Over the past 20 some odd years, I have played just about every bass I could get my paws on. Being an imperious player, only a select few have held my interest. One of those select basses is the Musicman Stingray. Basically speaking (pun intended), every Stingray I have ever tried has played like a dream. Great tone, comfortable playing position and groovy looks.

As you may know, this bass was designed by the Father of the electric bass, Leo Fender. Mr. Fender started Musicman in the early 70s and as I am told, had intended the Stingray to be the third generation P-Bass. Yes Virginia, that is why they look similar. This bass looks as fresh and up to date as it did in the 70s

Since few people were I live stock Musicman products, I said to myself, Self (not knowing my own name) check the Internet. (For the faint of heart musician who does not buy before try, you may wish to stop reading here). There I found a plethora of dealers willing to, of all things, DEAL. I selected a Dealer who was willing to give me a great price and a generous trial period. The dealer, whos name I won't mention {(Bass Central) Oops ....sorry,} was a pleasure to deal with. I ordered (yes with out trying it out first) a Translucent Red Stingray with three band EQ, a Rosewood Fingerboard and a hard-shell case.

When the bass arrived, I found it to be perfect in almost every detail (nothing is perfect). The bass came in a traditional Tolex case with black fuzzy lining. The translucent red color was deeper and richer than I expected. As my son says "Seven thumbs up on that one". Hardware was impeccable. Fit and finish were outstanding.

Upon inspection, I found the neck straight and the action low. The neck is fastened onto the body by (zoinks!) six wood-screws. Based on this, this neck

should never shift. The fretwork was flawless; all frets were even and nicely dressed. The fingerboard was smooth and the neck nicely tapered. The neck has a satin finish and is a little thinner than a P-bass, but a little wider than a Jazz. The thickness front to back was similar to that of my trusty Rick 4001, NICE! I was actually amazed by the Ernie Ball Strings. I rarely leave factory strings on a bass, but these will stay for a while.

The intonation needed a little tweaking, but shipping across country can do that. After several small adjustments the action and intonation were set to my liking. No fret buzzing here.

The electronics on the Stingray are typical for most basses these days. Active on-board EQ with Treble/Middle/Bass boost/cut. Even without the midrange EQ, this was radical in the 70s when this bass was designed. I was a little disappointed with the tone pots however. They seemed wobbly. I contacted Ernie Ball regarding this matter (great people to deal with) and they sent me a replacement e-tronics board (no charge). (I shipped the old one back), The new board's pots were a little better, but I feel that Ernie should consider a higher-grade pot for a more solid feel.

Strapping the bass on, I felt like I was home (there's no place like home, there's no place like home). The bass is nicely balanced and all neck positions are easily accessible. I did however find myself searching for a a thumb rest closer to the neck, but after a while I became comfortable with the thumb on the pickup position. After plugging this puppy into my SWR Super Redhead, I had no trouble getting a wide range of killer bass tones. (I can honestly say this bass sounds every bit as good as my old Warwick Thumb Bass, but louder).

With the treble set flat and the bass boosted to about 3/4 of the way, the mid

can be used to sweep the tone from a BOOOOOMY lower midrange in your face tone to a crispy pop and slap snarl with an underlying bottom. Read: WOW! I played the bass amidst a crew of loud guitarists and boy did she cut though. If the grunge guitar player got too muddy, all I had to do was turn up a little middle and the bass pierced through the mix.

In all I feel that this is one of the great basses. Great looks, awesome tone, outstanding playability, an affordable price and nice warranty response from the factory.

Construction	90%
(the pots could be better)
Playability	95%
Appearance	100%
Sound	95%
Value	90%
Cust. Service	106%
(thank guys!!!)
Overall	98%