Review: Music Man StingRay Special

While downsizing my collection and focusing on finding my "dream" bass, I had the pleasure of temporarily owning one of the new, 2018 StingRay Special's from Music Man.


What makes this new version of the Stingray "Special?" 

The folks at Music Man took their classic bass to the next level by tweaking a few things that essentially equate to working out the bugs of the design.  Here are a few of the new standout features:
   - Roasted maple neck
   - Stainless steel frets
   - Rounded body sides
   - Better balance via lighter weight body & parts
   - Newly designed 18v preamp

Each of those changes combine to make one heck of a great instrument!  

These changes are more about improvements to the model, rather than being a remodel.  Put another way, if you were to close your eyes and have someone had you the older model to play, then the new model, you wouldn't notice a difference.  However, you would certainly notice that the new one is lighter, with little to no neck-dive, and more control over its tone.

Tone: 
Now we are getting down to the nitty gritty, best part of this bass.  One of the downsides to the older model is the treble harshness where no matter how I would tweak the control knobs, I was always fighting that characteristic.  The Special addresses this problem with a newly designed 2-battery, 18v preamp.  The amount of control over the tone using this new preamp is a huge leap forward.  While the instruments default is the classic Stingray tone, the harshness is now controllable, and easily so.  Combine the new preamp with the two humbucker model StingRay and you have a bass easily capable of tackling any genre you can think of.  

Normally, I don't care for active basses as I find the tones to be cold compared to passive versions.  Surprisingly this new 18v StingRay captures the note qualities of passive basses, with the advantage of being an active bass-- primarily the dead-quiet sound when not playing.  The tones on this new Special are sweet and warm, with a bloom to sustained notes; I was completely won over by an active bass-- something I never thought possible.  Together with all the other improvements, this new Special model is sure to be a hit with Music Man fans.

Fit & finish:
Finish quality is fantastic.  The look of the roasted maple complements the deep body finish, and the feel of the neck is smooth and silky.  One note to consider when playing the maple fingerboard model, is the contrast between the dark colored neck and black position markers; the black side dots are difficult to see on a dark stage.  On models with the rosewood fingerboard, the white side dots are nicely contrasted on the dark rosewood sides.  

Overall, the quality of this bass can honestly be compared with any boutique maker.  However, as with any instrument where human hands are involved in its creation, this particular example did have one "flaw" which bugged me, but had zero negative effect on the tone/function of the bass-- a slightly over shaped neck pocket.  Again, these things happen with all builders to one degree or another.

Because my intention was to keep the bass, I decided the minor flaw was not enough to send it back.  The rosewood fingerboard was beautiful, and playing the thing was a joy.  On stage, its light weight was very welcome, as my previous StingRay would cause me to keep fighting with my strap to distribute the pain in my neck & shoulder.  

Buying tips:
Any time I think about buying an instrument, my preference is to try it out before buying.  Of course that's not always possible and thankfully we have the internet to fill the gap.  Price is also a concern.  In my state a 10% sales tax adds quite a bit to the price of the instrument (never mind my displeasure with the way my tax dollars are spent...) so buying online becomes even more attractive through dealers who don't charge sales tax.  Thankfully, I purchased my StingRay from an online shop which has a 45-day return policy; a benefit I previously discounted as a marketing ploy.  

If it was such a great bass, why didn't I keep it?
During that 45-day trial period I was still in the process of thinning the herd, and trying to envision what my ideal, core collection looks like.  Since the very beginning of my musical journey some 35-years ago, there was one particular instrument that captured my imagination and became my "dream bass."  Assuming that I would never be able to afford one of my own, I never gave it much serious thought-- until now.  Searching the internet I discovered two shops that had several versions of my dream bass in stock-- AND at an attainable price!  So my decision whether or not to keep the StingRay Special can best be described with this analogy:  "Do I want my primary instrument to be a luxurious, top of the line Lincoln Town Car (i.e. the StingRay Special), or a 1968 Dodge Charger...?"  Wow-- how blessed I am to have that choice!!   If you are curious what new bass I could possibly equate to an old Dodge... 

... Stay tuned & in tune!

Review: Music Man Caprice & Cutlass Basses

Fender's Precision Bass is a well-loved platform that has seen many different modifications over the years.  Various interpretations have also been successful, from nearly every company that builds bass guitars. Ernie Ball Music Man is the latest, but perhaps the most interesting.

Music Man basses are known for active preamps, and its instruments are highly regarded.  The 2016 Cutlass and Caprice are Music Man's first venture into passive basses which is a very odd thing for fans of Music Man.  Many people have embraced the new addition, while expectedly the die-hard "traditionalists" have given the new line a cold shoulder.  

Luckily I had the good fortune to spend a few weeks with each of the two basses, which also began a new chapter in my bass-playing life.

- Cutlass vs Precision
As a huge fan of Fender's Precision Bass, I was eager to do an A/B with the Cutlass.  Long story short, the Cutlass is a somewhat more refined classic bass, with it's own flavor of Precision tone.  However, it is important to note:

**The Caprice is NOT a Fender bass**

Visuals aside, it has it's own sound.  Meaning, if you want that classic Fender Precision tone, buy a Fender Precision-- the company offers so many versions that you are sure to find one you like and can afford.  What the Caprice excels at is offering a classic-type bass that's more comfortable and unique.  

Tones from the Cutlass are rounder, and slightly darker than a Precision bass.  My baseline when comparing instruments is the Fender Precision, so when playing the Cutlass through my Mesa Subway 800, I kept wanting to turn the tone knob up-- but it was already maxed.  If these basses were whisky, the Precision would be freshly brewed, where the Cutlass would be aged 25 years.  The Cutlass sounds familiar, but it's smoother and lacks the clanky-mids of the age-old Precision; this could be a good thing... could be a bad thing.  Personally, I like the Precision and it's ability to dial back via the tone knob.

