The Music Man StingRay: A Short History 

Fascinating as usual Hypes! I always learn something about the instruments I own when I watch your videos. Btw, I love my 5 String Stingray. I need to play it more.

Nice job. I remember when Flea got his first Sting Ray. I said at the time this was the best sounding electric bass I had ever heard. Recently picked up an inexpensive 4 string Sterling Sting Ray. Took it to a gig to show the bass player who plays a beautiful ‘65 Precision. He tried it on the 2nd song of the night. Went back to his bass. In the middle of the 4th song I heard a major improvement in the bass sound. I looked at the sound man who pointed at the bass player- he had switched back to the Sting Ray mid-song and played it the rest of the night. Offered me twice what I paid for it at the end of the night. These Sterlings are an incredible value.

My favorite Sting Ray story is when I picked up a new one at a local GC in the late 90's. They ordered a batch of odd colored orange-ish 5 strings and no one wanted them. I asked the salesman what kind of deal they could make and he came back with 50% off retail. Over 20 years later and it's still my main bass.

The stingray really opened my eyes as a bass player. Learning the instrument, I was always frustrated with the dull and flat tones that were held up as the golden standard by other players. Then one random session I was handed a stingray with fresh roundwounds and I knew that was my sound right there.

The ultimate Stingray man is Bernard Edwards. He may well be the pinnacle of all electric bass playing.

Steven Severin of Siouxsie and The Banshees mainly used a black stingray through the late 70's and mid 80's. The bass has a very characteristic sound, added to the effects he used, created a very unique sound for The Banshees. He even appears playing the stingray in the ''Israel'' and ''Happy House'' videos.

I love all your Short Histories, but this one was super interesting. When I get another bass, I'll seriously consider a Stingray. They're pretty iconic.

Great presentation. I purchased my first Sting Ray new in 1977. It came with flat wound strings. Bought a Sting Ray Special in 2018 and a Sting Ray short scale in 2020. Still have the original (weighs a ton). They all play great and each has their own personality. Now at age 65 I really appreciate the lightness of the short scale.

Bernard Edwards 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 One of my favorite Electric Bass Players. Greetings from Uganda 🇺🇬👊🏿🖤

Another gem, Keith. I was elated to see that you had just finished the short history of the Sting Ray bass. I bought one in 2000 that is translucent orange with a matching headstock. At that time, every bass had a beautiful bird's-eye neck with no upcharge. But I also remember when gasoline was 25 cents a gal. I had no idea how many musicians used Sting Rays until I watched your video, and I certainly wasn't aware of all of the changes that have been made to it over the years, plus I finally found out what "OLP" means! As always, I enjoy how informative your videos are. Also interesting to see you playing a Parker at the beginning of the video.

As a new bass player, this was a very informative video. So much intertwined history between these companies. Thanks for sharing.

Really amazing history. Watching this having just got my first bass, a 2022 Stingray Special. I am by no means a bassist, calling myself a guitarist would be a stretch, but the Stingray is the quality of instrument that makes you want to dig in and be better.

You keep showing us that Parker Fly! I’m beginning to think we need a short history!

i started on my stingray, spent 10 years working with her, went astray, and i’ve been back for three years. absolutely my favorite bass

I managed to make mine sound gnarly as hell with a fuzz pedal and a fender rumble amp, but I can’t deny how clean these basses sound. I love it.

My favorite part of the story is me finally getting a StingRay Special last year. Roasted maple neck, 18v preamp, beautiful finish.....Awesome!

You should've highlighted Louis Johnson more. He made the Stingray bass popular. He is also who it was developed for. R.I.P to him also a true bass legend.

Got my first Stingray 5 a few weeks ago and I’m absolutely in love. It might usurp my Precision as my #1. Omg the tones on this thing are a monster.

Joe Darts first signature model is actually a Sterling body shape, but the Joe Dart Jr is based on a Shortscale Stingray.

I cant think of anyone more Stingray than Paul Denman of Sade fame. THAT to me is the prime example how Stingray sounds, and how incredibly it can drive it all... yeah, you need to listen to the bass - anyone remembers James Jamerson ? 😍 we all should

A 5 string stingray has been on my wish list since forever.

oh boy a new 5 Watt; something to watch while the wife watches Entertainment Tonight

Over the years I have worked on so many StingRays I got to know them backwards along with the detailed history. Your overview of the company is very good and true. There are a few additions though; the original StingRay bass design was actually a pre-amped P-Bass split coil not a humbucker, there were 4 preamp designs before the final chosen design, The radio knob '76s are the most coveted with the longer pole pieces and the originals are called brownbursts. The reason for the fall out with CLF was twofold, poor paint jobs and the truss rods were installed flat so would provide no relief - Japanese dealers in fact returned them. The original StingRay NAMM100 anniversary model is actually the Flea bass that never went into production.

