These two bass players man… this is not a UA-cam channel anymore, this is prime time TV. They are SO good. And they just casually chuck tabs down the bottom for iconic basslines. Wonderful!
TheBangAttack, you are speaking truth. The two of them have taken this channel to the point where it's one of the few YT vids I watch all the way through at normal speed. The chemistry, the quality, the music and history are all great.
Excellent video(s) gents. Thoroughly entertaining banter, blistering bass skills, and genuine knowledge about the instruments and the music...Now a go to channel for me...Keep it up gents!
I started using stingrays in 1976 when he first came out when I was founding member of the band Tommy Tutone. If used them on many different recording projects including when I worked with Ozzy on the no more tears album (Bob Daisley and I did most of the bass work). During the years I've tried everything from alembic to kabiki's and everything in between and I ended up back using stingrays exclusively again. I found a good deal on an early 2003 musicman sub bass with a passive circuit and I found that it is probably the best sounding days I've ever played in the recording studio. I also found out that Gail Ann Darcy went to using passive stingray basses herself that she had to custom order. I knew Bernard Edwards and was lucky enough to be in the studio with him when he was producing the band missing persons. He is the one that got me back into using flat wound strings on my stingrays which I had originally done back in the '70s. I'm glad to see you guys doing an episode on these basses because I've always thought that they were the best all-around bass ever made. Cheers!
Huge shout to ya Terry. Big fan of the first two Tutone albums. What a great collection of tunes. Bee on my 86 stingray since 89. I too have had Alembic,Modulus and the like but nothing else measured up. She is passive now with a single coil option as well as series parallel using the original pickup and push pull pots so no mods.
@@scrubbingmonkeys2488 Tommy and I just finished up doing the background vocals on a new album today. It's probably the best stuff we've done so far. Hopefully we'll get it out somewhere where people can hear it. As you know it's not as easy as it used to be, lol! 🤞😁👍
Thats great news Terry. The first albums are a fixture on my mp3 player. I use several tunes of those records as reference tracks for mixing rock stuff. They sound so crisp and defined with drums you can hear. It probably has to do with great arrangements also. Plenty of space for everything to breathe. Favorite tune......Cheap Date.
I strung my 'Ray with flats and ... this is weird but the first set I put on were cheapie Olympics and they were KILLER! I thought, well, if these are good why not put really quality ones on and fitted a set of LaBellas but they are too bouncy and tight sounding for my taste. I think that with so much attack and power on the Musicman a the cheap flats hit the sweet spot, less like a rubber band boing and more of an old-school thump.
I bought my Stingray in 1992, and it has been with me ever since. More than 30 years now! Never let me down. Fits perfectly in my hands. Sounds great. Never had a reason to buy another bass.
I've used my HH stingray in cover bands for many years. It's so versatile! Motown, funk, Rock, dance, disco, reggae, ska. I've been able to dial all those tones in with the eq and switching the pickup selection. I love my HH. Totally my forever bass
Super versatile bass with the inside/outside pickup split capability. Jazz or Ric type tones. I love the broad spectrum of using both pickups as humbuckers. Can change tone by hand position.
@@hhblair44 Totally, just last week I jumped from slap funk on the back pickup with mid hand position to doing rockabilly upright sound by going front pickup, dialing down the high end and moving my hand up to the top frets.
I have had several “poor man’s stingrays”- the Ibanez ATK300… and the design- pickup placement, bridge, string thru is just amazing on this style of bass- A BIG THANKS to Leo for this!
I've been playing a Stingray in an insanley loud punk rock band for years. Nothing beats it. Pump the mids a bit and will cut right thru anything. Awesome.
I’ve loved the Stingray since hearing Flea play “Higher Ground” as a kid and then Joe Lally of Fugazi on “Waiting Room.” I had to have one. There was a translucent blue burst one at Knut-Koupee’ in Minneapolis back in the day that I dreamed of but never could afford. After I proposed to my wife I told her guys always got screwed over on the engagement front so she tracked down a 20th Anniversary Stingray in quilted maple and bought it for me. She’s a keeper and so is the bass. I play it all the time. It’s never meant to be a museum piece. The Stingray growl is undeniable. Great video, guys!
In 1982 I had finally saved up money for the bass I thought would take me to the next level. A beatiful red P Bass I had been wanting for a long time. Went to the shop, money in my pocket and there was no way I was walking away with enything else. But I did. The shop owner must have done a number on me pitching this new thing. To this day I have no idea how he convinced me but he was right. After more than 40 years I will never stop playing my Stingray. It still manage to surprise me. Love that thing.
One thing I love about StingRays is how well they take grit. I have a Sansamp, a Big Muff, and a Darkglass pedal, and the StingRay sounds fantastic through all of them.
I'm a short scale player and I've banged around with pretty much every short scale I can lay my hands on. I have the Sterling Stingray and it blows everything else out of the water. Scraping up the cash for an actual EBMM Stingray SS, but in the meantime, I'm happier than I've been with much more expensive bass guitars in the past 30 years. Love it.
The BEST bass tone I've ever heard was from Sade's bassist Paul Denman. Not sure if he uses stingrays exclusively , all I do know that he was using a stingray at the time. That sound and tone inspired me to pick up the Bass.
The man is a master of tasteful bass lines that get the job done without flash and fuss. Ironic that he played one of the most famous bass solos in popular music. Great band and bassist.
I’m a guitar player who plays bass occasionally on recordings and I’m likely not in their exact target audience, but I absolutely love this channel. Love it. So fun and informative. Beautiful.
It kind or reminds me of those 'Sounds of the..." commercials for Time Life where you'd have two notables from what ever decade they are selling talking a but too enthusiastically about how great it felt to hear these sweet tunes back in the day.
@@NatBeedle but these guys are not trying to sell you a Stingray.. very distinct difference. Although I believe they want you to get in the contest and are hoping that you participate in the charity.
My life with Fender basses began around 1971 with a Jazz bass. Prior to that I went thru a Silvertone, 3 Framus basses and a Gibson working my way up to a Fender. I thought there was nothing better than a Jazz bass until I stumbled upon a 1972 P bass in 1982 that opened my eyes to the other side of the Fender universe. Life was good until the day I saw Freebo playing a white stingray with Bonnie Rait. Then I saw Alabama using all Music Man gear and heard the Stingray used up to the magical 21st fret. The need became overwhelming. I was able to get a 79 Stingray in 1984 with the unusual Jazz bass width neck used from a fellow needing Christmas money. Of all the basses I own, that bass has always been my go to bass. Nothing else compares. I also have a 2013 Stingray Classic which is amazing but still not the 79. The other part of my bass equation is 2 JBL loaded Music Man RH 115 enclosures with an Alembic F2B and a Crown DC 300A amp which never ceases to get compliments. Even adding a Sadowsky SBP-1 to any of my J or P basses still does not rival the Music Man. Even though I have great love for all my basses, the Stingray always wins and gets the gig.
Did they do thinner necks that year or something? You have a stingray with a Jazz width neck?? A 70s Stingray is my dream bass man, your right there’s nothing like them 70s stingrays 😍
@@bassimprovjams3772 It was offered in the catalog of the original Stingrays. Ernie Ball offers it now as a stingray SLO. I don’t believe they discontinued it but things change so often. You can look up the old catalogs on line from the 70’s and they show the available necks. Maple, Rosewood, Fretless, narrow Jazz and regular width. I haven’t seen that many around for sale over the years but I guess I know why. No one wants to part with them but they are out there. Happy hunting.
@@bassimprovjams3772 The original Leo Fender era Stingrays were available with the Jazz bass radius neck as well as fretless, regular, maple, rosewood. It was called narrow neck. I believe Ernie Ball still offers this version and is called a Stingray SLO. You can search on line for an old music man catalog, reverb had some over the years, and it shows all the variations you could order. They seem to be a rare find as I suppose not many want to part with them. They are out there, happy hunting.
And then, in 1980 Leo Fender got together with George Fullerton and perfected the bass once again. G&L was born, and you really should cover those basses as well!
Yeah they are good Basses’s & definitely well put together but they never get the attention that the stingray’s got which I feel is the reason you don’t see them being played on the circuit often my G&L 2500L was my first 5 string i owned and it definitely made it difficult for others 5 strings to get much playing time due to its comfort
What about the MM Sabre? I had it in my hands and almost bought it in 92, but the circumstances wouldn't allow. It's off topic slightly but you seem to know your stuff in this thread. One day I will add a MM or G&L (thanks to the comment above) or both to my small collection.
Lovely episode, a perfect analysis of Leo Fender's evolution of the bass guitar. My first bass was a Fender Jazz. I first recorded with my Gibson RD Artist and then gravitated to the Stingray for my live work. I grew up a disciple of Louis Johnson and Bernard Edwards. Without doubt the Musicman Stingray is the most versatile and THE funkiest bass ever created. Thanks guys.
