Ernie Ball Music Man BFR StingRay Special HH ‘Slugger’ Bass, Roasted Flame Maple Neck, Natural

Player’s Perspective

We’re stoked to carry this awesome Ernie Ball Music Man Ball Family Reserve StingRay Special HH “Slugger” Bass! 

This bass is a modern take on a classic, yet revolutionary design. After Leo Fender’s near-death experience which caused him to sell Fender to CBS, he went to work for Music Man and paired up with the late great, Mr. Thunder Thumbs himself, Louis Johnson. Together they came up with a bass that had a more pronounced hi-mid range and treble response. It needed to growl and cut through the mix in a way that a P-bass and a J simply could not. The result was an active bass with a ton of power under the hood. Used in everything from disco, funk, and R&B to rock, punk, metal, blues, and even country, the StingRay has some killer in-your-face tone that still manages to avoid stepping on anyone else’s toes. It has tremendous resonance, incomparably tight lows and a punchy top end that’s a total knockout.

The stunning roasted flame maple neck is very comfortable and silky smooth with the hand-rubbed gunstock oil finish, which makes for a comfortable feel and a fast ride all the way up and down. As a result of the combination of resonant tonewoods, this is one of those instruments that’s put together well enough to let you feel every little vibration of every note you play.

The 2-pickup design adds even more versatility to the traditional StingRay. The 18V preamp has all of the headroom you could possibly ever need. The neodymium magnets on the new pickups provide some solid punch and higher output than the old alnico ones for better application for more modern tones. It’s all designed to give you control and sonic power right at your fingertips. The layout is easy to work with yet provides a wide variety of exceptional tones.

This axe will make a killer companion on the road and in the studio. Ernie Ball has hit a home run with this redesign of the StingRay, and when it’s from the Ball Family Reserve (BFR) collection, you know you’re getting something extra special.

Manufacturer’s Description

This special edition Stingray 5 features a lightweight ash body with a smooth satin natural finish. The oil and wax finished figured roasted maple neck with maple fingerboard is accented nicely with black block position markers and unique striped ebony wooden control knobs. Equipped with dual alnico humbucking pickups, 3-band EQ, and 5-way switch, this bass delivers all of the familiar Stingray punch along with a variety of coil voicing options. Contrary to most other SR5 basses, the traditional large pickguard has been removed, in this case, to showcase the exquisite premium grain ash. Other key features include all-black hardware and ergonomic, lightweight cloverleaf tuners.

Specifications

Body

• Model: StingRay Special HH
• Size: 13-1/2″ wide, 1-5/8″ thick, 44-7/8″ long (34.3 cm wide, 4.1 cm thick, 114.0 cm long)
• Body Wood: Ash
• Body Finish: Satin
• Body Colors: Natural

Neck

• Scale Length: 34″ (86.4 cm)
• Neck Radius: 11″ (27.9 cm)
• Headstock Size: Only 8-3/4″ (22.2 cm) long
• Frets: 22 – High profile, wide
• Neck Width: 2-1/2″ (63.5 mm) at Last Fret
• Neck Wood: Select roasted flame maple neck
• Fingerboard: Roasted Flame Maple
• Fret Markers: Block Inlay
• Neck Finish: Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
• Neck Colors: Roasted
• Neck Attachment: 5 bolt, sculpted neck joint

Hardware

• Tuning Machines: Custom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic clover design
• Bridge: Standard – Music Man® Black plated, hardened steel bridge plate with stainless steel saddles
• Knobs: custom striped ebony wooden control knobs

Electronics

• Electronic Shielding: Black plated aluminum control cover
• Controls: 3-band active preamp with 18 volts of headroom; vol, treble, mid, bass
• Switching: 5-way lever pickup selector
• Pickups: Dual Humbucking with Neodymium magnets

Misc.

• Strings: 45w-65w-80w-100w (Super Slinky Bass #2834)
• Case: Hardshell
• Instrument Weight: 7.8 lbs
• Serial #: F89431

Overall Condition

Music Store Live is proud to be an authorized dealer for Music Man. This BFR StingRay bass is 100% brand new and is being sold with a full manufacturer’s warranty. Photos are of the exact guitar you’ll receive.

Our in-house guitar tech will inspect, test, set up, and clean all of our instruments on site prior to shipping. All of our instruments are guaranteed to be fully functional upon arrival.