I remember seeing a musicman in the pawn shop 12 years ago for 150$ went home put some cash together and next day was gone 😢😂 too good to. be true i guess
I am 42 and finally starting out myself for hobby reasons, something I always wanted to get into. Time to go set my new one up and practice! Here is to learning new stuff at any age :D
I bought the original SUB, in 2005, for $800. Best investment I ever made. It's a complete funk machine. I'm from the Bernard Edwards and Louis Johnson days, so I love the MusicMan. That SUB Ray sounds good for the price.
I bought the Walnut stain satin finish version and after setup absolutely Blown Away cannot believe how great this bass is!!!! I'm so impressed I just bought the five string HH version because I prefer playing 6 string but they don't make a 6.
I've got one (same colour) and I love it. It's lightweight but has a solid build quality. My sub sounds great (at home, in the studio or performing) playing a wide range of genres... including reggae & dub. I'm due to change the strings but nothing else. Excellent value for money!
I almost bought at SUB Series 4 string when I first started playing. They sound great, feel great, and have unique tone. For the price they’re impressive. The Humbucker is what threw me off so I didn’t pull the trigger and settled for a Fender Jazz Bass Player Series at the time. I don’t regret my purchase but I think if I knew more information about the SUB’s i would of got a SUB bass instead! Great review bro!
Pro guitarist/bassist here. I got one of these on sale for $279 to take to smaller gigs where I didn’t want to risk my vintage stuff. I was blown away! Now I use it on almost every gig, unless I need a 5 string or jazz bass tones. The stock pickup had uneven levels and a thin plastic cover that made noise when you tapped it. I planned on getting a Duncan or something for it, but ran across a pickup on Amazon for $13 that had great reviews. I figured it was worth a try. I put it in, and I was blown away again! Sounds amazing, great balance, I would gladly have spent 10x as much on the same pickup. All in all, I have under $300 in the bass, and I rarely use my vintage basses now.
I had one of these before it was stolen. It is a great platform. It was the subject of many experiments, I found that changing the inbuilt preamp from the stock to a seymour duncan that I got second hand was great way to dial off the harsh/raw sound from the pickup. One of my favourite basses.
I just modded mine with a BassMods 2 band preamp. So far so good. The difference is very noticeable as far as taming the harshness from the original pre
I have the HH version of this. Amazing bass. The HH one comes wired in series by default instead of parallel like a traditional stingray and as a result positions 1, 3, and 5 are much louder than 2 and 4. I rewired mine to parallel (takes like 10min with a soldering iron) and that made all the pickup positions the same volume and it made the bridge position sound like a typical stingray.
I have this bass (black body with maple fretboard) since 2014. The neck is rock solid and fret buzz is very minimal. I changed the preamp to sterling ray 34 preamp and it kinda fix the “too hot” output it had. 😊
I got this bass before. It’s definitely good for the price, it’s worth it if your on a budget and it captures the stingray sound well. Me personally, I decided to upgrade and myself a ray34. EVEN better
I bought mine to mod. I’m mostly a jazz bass guy but always wanted a stingray and fell in love with the look and price of the Sterling blue satin bass. I just got my Seymour Duncan alnico humbucker and flatwound strings for it and will be making this bass passive as well. These additions will more cater to the styles of music I play which is country and reggae.
Great vid!. I only played this bass model at music stores and I think they sound good but those tips and upgrades will definitely make a difference. Ty Travis
I bought one used for less than $150 with the intention of modding it. I changed the pickguard as the original one was scratched and cracked. Replaced the knobs cause one was missing. Changed out the bridge with an ebay knockoff. I hated the way the original bridge looked without the string mutes. Changed the tuners to guitar monkey tuners, the original ones were a bit crunchy. Lastly, i swapped out the stock pickup for an Aguilar MM pickup. I have it tuned to BEAD. It’s a killer bass!
