MusicMan Stingray vs. G&L

john.s.pfaff

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May 11, 1994, 11:24:28 PM5/11/94

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i've been waiting for something on the net in response to the
question about the similarities and differences between the
MusicMan Stingray and various G&L basses. Interesting question,
since Leo Fender was probably involved in the design of each of
them. Seems to me G&L might be a cheap way to get that Stingray
sound, without paying for the cachet of "Flea's bass". Anybody
able to compare them?

bass shopping again,
John Pfaff

Douglas M. Bachman

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May 12, 1994, 9:55:43 PM5/12/94

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I was in a band last fall that had lost their bassist to med school
before I had gotten there. He left all of his equipment with the band
including his G&L 4000 (I think it was 4000 or something like
that...I'm not familiar with them.) At the time I was playing the Aria
Pro II that I had owned and disliked ever since I started playing two
years ago. When I played his G&L it was no suprise that it sounded
better and was easier to play. By January I was finally able to buy my
dream bass -- a Music Man Stingray. SInce then I have been able to
compare the two and there is no doubt that in all aspects the Stingray
is superior. The Stingray is a cinch to play where the G&L is not
nearly as user-friendly. The sound on the Stingray is much punchier
and the neck is much faster. Plus with the 3-band EQ on the Stingray I
can drastically vary the signal coming out of the pickups, something I
was unable to do with the G&L. On top of all this the Stingray LOOKS
half a billion times better, IMHO. As you can tell I love my Stingray.

Doug Bachman

doug.b...@dartmouth.edu

Peter C. Norton

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May 13, 1994, 2:03:45 AM5/13/94

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I've said it once, I'll say it again... My G&L L-2000 is the best bass
I've ever played, sound wise. It sounds deeper, fuller then any
Stingreay I've played (and a lot have gone through Manny's while I've
watched). However, this is my opinion, so YMMV. Play both first.

An Ampeg SVT head and stack doesn't hurt, either :)

>bass shopping again,
>John Pfaff

Stephen Schmidt

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May 13, 1994, 1:13:04 AM5/13/94

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I got a chance to play a G&L 1000 today, and I own a G&L SB-1 which has
been refitted with EMG pickups. The SB-2 is the Jazzlike G&L, while
the LB-1000 is Stingraylike (single pickup with 8 big magnets). The
pickup is placed a little more towards the neck than on a Stingray.

To be honest, they both sound pretty alike, which may be a sign that
things like woods and design matter more than pickup placement and
type. I couldn't get any kind of slap tone out of it, although I
didn't try that hard. Another bassist in the store tried it also and
he got a better slap tone than I did, but still not one that he
considered satisfactory. (Using a Hartke 1400 amp, btw).
My SB-2 has a sound that, to my ears anyway, is fairly Precision-like
but the bridge pickup does let me get some more growl out of it than
you can on a Pbass. It is a little more modern sounding than a 60's
Fender but that may be the influence of the EMGs more than the bass.
I can get an OK slap tone out of it: I think a better slapper could
get a good slap tone out of it. That too may be the EMGs.

I have never heard a Stingray except for recordings, so would not
want to really comment on how close they are. I would say that I
can get a tone which is not all that different from those I know
come from Stingrays. But not the same either.

My guess would be that if you could get a G&L 2000, or the ASAT
(the one with the Tele body) they would do the best job of sounding
like a Stingray. They have two pickups, both Stingray style, and I
would think that one of them would be in the right place to get close
to the Stingray sound. Assuming the woods and so forth are not too
dissimilar.

And I _love_ my G&L bass, cheap model though it is. If anyone has
a G&L 2000 to sell for less than $500 (hah! ;) let me know...