“Punk rock should be accessible – I think it’s very cool to be somebody’s potential first bass”: Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz partners with Sterling by Music Man for its first full-scale passive bass
Spotlighting his punk roots, the Pete Wentz Artist Series StingRay is visually inspired by watches and skateboards
(Image credit: Elliot Ingham)
Pete Wentz – bassist with American rockers Fall Out Boy – has teamed up with Sterling by Music Man to create the Pete Wentz Artist Series StingRay.
Available in Black or Fiesta Red, and tailored to Wentz's exact specifications, his new signature StingRay offers fans the opportunity to wield the same bass guitar that Wentz has been playing on the Fall Out Boy ‘23/24 worldwide So Much For (Tour) Dust headline tour.
“For me, the StingRay has the best tone that we’ve had from a live show to date,” said Wentz. “On this tour, these basses come backstage, they go out – I play at front of house or I go out and play near the lawn, and they’ve held up for all that. I treat them well, but I also am who I am on stage and they’ve held up under those circumstances.”
Watch Matt Rubano take the bass for a spin in the demo video below.
As Sterling by Music Man’s first full-scale passive bass, the electronics are about as simple as it gets – sounds come by way of an Alnico V humbucker linked to straightforward master tone and volume controls.
Though it shares the StingRay’s contoured body, roasted maple neck and 3+1 headstock, the Pete Wentz Artist model differs from Ernie Ball’s fabled 4-string in numerous cosmetic details.
The hardware is black, for example, with an anodized gold pickguard. Another distinguishing feature is a custom Loon inlay on the 12th fret, described by Wentz as “beautiful, but really spooky” and inspired by summers spent in Vermont throughout his youth.
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(Image credit: Sterling by Music Man)
(Image credit: Sterling by Music Man)
(Image credit: Sterling by Music Man )
(Image credit: Sterling by Music Man )
(Image credit: Sterling by Music Man)
(Image credit: Sterling by Music Man)
“A lot of my design references were watches or skateboards, and things that I am just attracted to design-wise. I’m a very visual person. I feel like starting with simplicity and the best ingredients is the way to go.”
As part of the launch, Sterling by Music Man has teamed up with Reverb to offer 50 exclusive limited-edition Pete Wentz autographed basses.
“At the end of the day, I think that punk rock and punk rock music should be accessible,” concluded Wentz. “I think it’s very cool to be somebody’s potential first bass.”
The Pete Wentz signature bass is set to retail at $649.99.
Nick Wells was the Editor of Bass Guitar magazine from 2009 to 2011, before making strides into the world of Artist Relations with Sheldon Dingwall and Dingwall Guitars. He's also the producer of bass-centric documentaries, Walking the Changes and Beneath the Bassline, as well as Production Manager and Artist Liaison for ScottsBassLessons. In his free time, you'll find him jumping around his bedroom to Kool & The Gang while hammering the life out of his P-Bass.