I bought my Stingray in 2004 because Flea played one. Still love it. I think of the P, J, and Stingray as primary colors of bass, and everything else is a combo of their elements.
@@jamesadamgleason9471 Just recently played a 1978 Rickenbacker at my luthier's and yes, they are very fine instruments. But also pretty niche because they got such a unique character to their tone. Certainly a nice addition to the three golden Leo standards.
I just recently purchased my first stingray and I really didn’t know the ins and outs of its capabilities for the first few weeks, however when I finally got it to rehearsal with my band I’m not kidding when I tell you that everybody looked at me with their mouth open in their eyebrows raised and remarked on how much cleaner and bigger I sounded. I play punk rock I both use a pic and my fingers depending upon my song sometimes both in the same song no matter what I do you can hear all that attack that I need to cut through all of punk rock guitars I truly am amazed by this magical beast that is my first music man stingray! Thank you Leo Fender
Bernard Edwards, one of my mentors. Brilliant 👌🏿 Louis Johnson after hearing him in 1980, I was 8 years old, I fell in love with the Bass Guitar. Pino Palladino 🙌🏿 Joe Dart 🔥 Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤
I was a confirmed Precision guy. Since 1988, it was Precisions, minus a period of dalliance with 5-strings and boutique basses in the 90s. Then it was back to Precisions again until one day in mid-2023 when one of my best friends let me play a 1979 StingRay he'd refurbished after the previous owner made it a "mod monster." It changed my world. Then I had to have one. I bought a Sterling Ray34 as an intro into the world. Holy mother of...my world was flipping. I started selling Precisions to finance StingRays. My former arsenal of eight Precisions has become two Precisions, two StingRays (a 4H and a 4HH), the Ray34, and a Bongo, which is a whole other story of amazement. Total game changers.
If I'm ever having a rough day I just pop on one of your vids and I am immediately humbled and uplifted. Both of your energies and charisma is truly admirable and it makes me so enthralled to know there are such happy and joyful humans in this world like the two of you! Keep it up boys
i play a sting ray and love it! played a show a few weeks ago. we were the second band on. as soon as i hooked in and hit that first test note, the sound guy comes over the PA. "i know that tone, someone is playing a sting ray". i want to get another one.
I remember holding a Stingray Bass in my hands back around 1977…$500 was the price and being young and broke, I walked away. Fast forward 40 years and I finally bought me one. It is my go to bass over my P bass and Rick. Love them all but my Music Man is tops…. Great vid!
Leo Fender was the man of visions, but you guys at SBL are the bass visionaries!! 🤓So much energy and passion in your videos, dudes: you really inspire people to hear & play more & better.
100%! The sad part about this video is that there are dozens and dozens of indie, punk, post punk, bass players who use the stingray with a pick that have almost nothing to do with the pop, funk, finger style playing. The stingray played with a pick in a more “rock” context is its own thing. Should’ve tacked 3 or 4 more minutes of content on to this one. Sad fail.
I bought a USA-mass SUB bass in 2003 and wound up putting it away after several years. Now I learn it was all the same electronics and very similar to the StingRay. I kind of miss that humbucker! I'm going to get er set up with some flats thanks to this video!
@@robertmessing6846 I have a guitar and a bass. Both sound great. There's definitely a little something different in their pickups/pre-amp sections, because they can get so freaking bright.
I am here for this love letter to StingRays! I still adore my 98' translucent teal beauty! The day I went to find one, it was the only teal bass in a sea of black, red, and sunburst. A diamond in the rough. 🥰
I love teal and I love bass and the Stingrsy design. You made me go search for a pic. Damn, that is gorgeous. Inspirational if you're especially color sensitive. Should I ever buy one, consider it a compliment. Enjoy!
My dad had been playing a 92 translucent teal Stingray 5 for as long as i can remember. He died last may at 59 years old. Through his bass it feels like he's still there and I will play that bass until it falls apart or I can give it to my own kids.
@@boykeschaafsma1117 I am so sorry to read this. My mother passed away three years ago this August and it's still fresh. Since you shared such a beautiful sentiment, I will too. When we moved to Florida in 98, I was going to college and my mom and I were sitting in a financial meeting talking about what our scholarship money could go towards. Books, supplies, basically anything that could be used for school. Since I was a music major, my mom suggested that I get that dream bass I always wanted. So, with her blessing, I was able to purchase my very own MM. Whenever I pick her up (Lola is her name), I think of my mom.
Ooo that's what I had.. It was either a late 90's or early 2k's teal Stingray. Gorgeous ash body AND a birdseye maple neck. On top of that it was left handed. I've never seen another. I wish I'd kept it.
I have owned 2 Stingrays. Before that growing up 4 Jazz Basses. G&L L1000 Bass 1981 first year. All Leo's creations. The Stingrays have ruled. I even had an Alembic Essence Bass in the nineties with a million different sounds. My Stingray with maple neck still sounds the best. Thanks Leo 🙏
I just finished modding my harley benton sting ray to give it a sting ray pre-amp and it sounds amazing, my bad is getting ready to record our first album and i’m gonna be using it everywhere on there
Great video, guys, as always😊 The Stingray has one of the most unique bass sounds! Slap, fingerstyle, pick - it always cuts through the mix with its punch. And it works perfectly with any kind of pedals. Once you figured out how to use its sound, it will shape your band‘s overall sound essentially! Keep up the good work, guys!
Agreed! I never understood the stingray haters who say it's just a "one-trick Pony"... 1. even if that were true, it's a pretty darn great trick. 2. with hand placement and that 3 band eq (not to mention all the pedals and preamps available) you can get about any sound from a stingray. And it will always have that punch available to cut through any mix.
A band who maybe aren't so well known in England or the US but are massive in Scotland, Germany and Denmark. After being a huge fan since a very young age through my mum's influence, only discovered at their very last concert after spending the whole time just watching him play, that one of my lifelong heroes, songwriter/singer/bassist Rory MacDonald of Runrig is a stingray user. He has such a well rounded tone and fits so well in the pocket while also managing to sing in both English & Gaelic!
Dudes!! Never seen a G&L 1K on the channel, that bass with flats... The legend continues!!! I think is the real review of the pbass that stingray wasn,t. You,ll love it Scott
I think the L-2000 might be a good comparison. The pickup location on the L-1000 is positioned more like the P bass relative to the bridge. The L-2000 has 2 pickups with one being close to the bridge like on the Stingray and the other positioned more like the P bass pickup.
I play a G&L CLF Research L-1000, ordered it to be set up with LaBella 760 flat wound strings; once the strings settled in and aged a bit, it is 100% of P-style goodness that I had hoped for, and, the bands that I have played it with have loved it (getting more gigs I think). AND, from 1981 until now my go-to bass has been a G&L SB-2 with Marcus Miller DR strings, I bought 5 or 6 basses to perhaps replace it with, all gone, they could not compare, it is a true Fender, probably built by Leo himself as it is an early G&L! Love 'em!
I really enjoy your videos! My first taste of the MusicMan came when I had been looking for a new sound/bass, I had still do have a 62 P-bass, and after I had been playing in a Rush tribute band, I was looking for a more trebly sound I looked for about can’t remember exactly but at least 2-3 years, tried every bass that I could lay my hands on, and one day at my local music store that I’d go every week, in the bass department my salesman said try this and I looked at him and said ‘there’s 5 strings ’ he said plug it in… I looked at him and literally played one note and said that’s it, that’s the sound I had been looking for for all this time, it has been a love affair for 33 years and this January just bought a 5 HH Strawberry burst and I’m in love again, these basses have made me the player that I am today. love love love my Stingrays ❤ I should mention that I have a newer Jazz, Ricky, Yamaha fretless, Ibanez And always come back to the Stingrays 🤩
How did you guys forget Paul Denman from Sade? I bought a Music Man Stingray 1979 because of him and I just love! And I think that Boz Burrel from Bad Company also plays a Stingray!!
I’ll have to check him out, another commenter mentioned him too, they also forgot Cliff Williams, but I mean his tone you can’t even tell it’s a stingray unfortunately,
My friend showed up to bass lesson with a new Music Man Stingray. Blew me away completely! What a bass! Made me want to head to guitar store to get my own to add to my Fender Pro II Precision and Mustang. What a bass!
You’ve convinced me. I apparently NEEEED a stingray. I’ve not made it all the way through yet, but Benjamin Orr used a Stingray to great effect in The Cars.
I've had the mm stingray 4 for a few years now and I love it. It sounds great at home, jamming in the studio or playing live. I've changed the strings once, it rarely goes out of tune, the build is solid and you can feel the quality. It looks great (mint green with a white scratch plate), and didn't break the bank!