I have one of this, I bought it two years ago, and I love playing it, the neck is thin and very easy to move the hands over it. The pre-amp and tone controls are great.
I'm a beginner to intermediate player, who crossed over from guitar. This bass is tight on the heals of my P basses (a 50's copy and more modern copy). I found the stock pickup really hot. It was wired in series, so I rewired it to parallel, which helped it noticeably. I got a deal on a Seymour Duncan SMB-4A '70's AlNiCo. Much better for classic styles or just a warmer mellower tone. I have a three band preamp w/ push-pull series/parallel pot, but I'm in no hurry to swap it as, it sounds good as is for now. I'd like to eventually get another to put a S-D SMB-4D Ceramic in it with a three band for a '90's sound.
I purchased one of these to mod and use as a beater bass. Added a nordstrand mm4.2 pickup, nordstrand 3b-3 3-band eq preamp, and swapped the stock bridge for an Albridge bridge. Stock tuners were kinda meh--but they get the job done and I don't want to pay extra to replace them. Didn't care for the stock bridge either. Stock pickup was okay--but I know what you mean. 3b-3 volume knob has push/pull to switch between active and passive. The mid knob is push/pull to switch between 400hz and 1000hz. 400hz gives an old school 70s Stingray tone. Pickup is wired in parallel. I mostly use the 1000hz setting. Love the tone and have used it for a couple of gigs instead of my EB 2006 Stingray.
I bought a sterling 5 as a backup bass a year ago and played it a couple of times and put it in the closet, not really happy with it, but took it out last month, dropped the action and took the B off and added a high C.... I'm having trouble now putting it down 🤣🤣🤣. I think they would sell a lot more of these if they lowered the action out of the factory
ive been looking into musicman for a while but its jsut to expansive and i was very unsure about the sterlings. your video is realy good showcase and i think ill get the 5 string version of it. thank you very much for the review^^
My first bass was a Squier PJ, and I bought this Stingray several months ago. I don't have large hands and I find it more comfortable to play with its slender neck and I love the tone. It's got a much different sound than my PJ due to the humbucker and 2 band EQ. I'm not sure it's better but they are two of the best at the their similar price points. Having more than one bass just makes you wanna play more 😂 I'd say get one!
Definately an upgrade. Leo Fender had a lot to do with the stingrays. Ernie Ball's son Sterling and now Ernie Ball owns Music Man. Its just a more affordable version of a Music Man Stingray. Honestly It seems like a lot of quality you lack with Squier is not lacking from SBMM. But change the battery out first thing. I use Energizers. I play rock, hair metal and metal so I did have to adjust the action higher on the E string and of course intonation on all strings. I do have the 34 HH with the basswood body. It seems to jave a little more sustain than the ones with the johoba or whatever wood bodies and lighter. And if you aren't familiar with active basses. Never leave it plugged in. Even with an amp turned off it will drain the battery. You wont regret the purchase.
What are you talking about man, for the price its unbelievable! Sounds incredible, as good as any other bass. You are not going to get a perfect setup out the box for the price or for three times the price. Be serious.
Unfortunately I am left-handed, and the closest I can get to a stingray in my country is this bass, but in a left-handed version. I have the old version of this bass, the ones that came with the "SUB" logo in a giant letter. From the factory, the sound leaves a lot to be desired, as it sounds distorted and it's hard to control it. However, the construction is very good and the bass is very comfortable to play. I changed the preamp and pickup for a Seymour Duncan combo (pickup + preamp) and the sound improvement was incredible. Now the bass sounds with a lot of definition and is very easy to control. However, as the body is made of basswood, it doesn't have much sustain or that characteristic stingray bottom. Anyway, it is true what they say, these basses are an excellent modification platform, but I suggest not to invest a lot of money in them, a good pickup and a good preamp is enough. If you live in a country where sterling by Musicman basses are relatively cheap and easy to get, like the US, I recommend you to go directly for a ray34, as it sounds almost identical to an American stingray, considering that the latter (ray 34) is made of better wood and has better hardware in general. The ray 4 is a good option, especially if you plan to modify it, but it won't sound like an American stingray. However, a modified ray 4 is an excellent working tool, both for studio and live playing. cheers!
