New Gear: 35th Anniversary StingRay 5 Bass

On November 1st 2022, Ernie Ball Music Man will be launching the 35th Anniversary StingRay 5 bass guitar. Unveiled in 1987, the Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay 5 set the standard for the modern 5-string bass with its robust low-end, tight, punchy sound and ideal 34” scale length. This 35th Anniversary edition honors the timeless Ernie Ball Music Man design used by some of the world’s most iconic bassists, including Flea, Tony Levin, John Myung, and Phoenix of Linkin Park.

Over its 35-year history, the Music Man SR5 has undergone several signi?cant design changes. Under the leadership of Sterling Ball, the Ernie Ball Music Man R&D team have implemented industry-leading innovations that are now commonplace on most modern 4 and 5-string basses. In the latest Ernie Ball Music Man film Sterling Ball looks back on these accomplishments and discusses how they were incorporated into this Anniversary bass.

“An Anniversary bass celebrates things you do at the beginning, things you do in the middle and things you do at the end. Hopefully you can create an anniversary bass that incorporates all of these eras together… I think we got it right. I’m so proud of how this came together”.

The 35th Anniversary StingRay 5 ash body features a spalted maple top with thin maple veneer and comes standard with a Spalted Sunburst ?nish. The roasted ?gured maple neck features an ebony fretboard, copper pearlescent block inlays, and is ?nished in a high gloss for superb comfort and playability. High-output neodymium StingRay 5 pickups provide powerful low-end with a distinctive mid-range punch while the lightweight hardware delivers solid stability. Every Anniversary StingRay 5 includes a certi?cate of authenticity.

The 35th Anniversary StingRay 5 is limited to 225 instruments in a single humbucker con?guration, and 25 instruments in a double humbucker con?guration. The double humbucker is available exclusively at www.music-man.com in the Ernie Ball Music Man Vault.