Sterling by Musicman Sub basses.

[fxpedal.co.uk]

[mushers]

[quote name='fxpedal.co.uk' timestamp='1341418037' post='1718713']
Well we got ours today. First impressions? Unbelievably good. It's very rare for me to say that, particularly at the lower end of the market, but I genuinely think that these are, for the sake of SBMM's more expensive models, too good! The guitars are great, but I'll focus on the Ray. First things first, this sounds and feels like a Stingray. Despite OLP's being great basses, I never felt they had the true Stingray sound, where the Sub has it in abundance. Likewise, we sell the Vintage EST96 which is another Stingray copy at a similar price and, while it sounds good, it's not really a Stingray sound. I've compared the Sub directly against the (twice as expensive) SBMM Ray34 and there is very, very little in it. That's comparing a 2-band (Sub) against 3-band eq (Ray34) but the basic tonality is virtually identical. The neck is a delight to play. And, unexpectedly for a Stingray, the bass is exceptionally light, no doubt due to the new tone woods they've used.

Feel free to fire any questions at me. Anyone interested in trying one out, feel free to come in to the shop, or you can order over the phone as well as online:

[url="http://www.effectpowersupplies.com/sterling-by-musicman-194-c.asp"]http://www.effectpow...icman-194-c.asp[/url]
[/quote]

any idea how light ? my daughter is wanting one

and are you open on saturday i may come down pick it up hopefully with the bass chat discount

[fxpedal.co.uk]

[quote name='mushers' timestamp='1341592678' post='1721591']
any idea how light ? my daughter is wanting one

and are you open on saturday i may come down pick it up hopefully with the bass chat discount
[/quote]The shop is closed as I'm typing this so I'm not in a position to weigh the bass. Suffice to say that it's easily the lightest bass we have in stock. It's probably on a par with an Ibanez SR or similar so I'd guess at somewhere around the 7lbs mark.

Yes, we're open on Saturday and we can offer you the Basschat discount in-store.

[fxpedal.co.uk]

We've sold quite a few of these now. Any feedback?

[waynepunkdude]

Hope not, I hate feedback.

[mushers]

bought one last week very cheap feeling good sound very light but ... you can get a lot more bang for 300 notes with other basses out there

[ezbass]

I tried a SUB Ray5 the other day, my brief impression are; very light, especially for an MM and may leave to a bit of neck dive (you can't have everything); neck felt cheap but comfortable, a little rub down with some 0000 grade steel wool would improve things no end; even with the EQ set flat it had a full rich tone, more P bass than Ray which I liked. A pretty good buy for £300 in my book, but not a patch on the more expensive Ray35, which is as it should be.

[squire]

I really loved the Sub Walnut I tried at the shop the other day.
I've owned three real Stingrays and this one comes pretty close. Like 80% of the real sound. Good enough for me at this price level.

[M-Bass-M]

I bought a SUB Ray5 last week, and so far I'm impressed with it. As ezbass says, the maple neck feels fast and comfortable, but doesn't have any lacquer on it so does have a bit of a grainy feel to it. Balanced on my knee, there is some neck dive to the bass, but over my shoulder using a thick Comfort strap there were no problems at all.

The rest of the build quality seems entirely reasonable - nothing stupid such as a crooked bridge leading to badly aligned strings etc. I had to set the action, but ended up with something that was satisfactory for my playing style. The one thing I would mention is that the strings are very tightly packed together - not in a bad way, but it's my first 5 string so it takes a bit of getting used to!

I'd also echo ezbass's comments about the sound, but it's worth remembering that the SUB Ray5 is only a 2EQ model, while the Sterling Ray35 is a 3EQ model. But again, you get what you pay for.

For a £300 bass, I'm certainly satisfied

[stingrayPete1977]

I prefer the 2 EQ anyway, anyone know if it's the trusty old circuit or a new Chinese version nothing like it? Repro ones are cheap enough and might make them sound just right, also has anyone whipped a pup out to see if they are parallel wired?

[MarkG3]

Are there any video reviews of these yet?

[ezbass]

[quote name='M-Bass-M' timestamp='1342380204' post='1734093']But again, you get what you pay for.

For a £300 bass, I'm certainly satisfied
[/quote]Tone wise I reckon it sounds like something well in excess of £300, will definitely bring a smile to any of those who try or buy, I'm not surprised by your satisfaction. Enjoy.