Great job young man! This is a ceramic pickup that can be a little harsh. There are fairly inexpensive aftermarket alnico pickups that will provide warmth and articulation (with a little lower output). As far as good "build quality", one of the less visible issues with budget instruments is the soldering of the electronics in the cavity. I've opened many up and seen wires barely attached, and some wires that had been stripped too aggressively cutting into the strands. Wouldn't be fun to be in the middle of a gig and have one of these wires pop off!
I put a Bartolini Original MM pickup in it and Ernie Ball cobalt strings... Sounds amazing! I eventually want to upgrade the preamp, but not sure which one to go with.
I love doing upgrades on My basses this is a must buy for me XD. Especially if you are lefty, this is the only model from Ernie ball that is available on left handed at this time.
I have the Sterling 35 5 string. Try getting the battery in and out without either pinching your fingers or ripping the wire out. Can't believe they couldn't pony up for easier access.
I actually have the 5 string of this bass and I love it. I have thought about switching to a Aguilar humbucker pickup. But I’m not sure. I hope to see what you do to modify.
I have the Sub Ray 5 and theEB Stingray Special. When I switch to the Ray 5, it’s way more bottom heavy. There’s a vid of me playing the EB Stingray Special in church on my channel. I can get sounds closer to a Jazz, or even a P out of the EB version.
I just bought this bass as part of a liquidation sale from Sam Ash Music Stores. I love it, I love the rich baritone sound. Only issue so far the G-string buzzes between frets 5 to 8, do you think the string action is too low.
Before you make up your mind totally, Beg Borrow, or?, A G&L L-1000 bass!! Im 78 now but have played old Fender P basses till 1981 when I discovered the G&L!!! Never looked back!!
I have the 5-string version. I like the sound, but the ends of the frets chafe the side of my index finger. So I’ll have to use some sandpaper to smooth it out.
You have no idea how well you played that Sterling MM bass. Give it a better test by going to a Music Store and get an “Ernie Ball Music Man Sting Ray Special” and play in in a good amp. This way you’ll know the sound of it and know what to look for in the cheaper ones. I’ll repeat, you played it like a MM should be played. Listen to Louis Johnson of The Brother Johnson and many of Quincy Jones productions, also Bernard Edwards of Chic ( with Nile Rodgers). They made the Music Man become a major Funk player. Love your show👍🏾
Good afternoon my good brother bass player. I have a few things 1. Great video. I always enjoy everything you put out. 2. As you know many church musicians are a little on the heavy side so your hoodies and clothing on your website could we get some 5 and 6 XL. 3. Finally maybe I missed the video but could you do a video on playing each of the modes on 5 string bass. The shapes change a little from 4 to 5
I have heard that Louis Johnson used a musicman, but put flat wind strings on it. Curious if that is true and what flatwound strings would sound like on this bass.
I've got this bass in a cream color. It was OK when I first got it about 20 months ago. Then, this spring, I had the action lowered and installed flat wound strings. Way better now! I enjoy playing it and people tell me they love the sound - as do I.
I need your help. I have been playing bass at my church for 6 years but I have the worship chords in fronti of me I I’m at a new church a larger church and I am rehearsing with the worship team but they want me off the paper. Any suggestions? How can I quickly transition.
Sad that its not available here in my country. Always want to try sterling bass. Still dont know what to buy for my first bass. Ray5 is my dream 1st bass
I switched out my Humbucker as soon as I got mines. Didn't like the sound. I went with the Seymour Duncan Humbucker. What a difference. I'm debating on whether I should upgrade the Eq. I really don't need to, but I'm just curious about, (Can I get this thing to sound even better?)