Ok, so basically every bass from the 50's through till the 2000's was made by the same guys. Got it.

Bernard Edwards made me fall in love with the Music Man Stingray ❤

I bought a Stingray 5 special in 2018. I’ve played over 300 gigs with it. It is a joy to play every time I pick it up. I emailed them to tell them how much I loved it and Scot Ball wrote me back. Great company!

Back in the early 2000s, my great grandmother, who had been a lifelong guitar enthusiast, made a heartwarming promise to buy me a bass guitar. Her intention was to provide me with an instrument that would stay with me throughout my life. At that point, I already had about six years of experience playing the bass, and I had a clear vision of the sound I was after. I vividly recall the day when my mom and I visited the local guitar center, with the expectation that I would walk out with a Warwick bass. I sat down and played the Warwick, which provided me with a fantastic musical experience. However, it was during that same visit that I laid my hands on a Stingray 4. What struck me about the Stingray 4 was the incredible versatility it offered, thanks to its preamp. It felt like I had complete control over every aspect of the sound, allowing me to shape it to perfection. I made the decision to place an order for a black cherry burst Stingray 4, and since then, I haven't felt the need to own any other bass.

I can't thank you enough for this excellent history of Music Man. I was fascinated with the Stingray as a teenager in the 70's but couldn't afford one. I watched the company as they evolved, but the history of Fender, Ernie Ball, Sterling always was a mystery to me. Now I know the story. As an adult, my dream came true when I purchased the "Classic" Stingray in sunburst , with the single pickup and birdseye neck. Now I even know the cool story about the external truss rod adjustment nut! No more mysteries, thanks to you.

thank you for the great infomation and you for taking the time

I had no idea the new headstock shape was to help remove dead spots. I always just assumed it was to reduce the neck dive compared to a fender. Stingrays always felt more balanced in my hands. The bass community thanks you, Keith.

Great story. Especially the Tony Levin clips. It’s interesting how the first generation of musical instrument innovators were so closely associated. Thank you for bringing it to us!

Great job Keith. I love all the Music Man’s I’ve owned over the years but my favorite, currently own now, is my 2018 Stingray Special. Black with a roasted maple neck, single pickup 4 string featherlight bass. Well done.

Great video! Thank you for making it. One minor point - you included many well know (and a few not as well known) players who play Music Mans. I would have included at least one more - Joe Lally of Fugazi. He doesn't have a signature model. Fugazi was never on MTV and never played Lollapalooza or anything like that. But Fugazi is a legend in the punk/hardcore and independent music scenes. And Joe Lally is a fantastic bass player to boot.

Hey thanx so much for the history on MusicMan. As a kid @ 14 I had been in love with the Sting Ray and was seriously wishing for one. My friend Todd had one and I was so in love with his bass, and I'll include jealous! He never really let me touch the bass, and then he up and sold it for a measly $300 to fund a radio controlled car he claimed to make good money from building & selling them. I was Pissed off to the highest level of pisstivity! That was 1978. In 1981 I traded my fretless Precission for his MusicMan finally giving me that bass. But it wasn't quite like my buddy Todd's MusicMan Bass. Eventually I traded it for a Fender Jazz in the mid 80s. It had a phase warp in the fretboard that later in the early 90s a great guitar builder named Jon Warden fixed it for me. Around 1992, '93 I saw my best friend Funky Ned playing a beautiful blue Ernie Ball 5. I was earning a lot of money in those days and I immediately went out the next day and brought one. Around 2000 or 2001 I traded it for a G&L 5 and I've regretted it ever since. However now once I finally get out of this nursing home and back to work I'm going to buy a 35th Anniversary Edition!

Thank you for a great video! Glad you throw in occasional episodes featuring a bass. Keep up the good work!

I was not looking for a new bass when I walked into the music store in 1986. The guys were raving about a used Stingray they just got in. Translucent Teal. It looked like a green toilet seat. But took it down to try anyway to see what all the hype was about. An hour later my wife said....."we bought that didn't we".....yep! My main bass at the time was an Alembic Destroyer. The Sting Ray quickly became my number one. The only bass I have today. My favorite out all guitars, basses, pianos etc that I have ever owned. I disagree that the sound is in the electronics. Mine has the depth and growl unplugged. It literally shakes my ribs.