My wife's daughter, who is 16, started playing bass a couple of years ago. She got totally hooked on the instrument (Well, duh!) and now has chosen to go to a high school program with extra music classes. As her bonus dad, a bassist and a hobby instrument builder I have decided that she needs a great instrument for the future. I am therefore currently building her a bass which "mechanically" is a Stingray clone. Having already introduced her to the greatness of the P-bass I kind of thought it was about time she leveled up. They have to learn early on which basses are the right ones you know! 😎 Thanks for a great show!
@@bassimprovjams3772 Thanks for those kind words! I just hope she really loves the bass when it's finished! Me and my wallet is fearing that if the bass plays like crap I'll have to help her get a (probably) very expensive replacement from some famous manufacturer. 😄
Great vid lads nice to see the history, I have a 77 and may, 30 years ago, committed sacrilege, but I am still pleased I did. I got my stingray, put a three way toggle, and wire it to have 1) original two coils parallel, 2) a coil tap (makes it a P bass vibe) and 3) coils in series, which turns it into a huge thick output that breaks up filthy. it it's younger than 1990 - definitely do it, as it is all win!
Just bought a cheap one , always wanted one and am very pleased w this 300 $ bass !! These modern inexpensive instruments are way better than my 1st cheap bass I bought when I was 12 in 1971 -Domino $100
It just made me feel so much cooler about owning my stingray. Its going to get a lot more play than my other basses from now on. Cheers! Great bit of history and I'm sure you barely touched the surface of this truly iconic instrument! Rock on!!
I would love for you guys to do a video on G&L. They are the final creation of Leo before his passing. They are amazing basses and they don't get the attention they deserve.. plus the Kiloton model is essentially a passive stingray.
Yep I have 2 G&Ls have had several fenders but so far no musicman basses .Tried an old sterling and I' loved it but The G &Ls are so good and versatile .Dying to try a Big chonks but no sign in France yet
I've played a 4 string blonde StingRay, black pickguard and rosewood fretboard, for what is now 30 years. I simply love everything about it. It is always my go-to bass. Sure, I own other basses that I like to bring along on a gig, but the ol' StingRay always ends up being the one I end up using for the majority of the gig each time.
You guys are great together = always interesting content. Bernard Edwards ( Chic ) & Paul Denman ( Sade ) = the Reason I purchased a Stingray . . . Love those 2 guys. oNe LovE from NYC
In 2003 I started playing with a fellow kidney doc from the UK, Roger Greenwood. We started as a duo, me on bass, Roger on guitar/vocals. Over the years we added drums, keys, lead and played at nephrology meetings around the world as the Kidney Stones. We did regular events in the UK. Rather than bring over my '65 Precision, I used Roger's Stingray, and loved it. One year, I noticed it was sounding dead, and I asked Roger when he last changed the battery. He looked at me and said, "There's a battery?"
Just started playing bass a little over a year and a half ago. Fell in love with it before I started playing because of the stingray. I always thought it was such a cool looking thing. It is my first bass and I do not plan on ever parting with it. It has been with me through my first gigs and every practice session. One of my most prized possessions. Thing kicks ass. Thanks for the appreciation of this incredible instrument.
This episode is hilarious coming off the heels of Scott saying if he was on a desert island, a stingray would be the most disappointing bass to find in his case. Glad you came to your senses because stingrays rock.
My first leap to a five string bass was in 2018 with a Stingray Special 5 HH. Every position of the five way switch give a different tone. It plays great and can literally do about anything I need it to. It's a wonderful Bass.
My first was a Jazz bass, but I always wanted a Stingray because of Bernard and that was what most of my bass heroes played. So I took a risk and ordered a Starry Dark Ray without playing it. Am I sorry? Not a bit, I love it, it rocks to play and it puts a smile on my face every time.
I've always desired the Stingray. My favourite is the blonde with the black pickguard, but I'll settle for anything. I had a 5 String Bongo bass but I'm more of a 4 string player. Ever since I saw Benjamin Orr playing one, I said "I gotta get one".
Having been doing sessions for over 40 years here in Nashville and have many Jazz and P basses and like models, I never fell in love with the Music Man. However, in the past year I purchased a 1981 G&L and think it’s maybe Leo’s apex creation. You can do any gig and sound with this instrument. Love you guys!
How about doing a video on Leo's last creative round of innovation with the G&L basses? G&L gets very little love or coverage for some reason. I, however, do love my G&L L2500 more than a Stingray: it does everything a Stingray does plus can switch to passive mode and from parallel to series signal routing for an instant treble boost with the flick of a switch. It has a neck pickup as well, which adds even more versatility to a single instrument.
Man I only kinda play bass on the side after guitar, but you guys just get me so hyped on bass! Last week, I went to my local music shop to order a set of SD Quarter-Pounders for my old neglected P-Bass copy, and they had this gorgous Yamaha TRBX305 on sale for $375... needless to say I bought it two days later. Idk how this relates to the Stingray though.. oh yeah humbuckers with massive pole pieces and active EQ! It's a lot of fun having such a versatile instrument and I appreciate Ian's great explanations to get different tones.
I had zero interest in the Stingray or Fender anything when I first started playing. But one day I was in a shop with some friends looking at gear and one said, "just try one out! it won't hurt" Magic. Absolute magic. So much life and body to that instrument, it blew me away. I had to sell that one later, but I eventually replaced it. I have three basses now and two are stingrays. The 5HH Special is just a wonderland of available tones. I am extremely excited about the coming Music Man "Custom Experience" because I want to craft my dream fretless Ray5.
Dude it’s been long overdue! I hope I can get a custom order also, it would be really awesome if you can start to buy their stuff like a replacement pickup if you want a different color like I’d like the black pickup with the black pole pieces they have like in the darkray, they look so cool on the black basses
Loved this. I’ve had a SR 5 for 20 years. I was in a shop in Yorkshire uk and had the choice between the SR and a Warwick. The Warwick was cool but the SR was so versatile. I haven’t regretted purchasing it. It’s never let me down!
I have Stingray that I bought in 79. I have an 86 Yamaha BB 5O00 and 62 Jaco'ed jazz with Bartolini Hi-A's and a pre. The Stingray is the bass I go to time and again. The P style pickup on the Yamaha is a sonic dead ringer for a Fender and still... the Stingray rules! I used to use LaBella quarter rounds, but you can't get them anymore. They have great tonal range. I'm going to Ken Smith compression wound to see what they do. One thing that you glossed over was the neck tilt that the three bolt allows. The early G&Ls have that as well. The Stingray is a game changer in the lineage of bass history. Also, Abraham Laboriel did a lot of recording on the Stingray. All of the TV show CHIPS was done on fretted and fretless Stingrays. Simply great basses.
As a kid of the 90’s it is hard not to love the punch of a stingray, between RHCP and RATM. The first RATM album captivated me to want to learn to play bass in general. When I saw Tim Commerford wielding a Stingray, I knew that’s what I wanted so I saved up for one and I’ve loved that thing ever since. I’ve bought and sold several basses over the years but never my stingray. it’s the sound of my youth encapsulated in a slab of wood with 4 strings and a humbucker!
I’m a huge stingray fan boy. I got my Stingray 5 HH in 2018, and literally nothing has beaten it for me. The roasted maple smelled friggin maple syrup for the first two months owning it!!! Are you kidding?! Thinner string spacing makes it so easy to play, and having the two humbuckers is so versatile! Now, can I get a Jazz bass tone? No. Can I get a P-bass tone? No. Can I get a sound that works from Christian rock, to funk, to punk, to metal, to reggae? You’re damn right I can! My stingray is so precious to me and my sound, that I don’t think it will ever leave me. I love the sound of other basses, but when I hear a bass line in my head it’s a stingray, and that’s so special to me.
Same man! I agree 110% with you I’m a total stingray fanboy too lmao I’ve had 11 of them I only have 3 at the moment I’ve had 3 HH 5’s and loved them all you got me wanting/ Needing another 5HH now
just bought my stingray earlier this year and my god I love it so much its so comfortable to play and has such a great sound definitely an amazing choice
I just got a fretless stingray 5. Best fretless I’ve ever played. It has such a nice “growl” to it. Great feel too, highly recommend. If you get one, try some Ernie Ball flat wounds on it. Makes it sound better/easier to glide.
I play a Sterling Ray4 HH as my main bass but I really wish I could get it as a fretless. I used to have a fretless jazz bass but I couldn't get a tone I liked from it, bridge pickup soloed was just too thin. A fretless stingray would be perfect since it gets that definition from having the pickup by the bridge but since it's a humbucker with an active eq it sounds thick enough to work as a bass.