No joke, i considered to buy a ray34 or a original musicman. But when i played first time a Sterling and Musicman, it felt bad for me, because the width of the saddle is not the right thing for me. Advantage to this bass, the saddle is less wide, and in my opinion the playing is better with it. Maybe, because i am used to Fender. But i am going for the SUB not the Ray or even the Musicman....
Yo bro that bass sounds good. Also try out The standard Music Man StingRay bass sounds and feels great and needs no mods in my honest opinion. It's about a couple hundred more but it's worth it. Those things sound really good straight out of the box. The Sub model is like the lowest quality base model of MusicMan basses. But still are good basses
Signed up for emails. This is an amazing sounding bass but I've seen people swap the pickup for one with a whole new preamp. Might want to check out lowend lobsters content and build series he's done on this style of bass.
I love the musicman-ish tone. I hate that color, I don't do pastel color instruments 🤮 but I have the same bass in a flat sunburst type finish and it was my first 4 string after being a 5 string only player for over 20 years and I love that little thing. The pickup isn't even, the G string is way too hot and could use some fixing at for $150 on sale I love that little thing. More comfortable to play than the Ray34 I bought about a year later. Best beginner bass out there. Period.
There’s no such thing as a beginner bass. Whoever told you that was mental. Also, to each their own. I dislike sunburst finishes on basses and love pastel coloured basses. I have this bass in translucent blue.
Tone is subjective... but a aside from the price, a bit odd to me to recommend a bass that "id prob recommend completely swapping out the electronics so it sounds good cause i dont like humbuckers", isn't the sound an instrument makes kinda the most important part lol?! Also, a little surprising to mention that this is probbably not suitable for funk considering the stringray is probbably the most associated with Funk players and Slapbass.
I’ve owned dozens of basses over the years, from $200 to $5,000 and this ranks near the top. Definitely the best bang for your buck, IMO of course.
They are more consistent in feel and sound than an actual Music Man Stingray which I've been able to play quite a few.
I agree. I have a Sterling Ray34 and it’s absolutely outstanding.
I remember seeing a musicman in the pawn shop 12 years ago for 150$ went home put some cash together and next day was gone 😢😂 too good to. be true i guess
I agree I have 2 rays 4s and 1 ray 1 and I have have rhe ray 34 and an american musicman stingray classic and I s5ill play me ray 4s
Ray5*
I picked this up as a burner bass to leave at my rehearsal space. It's fun to play and does the job!
Thx for sharing, im 60+ and just bought the Ray 4HH. Brand New to playing, cabt wait to FUNK !!!
I am 42 and finally starting out myself for hobby reasons, something I always wanted to get into. Time to go set my new one up and practice! Here is to learning new stuff at any age :D
The Sterling by Music Man basses are an incredible bargain for the money!!! I'm a sucker for the humbucker tone! Never gets lost in the mix!
I bought the original SUB, in 2005, for $800. Best investment I ever made. It's a complete funk machine. I'm from the Bernard Edwards and Louis Johnson days, so I love the MusicMan. That SUB Ray sounds good for the price.
Same here, will never ever get rid of mine.
I bought the Walnut stain satin finish version and after setup absolutely Blown Away cannot believe how great this bass is!!!! I'm so impressed I just bought the five string HH version because I prefer playing 6 string but they don't make a 6.
I've got one (same colour) and I love it. It's lightweight but has a solid build quality. My sub sounds great (at home, in the studio or performing) playing a wide range of genres... including reggae & dub. I'm due to change the strings but nothing else. Excellent value for money!
which strings do you play?
@@annieblu2048 Ernie Ball Roundwound 45, 65, 80, 100 gauge. They sound bright & punchy!
This is my only bass - got it on sale last year for $249 and I LOVE IT! Only thing I've done so far is put on good strings and strap locks.
aguilar pickup replacement and itll be your favorite bass forever!
