Question of the Week For Big Poppa

[bovinehost]

Can we gather around your feet and have you tell us about the development of the Stingray 5?

Maybe even Dudley can chime in on Monday?

As the first native EBMM design from the ground-up as well as possibly THE most popular fiver on the planet, it deserves to have its story told.

What do you think, Biff? Can you tell us, can you, can you, can you?

Jackie

 

[timmy5strings]

" clears a spot and takes a seat next to Bovine, patiently waiting for what is sure to be a good one"

 

[TSanders]

subscribed for my favorite bass

 

[Big Poppa]

The Stingray 5 was the first bass that Dudley and I did. It was kind of confusing from a design point of view....we wanted to retain the vibe of Leo but were trying to make our statement at the same time. WE had just done the Silhouette and so we incorporated the things in the silo that were new...like the beveled horns and the silo pickguard. Its funny now how may people beg for the stingray round pickguard...but believe it or not we used to get killed fo0r that pickguard. Guess what they called it? A toilet seat1 wow the Bongo critics were second. I remember when Tommy Walker would field the complaints about the toilet seat pickguard and he would say...."you can spot it a mile away and know its a Music Man....



SO we started with 34" scale.The first proto built and Dudley was concerned with tooling costs so it was assembled with a badass bidge somebody elses pickup and I saw it and said..."we are Music man we have to go the extra mile and design and tool up properly.....So we sa down and had to settle on the string spacing...we ended up using the same spacing of a rickenbacker 4 string....

It is my belief that the reason why we can make a 34" scale bass sound so good is in the bridge.....
a skimpy little fender style bridge just isnt enough of and "anchor" for lack of a better description and needs the extra inch to have the low B sing like the rest.

 

[TNT]

Pretty cool BP!!

This way we get a "glimpse" of what goes on in the builders mind as far as the goal and intentions of an instrument before its conception.

Now, tell us a little bit about your golf game!

 

[KennethB]

The kids at my school used to call the Stingray pickguard , "the egg".

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

The SR4 pg and the control plate can be noticed lightyears away

Hey BP...it was Tom who did the original 3EQ for the SR5?

 

[Big Poppa]

Actually it was Mark Wentling with Tommy Walkers supervision and Dudleys input

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I love the SR5 pickguard. I still find it hard to look at the 20th Anniversary and BFRs without them.

 

[Duarte]

I love the SR5 pickguard. I still find it hard to look at the 20th Anniversary and BFRs without them.

+1

Love the whole look of it, I also think the sculpted horns are a great feature, missing on the 20th.

 

[joshbrake]

What frequencies are we boosting/cutting on the SR5?

 

[oddjob]

BP, was 35" scale ever considered (I like the 34 - but the "outside world raves over 35)? Also why rickenbacker 4 string spacing? Curious.

 

[Big Poppa]

because it seemed the most playable when adding the 5th string

the 34th does everything we want and like

 

[the unrepentant]

I agree, i tried my first SR5 the other day (there's a serious lack of EBMMs around here!) and on most 5 strings with a 34" scale the B string tends to rattle, i know my tobias does. The 35" scale reduces that. But if you can make a 34" scale bass where the low B doesn't rattle then do it! and big poppa seems to have done it and it's an achievement! I don't think i've tried many 35" scale basses, 34" seems to suit me fine and the SR5 i tried was VERY nice.

 

[oddjob]

As I said, just curious about it... and no complaints here. I loved my Bongo 5 (34 also) - just wish I was better at playing it!

 

[sloshep]

I am always amazed by these stories. BP and crew didn't set out to build an industry standard. They just wanted to build something right and look what happens.

 

[RobertB]

the 34th does everything we want and like

Hear hear ... and without having to live with the increased string tension & generally different sound that's characteristic of 35" scale basses. Getting a great sounding low B on a 34" scale is the ideal scenario ... needless to say, you did it!

 

[MrMusashi]

the 20th sr5 is awesome on the b string!!
ive had a some 5 stringers and tried lots, but either they are thin and defined tonewise, or else they are phat but unusable to define the tone (who knows if that was a c or a c#???)

on the 20th i can barely tell the difference on an open e or a fretted e on the b.
played fingerstyle that is.. if you slap you can notice it because there is more overtones on the open one

these moments are real gems, cause we get a lil glimpse of what goes on behind the scene
ill bring marshmallows next time we gather around the campfire to hear more stories.. hehe

MrM

 

[MK Bass Weed]

BP,

What about the neck shape, I mean, I bought mine on site (or feel) the day I walked into the store in 87.
There was nothing like it at the time. The ones I remember were tooo wide, like my Guild Pilot..or way to narrow, like the Yamaha, which felt like a 4 converted to a 5. I remember the SR 5 felt like 'home' straight away. Not too wide in terms of width, and the thickness from top to bottom was perfect. How many shapes did you try until you guys said, "ah, this it the one"...or did you try a bunch and say "this works, let's see"

thanks for this info!

Cheers,
MK

 

[Smakbass]

I dont know that there were many 35" 5 strings around when this bass was developed....I think the 35" thing is not necessary if a bass is designed well.