Edited July 15, 2012 by ezbass

[mcnach]

[quote name='M-Bass-M' timestamp='1342380204' post='1734093']
I'd also echo ezbass's comments about the sound, but it's worth remembering that the SUB Ray5 is only a 2EQ model, while the Sterling Ray35 is a 3EQ model. But again, you get what you pay for.
[/quote]

More is not necessarily better. Lots of fans here of the 2EQ Stingray preamp.
Which, equally, does not mean those fans think the 3EQ is worse... it's just different, and the 2EQ sounds better to some people, including moi.

The MM Stingray 2EQ is not, contrary to what some people think, a 3EQ minus mid control. They are both voiced differently.

Any idea whether this 2EQ is the same circuit as the Stingray 2EQ? There's nothing expensive about it so it could well be, and that would be really nice

[squire]

I'm not sure if it has the same circuit as the Singray 2EQ.

The only thing i got to got from the Ernie Ball forums is;




[color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3][quote]the body woods and the level of hardware are where we saved. These will be made in the same factory, line as the SBMM premium line. We have a lot of experience "behind the scenes" and really have great relationships with the best parts makers and suppliers.[/quote][/size][/font][/color]

[color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3]I found this video, but sounds quiet rubbish(probably due to the recording). When I tried it in the store it sounded awesome.[/size][/font][/color]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3wqiv9QQ_M

Edited July 17, 2012 by squire

[Gust0o]

Sorry, was intending to order one, but we're having a restructure at work!

I might make it my "I survived this time!" present

[DanTheMusicman]

I bought the the ray34 ca in black a couple of days ago and it is just brilliant. I'm thinking of putting a review up.

[mcnach]

[quote name='squire' timestamp='1342522461' post='1736433']
I'm not sure if it has the same circuit as the Singray 2EQ.

The only thing i got to got from the Ernie Ball forums is;






[color=#333333][font=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif][size=3]I found this video, but sounds quiet rubbish(probably due to the recording). When I tried it in the store it sounded awesome.[/size][/font][/color]

[/quote]


Despite the limitations of the sound recording... it sounds pretty good!

I may be tempted after all!

[ezbass]

They sound great and a little attention to the neck would make them a solid buy.

[squire]

Another vid I found on youtube.
Sounds a bit better. Not as good as in store, but these Subs are awesome.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-v5wgeUTMX0

[quote name='DanTheMusicman' timestamp='1343468052' post='1751130']
I bought the the ray34 ca in black a couple of days ago and it is just brilliant. I'm thinking of putting a review up.
[/quote]
That would be great

Edited July 28, 2012 by squire

[rogerstodge]

Don't spose they do a lefty?

[mcnach]

[quote name='rogerstodge' timestamp='1343527876' post='1751777']
Don't spose they do a lefty?
[/quote]

there's always that mirror idea...

[rogerstodge]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1343553919' post='1751905']


there's always that mirror idea...
[/quote]Ha ha

[fxpedal.co.uk]

[quote name='fxpedal.co.uk' timestamp='1341428243' post='1718932']
There does seem (quite rightly, I suppose) to be a fair bit of interest in these basses. In view of that, I have set up a discount code on our website for Basschat members. Simply order any of the SBMM Sub basses online in the normal way here:

[url="http://www.effectpowersupplies.com/sterling-by-musicman-194-c.asp"]http://www.effectpow...icman-194-c.asp[/url]

[color=#ff0000][size=6][b]At checkout, input discount code 'BCSUB' and you will qualify for a 5% discount as well as free UK delivery[/b][/size][/color] (excluding Highlands and Islands where there is a small surcharge).

This will bring the price down to £284.05 for the 4-string and £312.55 for the 5-string. Note: there are a couple of people who have ordered already. Assuming they are on Basschat, if they can e-mail us quoting their order number, we will refund 5% back to their cards so that they have bought at the same price.

We will let this offer run for the duration of July.
[/quote]Hi guys,

Just a quick reminder that our Basschat discount for the Sterling by Musicman Sub Basses will be coming to an end at Midnight on Tuesday.

[rogerstodge]

[quote name='fxpedal.co.uk' timestamp='1343597719' post='1752625']
Hi guys,

Just a quick reminder that our Basschat discount for the Sterling by Musicman Sub Basses will be coming to an end at Midnight on Tuesday.
[/quote]leftys??

[BigJim]

One of my pupils brought one along to a lesson bought from fxpedal.co.uk (nice plug for you there Richard!) and I was bowled over how much like a Stingray it sounded and felt at a much much lower pricetag! I would put this somewhere inbetween the [size=5][b][u]OLD[/u][/b][/size] SUB (US made) and the newer Sterling Ray basses! Well put together, good quality finish, great MM tones courtesy of the 2 band eq on the bass. The tuners even felt solid and held their tuning nicely!

A 5 string might even find it's way into my collection!!!! That is, of course, depending on the weight!