• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

ratfart

Active member
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
30
Location
Blakesburg, Iowa
Hey all,
I just purchased my first Musicman. It is a Stingray 5 in white with tortoiseshell pickguard, rosewood fretboard and natural headstock. It was purchased from Bass Central on 3/31/08 and I got it on 4/3/08, that's pretty quick shipping.
The thing was perfect straight out of the case. No set up required, intonation was spot on (heck it was nearly in tune!), action was perfect. I plugged it in and immediately was excited about the incredible tone I was hearing.
I'm playing it through a GK 1001RB-II into a GK NEO 410 cabinet and it rocks!!

Any of you thinking about a bass purchase or bass gear, I'd give Beaver Felton a call at Bass Central. I was really pleased with the way they do business. Beaver was a great dude to talk with on the phone, incredibly humble, but danged knowledgable and was willing to switch pickguards, etc to get me the bass that I wanted. The communication after the sale was excellent, I knew when it left their facility, by what carrier and what the tracking number was. That is a good feeling.
Check them out! (and NO I didn't get anything for posting this, just a happy dude telling others about a great place to do business!)
John voyles
 

bovinehost

Administrator
Joined
Jan 16, 2003
Messages
18,200
Location
Dall-Ass, TX
John, that sounds like a pretty bass. And you know what they say....no photos, no bass.

Congratulations and welcome to the forum.

Jack
 

ratfart

Active member
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
30
Location
Blakesburg, Iowa
Thanks jack,
I didn't even know this forum existed until a few minutes ago!
I'm at work, and I'll try to post a pic soon, but man have I got a lot of reading/lurking to do! this looks like a great forum.
John
 

bovinehost

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Jan 16, 2003
Messages
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Well, I like it here, I guess you'd have to say. Check the FAQs and the stickies - lots of good information there.

Anything we forumites can do for you, just let us know.

Jack
 

TNT

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 18, 2005
Messages
3,576
Location
Oakland - Raider Nation!
Howdy John,

Well, seems you're off to a "good" start!!!

Yeah, we seem to have some "excellent" MM dealers out there, and a few are on this forum - lucky for us!!:)
 

PzoLover

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 16, 2006
Messages
650
Location
Vancouver
good deedz deserve good wordz

Hey John,
Great news and BIG CONGRATZ on the SR5 and with or witghout pics there is one more requirement ... I need you to play that new unit alwayz in good health, OK!Eh?;):)and I'm happy you selected an SR5 even if yoou're not boasting about a Piezo;):)
All The Bass,
/PL:)and, way 2 go on the success story with Bass Central, Big Poppa sure knows how to assemble a fine retailer network as well as fine instruments,

and, Welcome to here Eh?
 
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meeder2

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 10, 2007
Messages
104
BassCentral

Beaver sold me a 20th SR5 and my Dargie Bongo 5.
He even put me up in a hotel, paid all my gas to drive from Atlanta to Orlando to pick my 20th up.....just kidding..but he did buy me lunch. Definetly a class dude.
 
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ratfart

Active member
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
30
Location
Blakesburg, Iowa
OK, here's pics finally. Played my first gig with the new bass last night and my new GK 1001RB II and Neo 410 cab. I had a bunch of sound trouble!
This club is small and all the bass volume comes off the stage, no subs on the PA for this little place. Well, I had volume to spare, but I couldn't get that "MUDD" out of my lower mid to low end, basically anything from "A" down. As you can see from the pic I was fairly close to my rig. I fiddled with every control on my amp...lowered the contour, sank the bass, turned the boost down... switched my bass to the front position on the switch, turned the bass down, mids up/down, treble up.
Well, I switched to my Fender Power Jazz Special for the last set, switched out the input pad and lowered my on bass volume and there was my face quivering, booty thumping low end again!
As for the sound off stage, everyone in the crowd was raving about my new rig and how awesome it sounded. Even my wife, who has listened to my play for 12 years said, "it's perfect!". but I had trouble even hearing what I was playing and that is a big problem for me as I also sing 80% of the set list. I need to hear what I'm playing and everyone else too.
What the heck am I doing wrong??? Any suggestions?
 

bovinehost

Administrator
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Jan 16, 2003
Messages
18,200
Location
Dall-Ass, TX
everyone in the crowd was raving about my new rig and how awesome it sounded. Even my wife, who has listened to my play for 12 years said, "it's perfect!". but I had trouble even hearing what I was playing

They - the people in the crowd - are much further from that cab than you are. I suspect that has a lot to do with it.

