Fluff’s Stuff: the Next-gen Signature StingRay Comes Ashore
Following the release of his shock-dropped Ernie Ball Music Man collaboration, Ryan “Fluff” Bruce’s namesake 6-string reemerges to bring the bearded garrison of gear knowledge’s tone-crafting tenacity to all, with the Sterling by Music Man Ryan “Fluff” Bruce Signature StingRay. Known on YouTube through his innovative Riffs, Beards & Gear channel, Fluff has long favored the iconic StingRay sound. This version distinguishes itself via choice nyatoh and roasted maple tonewoods, outfitted with a dyad of Seymour Duncan pickups that include both full-size and miniature humbuckers, supplying a wealth of diverse sonic-sculpting tools. Sweetwater’s gigging guitarists agree that across its tour-grade design, robust sonic supports, and methodical engineering, this signature 6-string has everything needed for superlative sound and premium performance, from first rehearsals to showtime.
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Time-tested foundations
For this iteration, the Sterling by Music Man Fluff Signature StingRay is aurally anchored to a nyatoh body, giving you a solid base of mahogany-like full-bodied balance that’s blossoming with harmonics and full of high-headroom dynamism. Both the neck and fretboard were crafted from roasted maple, supplying your sound with full-spectrum brilliance and smoldering warmth, with natural note-separating capabilities that ensure every lead, riff, and chord is voiced with resounding precision.
Full-spectrum sonic potential, from Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan has fueled myriad shades of electrified performances for decades, and this Fluff StingRay is poised to perform with prismatic panache, thanks to its set of Seymour Duncan pickups. At the bridge, the iconic and versatile JB Model TB-4 Trembucker conjures robust lows and transparent highs, with a reinforced upper-midrange EQ bump that gives depth and dimension to chords and breakdowns while endowing leads and solos with a sonorous presence that’s teeming with harmonics and sustain. The neck-mounted JB Jr. pickup offers a mini-humbucker take on its bigger bridge-mounted brother, swapping the Alnico V magnet of the full-size JB with a ceramic magnet, specially wound to invoke soaring sonics that are punchy and precise in every register.
Engineered to endure
The versatility of Fluff’s gear knowledge undergirds the diversity of his guitar-playing prowess, and this Sterling by Music Man StingRay was built to match this mélange of musicality. The fluidity of the 5-bolt Pattern joint and classic StingRay double-cut design are complemented by a 25.5-inch scale and 22 frets that sprawl a 12-inch radius. Taken together, a meticulous balance of in-hand heft and high-speed dexterity makes this StingRay a formidable choice for players of virtually any style, offering no shortage of comfort, control, and precision. For the road warriors, the roasted maple neck is pulling double duty — not only does roasted maple expand the aural aperture of the tonewood, but it also increases the wood’s dimensional stability, amplifying its resilience to twisting or warping while minimizing the trips to the workbench. Add in solid hardware and locking tuners, and the Sterling by Music Man Ryan “Fluff” Bruce Signature StingRay gives you vault-grade sonic stability and a near-endless runway for performance pyrotechnics that will elevate any 6-stringer’s setup.
Ryan “Fluff” Bruce: “YouTuber. Mix Engineer. Guitar Nerd.”
For nearly 15 years, Ryan “Fluff” Bruce has brought an indelible mix of musical humor and professional insights to an audience approaching almost a half-million YouTube followers. From early shootout-style videos comparing amps, guitars, microphones, and more to pointed industry commentary and community-focused collaborative productions, Fluff has cemented himself as a multifaceted expert of myriad studio hardware, software tools, onstage essentials, and — of course — stringed rift-crafting machines. Given Fluff’s penchant for history (e.g., his ongoing Blast from the Past YouTube series), it was only fitting that his debut 2024 signature with Ernie Ball Music Man would be one of the company’s most-celebrated silhouettes: the StingRay. Fluff’s hardtail-equipped 6-string began a trend of out-of-time design, capturing the essence of classic guitars and supercharging them with the contemporary appointments modern minds and performing players need. As a mix engineer and career YouTuber, Fluff’s knowledge and skill transcend any one category, yet, as he puts it, he’s a “guitar nerd” — the vision behind his signature models more than proves this, and Sweetwater and Ernie Ball Music Man wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sterling by Music Man Ryan "Fluff" Bruce Signature StingRay Features:
- Signature production model for YouTube guitarist Ryan “Fluff” Bruce
- Nyatoh body tethers tones to a balanced base of full-bodied presence, rich harmonics, and blossoming overtones
- Roasted maple neck and fretboard imbue your sound with warmth, brightness, and distinguished note-separating voicing
- Seymour Duncan JB Trembucker and JB Jr. mini-humbucker supply a diverse world of no-holds-barred sound shaping that cleaves through any mix with depth, dimension, and presence
- Single Volume knob ensures your tone-shaping capabilities are always operating in full force
- Use of roasted maple maximizes the dimensional stability of the neck, making it far more resistant to twisting or warping — an ideal road warrior
- Double-cutaway design and 25.5-in. scale guarantee unfettered access to all 22 frets sprawling the fingerboard’s 12-in. radius
- Rock-solid hardware and locking tuners give you vault-grade sonic stability