Great stuff Keith - a must-Watch, for any StingRay fan. As a guitar-player, I purchased a Sterling short-scale Stingray and I absolutely love it with my Fender Rumble 100 amp. I just hope someone eventually makes some Drop-in Replacement Upgraded Tuners ?

Great job!!! I am definitely sharing this on my LinkedIn!

Great video, I enjoyed learning about the history of this unique bass.

HELL YEAH DUDE!!! I VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO FOR A WHILE! BIG LUV

Always sharing quality content

Apparently Sterling Ball grew up in Newport Beach. One of his female friends was a shy redheaded girl named Susan Thomas who played flute in the HS orchestra. While visiting the Ball household, cluttered with instruments all through the living room, Sue gets this epiphany to pick up the bass guitar. She later joins two other girls, Joan Larkin and Sandy West under a sleazebag named Kim Fowley who form The (first) Runaways, Susan changing her name to Micki Steele, and Larkin to Joan Jett. Steele gets fired some months later, drifts around LA as a bar band bassists, and in '83 joins The Bangles as Michael Steele. Steele also played a Sabre briefly in The Bangles.

Looking forward to the video.

The Stingray bass is the bass I have always wanted. Some day, some day…

The Music Man Stingray came out way back when I was in highschool. My first exposure to the Stingray was John Deacon of Queen, what a class act he was! Great video, thanks for posting!

Thank you so much! Nice to see you finally making this vid! Stingrays have always been my favourite bass to use for their banging sound!

Totally awesome music man player since 88.......

The flagship of my modest bass guitar fleet is an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray 5 HH in Pace Car Blue. A Bass Extender Key is installed on the lowest (B) string; it was sold that way, as this was a used yet flawless bass, and came with the original hardware included in the case. All hardware is gold-colored. I've had her for nearly seven years, and have taken her on stage only a couple times. This video reminds me that I need to spend more quality time with her 😁

GREAT job on this history! I like how you thank everyone, too. Thank YOU!

The low end on the Anderton vid was very apparent, even on phone speakers. Nice

Fascinating !!! Beyond what i expected. Well played !

Very excited about this one!

This story is amongst the greatest of all time and I thank you sincerely for the forthright clarification, historical truths and novel research and development inlightenment.

You can identify a StingRay bass _immediately_ upon hearing it, sight unseen. Whether that's while listening to music on your stereo or hearing someone play one from beyond your line of sight. The same way you would a Strat, Les Paul, Telecaster, a 100 watt Marshall or Rhodes and Mellotron pianos. To me that's one of, if not _the_ highest compliment that can be attributed to any model of a particular instrument. Funny - of that list of iconic, eminently identifiable instrument models (including the StingRay), four out of the seven were either wholly or partially designed or (like the Rhodes piano) brought to market by Leo Fender. Even the original model of the iconic Marshall was simply a direct recreation of Leo Fender's 5F6-A circuit model, tweed era Fender Bassman amp of 1958 to early 1960. Simply using the British tubes and transformers available to them. Furthermore, the remaining item on the list; the Les Paul, although it wasn't designed or manufactured _with_ Mr. Fender or a nearly identical copy _of_ any of his designs, it may never have come to fruition were it not _because_ of Leo Fender. Or more accurately the need to keep up before his design prowess took over the electric instrument market *completely.* Les Paul (the man, not the guitar) was a huge star in the 1940's and 50's. Some time in 1947 he sat in his living room with a couple friends, colleagues and acquaintances. One of whom being Mr. Leo Fender himself. Les discussed what he rightly saw as the need for a solid body electric guitar to combat the feedback issues of the hollow body guitars used at the time (venues and therefore _amps_ we're getting bigger and feedback was becoming an increasing issue). Some say it was at least partially the reason Leo Fender designed the Telecaster. Les Paul played (and loved) Gibson hollow body guitars but was playing Fender's "Super" amp. In the late 1940's Les Paul approached Gibson with an early idea for a solid body guitar called the "log" that Gibson turned down. By early 1951 Leo Fender was doing everything he could to get Les Paul to use and endorse the Telecaster. Les wasn't crazy about the Telecaster and viewed it as a more simplistic, rudimentary "working man's" instrument. He wanted something he saw as more in line with his stature (some say he was a bit of a narcissist, who knows for sure) Instead, Les went _back_ to Gibson and _insisted_ they build him a solid body guitar based on but "better appointed" than the Telecaster or "this Leo Fender is going to take over the world and you all will be left to the shit heap of history." Gotta give it to Leo.

on the question of truefire, i started out with fenderplay when i bought my "i need something to get my mind off of covid" affinity, the sticker on it told me to. before i was even vaguely an advanced beginner, i felt i ran out of steam at fenderplay. not knowing what to do next, i took your advice and went to truefire. wow! there is no running out of steam at truefire! i bought a bunch of deeply discounted courses and now have enough material to carry me well into 2023 and maybe even 2024. i am thrilled!