Watching you guys jamming and historizing it is easy to get once more carried away into wanting one but then there is of course the fact that is plays in another ball park pricewise. Then I remember my active Talman PJ patiently sitting just around from where I sit and calm right down again. Cheers!
@@Letshaveafewbeers I never was aware when I was a kid listening to this. It was few years ago my musical memory brought me back on this tune and was blown away that it was PINO!!!!!
I knew nothing about this bass. I went to get a new one, upgrade so to speak and I just couldn't get over the sound. It sounded so good I had to buy it. Haven't even played it much yet only got it a couple weeks ago. Great video, very cool bass, thanks.
I got a StingRay back in 2017 for my 18th birthday and I still love playing it alongside my Rickenbacker 4003S, I remember wanting one because of guys like Flea, John Deacon, Cliff Williams (AC/DC), Tom Hamilton, Tim Commerford, Rex Brown, Johnny Christ (Avenged Sevenfold) and early Mark Hoppus and I’ve used it on a bunch of my own stuff as well as with my band when I want to get that distinct sound. They just have that signature sound to them that’s just so damn good and their overall versatility is why it’s still one of the greatest rock basses for a reason, I’ll always love mine and don’t think I’ll ever sell it
Johnny Christ had that beat up chocolate brown one that he used to play on Scream live. Among others. But that color is the one Ernie Ball has to reissue.
Great episode! I had a Sting Ray back in 1999 or 2000. It was stolen. No insurance. I decided to replace my guitars first. Got a few. When choosing a bass, I went for short scale. First an Ibanez Micro, then an Ibanez acoustic/electric (both very fine)... recently, a Sterling Sting Ray... Wow! Loved this episode, love my Sting Ray!
I've owned 2 jazz basses and am presently the proud owner of a P-Bass and a Stingray. I do love the P-Bass but the Stingray is my absolute go-to. Big, beautiful sound with huge range of tones; I bought it when shopping for a Rickenbacker at L&M on Bloor in Toronto. They only had the one Ricky but they had 3 Stingrays on the wall so I did a little shootout between them all and I kept coming back to this Stingray Special edition (burnt apple with the roasted maple neck with the added mid control knob). It just called to me. I couldn't get over the range of tones I was getting and the brilliant punch it delivered. It was a no-brainer. It's my bass of choice.
I just recently bought a Music Man bass - I love, love, love ❤️ the bass!! From the smooth neck profile to the sound and how many different sounds I can “dial” into.
My first introduction to Stingray was listening to Paul Denman in Sade's songs. Been wanting to have one but still haven't get used to play active bass. Listening to you guys makes me want to try one again. :)
Hello, great Video. I had my first Bass lesson about 32 yeaes ago. Then i lost interest after a year . . . I`ve been practising again for a few weeks now. And i`ve fallen in love with the Stingray 😍🤩🥰 I ordered One Yesterday 🎸🥳🥳Thank you for your great channel 👍🥳🥳 A compairson, Stingray with his "Copies" would be interesting . . . 😉
I just got a Sterling Ray34 last week (I know it is not an Ernie Ball) it sounds amazing! The amount of tonal variations is mind boggling. Thank You for all your informative videos.
Youse guys, so cool. Love all your bass stuff! 1st bass is a Grabber, but eventually dumped the slider for EMG P-Bass pickups in the early 80's; heavenly, played it for years. 1988 bought a Kubicki x-Factor and played it thru the 90's.... This is where I finally get to my p-bass, nice but it too grew into EMG P-bass pickups - and sold it 'cause it sounded too much like the Kubicki. And for the "piece of resistance", got my first(!) Stingray 5 in the early 2000s and never looked back. Your "TV" show has given me some really cool stuff to try - I was already on the hunt for an anvelope! Thank you, for lettinme be mice elf!
I absolutely love the Stingray. I've had a 5-string since 05 and it is still an absolute workhorse (even though I've favourited my Squires in the last few years). The Stingray solidfied my love for a big, warm and powerful bass tones. I've used in multiple musical settings over the years, and it's never failed me. I don't think I'll ever wanna get rid of it.
My first experience playing a Stringray was back in the early 2000s when I needed a 5-string to cover a Massive Attack tune (Dissolved Girl-one of my favorite bass lines by them). I was a Fender guy at that time, but I’d wanted a 5 for while. Decided to take a chance on the Stingray because most of the music I played at the time was pretty aggressive so the tone would be a good fit for everything else I did. It was a really, really nice surprise to see how easily the Stingray could be “dialed back” and adapted to a fatter, silkier, dub-like sound. Been in love ever since. My bass collection today is all Stingrays and Fenders.
Being a classic taste bassist, I somehow always felt the calling of the stingray, never knew why, there’s just something to it. Now I understand. Thank you very much.
These two bass players man… this is not a UA-cam channel anymore, this is prime time TV. They are SO good. And they just casually chuck tabs down the bottom for iconic basslines. Wonderful!
Cheers for that!!
They also are extremely entertaining and have such good chemistry lol
TheBangAttack, you are speaking truth. The two of them have taken this channel to the point where it's one of the few YT vids I watch all the way through at normal speed. The chemistry, the quality, the music and history are all great.
It’s not the bass design. “it’s allways bassist’s fingers”
Excellent video(s) gents. Thoroughly entertaining banter, blistering bass skills, and genuine knowledge about the instruments and the music...Now a go to channel for me...Keep it up gents!
I started using stingrays in 1976 when he first came out when I was founding member of the band Tommy Tutone. If used them on many different recording projects including when I worked with Ozzy on the no more tears album (Bob Daisley and I did most of the bass work). During the years I've tried everything from alembic to kabiki's and everything in between and I ended up back using stingrays exclusively again. I found a good deal on an early 2003 musicman sub bass with a passive circuit and I found that it is probably the best sounding days I've ever played in the recording studio. I also found out that Gail Ann Darcy went to using passive stingray basses herself that she had to custom order. I knew Bernard Edwards and was lucky enough to be in the studio with him when he was producing the band missing persons. He is the one that got me back into using flat wound strings on my stingrays which I had originally done back in the '70s. I'm glad to see you guys doing an episode on these basses because I've always thought that they were the best all-around bass ever made. Cheers!
Huge shout to ya Terry. Big fan of the first two Tutone albums. What a great collection of tunes. Bee on my 86 stingray since 89. I too have had Alembic,Modulus and the like but nothing else measured up. She is passive now with a single coil option as well as series parallel using the original pickup and push pull pots so no mods.
@@scrubbingmonkeys2488 Tommy and I just finished up doing the background vocals on a new album today. It's probably the best stuff we've done so far. Hopefully we'll get it out somewhere where people can hear it. As you know it's not as easy as it used to be, lol! 🤞😁👍
Thats great news Terry. The first albums are a fixture on my mp3 player. I use several tunes of those records as reference tracks for mixing rock stuff. They sound so crisp and defined with drums you can hear. It probably has to do with great arrangements also. Plenty of space for everything to breathe.
Favorite tune......Cheap Date.
I strung my 'Ray with flats and ... this is weird but the first set I put on were cheapie Olympics and they were KILLER! I thought, well, if these are good why not put really quality ones on and fitted a set of LaBellas but they are too bouncy and tight sounding for my taste. I think that with so much attack and power on the Musicman a the cheap flats hit the sweet spot, less like a rubber band boing and more of an old-school thump.
@@KimSE4 I've had a similar experience as well. I've been using thomastiks for years but found that Fender 9050s sound the best on mine.. 👍
I bought my Stingray in 1992, and it has been with me ever since. More than 30 years now! Never let me down. Fits perfectly in my hands. Sounds great. Never had a reason to buy another bass.
Dude so awesome!!!!🤘
Yes, I did the same in 92. but I got a precision last year which was a good decision to become ever more versatile
I've used my HH stingray in cover bands for many years. It's so versatile! Motown, funk, Rock, dance, disco, reggae, ska. I've been able to dial all those tones in with the eq and switching the pickup selection. I love my HH. Totally my forever bass
Using my HH in a metal project right now after using in my punk band. Incredibly versatile
Super versatile bass with the inside/outside pickup split capability. Jazz or Ric type tones. I love the broad spectrum of using both pickups as humbuckers. Can change tone by hand position.
@@hhblair44 Totally, just last week I jumped from slap funk on the back pickup with mid hand position to doing rockabilly upright sound by going front pickup, dialing down the high end and moving my hand up to the top frets.
Scott and Ian, you guys are like the Jules & Vincent, Scooby & Shaggy, Batman & Robin, C-3PO & R2 of BASS ... oh, and I love the Stingray! 🔥🔥
... Beavis and Butt-Head
Perfect description haha.
