Hellboy
Well-known member
Okay. I only played 4-string basses and Chapman Stick back in the early 90´s. I got this idea that I wanted to try that required a 5-string bass and the idea was to tune a regular 5-string bass as the bass strings on a Chapman Stick. The lowest string closest to the ground and tuned in ascending 5ths. C as the lowest note.
C (one half tone step above B on a regular 5-string bass)
G up a 5th
D up a 5th
A up a 5th
E up a 5th
And since I´ve always liked Stingrays and considered a Stingray 5 to be the best 5-string on the planet I was really happy to find a used, rather beat up but as always GREAT sounding Stingray 5 that I bought. And since she was in a rather bad shape I decided to fix her up abit. So I removed all the hardware and the neck, stripped all the varnish and paint off the whole bass, stained the entire bass red (fretboard included) and had a friend put on layers of clearcoat. And then I modified the pick guard and put all the hardware back on again. Stringed her as the bass strings on a Stick and played her like that for several years. Made a new saddle, stringed her like a regular 5-string and sold her around -95. I still only played 4-string basses (except for this rather odd creature) and didn´t need a 5-string bass. But I soon realized how dumb it was to sell that bass. Great bass and I missed her dearly. Never wrote down the name or phone no to the guy that bought her either so I couldn´t contact him. Years went by and I forget all about that bass.
I´m a member of a swedish web forum for bass players and another member created a thread recently where he wrote about this really odd, all red, Stingray 5 his bass teacher at a music school up north in Sweden had some 10 years earlier. He described it very accurately and wondered if anyone knew if it might have been a special model Ernie Ball had made at one point or what the heck it was. Other members had peculiar suggestions regarding this odd bass. I stumbled over the thread and when I read it I realized that this indeed must be my old bass that I had put rather much effort into almost 20 years ago. So I wrote about the history of the bass in a post and also wrote that if anyone knew where she is now adays I would not mind to get in contact with the owner. As it turned out several members on the forum had seen the bass and actually knew the guy I had sold the bass to and he was the same person that the forum member that started the thread had as bass teacher ten years earlier. Small world. I got a name and phone number so I called him up and he told me that he still owns the bass. And not only that, he was thinking about selling it. And not only that, he lives in Stockholm these days. Even same part of town as I. We met up today and I bought back my old bass. She is back home with daddy again.....
To my knowledge the bass is originally made in 1987 or -88. Perhaps -89 but not later than that. VERY light weight. GREAT sounding. Sounds more "vintage" than a modern Stingray 5. I´m not totally sure but it might be that it had a yellowish finish from start. Don´t remember to be honest. Long time ago..... There is a number on the bridge but other than that no other serial number anywhere on the instrument. She´s been played alot through the years and is abit worn down but has a really nice patina. Anyway. Here she is.......
She is back home again. Good fun. Not only for nostalgic reasons but also because it´s such a great bass. It´s been a good day.
//Jan
C (one half tone step above B on a regular 5-string bass)
G up a 5th
D up a 5th
A up a 5th
E up a 5th
And since I´ve always liked Stingrays and considered a Stingray 5 to be the best 5-string on the planet I was really happy to find a used, rather beat up but as always GREAT sounding Stingray 5 that I bought. And since she was in a rather bad shape I decided to fix her up abit. So I removed all the hardware and the neck, stripped all the varnish and paint off the whole bass, stained the entire bass red (fretboard included) and had a friend put on layers of clearcoat. And then I modified the pick guard and put all the hardware back on again. Stringed her as the bass strings on a Stick and played her like that for several years. Made a new saddle, stringed her like a regular 5-string and sold her around -95. I still only played 4-string basses (except for this rather odd creature) and didn´t need a 5-string bass. But I soon realized how dumb it was to sell that bass. Great bass and I missed her dearly. Never wrote down the name or phone no to the guy that bought her either so I couldn´t contact him. Years went by and I forget all about that bass.
I´m a member of a swedish web forum for bass players and another member created a thread recently where he wrote about this really odd, all red, Stingray 5 his bass teacher at a music school up north in Sweden had some 10 years earlier. He described it very accurately and wondered if anyone knew if it might have been a special model Ernie Ball had made at one point or what the heck it was. Other members had peculiar suggestions regarding this odd bass. I stumbled over the thread and when I read it I realized that this indeed must be my old bass that I had put rather much effort into almost 20 years ago. So I wrote about the history of the bass in a post and also wrote that if anyone knew where she is now adays I would not mind to get in contact with the owner. As it turned out several members on the forum had seen the bass and actually knew the guy I had sold the bass to and he was the same person that the forum member that started the thread had as bass teacher ten years earlier. Small world. I got a name and phone number so I called him up and he told me that he still owns the bass. And not only that, he was thinking about selling it. And not only that, he lives in Stockholm these days. Even same part of town as I. We met up today and I bought back my old bass. She is back home with daddy again.....
To my knowledge the bass is originally made in 1987 or -88. Perhaps -89 but not later than that. VERY light weight. GREAT sounding. Sounds more "vintage" than a modern Stingray 5. I´m not totally sure but it might be that it had a yellowish finish from start. Don´t remember to be honest. Long time ago..... There is a number on the bridge but other than that no other serial number anywhere on the instrument. She´s been played alot through the years and is abit worn down but has a really nice patina. Anyway. Here she is.......
She is back home again. Good fun. Not only for nostalgic reasons but also because it´s such a great bass. It´s been a good day.
//Jan
