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Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray

Photos and Details of my own Musicman

Serial Number B04248 (at least I think it is, that's the number I can just about make out on the bridge!)

This is my own Musicman Stingray that I have been playing for years

Ah, my Ernie Ball Musicman Stingray I think I bought this in around 1996 from the owner of an Ipswich (now defunct) gutiar shop called Marks Music. I think it was pretty much brand new. I got my Stingray really cheaply as the previous owner had played it once with a large belt buckle and gouged the back pretty badly. But as I had dreamed of owning a musicman for years I was chuffed sick at the £650 price tag. I seem to remember I was on the dole at the time, or at least doing very low paid work (this was before minimum wage!) but I got some money handed to me by my parents that had been left to me in various wills. They told me to invest the money, so I did, and very wisely indeed I think! I seem to remember that at the time Ernie Ball musicmans were generally going for about £1200, which isn't far off how much they go for now. Although at the time they seemed a lot rarer. Before buying this one I had only ever seen one other in the flesh! I have played all around the UK with this bass and every time I get it out of the case I still go 'WOW'. This really is the best bass in the entire world!

Click the photos for a high resolution close up

My Musicman Stingray

As this has been a hard working bass I have added some damage of my own. In addition to the original 'buckle rash' you can also see a pretty deep gouge between the battery cover and the jack socket. Incidently the battery carriage had to be repaired a few years ago as it's fitted with a very short wire so if you swing the carriage out too far the wire snaps! I also had to get the jack socket replaced. So many people had stood on my lead whilst I was playing on stage the original got trashed. I was horrified to find out that this was a very spacial socket that switched the on the active circuitry when you plugged in a jack, one that only Ernie Ball use. Ian at Amblin Man contacted Ernie Ball and they sent him a new one for free!

View of the bottom of the guitar (the bottom if you're playing it!). It's worth noting that this stingray is so well balanced that it's sitting just on the neckplate!

The contour on the Musicman Stingray makes it a very comfortable bass to play. You can really tell that when Leo Fender launched Musicman he really did look at the mega selling Fender Precision bass and see how he could improve it. He did a very good job indeed.

As you can see there is some damage to my bass, or 'personality' as I prefer to call it! Stickers include three <geek>AMD Athlon process stickers</geek>, a very faded glittery Junk Culture sticker, a sticker from a simpsons toy that says 'I talk'. The other two stickers are of a cat and bone that my sister gave me and a sticker from an origin that I've forgotten that says 'CAUTION, surface may get hot'.

I can't see myself ever selling this bass, I've owned an played several but this one will always be my favourite.