The all-new Cliff Williams Icon Series StingRay Bass is the first in a collection of restricted handcrafted replicas made to seize the look, sound, and essence of iconic Music Man devices. Initially dubbed “The #1 Workhorse”, Cliff’s 1979 Stingray has been his favourite bass for greater than 40 years. Constructed to the exacting specs of his authentic, each element and attribute was fastidiously examined and addressed. Physique contours, neck carve, pickup development, and a long time of wear and tear and tear have been dutifully replicated by Music Man’s staff of grasp craftsmen. The ensuing end result is a finely crafted period-correct instrument that appears, feels, and sounds similar to Cliff’s #1 Stingray bass.
Watch as Cliff Williams walks us by means of his Icon Series StingRay.
We have been in Alberts Studios in Sydney Australia, should have been 1978-ish, when George Younger (Angus and Malcolm’s older brother) let me attempt his new Music Man StingRay Bass. I used to be used to my previous ‘64 classic P-bass and was proud of that till I came across the StingRay. The neck instantly felt comfy and the weight good, however it was the sound that acquired me hooked! I acquired my ‘79 and, other than the odd short-lived sidetrack right here and there, have performed it ever since.
Cliff Williams
So, what really goes into making one in every of these very high-end basses? In any case, the value level is so much larger than a lot of our different devices. At Ernie Ball Music Man, the arduous process at hand was capturing the whole essence of this instrument – a hundred percent. Staying true to the authentic, each nick, paint chip, and blemish was painstakingly examined and recreated by our expert staff of artisans and grasp craftsmen. Allow us to take you thru the course of immediately from our manufacturing unit flooring in San Luis Obispo, California.
Milling
The whole manufacturing course of for this distinctive instrument was engineered to match the aesthetic, really feel, and performance of Cliff Williams’ “Workhorse #1”. The 3-piece Poplar our bodies have been meticulously graded to attain the correct shade hue as soon as painted.
The hallmark entrance mineral stain was laser engraved for the excellent accent to the grain.
New previous inventory Music Man truss rod parts from the appropriate period have been put in into the necks earlier than the mild shade Walnut ‘Skunk Stripes’ have been glued in. The contours of the physique and neck are precise matches.
Paint
Nitrocellulose Lacquer is a difficult materials to deal with, apply, and misery correctly. The historical past of this paint and its various chemical composition is fascinating. It’s closely wanted in the guitar world due to its pure dwelling & respiration qualities which assist assist the resonance and pure frequencies of the guitar itself. That is additionally what makes it so unstable and liable to cracking or “checking”. There are numerous tips in the trade to assist make this paint behave together with the addition of plasticizers, varied drying methods, and so forth. After intensive testing and analysis, we ensured the paint was as true to the authentic as doable.
{Hardware}
Alongside the main chrome plated parts, Cliff’s Icon Series StingRay is full of a number of nickel-plated, metal {hardware}. This materials and plating have been commonplace throughout the period when this bass was first produced. Nonetheless, nickel-plated fasteners will not be out there with out customized orders anymore. Chrome steel is just not as unique because it as soon as was, and supplies like Zinc, Cadmium, or Black Oxide plating have change into the normal for metal fasteners. However, you received’t have the ability to acknowledge the refined distinction in hue between Nickel and Chrome plating. Relaxation assured every nut, bolt, screw, and different metallic part is appropriate and matches the authentic mannequin.
Electronics
The electronics package deal was fastidiously recreated by means of reverse engineering and quite a few listening checks. The old fashioned 2-band preamp is constructed with legacy parts now not in manufacturing to finest replicate Cliff’s precise sound.
The authentic bass has a treble knob marking on the management plate to point Cliff’s most well-liked tonal location, which we recreated by means of precise resistance measurements of the potentiometer.
The pickup meeting is comprised totally of matching period-correct parts, wire gauge, and DC resistance to the authentic mannequin. This pickup, specifically, has a considerably larger output than what was thought-about the median vary of the period through which it was created. To provide the true clone of the instrument, the management cavity of every bass is lined with copper insulating tape.
Distressing
The solely method to correctly misery or ‘relic’ one thing and to present it the most practical feel and appear is to mimic the true means of degradation. Chopping any nook to try to save time will finally lead to a tacky, synthetic look.
The physique and neck of the Cliff Williams StingRay needed to be totally painted and buffed earlier than all of the again scraping was finished by hand. The open wooden areas have been then completed with an oil paint combination to finest imitate the oils and grime current on our personal pores and skin.
The {hardware} was additionally plated all through as a standard half can be made earlier than any scuffing, plating stripping, or oxidation is launched. Every half adopted the similar primary course of that it could have skilled all through a 40+ yr Rock & Roll lifetime.
Nitrocellulose Lacquer Checking
The phenomenon of “checking” in the Ernie Ball Music Man manufacturing unit is definitely a mechanical fracture of the solids which can be left in the paint as soon as all of the solvents have evaporated. When the instrument experiences temperature variations, the wooden and the paint broaden and contract at completely different charges leading to distinctive cracks. After learning this aesthetic, one can ultimately decipher whether or not the checking is pure or finished by use of a razor blade or scalpel. The actual deal is what was chosen by Music Man, which is demonstrated under. Placing string rigidity on the instrument earlier than making use of temperature variations additionally helps the paint cracks propagate of their pure instructions.
Closing Meeting
Much like another 40+ yr previous machine, the Cliff Williams Icon Series StingRay bass has its personal customizations, upgrades, repairs, and mismatched {hardware}. The two completely different kinds of saddles, Micro-Tilt neck shim adjustment, Bullet type truss rod, 3-bolt neck plate, and previous StingRay contours can’t assist however make you’re feeling such as you’re again in the late ’70s. The setup is precisely like how Cliff Williams himself enjoys his bass, with Flatwounds, wonderful motion and a meticulously filed nut with some soul and elegance sprinkled throughout it. A part of the attract to any classic merchandise is seeing and feeling the historical past embedded inside. We perceive that and need every buyer to have this expertise with this StingRay mannequin.
You possibly can order the Cliff Williams Icon Series StingRay bass and study extra about what it has to supply on our web site right here.
