Music Man USA STINGRAY: A Modern Icon
Published on 15 January 2025
Outside of Fender, which company has made the most successful, most iconic and most desired basses in the world?
It has to be Music Man, doesn’t it? Straight from the sunny shores of San Luis Obispo, Music Man have dominated the 4 (and 5) string world since Leo Fender and his associates began the company in 1971. Since 1984, the company has been owned by the Ernie Ball brand (in fact, by Ernie’s son Sterling, whose name you’ll see attached to certain models), who renamed the brand Ernie Ball Music Man, though for ease of reading today, I’ll often abbreviate to EBMM or just Music Man.
Music Man make a range of pretty incredible electric guitars, but today, I want to focus on some of their USA- made basses. The StingRay is the famous one, so I’ll focus on it, using some very recent deliveries as examples of this brand's craft.
Made in California
The important thing to understand about Music Man is that they are not some enormous manufacturing behemoth that churns out guitars. Their workshop in California is a mix of hand-tooling and automated cutting, as many boutique workshops are: if a computer makes the job better, a computer does it; if human hands are better, human hands are used. Their ‘Big Bird’ cutting and drilling machine is even featured on the company’s website!
All fretwork is carried out by hand, and all Music Man bodies and necks and hand-sanded. The finishes are applied by hand in three coats and then buffed by a machine. Finally, the electronics are hand-soldered before the instruments are hand set up in the Californian facility.
In their own words, EBMM “build tools for artists”, and that’s a pretty accurate assessment of their modus operandi: however beautiful they are - and they are - each decision is made in order to provide the best, most effective equipment to players everywhere.
The MusicMan StingRay
As I said earlier, this blog is focussing on some of the gorgeous new Music Man basses we’ve received in our stores recently. The StingRay is, to many musicians, what put Music Man on the map as a brand. The StingRay was designed by Leo Fender, Tom Walker and Sterling Ball and has been in constant production since its debut, back in 1976.
It’s a very distinctive bass: in addition to the rounded double cutaway body, the typical StingRay has the following trademark features:
- Single bridge humbucker pickup at the bridge position
- Circular pickguard
- Headstock tuners are arranged as ‘3&1’: three on the top of the headstock and one underneath, for weight distribution and balance.
- A metal control panel with three or four control knobs, depending on model.
Fretless and 5 string models exist too, and so there are some variations on those features here and there. Also, some StingRays do have two pickups these days, though the classic style is for a single ‘bucker.
The Music Man StingRay was an instant success. Interestingly, players from all genres and styles too to the powerful, punchy sound produced by the StingRay’s potent combination of humbucker and active electronics. Here’s a brief list of some prominent StingRay users…
- Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
- Justin Chancellor (Tool)
- Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie)
- Bernard Edwards (Chic)
- Tim Commerford (Rage Against the Machine)
- Louis Johnson (Michael Jackson)
- Joe Lally (Fugazi)
- Kim Deal (Pixies)
- Pino Palladino (everybody)
- Cliff Williams (AC/DC)
- John Deacon (Queen)
- Phoenix (Linkin Park)
- Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy)
And of course there’s Tony Levin, the King Crimson legend and session ace. He’s played with everybody from Kate Bush to Tom Waits, and he’s been a very visible Music Man user for decades. In fact, why don’t we check in right now with the great man himself…
So, that was some of the artists. Now, we’ve had some pretty incredible basses show up recently, so without further ado, here are some of my personal favourites…
StingRay Special
I have two StingRay Special basses here for you today (well, three actually, if you count the 5 string I’ve included later), and it’s a very popular style of bass. The main differential between a ‘standard’ StingRay and a StingRay Special is the reduced weight of the bass. The body has been subtly resculpted to shave off a little weight, and parts such as the tuners and pickup have been redesigned to be lighter in weight.
First of all, check out this flabbergasting StingRay Special in ‘Jackpot’: how gorgeous is this?
Black and gold is a combo that is always going to work for me. From the Gibson Les Paul Custom onwards, it’s just one of those classic combinations, and this StingRay wears it brilliantly. This lovely example has a full-on 3 band active EQ, which requires 18v of power. This allows extra clean headroom to the sound of the special neodymium pickup, so there’s a real high-fidelity sound with a wide range.
The other StingRay I’d love to show you today is this amazing StingRay Special in Candyman. How cool is the white pickup against the red Candyman finish and ‘torty’ guard?
This StingRay has those refined contours and lighter weight hardware, so busy gigging players who need a powerful, versatile tone for long gigs will be well served.
Music Man Dark Ray 4 Dark Rainbow
Here’s another dazzling one: the Music Man Dark Ray 4. Now, that excellent sparkly finish is called Dark Rainbow, but that’s not why the bass is called a ‘Dark Ray’. No, it’s actually referring to a collaboration between Music Man and Darkglass Electronics, one of the world’s leaders at bass specific technology.
On the Dark Ray, this collab manifests as a custom 2- band EQ which has three modes onboard: clean, Alpha and Omega, which are distortion and fuzz circuits respectively.
A StingRay with built-in distortion? Yes please!
Music Man StingRay Special 5 Pueblo Pink
Finally, here’s a 5 string model that is ticking all the boxes for me! You can quickly tell a 5 string model from the bigger pickguard, which encapsulates the control panel: on 4 string models, this is a separate metal strip for the controls.
This Music Man StingRay Special 5 string shares the same 3 band active EQ, we saw a second ago. I think you’ll hear the benefits of that extra clarity when you’re playing those low down notes on the B string!
All of that low B punch from a top tier American-made bass that is easy on the shoulder and back? I’ll take that!
It’s a Classic for a Reason
The Music Man StingRay can legitimately lay claim to being one of THE great bass guitars. It offers something the two Fenders don’t, and has proven to be a versatile hit with musicians for decades. It’s distinctive and good looking, with a feel and sound that’s all its own. Tons of famous players swear by it.
What else is required for classic status?
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