Obispo, CA (my home town!). Now I have seen some of the new classic stingray necks, this neck is not one of them (the figure is nowhere near that of the modern classic rays...Mr. Ball seriously knows where the wood with good figure is at these days). The tuners are like the neckplate in the sense that they only say music man and have the music man insignia, they also look pretty old as they were a shiny chrome that have clearly oxidized a bit.
So....what? The store owner is pretty knowledgable and he says it's probably a transition bass, that is, it was one of the first ones to come out of the Ernie Ball factory but with leftover music man parts (particularly, the body and tuners). What do you guys think? I know pictures are best but I unfortunately the bass isn't mine...yet
EDIT: I saw a thread on how to date the original musicman stingray pots, but I don't know the code for dating EB ones. Anyone know how to date early EB stingray pots?
Any responses greatly appreciated
1. The bridge has the serial number printed on it, in the space below the screws that are used to adjust intonation.
2. The body is this aqua blue color. Like, teal. You can see the grain of the wood through the finish. Unfortunately I can't remember if it was a one piece body or whatnot. EDIT: after browsing the EB finish sticky thread, the finish on this bass is in fact "trans teal." I am sure of it.
3. 2 band eq, one volume knob. Single humbucker. EDIT: also has the bridge mutes.
4. The neckplate is 4 bolt, does not say "Ernie Ball" on it anywhere, only Music Man and of course the Music Man insignia.
5. Here's what's baffling, the neck is a bird'seye maple with rosewood fretboard, it has a gloss finish and does say "Ernie Ball Music Man" on the headstock, made in San Luis Obispo, CA (my home town!). Now I have seen some of the new classic stingray necks, this neck is not one of them (the figure is nowhere near that of the modern classic rays...Mr. Ball seriously knows where the wood with good figure is at these days). The tuners are like the neckplate in the sense that they only say music man and have the music man insignia, they also look pretty old as they were a shiny chrome that have clearly oxidized a bit.
So....what? The store owner is pretty knowledgable and he says it's probably a transition bass, that is, it was one of the first ones to come out of the Ernie Ball factory but with leftover music man parts (particularly, the body and tuners). What do you guys think? I know pictures are best but I unfortunately the bass isn't mine...yet
EDIT: I saw a thread on how to date the original musicman stingray pots, but I don't know the code for dating EB ones. Anyone know how to date early EB stingray pots?
Any responses greatly appreciated
Last edited:
