Ernie Ball Sting Ray 30th Anniversary Reviews 
4 / 5 based on 1 reviewsSmall ensemble, usually no drums. Female singer. Old ballads and showtunes, bloozes, etc. Uusally small venue.
Ooohh, brand new, I paid about $200 LESS than the price of a plain jane base model StingRay 4 !! Thaz also a lot of the "why". I got it from GC on clearance, hanging about 2 yrs unsold [cuz they cost to much at the regular price, obviously .... ]
I usually prefer a natural finish, but this does have a crazy trans-red finish, and it's mahogany, which tends to look boring in a clear finish anywayz. OTOH, for me, the mahogany IS what this ax is all about. This is the only mahogany MM ... ever, and I do love mahogany basses.
What else is to like ? The usual incredible StingRay 3band EQ, the big tuning posts, the perfect fret job, pop-up battery chamber, oval PG, etc. My fave thing on any EBMM is the cool neck adjuster wheel.
This model was never offered with a neck PU. I spoze if it's the 30th anniversary model, well, Rays didn't have neck PUs back then. Another 30 yr old feature is the string-thru-body bridge, but it lacks a string-thru-bridge option, which I'd prefer.
The back of the neck is also deep trans red, which hides some really nicely figured maple .... and I KNOW they weren't painting necks 30 yrs ago :-/
Just like all MM for the whole 30 yrs [OK 32 right now], the E-string post is too close to the nut [just like all other Leo Fender designs].
It's really solid. 6-bolt neck joint with neck plate, heavy hardware, just like a regular MM. PU is on springs, not just a foam pad, so it's very adjustable. Nut is "compensated". Maybe overly geeky, but it's there.
Other than the "traditional" Leo-put-the-E-string-post-too-close problem, I notice that all my negative comments are personal preference, so, being as cool, and unique, as this ax is, and how it SOUNDS, I'll give it a rating of 4.
Even if the single PU is the config of 30 yrs ago, they shoulda offered an option of a neck PU. This is NOT a replica in the least. It's a special edition. No excuse. 30 yrs ago, it woulda been northern ash, truss rod access at the top, and 2-band EQ. If it had a neck PU, I'd give it a 5.
Golem rated this unit
on
2008-10-22.