Feel, Fit & Finish:
Everything about the Music Man feels tight, and solid, while the finish is flawless.  It's neck feels comfortable with rolled edges, the frets are perfectly finished and plays as effortlessly as anything from small boutique builders.  The bridge is a little different from the standard version but you would probably have to look twice to catch it.  The body is VERY comfortable, with nicely rounded sides all around, and the weight is right about 9-lbs; enough to mostly offset neck dive.

The Caprice Twist:
Along side the single pickup Cutlass, the dual, P/J pickup Caprice adds those midrange tones lost on the Cutlass though its bridge pickup.  The particular example only weighed about 8.5-lbs, but had significant neck dive.  Everything else about the instrument was fantastic.  The Caprice also offers a slightly offset body, with a narrower sized neck.  If I had to choose between the two, that Caprice would be the one-- hands down.  

Cost & The Recent Price Increase:
Early this year and following suit with most of its California based competitors, Music Man increased it's prices.  Perhaps the increase can be attributed to the cost of doing business in California these days?

Comparatively, Fender basses increased about $500 more than they were last year as well; American Standards were about $1k, while the 2017 "Professional" models are approx $1,500. G&L had a somewhat modest price bump in 2016/17. Kiesel prices have slowly risen over the last few years as well. Rickenbacker has been consistently around $2K for some time now, and Taylor guitars have seen a consistent price increase over the last several years also.
Prior to the price increase early this year, the Cutlass was going for around $1,600. Now these are listed for $2200!  When compared to Fender's offering, the increase puts a lot of pressure on the Cutlass to be a better instrument.

Is It Worth It?
If I didn't already have a small collection of basses and was looking for a primary go-to instrument-- yes. This bass is worth that kind of investment. However, having multiple quality instruments makes it more difficult to justify the expense; is it that much better than those I already have? 

2018's "Special" Introduction:
While I was exploring these new Music Man basses, I began to reconsider my small collection of mostly P-type basses.  "Why have so many of the same type... especially while there are so many other equally enjoyable instruments?"  

As I was exploring that question, something Special was begging to arrive in our local music stores-- the StingRay Special.  AND the new Special is priced within a few dollars of the Cutlass & Caprice!  Test driving one for myself completely changed my perspective! But more on that later.

Not only do these basses have to compete with Fender's lower priced alternatives, but now the new passive basses must compete within the Music Man family; "why buy a Caprice when you can get a Stingray Special HH for the same price?!"   

Only time will tell what happens to the new passive line at Music Man.  These are fantastic instruments regardless of price.  However, with the newly redesigned StingRay Special hitting the streets, a whole new world of possibilities has opened up; an example of which I will review here very, very soon...

...Stay tuned & in tune!

 

Thinning The Herd. But Why?

It's a term many use to describe a major change in their collection of instruments.   But what causes people to take an otherwise great collection and totally change things up?   

In my case, the reasoning is two-fold:  

Different, but the same

First, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed trying to keep each of my many basses in top working order; bass strings are expensive, especially when multiplied over a collection.  Then I asked myself why so many of the same kind of bass?  It's nice having a bunch of P-basses, but I really only play one or two while the others simply serve as wall art.

Second, While I had was exploring basses other than Fender, Music Man released their updated version of the venerable StingRay Bass; the "StingRay Special".  So the logical question becomes, "why not sell those which I don't play often, to fund a new StingRay Special?"  That line of thinking resulted in a total re-evaluation of my collection, and the selling off of any redundancy.  Not only did I have enough money to fund the new Ray, but also to finally buy my dream bass... but that's a story for a different post...

Redundancy

While there's nothing wrong with having half a dozen versions of the same bass, I like to keep things simple.  For me, if something is not being used, why keep it around?  

With simplification in mind, I selected two of my favorite P-basses; a Steve Harris signature which has a maple neck & maple body, and a "parts" P-bass that features an alder body & rosewood fingerboard.  All others were sold, with the exception of two sentimental favorites-- both of which see a lot of use.

Trying something new

Firmly anchored in the world of passive Fender tones, I wanted to try something different.  The second bass I ever bought was a standard Music Man Stingray-- an active bass.  Having lived with the instrument for many years, it didn't get played much as the tone was pretty harsh, but I really loved the look and feel of the neck.  

Thankfully, as I was reevaluating my collection, the newly revised Stingray "Special" was beginning to hit the stores.  Excited by the possibilities of a different style of bass (active vs passive), the new Stingray really grabbed my attention.  Exploring options beyond my old passive bass perspective was inspiring!  It fueled a new excitement for getting back in the shed to practice, while exploring the new tones and enjoying the noise-free pickups; something that always bugged me with the old basses.  

Change in perspective

Changing things around can be fun and inspirational.  If something is always done with the same tool, in the same way, day after day... it's easy to become bored and disillusioned.  Changing your perspective can be achieved in may different ways-- either with a different instrument, a different location, a different method of playing (i.e. pick vs. finger style), etc.  Changing your perspective can inject new life into an old routine.  Simplifying and diversifying the basses on hand by thinning the herd is another great way of changing your perspective-- and having fun!

If you're not having fun,
you're doing it wrong!

Naturally, thinning the herd can be a means of simply generating income, but it can also be a way to bring fun back into your bass playing adventure.  Having fewer basses makes a collection easier to maintain, while diversifying a collection provides more tonal options and stimulates inspiration.  Always remember that the goal of this adventure we are on is not only to make music and a joyous noise, but to have fun along the way.  Thinning the herd is simply one part of the larger adventure. 

...Stay tuned, and in tune!