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!
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