Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Special 5 HH BASS REVIEW. Worthy of your bass collection?

[@chrisbettis9601]

I used to crap on Stingrays a little bit years ago, but I bought a 2014 USA MM a few years ago and JUST got a 2022 USA Stingray 5 HH. These things sound incredible and are a dream to play! I'm happy to have been proven wrong!

[@bassy9524]

This bass sounds like a dream

[@Lorenzomiller82]

These stingrays are tone monsters!

[@albriano7762]

I absolutely love my STINGRAYS, I have both for flexibility H and HH, since the 90’s I have loved them, for the Money, nobody beats them , not even those overpriced Boutique basses. GREAT VIDEO!

[@Lorenzomiller82]

Thank you for the kind comments and appreciate you checking out the video! They are amazing instruments and I Keep wondering why I waited so long to jump into one!

[@MelGibsonsFist]

Great demo! Thanks!

[@Lorenzomiller82]

Thank you for watching!

[@VeitLehmann]

I wish they brought back the H/S pickup variant. It had the more useful sounds imho, and more room between neck and front pickup for slapping. You can get the sounds by installing a switch to take the frontmost coil out of the circuit. This would give you: 1: front pickup back coil only (similar to a P bass), 2: inner coils in parallel, 3: coils 2, 3 and 4 in parallel (a la Lakland), 4: back pickup back coil only (a la Jazz Bass), 5: full back pickup only. Still an awesome, versatile bass in its stock config!

[@Lorenzomiller82]

I will agree that it took a few days to get used to not having as much room between the neck and the front pickup. Missed a few slaps/pops until I got used to it. The bass you mentioned sounds really interesting. Sounds a lot like Lakland basses approach with the H/s pickup variations

[@Metalgopher]

I would place 100% of the blame on GC. Mine came straight from Sweetwater and man, I can play anything with hammer-ons and pull offs. Best action of any bass I’ve ever played!

[@Lorenzomiller82]

@@Metalgopher that is awesome to hear! GC had a white/gold just like mine and the neck was in awful shape. Had a noticeable twist in it :( my model was hanging up at the top and thankfully it was in workable shape. Just had high action and needed a quick neck adjustment. Sad that GC doesn’t give a 5 minute look over especially on the higher priced basses

[@Metalgopher]

@@Lorenzomiller82 that’s a shame! in my area GCs those guys couldn’t care less, they just want to sell the stuff. I’m glad you were able to get yours how you like, they’re incredible instruments!

[@cameronfisher6315]

Nice video. I recently purchased from sweetwater and paid the extra for the Plek setup with the upgraded Labella 0760M strings

[@Lorenzomiller82]

Appreciate the comment! Congratulations on your new axe! What color did you decide on?

[@mauigtplugging8069]

Do you thing the plek was worth it ?

[@Floridaprophet]

Stingray Special’s combo between the in-your-face low mids, incredibly comfortable neck and superior comfort all at 7.9lbs (I have a SS 4H) made it quickly replace my 70s Fender Jazz basses. I sold all but one the month I bought the Stingray Special and eventually sold my prized 77 swamp ash Fender Jazz a year into gigging with the Stingray. For bass-centered live music, like modern reggae for example, if you take a look at the biggest bands on the scene almost all of their bass players have moved from Jazz basses over to Stingrays over the years. I paid only $2k for my 4H but I have seen $5k Fender custom shops that don’t have the same quality and attention to details. Not to mention that when lowering the action or making quick adjustments on the go, the truss-rod wheel at the bottom of the neck is my favorite way to adjust a trussrod and wish all basses came made like Stingrays. The growl, playability, signature sound, etc. is relatively easy to replicate from a P-Bass and gets very difficult to replicate on late 70s model Jazz basses. It’s just simply impossible to replicate the sound of an Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray. Guitar center does a horrible job of keeping their instruments setup - they get a lot of “B grade” basses from manufacturers. Good review, I’m looking to add a 5HH to my collection before they’re impossible to get for under $3k.

[@victorcardenas2633]

i need that case!! did it come with your bass?

[@Lorenzomiller82]

@@victorcardenas2633 it came with my bass when I bought it new. This bass was a special run and included a G&G case over the standard music man SKB variant. It’s tough to find one in the wild and searching the web isn’t returning any exact details. Searching online it looks like music man is switching over to mono gig bags so the rare G&G and even the SKB cases are being phased out for newly shipped models. Sorry I couldn’t locate one for you!

[@victorcardenas2633]

@@Lorenzomiller82 appreciate it man. that’s a sickkk case!

[@Bassic778]

Yes, it is worthy and I have one!!!

[@Lorenzomiller82]

These basses are a dream to play! Kicking myself for waiting so long to add one to the collection

[@Bassic778]

@@Lorenzomiller82 It took me a loooooong tiiime tooo!!! I was convinced that because I had a Sterling by Music Man Ray 35 I didn't need to spend the extra money and there wouldn't be much difference between the two. I finally saw a used 5HH special at Guitar Center and took the plunge about 4 months ago. I WAS WRONG!!! There is a serious difference compared to the Ray 35, which is a very nice bass!!! The USA Stingray, as you know, is on ANOTHER LEVEL!!!

[@Lorenzomiller82]

@@Bassic778 our story is the same! I always swore by mid range value instruments. I recently bought my first USA fender jazz and appreciated the improvement over the made in Mexico player plus I gigged heavily. Still love that bass but there is a noticeable difference just between those 2. The Sterling ray 35 is a great value bass and I still have mine but I’ll admit, I hardly touch it now that I have the real deal. The difference between the ray35 and an actual USA made is huge. That comes with a price but it’s made me a true believer! As you stated earlier, this bass is truly worth being in any bass players collection!

