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Music Man StingRay is an electric bass guitar by Music Man, introduced in 1976.
HistoryIn 1971, Fender employees Forrest White and Tom Walker, unhappy with the way CBS was managing the company, left their positions with Fender to start their own venture. First known as Tri-Sonic and then later Musitek, Inc., the new company eventually settled on the name of MusicMan, Inc. by 1974. The company began producing a hybrid tube-solid state amplifier co-designed by Tom Walker and Leo Fender, who was participating as a silent partner to the firm due to a "no compete" clause in the sales contract Fender had signed when he sold his original company to CBS in 1965. After the clause expired in 1975, he was made president of MusicMan, Inc., and by 1976 his consulting firm CLF Research had begun producing instruments bearing the MusicMan name.
Later advancements on the StingRay included a 5-string version (the StingRay 5), which has a 3-way toggle switch that allows the player to split the humbucking pickup's coils, and a unique truss-rod neck adjustment system that incorporated a teflon washer which made it highly resistant to rust and corrosion and made adjusting the neck of a StingRay relatively easy. In 2005, a two-pickup version of the StingRay (known as the "HH") was introduced. This version includes a 5-way switch, allowing the user to select different combinations of pickup coils and thus greatly increasing the diversity of available tones. Stingrays are generally known for 2 things - the the punch of their sound, making it very suitable for rock/funk applications and excellent for slapping, and for being of extremely high build quality. The 6-bolt neckplate is an example of this. The neck is also quite wide, especially compared to that of jazz bass-type models, as well as having the above mentioned truss-rod adjustment mechanism which means that players do not have to remove the neck to adjust the truss-rod. Notable Users
Queen's John Deacon was often seen playing a StingRay, as was Rick Wills of Foreigner. Eric Wilson of Sublime used a Music Man Sabre at several live shows and in the video for the song, "Daterape". Also, Roger Manganelli from pop-punk/ska out-fit Less Than Jake has used StingRay basses on nearly all modern recordings of the band. Tony Levin is also a very well known user of StingRays and their 5 string counterpart. He has played with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel. Paul Hinojos of the now defunct post-hardcore group At the Drive-In used a StingRay widely when the band was in its prime, and used it during the recording of their most successful album Relationship of Command. Garry Tallent of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band also played a StingRay around the Darkness On The Edge Of Town period; he later stopped using the bass due to its excessive weight (around 12 pounds). Tallent also refinished the bass in black as he found the original finish too shiny and light. Chris Farrell of various bands has used nothing but Stingrays his entire life and has been quoted as saying he has no plans ever to switch. Jon Gallant of Billy Talent, also uses this bass. Nikolai Fraiture, the bassist for the rock band The Strokes has also been seen using a StingRay at live performances. Bernard Edwards of CHIC used the StingRay bass almost exclusively; after his death in 1996, his iconic instrument was inherited by John Taylor of Duran Duran. Composer Yasunori Mitsuda has also been known to play one as attested to on his personal gear site. See also
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