Talk:Music Man StingRay

Would it be worth mentioning in this article the "Quiet G string" issue that people find with Stingray basses? It is apparently quite a common problem and among the reasons that put people off buying MusicMan basses. Amphetachronism 20:38, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

    Update: Added it in anyway. If sources need to be cited... go play one! Amphetachronism 15:02, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

This page was proposed for deletion by Amisom (talk · contribs) on 28 February 2023.

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"Along with its electronic improvements, 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,..."

I own a 1978 Stingray which I bought new. I can assure you that the neck did NOT come with the satin finish. I had my luthier strip off the finish (polyurethane or some other shiny stuff) and apply a satin-oil finish precisely to get that "effortless" slide. Until then, I had to clean the neck between sets (or more often) to maintain a clean, "slide-able" surface. It may be a small point, but since it's mentioned I just thought I'd ask the source, and are you sure? Because my experience differed on this point. Could it be that earlier basses had the satin finish, and it was later changed? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jororo05 (talk • contribs) 00:40, 28 February 2013 (UTC)

this is another one of those musical instrument wikipedia entries with an absolutely out-of-control list of "notable users". it may as well be a list of bass players active in or after 1978, because we've all tried one. I'd suggest losing the list altogether- anyone who's still interested in which minor celeb 4/5 banger has spanked a stingray can just watch out for the distinctive headstock. I'd like to see more of the chronology of the instrument- at the moment it reads like an advert for the new models. no mention of G&L either, which is relevant as it was where fender went for his third go at making the ultimate electric bass, after the EB takeover. & finally- a quick trawl of the various bass fora will tell even the casually interested that the bigger issue with these otherwise fine instruments is not a weak G string output, but rather a dead-spot around the high C on that same string.

duncanrmi (talk) 05:06, 10 August 2014 (UTC)

&.... the ridiculous list is still here. please can we get rid? & find some of the real history of the instrument to go into the article? duncanrmi (talk) 22:37, 2 May 2016 (UTC)

[sigh] the fan cruft list is still here, & I see people on this very talk page insisting that more be added.

look- every single pro bassist & surely most of us amateurs has played/owned a 'ray at some time.

please let's let this article be about the instrument, & let's do some more digging into its history.

for example, 'more notable design changes....' are the humbucker & the active electronics? really? not the headstock?

& why was the headstock shape changed? was this an early instance of the same brand protection that stopped leo using the traditional shape on his G&L instruments?

& the neck attachment. six bolts, though they still experimented with three bolts & microtilt on some instruments. leo's name is on the microtilt patent, though it was developed when he was 'consulting' for fender, before MM got going.... a lot of users have blamed the three-bolt for the poor experience of using a 70s strat, without understanding that the 70s fenders were plagued not by overall bad quality but by inconsistency, & that there are some perfectly excellent 70s fenders out there. but I digress.

can we try to keep the list of 'notable users' actually notable & not just "oh, my favourite bassist isn't mentioned & I'm sure he used a 'ray at least once"? & maybe concentrate our efforts on finding out who the beta testers were, who were the first players to be invited to try one? the third person on the current list is justin chancellor. the guy who would not put down his original WAL until he'd found another one.

duncanrmi (talk) 17:23, 25 January 2026 (UTC)