The Music Man was my first bass. It was a 4-string. Later on, after moving to LA to become a big-time bassist (so I thought), I bought a 5-string. When I saw that maroon 5-string it reminded me of my very first 6-string guitar, which was red. I knew 5-string would be popular the moment I saw it hanging there on the store wall in Hollywood back in the mid-90s. I hadn't planned on buying a bass that day, but I'm glad I bought it. I got it for $1300 brand new. I consider the sound an upgrade to the fender bass sound. It's punchy, clean, sounds awesome to slap, and the low B is solid, due to the weight of the bass and the maple neck. Other than the string height, I've never had to do any adjustments to either of my basses. All I need is some nickel-wound D'Addario strings to get a sound that's just right. There's no way I would ever sell my Music Man basses.

Never new the history of music Man... Thanks mate now I do... very interesting especially as I'm a fender fan.

I’m a guitarist now, but bass was my first and lasting love. Finally got a Stingray a year ago and love it.

Another great short history Kieth

What's really fascinating about the new 2019 StingRay is that it took a lot of its updates from Fender's now defuncted Dimension Bass. That's right Ernie Ball, I said it!!!! 18 volt preamp, lightweight tuners, cutaway to reach higher frets, 5 bolt neck, and a neck that feels like it's roasted but is not roasted. And the bass is lightweight. Mine weighs a little over 8LBs.

My intro to the MM Stingray - Louis J, Pino P and Bernard E. Still my favourite bass. Our guitarist had one of the MM amps from the 70's - talk about vertical hair factor, it was that loud. Thanks Keith, I always come to your corner when the world starts getting a bit much.

Finally, I waited so long for this one :) Totally worth the wait.

I'm a proud owner of a G&L L2000E bass!! LOVE IT!!

I remember the buzz in my circle of bass-player colleagues when the Stingray first came out - and I acquired one soon after from a friend who had it for a few weeks and (somehow) didn't like it. For a few years I used it with a MM 130 head and 2 x 12 ported cab. A formidable (but heavy!) rig. Goes without saying I wish I still had them! Although I bought a US Sterling back in 1998 from the London Bass Centre which I use and love to this day. Great instruments.

I have been playing bass since 1969, always played Fenders and an Ovation Magnum but when I heard Paul Denman play, I took notice and went and checked out a Sting Ray. The pickup is a bit too close to the bridge for my style of playing, but man was it a sweet playing bass. Thanks Keith.

Thanks for this terrific video - informative and inspiring! I got my first Stingray in the 90s and, this week, my first Stingray USA short-scale will arrive. I can't wait for it - these superb basses are such a thrill to play and hear.

Months ago I was really busy and missed a lot of your videos and now binging on them. My friend is a semi famous bassist and plays Music Man exclusively and its cool you have this video.I sent it to him and again nice you have a video no one else would do.

The first Stingray bass I'd ever noticed was the one the guy in the British band 'Racey' had played (Biggest hit 'Some Girls') in the late 70's, when I was 8 or 9; It had a natural finish and no pickguard. The bassist of The Teens (then being promoted as "Europe's youngest Rock band") also had one, also natural but with a black pickguard. I'm 52 now and just realised I've never ever tried one so far! 😆 Thank you for the video, Keith! And greetings from NZ! 👋 😀

My grandfather, a jazz guy, always liked bass players who “can knit the band together.”

Joe Lally from Fugazi has always been my favorite Stingray player.

Very iconic bass that rocks

To my mind, the two most beautiful bass designs are the StingRay and the Rickenbacker 4001/4003. Happy to see you've done videos on both now. I have a Ray34, and even though it's not the American model it sounds and feels amazing. I love the punchiness of the pickup. Just like the Rick, it's a tone you can't get anywhere else.

Stingray's are my favorite bass of all time A Fender Jazz is right behind it.

my great uncle was a touring bassist and guitarist, and he swore by music man. he had a vintage sting ray and all his amps and cabs were music man that he got in the late 70,s and earlyy 80's. that was my introduction to music man and the fact he used all that gear for 40+ years on the road is why i will always attribute the brand with quality

Fantastic video, both in production and sheer volume of information. Great job!