The Mario Brothers of Bass
Beans & Toast
Jules and Vincent 😂
I have had several “poor man’s stingrays”- the Ibanez ATK300… and the design- pickup placement, bridge, string thru is just amazing on this style of bass- A BIG THANKS to Leo for this!
I just got a Sterling Stingray in the mail today and it is awesome.
I have "The Rich man's Stingray" Warwick Corvette $$ 😉
I've been playing a Stingray in an insanley loud punk rock band for years. Nothing beats it. Pump the mids a bit and will cut right thru anything. Awesome.
Joe Lally agrees.
Joe Lally is why I bought stingrays
It was Cliff Williams for me but I'm old.
@@jakebeaudrie was waiting for him to be mentioned, he's always the forgotten one.
@@itsratso. Ain't that the truth!
I’ve loved the Stingray since hearing Flea play “Higher Ground” as a kid and then Joe Lally of Fugazi on “Waiting Room.” I had to have one. There was a translucent blue burst one at Knut-Koupee’ in Minneapolis back in the day that I dreamed of but never could afford. After I proposed to my wife I told her guys always got screwed over on the engagement front so she tracked down a 20th Anniversary Stingray in quilted maple and bought it for me. She’s a keeper and so is the bass. I play it all the time. It’s never meant to be a museum piece. The Stingray growl is undeniable. Great video, guys!
Flea didn’t play a Stingray on Higher Ground, that was a Spector
A Stingray, for me, will always be number one. It’s just the sound I hear in my head and I’ve never been able to beat it. Great video
In 1982 I had finally saved up money for the bass I thought would take me to the next level. A beatiful red P Bass I had been wanting for a long time. Went to the shop, money in my pocket and there was no way I was walking away with enything else. But I did. The shop owner must have done a number on me pitching this new thing. To this day I have no idea how he convinced me but he was right. After more than 40 years I will never stop playing my Stingray. It still manage to surprise me. Love that thing.
I did exactly the same around 1980 I Was set on buying a Kramer, came out with a 76 Stingray (still got it)
@@leoneddy1492 Glad to hear it, brother.
One thing I love about StingRays is how well they take grit. I have a Sansamp, a Big Muff, and a Darkglass pedal, and the StingRay sounds fantastic through all of them.
I'm a short scale player and I've banged around with pretty much every short scale I can lay my hands on. I have the Sterling Stingray and it blows everything else out of the water. Scraping up the cash for an actual EBMM Stingray SS, but in the meantime, I'm happier than I've been with much more expensive bass guitars in the past 30 years. Love it.
👍👍👍
The BEST bass tone I've ever heard was from Sade's bassist Paul Denman. Not sure if he uses stingrays exclusively , all I do know that he was using a stingray at the time. That sound and tone inspired me to pick up the Bass.
phenomenal player
His tone on Hang on to Your Love and Is it a Crime is a big part in why I got myself a Sterling ray a couple months ago
I have played exclusively stingrays since 1980 because is Paul as well. Amazing tone
The man is a master of tasteful bass lines that get the job done without flash and fuss. Ironic that he played one of the most famous bass solos in popular music. Great band and bassist.
I was going to give him a shout out but you did it first. 100% agree man, so smooth and tasteful
I’m a guitar player who plays bass occasionally on recordings and I’m likely not in their exact target audience, but I absolutely love this channel. Love it. So fun and informative. Beautiful.
The enthusiasm of Scott and Ian regarding everything bass
is just plain infectious!!
I❤it !! 🎸🎸
It kind or reminds me of those 'Sounds of the..." commercials for Time Life where you'd have two notables from what ever decade they are selling talking a but too enthusiastically about how great it felt to hear these sweet tunes back in the day.
@@NatBeedle but these guys are not trying to sell you a Stingray.. very distinct difference. Although I believe they want you to get in the contest and are hoping that you participate in the charity.
My life with Fender basses began around 1971 with a Jazz bass. Prior to that I went thru a Silvertone, 3 Framus basses and a Gibson working my way up to a Fender. I thought there was nothing better than a Jazz bass until I stumbled upon a 1972 P bass in 1982 that opened my eyes to the other side of the Fender universe. Life was good until the day I saw Freebo playing a white stingray with Bonnie Rait. Then I saw Alabama using all Music Man gear and heard the Stingray used up to the magical 21st fret. The need became overwhelming. I was able to get a 79 Stingray in 1984 with the unusual Jazz bass width neck used from a fellow needing Christmas money. Of all the basses I own, that bass has always been my go to bass. Nothing else compares. I also have a 2013 Stingray Classic which is amazing but still not the 79. The other part of my bass equation is 2 JBL loaded Music Man RH 115 enclosures with an Alembic F2B and a Crown DC 300A amp which never ceases to get compliments. Even adding a Sadowsky SBP-1 to any of my J or P basses still does not rival the Music Man. Even though I have great love for all my basses, the Stingray always wins and gets the gig.
Did they do thinner necks that year or something? You have a stingray with a Jazz width neck?? A 70s Stingray is my dream bass man, your right there’s nothing like them 70s stingrays 😍
@@bassimprovjams3772 It was offered in the catalog of the original Stingrays. Ernie Ball offers it now as a stingray SLO. I don’t believe they discontinued it but things change so often. You can look up the old catalogs on line from the 70’s and they show the available necks. Maple, Rosewood, Fretless, narrow Jazz and regular width. I haven’t seen that many around for sale over the years but I guess I know why. No one wants to part with them but they are out there. Happy hunting.
@@bassimprovjams3772
The original Leo Fender era Stingrays were available with the Jazz bass radius neck as well as fretless, regular, maple, rosewood. It was called narrow neck. I believe Ernie Ball still offers this version and is called a Stingray SLO. You can search on line for an old music man catalog, reverb had some over the years, and it shows all the variations you could order. They seem to be a rare find as I suppose not many want to part with them.
They are out there, happy hunting.
And then, in 1980 Leo Fender got together with George Fullerton and perfected the bass once again. G&L was born, and you really should cover those basses as well!
I recently got a G&L CLF Research L-2000 and it absolutely crushes. One of the nicest bolt-on basses I've every played!
@@phantom_spacemanhad mine 23 years, never let me down 👍
Yeah they are good Basses’s & definitely well put together but they never get the attention that the stingray’s got which I feel is the reason you don’t see them being played on the circuit often my G&L 2500L was my first 5 string i owned and it definitely made it difficult for others 5 strings to get much playing time due to its comfort
What about the MM Sabre? I had it in my hands and almost bought it in 92, but the circumstances wouldn't allow. It's off topic slightly but you seem to know your stuff in this thread.
One day I will add a MM or G&L (thanks to the comment above) or both to my small collection.
Took the words right out of my mouth. L 1500 and ASAT are two of the most versatile basses I've ever played and they just sound so rich.
Lovely episode, a perfect analysis of Leo Fender's evolution of the bass guitar. My first bass was a Fender Jazz. I first recorded with my Gibson RD Artist and then gravitated to the Stingray for my live work. I grew up a disciple of Louis Johnson and Bernard Edwards. Without doubt the Musicman Stingray is the most versatile and THE funkiest bass ever created. Thanks guys.
I bought my Stingray in 2004 because Flea played one. Still love it. I think of the P, J, and Stingray as primary colors of bass, and everything else is a combo of their elements.
Yeah, Leo Fender's holy trinity of basses is all you really need.
Y'all never played a Ricky?
@jamesadamgleason9471 no such thing exists. Never has, never will
They are the 3 essential basses. Everything else is fun, but unnecessary.
@@jamesadamgleason9471 Just recently played a 1978 Rickenbacker at my luthier's and yes, they are very fine instruments. But also pretty niche because they got such a unique character to their tone. Certainly a nice addition to the three golden Leo standards.
I just recently purchased my first stingray and I really didn’t know the ins and outs of its capabilities for the first few weeks, however when I finally got it to rehearsal with my band I’m not kidding when I tell you that everybody looked at me with their mouth open in their eyebrows raised and remarked on how much cleaner and bigger I sounded. I play punk rock I both use a pic and my fingers depending upon my song sometimes both in the same song no matter what I do you can hear all that attack that I need to cut through all of punk rock guitars I truly am amazed by this magical beast that is my first music man stingray! Thank you Leo Fender
Bernard Edwards, one of my mentors. Brilliant 👌🏿
Louis Johnson after hearing him in 1980, I was 8 years old, I fell in love with the Bass Guitar.
Pino Palladino 🙌🏿
Joe Dart 🔥
Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤
Check super secret band
Much love
Kamala the Ugandan Giant!!
@@CC-hg9unhe paased away.
