Music Man StingRay

StingRay
An Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay
ManufacturerErnie Ball Music Man
Period1976 — present
Construction
Body typeSolid
Neck jointBolt-on, Neck-through (as of 2015)
Woods
BodyAsh, alder, basswood
NeckMaple
FretboardFretted: maple, rosewood, ebony
Fretless: pao ferro (lined and unlined options available)
Hardware
BridgeFixed
Louis Johnson, who played bass on Michael Jackson's Thriller album, was known to use a StingRay bass.

Music Man StingRay is an electric bass by Music Man, introduced in 1976.

History

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Designed by Leo Fender, Tom Walker, and Sterling Ball, the StingRay[1] bass appeared in 1976 and, though somewhat similar to a Fender Precision Bass, had a number of distinctive features.

It employs a single Humbucking pickup placed near the bridge for a tighter sound,[2] and an active pre-amp powered by a 9-volt battery. Early iterations of this preamp came with a 2-band EQ (bass and treble), later augmented by an optional third band (midrange), and Piezo pickups located in the bridge saddles. The StingRay's active preamp was sealed in epoxy to avoid Reverse engineering of the technology which came to be synonymous with the StingRay bass.

Since Music Man was purchased by Ernie Ball Inc. in 1984, many significant introductions have been made into the StingRay range, with double Humbucking pickups being introduced in the early 2000s, which has become a popular choice today. A five-string variant of the StingRay has become common, in some spaces even outselling the tradition four-string offering.

The StingRay also has the distinctive "3+1" headstock (on which three tuning machines are situated on the top and one on the bottom). Another way the StingRay hardware varies from the traditional Fender electric bass that is the staple of the industry, is the StingRay's six-bolt neck plate as opposed to the four-bolt arrangement used by Fender, supplying more body to neck contact inside the pocket, along with the extra rigidity providing further body sustain. The StingRay is offered in both string through body and top load stringing depending on specification.

The typical StingRay line has traditionally featured an ash body construction along with a maple neck with either a maple or rosewood fingerboard, finished with an oil coat, as opposed to hard lacquer finishes as used by Fender. In recent years,[when?] the roasted maple neck option has become popular, due to the wood's beautiful aesthetics and its higher resistance to varying humidity. Alongside this, a fretless Pau Ferro fingerboard has become increasingly popular.

Notable players

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Pierce the Veil bassist Jaime Preciado with one of his many StingRay Basses
Linkin Park bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell with a StingRay bass

References

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  1. ^ "StingRay". Ernie Ball Music Man basses. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  2. ^ Goetz, Adam (2021-08-19). "The History of the Music Man Stingray Bass Pickup, 1976-2021". Guitar Pickups, Bass Pickups, Pedals. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  3. ^ Duxson, Eli (2023-08-09). "The 10 most iconic StingRay bass players of all time". Mixdown Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  4. ^ Duxson, Eli (2023-08-09). "The 10 most iconic StingRay bass players of all time". Mixdown Magazine. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
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