I guess I went about it a different way. Over 20 years ago, I was starting to enjoy playing bass. I started playing in a band and decided the only instrument I was ever going to dedicate my time to would be a bass, so I ordered a Musicman Stingray without playing one. Obviously, this cost a lot for a young guy but I was determined to buy one instrument that would last a lifetime. At the time Flea was playing one so I just thought “If he thinks they’re good they must be” without ever playing a single note on one. It turned out Flea didn’t let me down and 20+ years on it’s still my “go-to” bass and I still love it. I guess the moral of my story is
Trust Flea, Flea doesn’t use rubbish basses
When you’re young don’t spend all your money on women, alcohol and drugs… buy a Musicman!"
Reminds me of my favorite George Best quote, when asked about where his winnings went… “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”
Sorry for the late, late, late, late reply, but did you get a T-bird?
I sold mine a couple of months ago and it broke my heart: mainly because I fell in love with the looks - I found the playing experience less appealing. That neck dive can be a bee-yatch. I also found that the replacement strings I bought wouldn’t fit into the bridge properly - the little nobbly bit at the end of the string wouldn’t fit into the recess (sorry to get all technical).
It has a really strong sound and but for the neck dive and faffing around to fit flats, I’d have kept it. They hold their value well though, especially the natural finish ones.
Did you ever move up to a 504? You know I did and I do love it: looking at and playing. If colour was the only issue I’d be making plans to do the work myself - but a big deal about that would be devaluing it by taking it so far off standard. Then again, red is a popular colour…
Then I have forgotten that, so it’s not just how to play that I’ve let slide - I’ve also forgot everything my friends have told me. Doh!
I thought I might spend some time on the forums today and try to catch up with a few subjects and that might just be the prompt I need to unhook the Yammy off the rack. I’ve got a tonne of work to do around the “homestead” but the weathers isn’t conducive today.
What I am NOT going to do is oggle basses for sale. It took me long enough to get down to only 2! I do need an amp (at some point) though…
@PeteP I did buy one. I went with the Epiphone Vintage Pro in all white. That one comes with a different bridge and the pickup covers are nickel. The neck dive on mine isn’t too bad with a wide strap and I was able to fit it with Ernie Ball Slinky Flats. I love the way it sounds.
I went to a GC yesterday and played around with a Musicman and it was sososoosossoosoossoosossoso nice. I want to upgrade my bass to a musicman one. Maybe a nice gift to myself.
In a way, this is a frightening statement, and knowing it comes from @Gio means it is absolutely true…
But, there are fewer and fewer stores where to actually play THE INSTRUMENT, and if they have a certain model, they might have only one of that kind in the store (which might be a lemon). We had talked about this problem before - it might not be an issue in CA (yet), but it is in many parts of the world.
I realize that buying online is (to a degree) what caused the decline of the local music stores, and that the irony is rich in that we now might be stuck with almost exclusively the online option.
So, how does one go about it in this time and age and find THE INSTRUMENT?? Is buying used and having a lot of patience until (by coincidence or magic) THE INSTRUMENT will show up in the classifieds in your neck of the woods the only valid option?? Or ordering from big online outlets with good return policies and ordering five copies of the same model from five different outlets and then send four of them back after testing???
I’ve been saving my pennies since the summer and I am leaning toward the Sterling by Music Man Stingray Classic Ray24CA. Anyone have any negative comments about this?
Have you played them yourself? I personally really like the Stingray sound, but they do have a distinctive tone you should probably hear in person before buying blind, as they are pretty growly, bright and punchy. Love it myself, though.