I was a confirmed Precision guy. Since 1988, it was Precisions, minus a period of dalliance with 5-strings and boutique basses in the 90s. Then it was back to Precisions again until one day in mid-2023 when one of my best friends let me play a 1979 StingRay he'd refurbished after the previous owner made it a "mod monster." It changed my world. Then I had to have one. I bought a Sterling Ray34 as an intro into the world. Holy mother of...my world was flipping. I started selling Precisions to finance StingRays. My former arsenal of eight Precisions has become two Precisions, two StingRays (a 4H and a 4HH), the Ray34, and a Bongo, which is a whole other story of amazement. Total game changers.
Funny I went from a 5 string sting ray to a EB-0 to a modded 4 string pbass. It just sounded better and felt better
yep, Stingray 5 is the best
I just bought a Stingray Special bass and LOVE IT... I have been a Jazz Bass player for years and it is a welcome tool.....
Awesome an! Congratulations on joint the stingray family!! What color is she??🤘
If I'm ever having a rough day I just pop on one of your vids and I am immediately humbled and uplifted. Both of your energies and charisma is truly admirable and it makes me so enthralled to know there are such happy and joyful humans in this world like the two of you! Keep it up boys
Glad you're enjoying the videos!!
i play a sting ray and love it! played a show a few weeks ago. we were the second band on. as soon as i hooked in and hit that first test note, the sound guy comes over the PA. "i know that tone, someone is playing a sting ray". i want to get another one.
Sik! And that’s how it goes it’s the one bass you know and don’t even have to be looking, the Warwick Thumb is the same way
I remember holding a Stingray Bass in my hands back around 1977…$500 was the price and being young and broke, I walked away. Fast forward 40 years and I finally bought me one. It is my go to bass over my P bass and Rick. Love them all but my Music Man is tops…. Great vid!
Leo Fender was the man of visions, but you guys at SBL are the bass visionaries!! 🤓So much energy and passion in your videos, dudes: you really inspire people to hear & play more & better.
Was waiting for an honourable mention of Fugazi's Joe Lally -
iconic band, iconic sound, iconic rhythm section!
Really enjoyed the video guys.
Underrated bassist for sure.
100%! The sad part about this video is that there are dozens and dozens of indie, punk, post punk, bass players who use the stingray with a pick that have almost nothing to do with the pop, funk, finger style playing. The stingray played with a pick in a more “rock” context is its own thing. Should’ve tacked 3 or 4 more minutes of content on to this one. Sad fail.
I love the sound of the Stingray, but also the feel of these necks is just like nothing else.
Mine has such a great balanced feel and plays great
for real! there are things I like more about my other basses, but the stingray neck is just so damn good, it wins in the end
Especially the specials!
yeah more than anything, those musicman basses excel because theyre just SO playable
I bought a USA-mass SUB bass in 2003 and wound up putting it away after several years. Now I learn it was all the same electronics and very similar to the StingRay. I kind of miss that humbucker! I'm going to get er set up with some flats thanks to this video!
Leo's genius continued with G&L, cover that next please!
totally agree!
Yup, the Wunkay please guys
Their basses don't get enough love! Sound great although I don't find their aesthetics particularly inspiring
G&L’s were also great bases and the guy I jam with has one of their guitars which sounds fantastic
@@robertmessing6846 I have a guitar and a bass. Both sound great. There's definitely a little something different in their pickups/pre-amp sections, because they can get so freaking bright.
Superb video. Very inspiring, love watching you two talk guitars, tone and players.
I am here for this love letter to StingRays! I still adore my 98' translucent teal beauty! The day I went to find one, it was the only teal bass in a sea of black, red, and sunburst. A diamond in the rough. 🥰
I love teal and I love bass and the Stingrsy design. You made me go search for a pic. Damn, that is gorgeous. Inspirational if you're especially color sensitive. Should I ever buy one, consider it a compliment. Enjoy!
My dad had been playing a 92 translucent teal Stingray 5 for as long as i can remember. He died last may at 59 years old. Through his bass it feels like he's still there and I will play that bass until it falls apart or I can give it to my own kids.
@@boykeschaafsma1117 I am so sorry to read this. My mother passed away three years ago this August and it's still fresh. Since you shared such a beautiful sentiment, I will too. When we moved to Florida in 98, I was going to college and my mom and I were sitting in a financial meeting talking about what our scholarship money could go towards. Books, supplies, basically anything that could be used for school. Since I was a music major, my mom suggested that I get that dream bass I always wanted. So, with her blessing, I was able to purchase my very own MM. Whenever I pick her up (Lola is her name), I think of my mom.
Ooo that's what I had.. It was either a late 90's or early 2k's teal Stingray. Gorgeous ash body AND a birdseye maple neck. On top of that it was left handed. I've never seen another. I wish I'd kept it.
I have owned 2 Stingrays. Before that growing up 4 Jazz Basses. G&L L1000 Bass 1981 first year. All Leo's creations. The Stingrays have ruled. I even had an Alembic Essence Bass in the nineties with a million different sounds. My Stingray with maple neck still sounds the best. Thanks Leo 🙏
I just finished modding my harley benton sting ray to give it a sting ray pre-amp and it sounds amazing, my bad is getting ready to record our first album and i’m gonna be using it everywhere on there
Great video, guys, as always😊
The Stingray has one of the most unique bass sounds! Slap, fingerstyle, pick - it always cuts through the mix with its punch. And it works perfectly with any kind of pedals.
Once you figured out how to use its sound, it will shape your band‘s overall sound essentially!
Keep up the good work, guys!
Agreed! I never understood the stingray haters who say it's just a "one-trick Pony"...
1. even if that were true, it's a pretty darn great trick.
2. with hand placement and that 3 band eq (not to mention all the pedals and preamps available) you can get about any sound from a stingray.
And it will always have that punch available to cut through any mix.
A band who maybe aren't so well known in England or the US but are massive in Scotland, Germany and Denmark. After being a huge fan since a very young age through my mum's influence, only discovered at their very last concert after spending the whole time just watching him play, that one of my lifelong heroes, songwriter/singer/bassist Rory MacDonald of Runrig is a stingray user. He has such a well rounded tone and fits so well in the pocket while also managing to sing in both English & Gaelic!
RUNRIG!!!!!!❤
I just purchased my first stingray in 2024! I'm happy I came across this video. You guys make me very happy. Thank you for all the knowledge.
Dudes!! Never seen a G&L 1K on the channel, that bass with flats... The legend continues!!! I think is the real review of the pbass that stingray wasn,t. You,ll love it Scott
Good point!
I think the L-2000 might be a good comparison. The pickup location on the L-1000 is positioned more like the P bass relative to the bridge. The L-2000 has 2 pickups with one being close to the bridge like on the Stingray and the other positioned more like the P bass pickup.
I play a G&L CLF Research L-1000, ordered it to be set up with LaBella 760 flat wound strings; once the strings settled in and aged a bit, it is 100% of P-style goodness that I had hoped for, and, the bands that I have played it with have loved it (getting more gigs I think). AND, from 1981 until now my go-to bass has been a G&L SB-2 with Marcus Miller DR strings, I bought 5 or 6 basses to perhaps replace it with, all gone, they could not compare, it is a true Fender, probably built by Leo himself as it is an early G&L! Love 'em!
I really enjoy your videos!
My first taste of the MusicMan came when I had been looking for a new sound/bass, I had still do have a 62 P-bass, and after I had been playing in a Rush tribute band, I was looking for a more trebly sound I looked for about can’t remember exactly but at least 2-3 years, tried every bass that I could lay my hands on, and one day at my local music store that I’d go every week, in the bass department my salesman said try this and I looked at him and said ‘there’s 5 strings ’ he said plug it in… I looked at him and literally played one note and said that’s it, that’s the sound I had been looking for for all this time, it has been a love affair for 33 years and this January just bought a 5 HH Strawberry burst and I’m in love again, these basses have made me the player that I am today.
love love love my Stingrays ❤
I should mention that I have a newer Jazz, Ricky, Yamaha fretless, Ibanez
And always come back to the Stingrays 🤩
How did you guys forget Paul Denman from Sade? I bought a Music Man Stingray 1979 because of him and I just love! And I think that Boz Burrel from Bad Company also plays a Stingray!!
I’ll have to check him out, another commenter mentioned him too, they also forgot Cliff Williams, but I mean his tone you can’t even tell it’s a stingray unfortunately,
True, Cliff also used a Stingray
My friend showed up to bass lesson with a new Music Man Stingray. Blew me away completely! What a bass! Made me want to head to guitar store to get my own to add to my Fender Pro II Precision and Mustang. What a bass!
You’ve convinced me. I apparently NEEEED a stingray. I’ve not made it all the way through yet, but Benjamin Orr used a Stingray to great effect in The Cars.
