Stingray as blues machine

[LawDaddy]

Prior to getting my SR4 earlier this year, I have played blues lead guitar for many years with EBMM's. Here's a pic of me with Blues/Soul legend Frankie Lee with my main axe, a rosewood Axis SS. He insists I play this:

To emulate the style of some of my bass heroes, like Duck Dunn, I find myself playing finger-style. However, the hand placement with the single humbucker proved to be uncomfortable for me, and I felt I needed to be playing closer to the neck to get a more round tone.

<Warning: Modification Photos Ahead!!!>

So I did what anyone would do in my situation, I got a thumb rest, a drill, and installed it:

I placed it approximately where the screwholes of a second pickup would be. At first, it was too tall and was nearly taller than the string height. So I sanded it down to approximately the same height as the other pickup:

Then I did what everyone recommends on this forum, I put flats on it!

Incredible difference.

The hand position is very natural now, right where the wrist wants to naturally break, and at the sweet spot for classic STAX tone. The flats are surprisingly punchy, with zero finger noise.

While I know this mod is not for everyone, I just want to pass this along to this amazing community here. This has really increased the playability of an already great instrument for me, much to my wife's dismay (who insists I'm a guitar player first!).

I can already hear the forum now: "GET A BONGO FOR THE BLUES!"

Yes, that's next.

Or maybe a 25th...

Cheers!

Layin' down the law blues style,

-Tim

 

[bovinehost]

Tim, it's great to see someone else playing Stingrays (and in my case, Bongos) in what most people think of as "P bass" territory. Too often, and in accordance with Standard Accepted Internet Wisdom, Stingrays are considered "funk machines" or "slap basses" or whatever other silly labels people come up with....they're BASSES. You play BASS on them.

There is something monstrous and good about a Music Man with flats.

And I like your thumbrest. If it works for you, then it's good.

Jack

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

That's a really minor mod by today's standards. I was expecting to see the humbucker moved into the P position or something.

 

[CElton]

I played and SR4 with local Blues Legend, Lonnie Mack for years. I think they work great. Apparently so did Johnny B. Gayden when he played with Albert Collins.

Congrats on your mod.

 

[five7]

Dang guitar players, stealing our gigs!

 

[oli@bass]

I like the thumbrest that comes installed with the StingRay HH.... the neck pickup! Which also provides a great round big tone and a couple of other sonic choices. Check one out if you can!

 

[LawDaddy]

I played and SR4 with local Blues Legend, Lonnie Mack for years.

I have a Lonnie Mack Flying V, he is one of my major influences! I have that Carnegie DVD laying around somewhere... Would love to hear stories someday.

Frankie Lee, in the pic above, sang for Albert Collins in the '60s before Albert decided to sing.

Small world!

 

[T-bone]

Hey Tim,

My two Ray's will be singing the blues all night tonight. One with flats, for that warm phat sound, the other with rounds cause I love the tone. These are the perfect instruments for blues, singer songwriter style, pop, zydeco, cover tunes, whatever. They're just the perfect bass.

Oh, and don't be swayed over to the Far Side where the bongoloids hang. 9 volts and 4 strings are all you need.

tbone (the other Tim)

 

[r goldsmith]

I took my 2-band 'ray to a blues night recently, and it was perfect.

 

[CElton]

I have a Lonnie Mack Flying V, he is one of my major influences! I have that Carnegie DVD laying around somewhere... Would love to hear stories someday.

Frankie Lee, in the pic above, sang for Albert Collins in the '60s before Albert decided to sing.

Small world!

His twin Roland JC-120's with everything dimed left me with tinnitus...

 

[KennethB]

Yeah, the Stingray is a fine blues machine. Nice bass!

 

[Aussie Mark]

I also missed the apparent memo that declared that Stingrays are no good for blues.

 

[OldManMusic]

My Bongo HS and SR5 HH have the curved-edge pickups. They make excellent thumb rests. I like the mod you made but you may not need them on other MM models.

+1 on Jack's comments. Blues, rock, jazz, folk, funk, alien mating ritual dance music - it doesn't matter to a good bassist with a great MM bass.

 

[Psycho Ward]

I jammed with a bluegrass band with a Sterling one time, after they got over it being electric they liked it.

 

[DTG]

i really like it,i tend to play just off the pickup myself but i think it just looks cool.

the bass player in the first photo is playing on top of the bridge....pretty far away from the thumb rest on his fender,maybe he should get a stingray might sort his tone !!

 

[oddjob]

I see nothing wrong with the Ray mod... like Jack said, if it works for you, then it's good.

LOVE the rosewood Axis... very nice for a skinny stringer

 

[R Upsomegrub]

The blues band that I play in went to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis this past February. I was able to catch several other acts while we were there and I only saw 2 p-basses. Frankly I saw a little bit of everything, I didn't see a predominate bass or brand.

Oh yeah: I played my '88 SR5 and I saw 2 other EBMM basses being played: another SR5 and a SR4 HS.

 

[hoochie]

I took my 2-band 'ray to a blues night recently, and it was perfect.

I did the same last night and i figured out that SR4 is not good for blues. IT IS EXCELLENT!!!

 

[Smakbass]

I play my sterling HS in my blues band all the time.

 

[fidooda]

that should seal the deal!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg0cGVJJH7w&feature=related]YouTube - John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom[/ame]