@@bennettwatson6350 I went with a Duncan SMB4 Alnico but the Aguilars are very popular upgrades for these.
@@bennettwatson6350seriously, I just saw a demo of an Aguilar Pick up with the stock preamp and man oh man there is no need for a preamp swap.
I almost bought at SUB Series 4 string when I first started playing. They sound great, feel great, and have unique tone. For the price they’re impressive. The Humbucker is what threw me off so I didn’t pull the trigger and settled for a Fender Jazz Bass Player Series at the time. I don’t regret my purchase but I think if I knew more information about the SUB’s i would of got a SUB bass instead! Great review bro!
Pro guitarist/bassist here. I got one of these on sale for $279 to take to smaller gigs where I didn’t want to risk my vintage stuff. I was blown away! Now I use it on almost every gig, unless I need a 5 string or jazz bass tones.
The stock pickup had uneven levels and a thin plastic cover that made noise when you tapped it. I planned on getting a Duncan or something for it, but ran across a pickup on Amazon for $13 that had great reviews. I figured it was worth a try. I put it in, and I was blown away again! Sounds amazing, great balance, I would gladly have spent 10x as much on the same pickup.
All in all, I have under $300 in the bass, and I rarely use my vintage basses now.
Matt, what kind of pickup is that one you're mentioning? What's the name? Thanks
@@yurii_chynchyk It's labeled as "BQLZR Noiseless Good Balance 4 String Bass Pickup".
I had one of these before it was stolen. It is a great platform. It was the subject of many experiments, I found that changing the inbuilt preamp from the stock to a seymour duncan that I got second hand was great way to dial off the harsh/raw sound from the pickup. One of my favourite basses.
I just modded mine with a BassMods 2 band preamp. So far so good. The difference is very noticeable as far as taming the harshness from the original pre
Great video! Excited to see what you're going to mod it with
I have the HH version of this. Amazing bass. The HH one comes wired in series by default instead of parallel like a traditional stingray and as a result positions 1, 3, and 5 are much louder than 2 and 4. I rewired mine to parallel (takes like 10min with a soldering iron) and that made all the pickup positions the same volume and it made the bridge position sound like a typical stingray.
Thanks, great video. I upgraded my Ray4 with Aguilar preamp and pickup. It sounds great, and plays as well as my 2009 Ball Family Reserve Sting Ray.
I upgraded with same pickup. Do you think the preamp is a must as well?
I upgraded mine With a EMG MMHz pickup and a Bqc preamp I love this bass!!!
The stingray was the go to bass sound in 80's R&B also gospel.. Fred Hammond used his on many commissioned songs.
I have this bass (black body with maple fretboard) since 2014. The neck is rock solid and fret buzz is very minimal. I changed the preamp to sterling ray 34 preamp and it kinda fix the “too hot” output it had. 😊
That bass sounds great for the price and also your finger tones / expression makes it sound more fire.
Let’s get our man Travis up to 200k subs!! He brings great content!
I got this bass before. It’s definitely good for the price, it’s worth it if your on a budget and it captures the stingray sound well. Me personally, I decided to upgrade and myself a ray34. EVEN better
For my next bass I am really digging this color!
I bought mine to mod. I’m mostly a jazz bass guy but always wanted a stingray and fell in love with the look and price of the Sterling blue satin bass. I just got my Seymour Duncan alnico humbucker and flatwound strings for it and will be making this bass passive as well. These additions will more cater to the styles of music I play which is country and reggae.
Great vid!. I only played this bass model at music stores and I think they sound good but those tips and upgrades will definitely make a difference. Ty Travis
Got my music man stingray back in 2018 absolutely love it took a while to pay off but so damn worth it!!!!
I own a sterling ray34 it sounds so beautiful.