Dude go grab one ASAP! And they are getting more expensive just over the last 3 years I’ve seen them go up a few hundred bucks,
Damnit. Me, too! I didn't even know it until this video.
I've had the mm stingray 4 for a few years now and I love it. It sounds great at home, jamming in the studio or playing live. I've changed the strings once, it rarely goes out of tune, the build is solid and you can feel the quality. It looks great (mint green with a white scratch plate), and didn't break the bank!
My wife's daughter, who is 16, started playing bass a couple of years ago. She got totally hooked on the instrument (Well, duh!) and now has chosen to go to a high school program with extra music classes. As her bonus dad, a bassist and a hobby instrument builder I have decided that she needs a great instrument for the future. I am therefore currently building her a bass which "mechanically" is a Stingray clone. Having already introduced her to the greatness of the P-bass I kind of thought it was about time she leveled up. They have to learn early on which basses are the right ones you know! 😎
Thanks for a great show!
Dude she sounds totally blessed to have you in her life brother!! You Rock!!🤘 your not just a bonus dad you’re way beyond that!!
@@bassimprovjams3772 Thanks for those kind words! I just hope she really loves the bass when it's finished! Me and my wallet is fearing that if the bass plays like crap I'll have to help her get a (probably) very expensive replacement from some famous manufacturer. 😄
Good on you sir. Forget the "bonus" part... I know bio dads who don't invest that much in their kids interests. Respect! 👍🏼👍🏼
Great vid lads nice to see the history, I have a 77 and may, 30 years ago, committed sacrilege, but I am still pleased I did. I got my stingray, put a three way toggle, and wire it to have 1) original two coils parallel, 2) a coil tap (makes it a P bass vibe) and 3) coils in series, which turns it into a huge thick output that breaks up filthy. it it's younger than 1990 - definitely do it, as it is all win!
Just bought a cheap one , always wanted one and am very pleased w this 300 $ bass !! These modern inexpensive instruments are way better than my 1st cheap bass I bought when I was 12 in 1971 -Domino $100
Oh heck yeah. A cheap stingray punches WAY above it's weight class. And you can upgrade easily enough with better pickups.
It just made me feel so much cooler about owning my stingray. Its going to get a lot more play than my other basses from now on. Cheers! Great bit of history and I'm sure you barely touched the surface of this truly iconic instrument! Rock on!!
I would love for you guys to do a video on G&L. They are the final creation of Leo before his passing. They are amazing basses and they don't get the attention they deserve.. plus the Kiloton model is essentially a passive stingray.
Yep I have 2 G&Ls have had several fenders but so far no musicman basses .Tried an old sterling and I' loved it but The G &Ls are so good and versatile .Dying to try a Big chonks but no sign in France yet
I've played a 4 string blonde StingRay, black pickguard and rosewood fretboard, for what is now 30 years. I simply love everything about it. It is always my go-to bass. Sure, I own other basses that I like to bring along on a gig, but the ol' StingRay always ends up being the one I end up using for the majority of the gig each time.
Should talk about the last company (G&L) as the next company (L-2000 bass)
Yes!
eh G&L's are stinkers
Agreed I have a 1983 L2000 e series fretless and it sounds amazing and plays like a dream
You guys are great together = always interesting content. Bernard Edwards ( Chic ) & Paul Denman ( Sade ) = the Reason I purchased a Stingray . . . Love those 2 guys. oNe LovE from NYC
Yeah! The bass work on Sade records was great!
@@stevenignelzi9257 "Hypnotic"
You need to feature some G&L basses to cover Leo Fender’s compete body of work. Great basses.
I tried Stingray 5-string years ago. Sounded great, but didn’t cut through mix. G&L sounds also great and cuts through mix
It is SO MUCH FUN to watch you two play together and enjoy each other’s company. I love you Guys. Blessings 😊
In 2003 I started playing with a fellow kidney doc from the UK, Roger Greenwood. We started as a duo, me on bass, Roger on guitar/vocals. Over the years we added drums, keys, lead and played at nephrology meetings around the world as the Kidney Stones. We did regular events in the UK. Rather than bring over my '65 Precision, I used Roger's Stingray, and loved it. One year, I noticed it was sounding dead, and I asked Roger when he last changed the battery. He looked at me and said, "There's a battery?"
I love your band name!
Agreed. The name is not only trippy, it's LITHOTRIPPY.
I'll show myself out...
😂😂😂 nice!
Just started playing bass a little over a year and a half ago. Fell in love with it before I started playing because of the stingray. I always thought it was such a cool looking thing. It is my first bass and I do not plan on ever parting with it. It has been with me through my first gigs and every practice session. One of my most prized possessions. Thing kicks ass. Thanks for the appreciation of this incredible instrument.
This episode is hilarious coming off the heels of Scott saying if he was on a desert island, a stingray would be the most disappointing bass to find in his case. Glad you came to your senses because stingrays rock.
😅😅😅
Love you both dearly-this partnership is greater than the sum of it's parts. Truly. ❤🙏
Guitarist. Needed a Bass. Bought a used banged up 5 String Stingray. 1x HB. After getting the bridge to work as it should. LOVE IT!
My first leap to a five string bass was in 2018 with a Stingray Special 5 HH. Every position of the five way switch give a different tone. It plays great and can literally do about anything I need it to. It's a wonderful Bass.
Would love to hear you two talking about the Leo Fender's G&L (L2000/2500) too, does it crush everything?
Yep. Definitely the best of Leo!
My first was a Jazz bass, but I always wanted a Stingray because of Bernard and that was what most of my bass heroes played. So I took a risk and ordered a Starry Dark Ray without playing it. Am I sorry? Not a bit, I love it, it rocks to play and it puts a smile on my face every time.
I've always desired the Stingray. My favourite is the blonde with the black pickguard, but I'll settle for anything. I had a 5 String Bongo bass but I'm more of a 4 string player. Ever since I saw Benjamin Orr playing one, I said "I gotta get one".
Having been doing sessions for over 40 years here in Nashville and have many Jazz and P basses and like models, I never fell in love with the Music Man. However, in the past year I purchased a 1981 G&L and think it’s maybe Leo’s apex creation. You can do any gig and sound with this instrument. Love you guys!
How about doing a video on Leo's last creative round of innovation with the G&L basses? G&L gets very little love or coverage for some reason. I, however, do love my G&L L2500 more than a Stingray: it does everything a Stingray does plus can switch to passive mode and from parallel to series signal routing for an instant treble boost with the flick of a switch. It has a neck pickup as well, which adds even more versatility to a single instrument.
Man I only kinda play bass on the side after guitar, but you guys just get me so hyped on bass!
Last week, I went to my local music shop to order a set of SD Quarter-Pounders for my old neglected P-Bass copy, and they had this gorgous Yamaha TRBX305 on sale for $375... needless to say I bought it two days later. Idk how this relates to the Stingray though.. oh yeah humbuckers with massive pole pieces and active EQ! It's a lot of fun having such a versatile instrument and I appreciate Ian's great explanations to get different tones.
I had zero interest in the Stingray or Fender anything when I first started playing. But one day I was in a shop with some friends looking at gear and one said, "just try one out! it won't hurt"
Magic. Absolute magic. So much life and body to that instrument, it blew me away. I had to sell that one later, but I eventually replaced it. I have three basses now and two are stingrays. The 5HH Special is just a wonderland of available tones.
I am extremely excited about the coming Music Man "Custom Experience" because I want to craft my dream fretless Ray5.
Dude it’s been long overdue! I hope I can get a custom order also, it would be really awesome if you can start to buy their stuff like a replacement pickup if you want a different color like I’d like the black pickup with the black pole pieces they have like in the darkray, they look so cool on the black basses
Loved this. I’ve had a SR 5 for 20 years. I was in a shop in Yorkshire uk and had the choice between the SR and a Warwick. The Warwick was cool but the SR was so versatile. I haven’t regretted purchasing it. It’s never let me down!
The year is 2050 and SBL uploads: Acoustic bass crushes everything???
contrabajo actually beats any electric bass instrument. period.
😂
I have Stingray that I bought in 79. I have an 86 Yamaha BB 5O00 and 62 Jaco'ed jazz with Bartolini Hi-A's and a pre. The Stingray is the bass I go to time and again. The P style pickup on the Yamaha is a sonic dead ringer for a Fender and still... the Stingray rules! I used to use LaBella quarter rounds, but you can't get them anymore. They have great tonal range. I'm going to Ken Smith compression wound to see what they do. One thing that you glossed over was the neck tilt that the three bolt allows. The early G&Ls have that as well. The Stingray is a game changer in the lineage of bass history. Also, Abraham Laboriel did a lot of recording on the Stingray. All of the TV show CHIPS was done on fretted and fretless Stingrays. Simply great basses.
