What got you into the "Stingray" sound

[Ed x TWWK]

it definitely had to be roger from less than jake for me, they've been one of my favorite bands for the last 8 years or so. It was probably because of them that I even started playing bass. I didn't get my musicman until I started playing heavier music though, the SR is ideal for it.

 

[ptg]

I was giving bass lessons back in what had to be the early '80's. One of my students was playing in a country band and had a natural SR that sounded so sweet! I was playing G&L and Fender at the time but I was hooked from that point on! (Teacher steals student's bass...details at 11)

Now my fretless SR gets most of the work and those other basses are long gone.

(Soon to replace my only non-EBMM fretted bass with, probably, a Sterling HS)

 

[pepperman]

My story is similar to Jack's in that I really didn't like the look of 'rays back in the day. Over time, listening to John Deacon and Tony Levin softened me until I decided to give a '94 sunburst/maple 'ray a shot, trading my 4003 for it. From that moment, I was hooked. It was absolutely the most comfortable bass I had ever played. Gave it up, though, 'cause I wanted a 5ver. dumb, dumb, dumb... Anyway, now the only bass in the arsenal is my SUB5 (NOT what I traded for the 'ray). Still got that 'sound!'

 

[Bloodfist]

I walked into Haynes music in Gaffeny SC sometime back in the early 90's and played one just out of curiosity. I had no intentions of buying a bass, nor the money to that day, I just need some strings. The sound, and build of that bass just stuck in my head. At that time i was using nothing but Fenders with beefed up electronics. I eventually sold them, and started using Spectors. One day I walked into Ye ol' Music and played the HH stingray and just fell in love. I decided to start putting some cash away and save up for one. Then as fate would have it, during a recording session back in April, my trusty Spector started acting up and I had to re solder some wiring which made me weary of using it on stage. As soon as I got done soldering the wires, I logged onto the computer and decided to take the plunge and go ahead and get my first ray. I got it a month ago, it took some tweaking, and getting used to, and just as I was starting to get frustrated with the bass, that stingray tone I fell in love with just come flying out of my amp. I guess I had to get used to the bass and it had to get used to me lol. I haven't touched any of my basses yet since I got her in. We're about to go back into the studio, and have some really big shows coming up, and she's gonna be pumping out the bass lines on everything. We're gonna record the shows on video, so I'll put them up afterwards.

 

[Son of Fuzz]

My first introduction to a StingRay was through my former bass teacher. He played a mid-80s StingRay (1st or 2nd year that Ernie Ball was producing them), and the tone was unlike anything I had ever heard. After playing his StingRay I knew I had to get one.

As others have mentioned, Paul Denman of Sade's band. "Diamond Life", the first Sade album, is my favorite and is one of the best examples of classic StingRay tone. Also as others have mentioned, Louis Johnson of The Brothers Johnson (and session bassist for Michael Jackson, George Benson, and countless other artists). The Brothers Johnson's "Blam!" and "Light Up the Night" albums are full of in-yo-face StingRay funk.

And finally...Dougie Thomson of Supertramp. While it may not be immediately obvious, he played a StingRay on the "Breakfast in America" album. Listen to "Take the Long Way Home" with headphones and enjoy the sonic bliss of an early StingRay!

 

[iamcatwarrior]

I got into the Stingray sound simply by actively going down to the local Guitar Center 11 years ago and playing one for myself. After a local repair shop killed my first 4-string (a '74 Epiphone EA-260), I decided it was time for a more reliable model.

I played probably six or seven different basses until finally settling on the natural-finish '97 SR4 I own now. It saw me through college and actually was played numerous times thereafter, including on my band's first album and at a few of our shows. I'm getting back into Music Man basses quite a bit now and am currently awaiting my "new" SR5 HH. After making some tonal adjustments to my amp at a recent show we played, I rediscovered just how powerful those pickups are; they could knock down walls, for all we know. Plus that bass is as light as a feather, unlike another tree-trunk-like instrument I own....(coughWARWICKcough).

I also can remember catching some flak for buying this bass when I was in high school. Another guy in my grade who played bass, who had much more experience than I did, caught wind of it and called me a "cake-eater." Some others in my grade also made fun of me for it, claiming that I just wanted to be the next Flea. But then again, what do they know? (Or play?)

 

[sloshep]

I had been around Stingrays since the mid 80's when I moved to SLO. My brother In law still plays his 89 Stingray! I just thought back in my SLO days I would never be able to afford one. Fast forward to two years ago I was in a tonal rut. So I started looking for what would excite me again. The two players tone that got me excited. They were Tony Levin and Joshua Gonzales (Salvador). Both were Music Man players. I knew what I had to do. My wife finally gave in. And now I have the tone I had been chasing for years.

