Music Man StingRay

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StingRay
MusicmanStingray.jpg
An Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay
Manufacturer Ernie Ball Music Man
Period1976 — present
Construction
Body typeSolid
Neck joint Bolt-on, Neck-through (as of 2015)
Woods
Body Ash, alder, basswood
Neck Maple
FretboardFretted: maple, rosewood, ebony
Fretless: pao ferro (lined and unlined options available)
Hardware
BridgeFixed

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

Contents

History

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 employed Humbucking pickups both 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 also had the distinctive "3+1" headstock (on which three tuning machines are situated on the top and one on the bottom).

The typical Stingray line has traditionally featured an Ash body construction along with a maple neck with either a Maple or Rosewood fingerboard. In recent years, the 'Natural Roasted Maple' finish has become popular, due to the wood's beautiful aesthetics and more satisfying and natural feel to the player due to there being no hard lacquer coat over the top. Alongside this, a fretless Pau Ferro fingerboard has become increasingly popular.

Notable StingRay Bass players

Pierce the Veil bassist Jaime Preciado with one of his many StingRay Basses 2017 RiP - Pierce The Veil - Jaime Preciado - by 2eight - DSC8771.jpg
Pierce the Veil bassist Jaime Preciado with one of his many StingRay Basses
Linkin Park bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell with a StingRay bass Dave phoenix farrell cropped.jpg
Linkin Park bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell with a StingRay bass

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References

  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.