As a kid of the 90’s it is hard not to love the punch of a stingray, between RHCP and RATM. The first RATM album captivated me to want to learn to play bass in general. When I saw Tim Commerford wielding a Stingray, I knew that’s what I wanted so I saved up for one and I’ve loved that thing ever since. I’ve bought and sold several basses over the years but never my stingray. it’s the sound of my youth encapsulated in a slab of wood with 4 strings and a humbucker!
I’d like to hear you talk about the Saber base. Because the Saber can sound like a stingray and more. I have a 1979 and I love it.
I’m a huge stingray fan boy. I got my Stingray 5 HH in 2018, and literally nothing has beaten it for me. The roasted maple smelled friggin maple syrup for the first two months owning it!!! Are you kidding?! Thinner string spacing makes it so easy to play, and having the two humbuckers is so versatile! Now, can I get a Jazz bass tone? No. Can I get a P-bass tone? No. Can I get a sound that works from Christian rock, to funk, to punk, to metal, to reggae? You’re damn right I can! My stingray is so precious to me and my sound, that I don’t think it will ever leave me. I love the sound of other basses, but when I hear a bass line in my head it’s a stingray, and that’s so special to me.
Same man! I agree 110% with you I’m a total stingray fanboy too lmao I’ve had 11 of them I only have 3 at the moment I’ve had 3 HH 5’s and loved them all you got me wanting/ Needing another 5HH now
just bought my stingray earlier this year and my god I love it so much its so comfortable to play and has such a great sound definitely an amazing choice
In the right hands, it's everything.
Crowned king from day one 👍
It’s so much fun to watch and hear you guys! Yes the stingray! Tony Franklin with the Firm 1984 in Hamburg knocked me off on his fretless STINGRAY!
I am SO wanting a fretless Stingray right now! (And got to confess - I secretly want a Bongo Bass - but that's another thing altogether...) 😂
I just got a fretless stingray 5. Best fretless I’ve ever played. It has such a nice “growl” to it. Great feel too, highly recommend. If you get one, try some Ernie Ball flat wounds on it. Makes it sound better/easier to glide.
> And got to confess - I secretly want a Bongo Bass
As a longtime Stingray fan, i love my fretless Bongos!
I play a Sterling Ray4 HH as my main bass but I really wish I could get it as a fretless. I used to have a fretless jazz bass but I couldn't get a tone I liked from it, bridge pickup soloed was just too thin. A fretless stingray would be perfect since it gets that definition from having the pickup by the bridge but since it's a humbucker with an active eq it sounds thick enough to work as a bass.
got my dream bass, a H four string bongo in firemist gold a few years ago. i have always loved that NO bass on earth is more polarizing 🤣
Bongos sound real nice but look uhh... A little... Unsavoury...
Watching you guys jamming and historizing it is easy to get once more carried away into wanting one but then there is of course the fact that is plays in another ball park pricewise. Then I remember my active Talman PJ patiently sitting just around from where I sit and calm right down again. Cheers!
How bout Pino Paladino playing Fretless Stingray on Paul Young's Everytime you go away? Bass on that tune is Killer!!!!
No way was that a stingray and Pino. Mindblown!! 😂
I had no idea that was Pino but it makes perfect sense. The bass in that song is crazy.
@@Letshaveafewbeers I never was aware when I was a kid listening to this. It was few years ago my musical memory brought me back on this tune and was blown away that it was PINO!!!!!
Great post guys!!! 👌🏼 Stingrays caught my eyes & ears long ago too.... sooooo Leo! ❤️
I hate that I called the picks taped to Deacon’s bass a thumb rest. This egregious error will haunt me forever.
😂. This too shall pass.
I knew nothing about this bass. I went to get a new one, upgrade so to speak and I just couldn't get over the sound. It sounded so good I had to buy it. Haven't even played it much yet only got it a couple weeks ago. Great video, very cool bass, thanks.
I got a StingRay back in 2017 for my 18th birthday and I still love playing it alongside my Rickenbacker 4003S, I remember wanting one because of guys like Flea, John Deacon, Cliff Williams (AC/DC), Tom Hamilton, Tim Commerford, Rex Brown, Johnny Christ (Avenged Sevenfold) and early Mark Hoppus and I’ve used it on a bunch of my own stuff as well as with my band when I want to get that distinct sound. They just have that signature sound to them that’s just so damn good and their overall versatility is why it’s still one of the greatest rock basses for a reason, I’ll always love mine and don’t think I’ll ever sell it
Johnny Christ had that beat up chocolate brown one that he used to play on Scream live. Among others. But that color is the one Ernie Ball has to reissue.
Great episode! I had a Sting Ray back in 1999 or 2000. It was stolen. No insurance. I decided to replace my guitars first. Got a few. When choosing a bass, I went for short scale. First an Ibanez Micro, then an Ibanez acoustic/electric (both very fine)... recently, a Sterling Sting Ray... Wow! Loved this episode, love my Sting Ray!
So fun. I got my first Stingray a couple months ago and it’s definitely a different animal. The mids control is worth the price of admission.
I've owned 2 jazz basses and am presently the proud owner of a P-Bass and a Stingray. I do love the P-Bass but the Stingray is my absolute go-to. Big, beautiful sound with huge range of tones; I bought it when shopping for a Rickenbacker at L&M on Bloor in Toronto. They only had the one Ricky but they had 3 Stingrays on the wall so I did a little shootout between them all and I kept coming back to this Stingray Special edition (burnt apple with the roasted maple neck with the added mid control knob). It just called to me. I couldn't get over the range of tones I was getting and the brilliant punch it delivered. It was a no-brainer. It's my bass of choice.
What about the G&L basses?
Best basses in the market, IMHO.
That’ll come soon and it’ll crush everything!
@@facedowngaming 😂
Great instruments, we need to look at them at some point...
I just recently bought a Music Man bass - I love, love, love ❤️ the bass!! From the smooth neck profile to the sound and how many different sounds I can “dial” into.
My first introduction to Stingray was listening to Paul Denman in Sade's songs. Been wanting to have one but still haven't get used to play active bass. Listening to you guys makes me want to try one again. :)
Hello, great Video. I had my first Bass lesson about 32 yeaes ago. Then i lost interest after a year . . .
I`ve been practising again for a few weeks now. And i`ve fallen in love with the Stingray 😍🤩🥰 I ordered One Yesterday 🎸🥳🥳Thank you for your great channel 👍🥳🥳 A compairson, Stingray with his "Copies" would be interesting . . . 😉
I have that very same charging green Stingray. Beautiful instrument.
So glad you enjoyed playing my Ray Classic! It's now back with me after I came to my senses and got it back from Andy's.
I just got a Sterling Ray34 last week (I know it is not an Ernie Ball) it sounds amazing! The amount of tonal variations is mind boggling. Thank You for all your informative videos.
Youse guys, so cool. Love all your bass stuff!
1st bass is a Grabber, but eventually dumped the slider for EMG P-Bass pickups in the early 80's; heavenly, played it for years. 1988 bought a Kubicki x-Factor and played it thru the 90's....
This is where I finally get to my p-bass, nice but it too grew into EMG P-bass pickups - and sold it 'cause it sounded too much like the Kubicki.
And for the "piece of resistance", got my first(!) Stingray 5 in the early 2000s and never looked back.
Your "TV" show has given me some really cool stuff to try - I was already on the hunt for an anvelope!
Thank you, for lettinme be mice elf!
I absolutely love the Stingray. I've had a 5-string since 05 and it is still an absolute workhorse (even though I've favourited my Squires in the last few years). The Stingray solidfied my love for a big, warm and powerful bass tones. I've used in multiple musical settings over the years, and it's never failed me. I don't think I'll ever wanna get rid of it.
My first experience playing a Stringray was back in the early 2000s when I needed a 5-string to cover a Massive Attack tune (Dissolved Girl-one of my favorite bass lines by them). I was a Fender guy at that time, but I’d wanted a 5 for while. Decided to take a chance on the Stingray because most of the music I played at the time was pretty aggressive so the tone would be a good fit for everything else I did. It was a really, really nice surprise to see how easily the Stingray could be “dialed back” and adapted to a fatter, silkier, dub-like sound. Been in love ever since. My bass collection today is all Stingrays and Fenders.
My stingray5 is my hands down favorite bass. It's so comfy in my hands with flatwound strings.
Im showing this to my girl whose learning bass. These instruments all have such a rich history thank you for sharing!!
Being a classic taste bassist, I somehow always felt the calling of the stingray, never knew why, there’s just something to it. Now I understand. Thank you very much.
My first bass was a Stingray. Love it. I added a Bongo a few years later. :) Nice vid guys 👍