Also, yes, the shirt, as Mark mentioned....and it's possible that the zombie on the other microphone put a curse on you. LOOK AT ITS EYES.
 

ratfart

Active member
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
30
Location
Blakesburg, Iowa
They - the people in the crowd - are much further from that cab than you are. I suspect that has a lot to do with it.

Also, yes, the shirt, as Mark mentioned....and it's possible that the zombie on the other microphone put a curse on you. LOOK AT ITS EYES.


Possibly, he did put the stinky curse on a couple of songs he "sang" with us. We had a guy split the area and needed someone to sing a few songs to give my voice a break and he's a good friend of our guitar player. He, in fact, is legally blind!:eek:

As for the T-shirt, just because I own 1 Musicman doesn't mean I don't own a butt-load of Fenders and love them all. I think it is possible to love across the brand "borders". And if I can't get the mud out of the lower end of this thing, the bass, the amp and the cab are going to be replaced by something with that pretty script "F" on it. Does the MM usually have a ringing overtone on the B string? I have a distinct overtone or overtones. My Warwick doesn't have that on the B. Could it be a difference in strings?
 

bovinehost

Administrator
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Jan 16, 2003
Messages
18,200
Location
Dall-Ass, TX
Possibly, he did put the stinky curse on a couple of songs he "sang" with us. We had a guy split the area and needed someone to sing a few songs to give my voice a break and he's a good friend of our guitar player. He, in fact, is legally blind!:eek:

Don't I feel like an asshat!

As for the T-shirt, just because I own 1 Musicman doesn't mean I don't own a butt-load of Fenders and love them all. I think it is possible to love across the brand "borders". And if I can't get the mud out of the lower end of this thing, the bass, the amp and the cab are going to be replaced by something with that pretty script "F" on it. Does the MM usually have a ringing overtone on the B string? I have a distinct overtone or overtones. My Warwick doesn't have that on the B. Could it be a difference in strings?

Dude, the Fender shirt thing is a joke. Mark has Fenders, I have Fenders, Sterling has Fenders - it's a running joke, no big whoop here.

I try not to diagnose weird stuff over the internet, but 'overtone' to me usually equates to - bad string wrap around the post (not enough downward pressure) or a bad string. I assume you're experienced and are muting the B when not playing it. Right?

Jack
 

jefft54

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 20, 2008
Messages
70
Location
Santa Clarita
Maybe he should'a gotten a Bongo. :rolleyes:

2394220567_7e80ccb27a_m.jpg
 

ratfart

Active member
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
30
Location
Blakesburg, Iowa
Don't I feel like an asshat!



Dude, the Fender shirt thing is a joke. Mark has Fenders, I have Fenders, Sterling has Fenders - it's a running joke, no big whoop here.

I try not to diagnose weird stuff over the internet, but 'overtone' to me usually equates to - bad string wrap around the post (not enough downward pressure) or a bad string. I assume you're experienced and are muting the B when not playing it. Right?

Jack

The overtone I'm referring to seems predominantly when I'm playing the open B and it's a "whaaaaaraaararang" sound that seems to be "ringing" around the B.
Yes, I'm muting the strings that I'm not playing, it's not that kind of sound. I can actually hear it more when the bass isn't played through the amp.

As for the Fender, thing I'm sure it's a running joke and I get it, there's alot of brand bashing in my other hobbies as well, but I actually need some helpful advise. I just spent a butt load of money on a whole new rig and I'm not happy with it. So I guess that's what has my tight wad butt in a bunch and has sucked my sense of humor and my tolerance pretty low. Sorry. Maybe some sleep will help, but you know the saying, "life is too short to have bad tone".
I'll look into it more tomorrow after work.
Thanks for your input Jack.
 

RobertB

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
1,657
Location
Denver area.
Just saw this thread & the other one. I WAS going to say "what a freaking moron", but decided not to, 'cause that wouldn't be very nice now, would it? ;)

But seriously, the only "hostility" I saw was from him. Oh well, it doesn't matter now, does it? Can't say I'll miss seeing the handle "ratfart" around here, either.
 
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