Just put a low B string. Cant wait to see how it sounds
I bought one used for less than $150 with the intention of modding it. I changed the pickguard as the original one was scratched and cracked. Replaced the knobs cause one was missing. Changed out the bridge with an ebay knockoff. I hated the way the original bridge looked without the string mutes. Changed the tuners to guitar monkey tuners, the original ones were a bit crunchy. Lastly, i swapped out the stock pickup for an Aguilar MM pickup. I have it tuned to BEAD. It’s a killer bass!
This is my daily driver. Im gonna upgrade the pickup, but as a lefty, its a great mod platform to get a bass I normally cant afford.
I'm a lefty too. Im a beginner and I'm between this and the Squier J bass to purchase.
I’m a lefty also but, I play a right handed bass. Keanu Reeves does the same thing.
I have one of this, I bought it two years ago, and I love playing it, the neck is thin and very easy to move the hands over it. The pre-amp and tone controls are great.
Joe Dart made me want a stingray and I am so glad I found this bass!!
Thanks Travis. You helped make my decision👍🏿 I love❤️ that sound.
I'm a beginner to intermediate player, who crossed over from guitar. This bass is tight on the heals of my P basses (a 50's copy and more modern copy). I found the stock pickup really hot. It was wired in series, so I rewired it to parallel, which helped it noticeably.
I got a deal on a Seymour Duncan SMB-4A '70's AlNiCo. Much better for classic styles or just a warmer mellower tone. I have a three band preamp w/ push-pull series/parallel pot, but I'm in no hurry to swap it as, it sounds good as is for now.
I'd like to eventually get another to put a S-D SMB-4D Ceramic in it with a three band for a '90's sound.
I was worried the stingray wouldnt be able to get a nice warm mellow tone (the one you described), does a pickup swap really make a big difference ?
@@eneribackwards Yes, it's much warmer and more controlled than the stock ceramic.
I purchased one of these to mod and use as a beater bass. Added a nordstrand mm4.2 pickup, nordstrand 3b-3 3-band eq preamp, and swapped the stock bridge for an Albridge bridge. Stock tuners were kinda meh--but they get the job done and I don't want to pay extra to replace them. Didn't care for the stock bridge either. Stock pickup was okay--but I know what you mean. 3b-3 volume knob has push/pull to switch between active and passive. The mid knob is push/pull to switch between 400hz and 1000hz. 400hz gives an old school 70s Stingray tone. Pickup is wired in parallel. I mostly use the 1000hz setting. Love the tone and have used it for a couple of gigs instead of my EB 2006 Stingray.
I bought a sterling 5 as a backup bass a year ago and played it a couple of times and put it in the closet, not really happy with it, but took it out last month, dropped the action and took the B off and added a high C.... I'm having trouble now putting it down 🤣🤣🤣. I think they would sell a lot more of these if they lowered the action out of the factory
I got the 5-string version and I love it! I play a lot of rock as well as other styles of musicl so it works well for my sound.
ive been looking into musicman for a while but its jsut to expansive and i was very unsure about the sterlings. your video is realy good showcase and i think ill get the 5 string version of it. thank you very much for the review^^
I currently have a squire PJ bass, is this a upgrade from my current one? Thank you, sending love from the Philippines! ❤
My first bass was a Squier PJ, and I bought this Stingray several months ago. I don't have large hands and I find it more comfortable to play with its slender neck and I love the tone. It's got a much different sound than my PJ due to the humbucker and 2 band EQ. I'm not sure it's better but they are two of the best at the their similar price points. Having more than one bass just makes you wanna play more 😂 I'd say get one!
Definately an upgrade. Leo Fender had a lot to do with the stingrays. Ernie Ball's son Sterling and now Ernie Ball owns Music Man. Its just a more affordable version of a Music Man Stingray.
Honestly It seems like a lot of quality you lack with Squier is not lacking from SBMM. But change the battery out first thing. I use Energizers. I play rock, hair metal and metal so I did have to adjust the action higher on the E string and of course intonation on all strings.