[@RubyDimasStudio]

Why a so high price instrument comes with that so High Action Stirngs ? ( in the begining of the video, the bass inside the case)

[@Lorenzomiller82]

It is most likely the angle I filmed that shot at. I have the action set about average as I deal with sensory loss in my fingers on the left hand. I tend to fret heavy so I no longer run my action super close to the fretboard. I will say that the action was super high when I bought it from guitar center. The same was for another Ernie ball I tried and it actually suffered from a slightly twisted neck. That’s why it’s important to try before you buy! I did get a discount so it made the hour or so of setup time worth it. I lowered it quite a bit as well as had to do multiple truss rod adjustments. The bass was setup horribly so I blame Guitar Center for never giving it any care before selling it to me.

[@RubyDimasStudio]

@@Lorenzomiller82 thank you for the info

[@core_fin]

Setup is never something that can be guaranteed no matter the bass price, unless they make it next door from you. Just about every bass is setup at factory regardless of price range, but shipping, humidity and temp changes etc make a difference. I dont know where you live, but its not uncommon to have to re-setup your bass a few times a year as the climate changes between seasons. As such, it's near impossible to get a bass all the way to your home without the setup suffering from what they made it at the factory. Pretty much every brand new bass needs a setup, UNLESS the party who sold it to you setup the instrument before the sale. I've had a retailer do this, and most dont

[@abderrahimkoch9293]

3 & 5 ❤

[@DukeMaster1956]

Where did you find this? Did you buy it new? I want one!

[@Lorenzomiller82]

Yes sir! Brand new :) They carry the black/gold at Guitar center. Def suggest trying them out in store! They had a white/gold one and it was setup horribly :(

[@DukeMaster1956]

@@Lorenzomiller82I found it! But it’s backordered. It’s absolutely gorgeous!. I love my 35th Anniversary 5H and I want to add that 5HH with gold hardware to round out my collection. The Stingray sound is unique and hard to duplicate IMHO. My only minor nag is the rounded off neck and frets with the G string being so close to the edge. Not much of an issue for me but only if you’re trying to execute pull-offs on that string you’ll need to use a straight or upwards motion. Otherwise it dives down off the edge of the neck and mutes. Adding a little bit more to that side of the neck or tweaking a combination of the nut, bridge and or string spacing to relocate the string further away from that edge would sure help for those that use the pull-off technique. Thank you for your time and talents and sharing this with us.

[@Lorenzomiller82]

⁠@@DukeMaster1956 thank you so much for your kind words! A lot of good and bad on KZbin so trying my best to bring quality content. I appreciate you ! I personally haven’t had any issues with the g string on my model. I can’t find any specs regarding them adding a bit more fretboard in these “redesigned “ stingray specials, but I’ve probably got well over 100 gigging hours on it with no G string issues. The only problem I’ve had with mine is the saddle screws. Don’t know if the threads are slightly stripped but my e and a string saddles will drop on one side if I am playing the bass hard. Prob something I should go to Ernie Ball for but it’s not a deal breaker. The black and gold is an eye catcher so it has to have a small QC problem somewhere right? Hopefully they come back in stock soon so you can grab one. It’s truly an amazing instrument!

[@DukeMaster1956]

@@Lorenzomiller82I got in touch with GC and they tell me the Black and Gold won’t be making a production run until July ‘24 and you probably scored a “pre-run teaser” that they put out for customer reaction/market testing. You’re fortunate to have picked it up early. Regarding your saddle issue,it’s under warranty and my dealings with Music Man support have been excellent. Give them a call and they will most likely send you new screws and/or a saddle or two to fix your issue. You would have a hard time finding a OEM replacement in gold as they don’t offer it yet on their parts page. Congrats on you acquiring that gorgeous bass. You could try dressing it up to go out even more with some gold strings for even more bling. I’ve tried a couple different varieties of gold strings and they are surprisingly good and really do last longer but at a premium price too. Stay well and rock on!

[@recordlabeldao7820]

Not a fan of musicman. But i have 200i fender am std 5 string jazz bass. But have upgraded hardware and electronics to my liking and need

[@Lorenzomiller82]

I own an American professional ii jazz 5 string that I also reviewed on my channel. It’s a true workhorse on the road and in the studio! Hard to beat a jazz bass:) Musicman works well for most of the bands I play in but It is definitely an “in your face” tone that isn’t for everyone. What electronics are you running in your jazz? Recently picked up an audere preamp myself but haven’t had a chance to install it.

[@recordlabeldao7820]

​@@Lorenzomiller82i am running an johneast j retro preamp then bartolini pickup

[@recordlabeldao7820]

U should also try the john east retro preamp they are dirext fit for the jazz bass. And the sound is soo good that u wont regret it

[@Lorenzomiller82]

@@recordlabeldao7820I will check those out! Appreciate you for the awesome tip!

[@recordlabeldao7820]

​@@Lorenzomiller82the johneast still hold ur vintage tone when the preamp is center but on the treble u can pull it up and u get totally modern sound

[@bassyey]

So B-string still sounds questionable even on this price range huh. 34" is just not enough, unless you put the pickups almost near to the bridge, like what Warwick Thumb 5 does.

[@Oscaraha]

Dont agree, I think the problem with b-string is that it requires a bit higher string height than the other strings.

[@Xpunkpro]

I have not issues with the B string. I setup all of my basses. I learned to do my own maintenance while learning the instrument. Techs never get it how I want it anyways.

[@Uygkuyfkutfkytfkutfv]

The stingray B is great - if your amp can hack it, its around 30hz - Ampeg 810s barely scrape 50hz. I have a mex Jazz V and since buying a better amp have noticed what was a flappy mess is now relatively sweet sounding, especially if I stack Preamps, which add harmonics.