Music Man StingRay 5

Last updated December 05, 2021

Introduced in 1987, the StingRay 5 (SR5) was the first all-new Music Man bass designed and built in San Luis Obispo by the Ernie Ball team. The five-string's styling is based on the classic look of the Silhouette guitar. Advanced active electronics combine the best of the four-string StingRay along with innovations from Music Man designers, such as an Alnico humbucking pickup and three-way pickup selector for series, single and parallel combinations. The tuners are placed in a 4+1 configuration and the six-bolt on maple neck has a rosewood or maple fingerboard with 22 high-profile wide frets.

In 1991, Pole pieces changed from Alnico to Ceramic

In late 1992, a hum-cancelling "phantom" coil was added for noise reduction in single coil mode of the three-way pickup selector.

In 2005, the StingRay 5 was updated with two humbuckers (HH) or a bridge humbucker paired with a neck single coil pickup (HS) and a five-way pickup switching system. The single humbucker model continues to be in production as well.

In 2006, Music Man released a Limited Edition StingRay 5 featuring a five-bolt neck plate, back-routed controls, string-through body, and an ebony fingerboard. The same year, MusicMan started using compensated nuts on all their bass and guitar models except the Classic series, after having used them for the Music Man Bongo since 2003.^[1]

In March 2008, Ernie Ball switched back to AlNiCo pickups for their StingRay 5, after having used ceramic pickups for this model since 1991. The AlNiCo pickups, which are also found in their four-string counterparts, give the instrument a sound more like a StingRay 4. The phantom-coil was also removed (except for the HS model) and the Single-Coil Mode replaced by an Enhanced Parallel setting. This model is replaced by the StingRay 5 Special as of July 2018.

As of 2015 the StingRay 5 is also offered with a through-neck construction.^[2]

Specifications StingRay 5

Model : StingRay 5

Size : 13-3/8" wide, 1-3/4" thick, 45-3/4" long (34.0 cm wide, 4.5 cm thick, 116.2 cm long)

Weight : 10 lbs, 0 oz (4.54 kg) - varies slightly

Body Wood : Ash

Body Finish : High gloss polyester

Bridge : Standard - Music Man® chrome plated, hardened steel bridge plate with stainless steel saddles

Scale Length : 34" (86.4 cm)

Neck Radius : 11" (27.9 cm)

Headstock Size : Only 9" (22.9 cm) long

Frets : 22 - High profile, wide

Neck Width : 1-3/4" (44.5 mm) at nut 2-3/4"" (69.9 mm) at last fret

Neck Wood : Select maple neck

Fingerboard : Fretted - maple or rosewood; Fretless - Pau Ferro with or without inlaid fretlines

Neck Finish : Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend

Neck Colors : Standard - Natural; Optional - Matching painted headstock

Tuning Machines : Schaller BM, with tapered string posts

Truss Rod : Adjustable - no component or string removal

Neck Attachment : 6 bolts - perfect alignment with no shifting

Electronic Shielding : Graphite acrylic resin coated body cavity and aluminum lined pickguard

Controls : Single Pickup, 3-band active preamp; vol, treble, mid, bass; Dual Pickup, 3-band active preamp; vol, treble, mid, bass

Switching : Single Pickup - 3-way lever pickup selector; Dual Pickup - 5-way lever pickup selector

Pickups : Standard - Music Man® humbucking with Alnico pole pieces; Optional - Dual Humbucking with Alnico pole pieces; Optional - Humbucking/Single coil with Alnico pole pieces

Left Handed : Yes

Strings : 45w-65w-80w-100w-130w (Regular Slinky Bass #2836)

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References

^[3]

↑ Question: when Pickup cover shape changed ? Compensated nut started ? - Ernie Ball forums
↑ "StingRay 5 Neck Through". www.ernieball.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
↑ SR5 without a Phantom Coil? Ernie Ball forums

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[ebmmcn-1] Question: when Pickup cover shape changed ? Compensated nut started ? - Ernie Ball forums

[2] "StingRay 5 Neck Through". www.ernieball.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.

[3] SR5 without a Phantom Coil? Ernie Ball forums

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