Love that Stingray sound!

History of Acoustic Control Corp. The legends behind the 360/361

Great vidéo. Thank you very much. I'm a proud owner and user of a stingray since 1992 and stingray 5 since 1993. I've used a lot of basses in my life, but the only ones I've never been able to blame are my two Stingrays. Long Live Stingray.

Joe Lally of Fugazi is where I was introduced to stingrays sound and look. He’s come up with so many great bass lines.

Great stuff once again Keith. Steve, who played in several bands with me in my hometown back in the '80s, had a beautiful Stingray which he loved and which sounded just great through practically any rig. We were in a Who tribute band for a time and it had the power for the job alright! We played a gig on the South coast (UK) which was in a really hot and sweaty club. Steve was a finger player apart from the solo to My Generation for which he used a pick - which he used to wedge in the top of the Stingray's scratch plate ready to grab when the time came. This particular night both he and the guitar were covered in sweat and he couldn't get a grip to pull the thing out. He tried frantically and repeatedly as the rest of us gave him the break. To the casual observer it must have looked like he was trying to play Entwistle's solo by missing the strings entirely time and time again. As a band we should have shown solidarity I know, but I'm afraid we were too busy rolling about laughing...

Another super famous bassist who used stingrays exclusively for a while is Mark Hoppus from Blink-182. Prior to their album Enema of the State and their original deal with Fender, he played Stingray basses on their first couple albums and almost if not all of their shows.

Great video. I learned a lot. Thanks!

Great stuff Keith. Thanks. It was very interesting to hear the “who’s who” of Fender, Music Man and G&L. I learned from the recent Martin Kelly Rickenbacker book that Forest White worked there after leaving Fender but before joining Music Man. The guitar world in California was a small place in the early ‘70s!

Thank you love the channel

I've had both a Music Man StingRay 5 and a Sterling StingRay 5 both are very capable instruments. Very distinctive in their tone and playability.

Thanks for a great & informative video - yes indeed a great bass !

A PARKER! It's the bomb! Everything else is just trying to take your cash. But, back to the topic at hand: damn man, I had no idea of the history, this is an epic video.

What a great vid! When I'm typing this I was thinking about a good book about Music Man - it doesn't excist - and there you say it! You know I'm editor of a bass magazine and this video is just perfect! Thanks!

Thank you for giving Louis Johnson credit for using Musicman basses Louis seem to be always overlooked for his contribution for playing these basses.

For the past 3 weeks I stared at the 2006 Stingray I got on trade at a pawnshop in Alaska. My wife is a 93 Fender Pbass-the Boner or Blanda with elongated upper horn and 22 fret neck. Yesterday I finally sat on the balcony of my hotel with the Stingray unplugged and I sank into it for 6 hours. Still,the Stingray feels like an exciting mistress and my wife is the Longhorn P Bass.

Thank you for not forgetting us OLP players, my OLP Stingray 5 with replacement pickups made for me by Corey Nordstrand is a unique instrument I always have nearby and love.

Hey Keith! As always, nice mini-documentary on this fabulous instrument. You can see in my profile photo, I'm playing a Transluscent Blue Sting Ray (made in Obispo), with three band active EQ and a unique birdseye maple neck,+ maple body. I believe it was an 'End of production', one of a kind instrument. I was told this were instruments that were made last in the year's serie and were exceptional. Sadly, it was stolen at a concert in Spain. Thanks again for your efforts in bringging this stories and, once again, sorry for my bad English! Take care!

Great video Keith nice work

The bass was created for Louis Johnson for slapping. He helped create the sound in the R&D process. Thats why there is a space between the pickup and neck for his right hand

Great documentary

I love Stingrays. I may have learned guitar first, but I learned how to be a musician with a stingray bass that belonged to my church as a kid. Glad to have one of my own now! Been a guitarist for a long time but man does a bass teach you how to be the “motor”

Thanks so much for these history lessons. I am a big fan of the G&L line of basses and would love to see you cover those.😉👍

It’s been a long time, I’ve been waiting for this to be uploaded. Finally!

You should do a deep dive on the Fender Showman and how Dick Dale needed a louder amp and Leo decided to change the game and make An amp with like 3 times the wattage than any previous amp. its a good story and the showman got lost to history even though it was one of the most important steps in the progression of guitar amplification. Great videos man keep it up!

Always learn something from 5WW