I do have the 34 HH with the basswood body. It seems to jave a little more sustain than the ones with the johoba or whatever wood bodies and lighter.
And if you aren't familiar with active basses. Never leave it plugged in. Even with an amp turned off it will drain the battery.
You wont regret the purchase.
Love the way you play my friend! Lord bless you always!
What are you talking about man, for the price its unbelievable! Sounds incredible, as good as any other bass. You are not going to get a perfect setup out the box for the price or for three times the price. Be serious.
You make that bass great!!
Unfortunately I am left-handed, and the closest I can get to a stingray in my country is this bass, but in a left-handed version. I have the old version of this bass, the ones that came with the "SUB" logo in a giant letter. From the factory, the sound leaves a lot to be desired, as it sounds distorted and it's hard to control it. However, the construction is very good and the bass is very comfortable to play. I changed the preamp and pickup for a Seymour Duncan combo (pickup + preamp) and the sound improvement was incredible. Now the bass sounds with a lot of definition and is very easy to control. However, as the body is made of basswood, it doesn't have much sustain or that characteristic stingray bottom. Anyway, it is true what they say, these basses are an excellent modification platform, but I suggest not to invest a lot of money in them, a good pickup and a good preamp is enough. If you live in a country where sterling by Musicman basses are relatively cheap and easy to get, like the US, I recommend you to go directly for a ray34, as it sounds almost identical to an American stingray, considering that the latter (ray 34) is made of better wood and has better hardware in general. The ray 4 is a good option, especially if you plan to modify it, but it won't sound like an American stingray. However, a modified ray 4 is an excellent working tool, both for studio and live playing. cheers!
A guy said he swapped the cheap saddles for some brass one's and it really improved the sustain
Probably, but, according to my experience, sustain depends a lot on the wood, and basswood is a very soft wood.@@1thess523
Great job young man! This is a ceramic pickup that can be a little harsh. There are fairly inexpensive aftermarket alnico pickups that will provide warmth and articulation (with a little lower output). As far as good "build quality", one of the less visible issues with budget instruments is the soldering of the electronics in the cavity. I've opened many up and seen wires barely attached, and some wires that had been stripped too aggressively cutting into the strands. Wouldn't be fun to be in the middle of a gig and have one of these wires pop off!
I bought the 5 string cream colored one. I love it.
Def gonna get one of these while I save up for my dream 5 string bass
I have a Ray 34HH, has two humbuckers. I like it, I don't love it. The tone is definitely "boomy". Solid instrument.
That bass line that you played at 6:00 is fire though!
BTW the pickup is a bartolini with an Ibanez preamp. Love the tone considered a new preamp but don't want to mess it up. Mine sounds amazing!!!
I installed a EMG pickup and preamp- Awsome!
You make it sound awesome man!
I put a Bartolini Original MM pickup in it and Ernie Ball cobalt strings... Sounds amazing! I eventually want to upgrade the preamp, but not sure which one to go with.
I love doing upgrades on My basses this is a must buy for me XD. Especially if you are lefty, this is the only model from Ernie ball that is available on left handed at this time.
Sounds incredible. I don't know what you don't like about the tone? I guess it's distinct and if it's not what you want it's not what you want.
I have the Sterling 35 5 string. Try getting the battery in and out without either pinching your fingers or ripping the wire out. Can't believe they couldn't pony up for easier access.
LOVE IT!,,,thank you!
Man, even with the high action you were making that thing purr.
Gosh dang I love your playing style
When is the winner vid coming?
I owned a black SUB bass and I found it to be a decent and good bass for the money.
I actually have the 5 string of this bass and I love it. I have thought about switching to a Aguilar humbucker pickup. But I’m not sure. I hope to see what you do to modify.
Havent watched the vid yet but I have the Sub stingray 5 string with 2 pickups and love it. It does all I need it to.