 

[phat5]

Seeing Ben Orr on Sat Nite Live.

 

[oli@bass]

And finally...Dougie Thomson of Supertramp. While it may not be immediately obvious, he played a StingRay on the "Breakfast in America" album. Listen to "Take the Long Way Home" with headphones and enjoy the sonic bliss of an early StingRay!

I think he was the actually the first bass player who got me into the StingRay sound, before I even started to play bass. I absolutely loved the bass sound on "Live in Paris", but had no clue what bass he was playing there (and I thought it looked pretty ugly with that white pickup cover).

However, it took me over 25 years and many basses had to pass until I finally bought my first 'Ray

 

[d.robledo]

MxPx-At The Show.. nuff said

 

[T Alan]

No surprises here-
http://www.snapdrive.net/files/83113/EdwardAjaj/Tony_Levin/Tony_Levin_007.jpg

 

[R Upsomegrub]

The neck on the SR5 made me a believer.

Back in the early 90's, it seemed that the bass world was going 5-string; I confess that I didn't like the SR5 tone at first (it didn't sound like a F****r), but I eventually learned how to make the eq work for me, and have played an SR5 as my main bass since January of '93.

 

[AtomicPunk]

I went into a GC looking to see if they carried 5-string Jazz pickups since that is what I was playing at the time and mine sounded lame...and they got a used Stingray in, the bass guy asked me if I ever played one, I said, no.
He pulled it out of the case, it was SILVER....hmmm...let me try that out!
Played it for about a half hour and it felt like it was MY bass already....so I left with it and sold the Jazz later that week.

 

[shamus63]

My last post on this thread (8/20/08) was based on the look, and not the sound of the 'Ray that attracted me.

The fat thump and growl is what I get out of my 'Ray that I don't get out of my P-Basses. Mighty useful at the right gig!

 

[Randy]

I was a guitar player before I came to the dark side(yes, I know it's all about cookies ). So I played the guitar and didn't even think about what bass did my bass player use. I knew that every bassplayer should play F****r, because it looks cool. But once a friend of mine gave me a video and I FELL IN LOVE WITH THAT BASS SOUND! Here it is : [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onqa6aRHDC4"]YouTube - Chevelle-The Red[/nomedia]
I asked him about the bass on this video and he said that it is MusicMan. I was like : "WOW! That bass sounds very different from every other basses I've heard!" When I started playing bass, I knew that someday I will definitely buy MusicMan. And that day came 2.5 years ago!

 

[Grand Wazoo]

It was a long time ago, round about 1990-91, I used to attend music school and both myself and my teacher went on a search for the best available 5'er. we tried lots of basses, Ar|a, YamaIIa, War*ick, Ib#ne% W#l you name it, we narrowed it down to a Wal and a Stingray and in the end the Stingray won because it really had the most playable neck in the market and the 5th string was the most consistent and best sounding out of 10-12 basses we tried. Never regretted it. Soundwise the Stingray stood out because of the pickup / preamp combination that gives it that reknowned growl we've all grown to love and distinguish among other basses. It still is the best 5'er on the market

 

[RaginRog]

It actually took me a while to warm up to the sound(wasn't good at eqing it, and didn't like 'em through a GK rig I had). I was also going through a R---backer phase, and had a old BC--ch Eagle which I was playing at the time. I then bought and sold a couple of Rays, then played a couple of Sterlings, but eventually sold them as well. I went the Jazz bass route for a couple of years following and noticed I always had to upgrade everything on 'em to get to sound the way I wanted. One day a year and a half ago I got a banged up SR for under $700, cleaned it up, and away I went. I've sold them again, but only to upgrade to the SRs I currently own. I love the fact that I don't have to do ANYTHING to it to find the sound I love....no new pickups, bridges...it's great just as it is.

 

[kmark]

Mike Herrera of MxPx.

His basses always look awesome, and they sound amazing. Hearing him play "The Theme Fiasco" live on his StingRay is quite an experience.

 

[Bass Control]

For me, at first, it was John Myung's sound from early demos and from When Dream and Day Unite. I really wanted to get that tone. Later, it was Tony Levin. My first MusicMan experience happened on a Sterling, the next was a Bongo. I can honestly say that I have owned other instruments since then, but they were all "filler basses" until I finally got my first MusicMan last year (a Las Vegas Gold Stingray 5). Have not looked back or anywhere else since.

 

[cellkirk74]

As lame as it is, it was Flea back in 1991 that made me want a stingray. Since then my experience is pretty much the same as RaginRogs, besides i did never sell mine even in times i only played passive P and J.

I think the new generation of high powered clean amps and the pricedrop for good cabs accomplish the EBMM-Sound a lot, especially the versatility of the preamps.