Musicman is one of the few brands that can be really be named classic in the history of the electric bass.
When Leo Fender was mistakenly diagnosed from a terminal desease, he sold his company to CBS. When he found out he was O.K. he went back to desgining and building instruments and amps and he started the Music Man Company in the early 70's. The Stingray was his first design and even though it was based on his own Precision Bass in many aspects, this new bass boasted a humbucker pickup located at the sweet spot plus active electronics. This created a completely different sound that soon became one of the most sought after. When Ernie Ball took over Musicman in the early 80's they continued the tradition and have been adding improvements and refinements here and there throughout the years while also adding new models.
This model is called Big Al and it is the bass version of British master country guitar player Albert Lee. The unusual shape proves to be very ergonomic and balanced. It is also one of the few Musicman basses to offer Passive-Active operation, Passive Tone and 4 Band EQ. lso this is one of the few basses in the market with 3 Single Coil pickips but after testing this bass we can't understand why no more brands take this approach. WE just love the sounds and the versatility.
The neck feels like a dream and the perfect fret job allows you to set a low action with no fretbuzz.
The classic Musicman truss rod adjustment system is still one of the best ideas in the industry as you can adjust the neck with just about any tool that fits into the spokewheel. Cool! There are also modern appointments such as the new compensated nut that improves tuning at the first frets.
To sum up: a solid bass that will withstand the test of time and will give you many years of joy no matter whether you play Rock, Pop, Jazz, Funk or Punk.