StingRay Bass Buying Guide

Since 1976 the StingRay bass has served as the gold standard of active electronic basses. With its famously punchy sound the StingRay defined the sound of slap bass that began exploding in funk and rock music in the mid-to-late-70’s onward. Over the course of its life the StingRay has become the soul of a whole line of basses with different electronics, woods, and configurations, some of which may seem difficult to sort out to the uninitiated. So we created this buying guide to help you choose what StingRay is right for you:

The StingRay:

This is the bass that started it all. Originally designed by Leo Fender and one of his closest collaborators Tom Walker, and beta tested by Sterling Ball, the StingRay bass features a uniquely powerful bridge position humbucker pickup, a 3-band EQ, an ash body, and a maple neck that is available with either maple or rosewood fingerboard. In single humbucker format StingRay Basses also have the option to come in a 2-band EQ variety. The StingRay is also one of the few EBMM basses that is available in left handed configuration (single humbucker 3-band EQ only)

Buy this if:

You love slap bass, comfortable bodies with iconic looks, superior craftsmanship, and the history of the first production active electronics bass.

Stingray HS/HH:

For years and years StingRay fans clamored for a bass offering with multiple pickups, so in 2005 the StingRay HS and HH models answered the long standing demands of bass players. Not only did these basses offer new tonal varieties due to the extra pickup, but EBMM offered unique switching capabilities not usually found on two humbucker basses such as coil split single coil sounds.

Buy this if:

You are a fan of StingRay Basses but require extra tonal versatility from neck position pickups.

Stingray Classic:

The Stingray Classic series took everything that people loved about the first production StingRay basses from the 70’s through the early 80’s. They feature strings through the body construction, a 2-band EQ similar to those found on first run StingRays which still allows for a versatile range of tone sculpting. The Classic series Stingray features a lacquered neck, a 6-bolt neck, and small profile nickel frets.

Buy this if:

You love everything about the StingRay but want extra resonance and sustain, and excellent upper fret access.

StingRay Neck Through:

The StingRay Neck Through design takes all of the great tone of the standard StingRay and pushes it further with the added sustain and upper fret access of a neck through design. Rather than following the set tradition of bolting a neck onto a body blank as StingRays had been designed since the beginning, the Stingray Neck Through takes a whole instrument length neck piece that runs from the top of the headstock all the way to the end of the body, and has two Ash wings that are affixed to the sides to complete the body shape.

Buy this if:

You want the comfort of enhanced upper fret access as well as limitless sustain, all in a visually pleasing package that provides potent punch.

Old Smoothie:

If you’re looking for a piece of StingRay history look no further. The StingRay 40th Anniversary model AKA “Old Smoothie” is a meticulous reproduction of the eponymous bass given to Sterling Ball by Leo Fender. Old Smoothie was the 26th prototype model of the StingRay that was being beta tested by Sterling at the time. Initially the StingRay was far too hot for most amps to handle, so in pragmatic Leo Fender fashion he decided to create a 10 pole humbucker that would set the magnets between the strings rather than underneath the strings. That bass became known as Old Smoothie, now 40+ years later EBMM is paying homage to the bass that started it all by providing a reproduction model as a way for the fans to get their hands on thee Old Smoothie.

Buy this if:

You want to go back to the bass that started it all. Old Smoothie’s unique 10 pole humbucker provides its namesake smooth sound and houses construction elements like the original “skunk stripe” neck and truss rod design, strings through the body, and a mute kit equipped bridge.

The StingRay bass has become the basis for a host of other instruments that either take from its history or move it forward into the future. The best players play StingRay basses, find yours today.

StingRay Bass Technical Specs and Comparison: