pre-ernie ball stingray 1983 value need help

[kdsi44]

i have a chance to purchase a 1983 pre-ernie ball musicman stingray...its sunburst, all original minus the input jack......no case......pretty decent shape....3-4 nicks in the wood, nothin major though....can someone tell me what the market value might be????

 

[Aussie Mark]

Hard to say without seeing it, but somewhere between $700 and $1000 is my guess.

 

[kdsi44]

I Have some pics of the bass...im still trying to work out a deal and would like some input....is pre-ernie that much better than ernie ball era....is the 2 band better than the 3? any and all input would be appreciated....please let me know asap....i can email pics

 

[prickly_pete]

My 2 cents: I've played a number of preEB Stingrays, although I've never owned one. I believe that the EB Stingrays are of better quality. The preEB stuff seems to suffer from the same quality control problems as the 70s Fender stuff. But, because the preEB stuff is getting harder to get, it is becoming more desirable -- like vintage Fender stuff. Of course I think there are much better Fender style basses than preCBS Fenders too -- Sadowsky for one. The preEB Stingrays have a certain mojo because of what they are, not what they do -- IMHO. As a player, I'll take an EB everytime... As a collector/cool bass, preEB stingrays are the cats PJs! As far as two band versus three, that's a matter of opinion; I prefer the three band.

 

[Aussie Mark]

The preEB stuff seems to suffer from the same quality control problems as the 70s Fender stuff.

It is hit or miss, I doubt that I'd buy a pre-EB without playing it first. Having said that, my '76 plays like a dream, and felt great the instant I first picked it up. But my EB Ray is a great player as well.