Music Man StingRay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| StingRay | |
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| Manufacturer | Ernie Ball MusicMan |
| Period | 1976 — present |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Solid |
| Neck joint | Bolt-on |
| Woods | |
| Body | Ash, sometimes alder |
| Neck | Maple |
| Fretboard | Maple, rosewood |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | Fixed |
| Pickup(s) | One or two high-output humbucking pickups, with optional piezo pickups located in the bridge, with 2-band or 3-band active (powered) pre-amp. Five-string model includes 3-way coil selector switch. Note - Piezo pickups only available on 3-band model. |
| Colors available | |
| (Four-string, as of 2006) Black, white, egyptian smoke, sapphire black, rolls burgundy, graphite pearl, blue pearl, teal pearl, carbon blue pearl, candy red, desert gold, lava pearl, radiance red, medallion gold, several variations of translucent and sunburst finishes. | |
Music Man StingRay is an electric bass guitar by Music Man, introduced in 1976.
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[edit] History
In 1971, Fender employees Forrest White and Tom Walker, unhappy with the way CBS was managing the company, left their positions with Fender to start their own venture. First known as Tri-Sonic and then later Musitek, Inc., the new company eventually settled on the name of MusicMan, Inc. by 1974. The company began producing a hybrid tube-solid state amplifier co-designed by Tom Walker and Leo Fender, who was participating as a silent partner to the firm due to a "no compete" clause in the sales contract Fender had signed when he sold his original company to CBS in 1965. After the clause expired in 1975, he was made president of MusicMan, Inc., and by 1976 his consulting firm CLF Research had begun producing instruments bearing the MusicMan name.
Designed by Fender, Walker and Sterling Ball, the StingRay bass appeared in 1976, and though physically similar to a Fender Precision Bass, it was a highly innovative instrument. It employed a high output "soapbar" humbucking pickup, which fed an active pre-amp powered by a 9-volt battery, making it the first full production bass with fully active electronics. The early versions had 2 band EQ (i.e. bass and treble controls), and the range was later augmented by the addition of a 3 band EQ (bass, mid and treble) model, and then piezo pickups located in the bridge became an option with the 3 band model. The StingRay's 3 band equalization system was highly innovative; making it possible to boost midrange frequencies as well as low and high, something which had not been possible on passive-pickup equipped basses. Along with its electronic advancements, the StingRay had physical attributes that set it apart from other Fender-inspired designs, such as a heavy satin finish on the back of the neck to allow players' hands to slide effortlessly up and down during play, and its distinct "3+1" headstock (on which three tuning machines are situated on the top and one on the bottom) made it an instantly recognizable and distinguishable instrument.
Later advancements on the StingRay included a 5-string version (the StingRay 5), which has a 3-way toggle switch that allows the player to split the humbucking pickup's coils, and a unique truss-rod neck adjustment system that incorporated a teflon washer which made it highly resistant to rust and corrosion and made adjusting the neck of a StingRay relatively easy.
In 2005, a two-pickup version of the StingRay (known as the "HH") was introduced. This version includes a 5-way switch, allowing the user to select different combinations of pickup coils and thus greatly increasing the diversity of available tones.
Stingrays are generally known for 2 things - the the punch of their sound, making it very suitable for rock/funk applications and excellent for slapping, and for being of extremely high build quality. The 6-bolt neckplate is an example of this. The neck is also quite wide, especially compared to that of jazz bass-type models, as well as having the above mentioned truss-rod adjustment mechanism which means that players do not have to remove the neck to adjust the truss-rod.
[edit] Notable Users
The StingRay has been a favorite of several influential bassists, particularly those renowned for their slapping. For example, Cliff Williams of AC/DC has commonly used the StingRay. Also, Louis Johnson was one of the first prominent bassists to use the instrument. Tim Commerford of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave used a StingRay on Rage's self-titled debut album before switching to Fender Jazz Basses. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers used various StingRays on recordings, live performances and music videos (up until Californication when Modulus began production of his own signature model bass).
Queen's John Deacon was often seen playing a StingRay, as was Rick Wills of Foreigner. Eric Wilson of Sublime used a Music Man Sabre at several live shows and in the video for the song, "Daterape". Also, Roger Manganelli from pop-punk/ska out-fit Less Than Jake has used StingRay basses on nearly all modern recordings of the band. Tony Levin is also a very well known user of StingRays and their 5 string counterpart. He has played with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. Paul Hinojos of the now defunct post-hardcore group At the Drive-In used a StingRay widely when the band was in its prime, and used it during the recording of their most successful album Relationship of Command. Garry Tallent of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band also played a StingRay around the Darkness On The Edge Of Town period; he later stopped using the bass due to its excessive weight (around 12 pounds). Tallent also refinished the bass in black as he found the original finish too shiny and light. Chris Farrell of various bands has used nothing but Stingrays his entire life and has been quoted as saying he has no plans ever to switch.
Jon Gallant of Billy Talent, also uses this bass. Nikolai Fraiture, the bassist for the rock band The Strokes has also been seen using a StingRay at live performances.
Bernard Edwards of CHIC used the StingRay bass almost exclusively; after his death in 1996, his iconic instrument was inherited by John Taylor of Duran Duran.
Composer Yasunori Mitsuda has also been known to play one as attested to on his personal gear site.
