Got mine today and have had a good play of it. First impressions- I got lucky with the wood grain, it’s flamey and very pretty BUT it’s heavy as hell. Like an old Warwick. At least that means it has tonnes of sustain and no neck dive I guess. Fretwork is perfect. Like Sadowsky levels of perfect. As is the neck pocket and just overall attention to detail. Astonished. Pickup is really hot but rolling off volume gives a nice tonal dimension. Sounds lovely, not too much midrange and I suspect it’ll cut well. Negatives. As I said my one is not light and the volume knob is ugly and poorly made. The black line is patchy and looks like it was drawn in by a 3 year old. Overall. Feels more like a custom shop than an import bass. Just played it back to back with my Sadowsky Masterbuilt and my Fender CS Jazz and it’s not a joke at all. I sold my full fat US stingray as I didn’t like it much. This is much nicer at 1/15th the cost.🤯
During a live-stream in May, Joe and Jack said if they do another Sterling Artists Series, will most likely be on the Dart 2........Therefore if you didn't order this in May, you will need to hit Reverb or Ebay!!
When i got mine, for some reason the pickup on the g side was almost completely unscrewed to the point it would buzz on the magnets. After screwing it down id say all it needs it a good setup to get it how i like personally plus a new knob lol
I honestly don't get the hype and price of this instrument. Beside Joe Dart's name being attached to it, it doesn't offer much for this price. If you look at Ray4 which is about same price, you get a whole lot more instrument. This Joe Dart model is just stripped Ray 4. They didn't even bother to put the nicer SBMM bridge on it.
Except not. It’s a passive sub series Sterling.. just because it says it’s not a sub doesn’t mean the components aren’t almost identical. Joke is on who bought these plus the $100+ shipping…
Bridge and tuners are likely the same. The neck is reshaped and has a five bolt join so not the same and the body is clearly different. So no, it’s not just a re-badged sub at all. At 1/9th of the cost of my last Fender including shipping I’m pretty sure it’ll be a fun thing to own and the joke is very much not on me. But I’m sure I can sell it at a profit if I don’t like it.
Value is entirely subjective. You are definitely entitled to spend your money differently. For me, this feels and plays different than a typical Sterling bass. I didn’t buy this bass as a replacement for my Fender J-bass, I bought it as a fun, no frills bass that I can just plug and play with that feels good. For $400 + shipping, that’s a steal for me. But your opinion is valid.
My main a Sadowsky J that is more expensive of a bass than you’ll ever pay for, (go look) and I’m excited for mine! Did you get one too or are you butthurt?
It was $25 shipping. 😂 And yes, it does have the sub series bridge, but they really did do a great job with this release. The neck feels incredible. I’ve had a few people play mine and cannot believe it was only $400. It punches way above that price point.
Got mine today and have had a good play of it. First impressions- I got lucky with the wood grain, it’s flamey and very pretty BUT it’s heavy as hell. Like an old Warwick. At least that means it has tonnes of sustain and no neck dive I guess.
Fretwork is perfect. Like Sadowsky levels of perfect. As is the neck pocket and just overall attention to detail. Astonished.
Pickup is really hot but rolling off volume gives a nice tonal dimension. Sounds lovely, not too much midrange and I suspect it’ll cut well.
Negatives. As I said my one is not light and the volume knob is ugly and poorly made. The black line is patchy and looks like it was drawn in by a 3 year old.
Overall. Feels more like a custom shop than an import bass. Just played it back to back with my Sadowsky Masterbuilt and my Fender CS Jazz and it’s not a joke at all.
I sold my full fat US stingray as I didn’t like it much. This is much nicer at 1/15th the cost.🤯
Great review thanks for sharing!
Ha ! Finally a review for this beauty. Got mine this week and love it ! So good for that price
Great vid! Enjoyed watching and im glad you are also having a great time with it
Great review. Looking forward to ordering one when they’re available again
THANK YOU for doing non funk music. Mine arrives today and I am excited to play around with it and play some cool tunes with it.
Missed this limited run. Hope some of these will start popping up in Reverb soon :)
During a live-stream in May, Joe and Jack said if they do another Sterling Artists Series, will most likely be on the Dart 2........Therefore if you didn't order this in May, you will need to hit Reverb or Ebay!!
When i got mine, for some reason the pickup on the g side was almost completely unscrewed to the point it would buzz on the magnets. After screwing it down id say all it needs it a good setup to get it how i like personally plus a new knob lol
Hearing bothing but great things about this bass, can't wait until I get mine!
Roughly 4000 were ordered , so there should be a healthy amount on the secondary market in a year or so, probably at a bit of a mark up.
My #8300 is on its way. I think they stopped at 9k
@ live number on their site is 4722 🤷♂️
I'm #9696
@@virginia.malone nice, I’m kicking myself for not jumping in
Does the fretboard have side markers?
Cant wait for mine, been a long 6 months.
It does!
@@soundlearn Thanks Bro!
God I can't wait for mine
Shipping price was a sad dealbreaker. They asked +$300 to send it over the pond, lol
That’s a shame. I hope they do a proper run with better international shipping options.
I just wonder where they shipped them from. US or Indonesia where they were made.
Can someone please tell me what song that intro bassline is from ?
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
More. Anything. Think
looks real good - other than that stupid knob
I honestly don't get the hype and price of this instrument. Beside Joe Dart's name being attached to it, it doesn't offer much for this price. If you look at Ray4 which is about same price, you get a whole lot more instrument. This Joe Dart model is just stripped Ray 4. They didn't even bother to put the nicer SBMM bridge on it.
it’s the simplicity that makes it so good, the pickup sounds great
Yeah I agree. The bridge on this bass looks cheap and oversized
Id rather grab a Fender Squire Jazz Bass for under $400
Good
Why?
@@gazell3s For the tone and im kinda partial to the Jazz neck, slim,fast and comfortable. The jazz is more versatile.
Except not. It’s a passive sub series Sterling.. just because it says it’s not a sub doesn’t mean the components aren’t almost identical. Joke is on who bought these plus the $100+ shipping…
Bridge and tuners are likely the same. The neck is reshaped and has a five bolt join so not the same and the body is clearly different. So no, it’s not just a re-badged sub at all. At 1/9th of the cost of my last Fender including shipping I’m pretty sure it’ll be a fun thing to own and the joke is very much not on me.
But I’m sure I can sell it at a profit if I don’t like it.
Value is entirely subjective. You are definitely entitled to spend your money differently. For me, this feels and plays different than a typical Sterling bass. I didn’t buy this bass as a replacement for my Fender J-bass, I bought it as a fun, no frills bass that I can just plug and play with that feels good. For $400 + shipping, that’s a steal for me. But your opinion is valid.
My main a Sadowsky J that is more expensive of a bass than you’ll ever pay for, (go look) and I’m excited for mine! Did you get one too or are you butthurt?
@ snap. My main 5 string bass is a Sadowsky Masterbuilt. Number 20 of 40 from last year. Still excited about my Joe Dart Sterling.
It was $25 shipping. 😂
And yes, it does have the sub series bridge, but they really did do a great job with this release. The neck feels incredible. I’ve had a few people play mine and cannot believe it was only $400. It punches way above that price point.