Special run bass?

[Duarte]

Just saw this video...the bass player has a Stingray 4HH in black, but the back of the neck is also black. Was there a special run in which they were all black like this? It can't be a stealth as this video was added in 2008. Come to think of it, will the stealth Rays have black necks like their Bongo brethrens?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG11CyGszOA]YouTube - Pendulum Live, Blood Sugar, Radio One Big Weekend[/ame]

 

[Caca de Kick]

No, but pro players who endorse the brand get special perks when they want instruments made a certain way.

 

[BassArtIsCure]

... There are few options I think:

Custom order or self made neck modification
A special Cutlass model (?)
His hands are not very clean...so, the neck went black with the time...

 

[strummer]

Black onyx, weren't those with black necks?

 

[Jornan]

There are made 'Rays with rosewood neck, it's not compleatly black, but quite dark.

 

[strummer]

Found a pic on Gavs site:

But it seems this was not a black onyx run, but rather something nicknamed Darth Vader? I don't know, but Gav will

 

[strummer]

Hahaha I just saw that Zak says HH, so it can't have been a DV bass then lol

Well well, Dargin'll tell us I guess...

 

[thunder]

Found a pic on Gavs site:

But it seems this was not a black onyx run, but rather something nicknamed Darth Vader? I don't know, but Gav will

came out in '94 made appx 100 of them.

 

[thunder]

oh and yes they do special instruments for artist.

 

[davey]

this was my main bass for many years, and the run was in '90, maybe even late '89. (i had the neck off, but i don;t remember the date.....). black body, solid black pickguard, solid black plastic knob/electronics plate, black knobs, black back of neck and headstock. there were 100 of them made, my local music store in portland oregon had one, and i bought it new in '90. my guy there had an ernie ball rep on the phone at the time, and explained to me that it was a special run, only two went to the state of oregon. i have never seen another one like it in all my travels. (worldwide, many tours, many musician friends....).

it sounds like no other MM i have played, or owned, either. it has a very soft finish, you can scratch/dent it with your fingernail. as you can see, the wear on it is severe, but more severe than usual. like i said, it has hundreds of shows on it's back, studio, rehearsals, she was played hard all the time. the finish on the neck is like a standard bass, very hard, shiny clear coat. but the body, different animal all together, if you look close at the body pic, it has a thick, soft clear, then the black paint, then the wood. i have never got a straight answer from anyone on what the finish is exactly. when it got very cold and had condensation from a flight to england, the entire body was whitish, splotchy opaque, like an old piece of furniture with a massive water stain. i thought it was ruined! i quickly closed the case at the airport. but, as it warmed up naturally in the case in my hotel room, it came back to (mostly)normal. (you can kind of see the 'opaqueness' in the closeup, compared to the black paint underneath....)not durable, but sounds freakin' awesome....

i have some neck issues with it right now, and it is probably going home to it's birthplace soon to get checked out by the parents, and hopefully resolved. dan was very insightful, and hopeful they could work some magic on my old favorite. it is my favorite bass to play and listen to, like i said, it has a tone all of it's own........

any additional info would be greatly appreciated, i would love to know the full story on my baby... those previous pics in this thread are the only reference to this bass i could find anywhere a few years ago on the interwebs. that's how i found this site!!!

anyway, thank you all for everything, and for sharing.........


davey

edit: original link........ http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/1314-darth-vader-stingray.html