1982 Music Man StingRay 4H Vintage Bass Sunburst, Pre-Ernie Ball

Up for sale, a 1982 Music Man StingRay 4H in excellent, 100% percent original condition and in perfect working order, complete with a hardshell case. As the next landmark company founded by Leo Fender and George Fullerton after the sale of Fender Musical Instruments, Music Man offered an opportunity for this dynamic duo to further refine and build upon Fender's various innovations. Arguably the crown jewel of the Music Man lineup, the StingRay bass has remained largely the same since its introduction in ‘76, featuring the now iconic oval pickguard, bridge position humbucker, and active EQ (the first production four-string bass to do so).

Weighing 11lbs 10oz, this bass features an ash body and a one-piece maple neck capped by a dark rosewood fretboard, yielding a punchy, broad acoustic quality with great treble detail and midrange push. The original “8 Magnet Special Design” alnico humbucker offers growl and thick, round thump, with a wide array of tonalities achievable via the active preamp and Treble/Bass EQ knobs. This StingRay 4H benefits from a professional setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 50-105 roundwound strings, easy-playing action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

• Wood: Maple
• Shape: Slender C, measuring .810” 1st fret, .930” 12th fret
• Fretboard: Rosewood, 7 1/2” radius, dot inlay
• Frets: Medium jumbo, light wear under the D string on frets 2-4
• Scale Length: 34”
• Nut: 1 11/16” (43mm)
• Tuners: Music Man-branded

Body Specs:

• Wood: Ash
• Pickups: 8 Magnet Special Design Alnico humbucker
• Harness: Untouched solder, CTS pots date between 21st week of 1981 and 26th week of 1982
• Controls: Volume, Treble, Bass
• Hardware: Four-saddle string-through bridge with adjustable mutes, dome-top knurled knobs, control plate
• Serialization: Seven-digit B-prefix stamp on bridge base
• Plastics: Three-ply black pickguard

The gloss three-tone Sunburst finish exhibits shallow buckle wear on the back, a few tiny finish chips on the body perimeter, and various minor marks from use. The gloss on the neck profile is smooth and clean with a few shallow nicks that aren’t distracting to the palm while fretting.

A hardshell case is included.