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Music Man StingRay 4
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Music Man StingRay 4

4-string bass guitar from Music Man belonging to the StingRay series

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Audiofanzine FR Audiofanzine FR
Published on 12/07/08 at 14:58
(Originally written by chevaliernoir/translated from Audiofanzine FR)


Maple neck, rosewood or maple fingerboard.

I don't know how it influences the sound but maple fingerboards get dirty very fast.

Standard machine heads (not sealed lubricated).

It has a 3-band EQ (on the more recent versions). The battery access is great because you don't need any tools.

No balance control since the instrument has a single pickup. The pickup is very close to the bridge so you have a lot of space for your right hand.

I give it an average mark because of the single pickup and the old-school machine heads, but the instrument is very sturdy. It's also very heavy. The manufacturing quality is very good and it will certainly last a long time.

UTILIZATION

Very pleasant neck.

I'm used to playing with my thumb resting on the pickup edge. But since the pickup is very close to the bridge, I have to rest my thumb on the lowest-sounding string. It's not much of a problem if you 're already used to playing like this. I found it annoying and couldn't get used to it.

The instrument is very heavy... like its sound.

SOUNDS

It's certainly its weakest point.

Perhaps you'll love it. The sound is very special and it reminds me of a Musicman. It's perfect for a rock band. The bass sound is very present but it doesn't overshadow other instruments. The attack is very good and the powerful low-mids are perfect.

The problem is that the bass can only produce this kind of sound. It's not versatile at all. Even with the EQ you cannot really alter the sound much.

OVERALL OPINION

As an object I give it a 10.

The neck feels great (although the maple fingerboard gets dirty quickly).

The instrument is too heavy for my taste and doesn't have a thumb rest.

It's not versatile at all.

As a summary, I can understand that some musicians consider it the perfect bass but it's not for me (I will keep my 5-string Warwick and I will sell the Musicman).