I've played the SUB series before, but the next version up- Sterling Ray 34, is a dark horse. Can hold with their American counterparts just fine.
I have the Sub Ray 5 and theEB Stingray Special. When I switch to the Ray 5, it’s way more bottom heavy. There’s a vid of me playing the EB Stingray Special in church on my channel. I can get sounds closer to a Jazz, or even a P out of the EB version.
Great bass for the buck. The electronics are a little edgy/aggressive! Great video as usual! 👊🏾💯
Sounds really good to me !!! Looking forward to have one of those basses !!! ✌️✌️
I just bought this bass as part of a liquidation sale from Sam Ash Music Stores. I love it, I love the rich baritone sound. Only issue so far the G-string buzzes between frets 5 to 8, do you think the string action is too low.
Great Video! I Was Wndering If You Could Do A Review On The % String Version Of The Sterling?
Before you make up your mind totally, Beg Borrow, or?, A G&L L-1000 bass!! Im 78 now but have played old Fender P basses till 1981 when I discovered the G&L!!! Never looked back!!
I have the 5-string version. I like the sound, but the ends of the frets chafe the side of my index finger. So I’ll have to use some sandpaper to smooth it out.
Hi Travis what about the sire z3? I think it can be a great bass too! By the way, great video and groove 🔝🎶 hi from 🇮🇹
You have no idea how well you played that Sterling MM bass.
Give it a better test by going to a Music Store and get an “Ernie Ball Music Man Sting Ray Special” and play in in a good amp. This way you’ll know the sound of it and know what to look for in the cheaper ones.
I’ll repeat, you played it like a MM should be played.
Listen to Louis Johnson of The Brother Johnson and many of Quincy Jones productions, also Bernard Edwards of Chic ( with Nile Rodgers). They made the Music Man become a major Funk player.
Love your show👍🏾
Good afternoon my good brother bass player. I have a few things
1. Great video. I always enjoy everything you put out.
2. As you know many church musicians are a little on the heavy side so your hoodies and clothing on your website could we get some 5 and 6 XL.
3. Finally maybe I missed the video but could you do a video on playing each of the modes on 5 string bass. The shapes change a little from 4 to 5
@travis dykes what pickups would you choose to replace the factory pickups?
To me sounds perfect
sounds like it bites pretty good to be fair :D i love it!
I have heard that Louis Johnson used a musicman, but put flat wind strings on it. Curious if that is true and what flatwound strings would sound like on this bass.
I've got this bass in a cream color. It was OK when I first got it about 20 months ago. Then, this spring, I had the action lowered and installed flat wound strings. Way better now! I enjoy playing it and people tell me they love the sound - as do I.
Had the 4 string in blue. Sold it and now I have the 5 string in this color.
I need your help. I have been playing bass at my church for 6 years but I have the worship chords in fronti of me I I’m at a new church a larger church and I am rehearsing with the worship team but they want me off the paper. Any suggestions? How can I quickly transition.
Sad that its not available here in my country. Always want to try sterling bass. Still dont know what to buy for my first bass. Ray5 is my dream 1st bass
I'll stop borrowing the bass in our church if I could get this Bass!!
Bro then how did u learn it
By borrowing everytime?
I switched out my Humbucker as soon as I got mines. Didn't like the sound. I went with the Seymour Duncan Humbucker. What a difference. I'm debating on whether I should upgrade the Eq. I really don't need to, but I'm just curious about, (Can I get this thing to sound even better?)
The tone problem is the pickup is wired in series. Wire it in parallel like Stingray basses
Hi
Do you think this bass would be fine for playing metal?
Thanks
so whats the track you play on called? i loved the bassline there :)
No joke, i considered to buy a ray34 or a original musicman. But when i played first time a Sterling and Musicman, it felt bad for me, because the width of the saddle is not the right thing for me. Advantage to this bass, the saddle is less wide, and in my opinion the playing is better with it. Maybe, because i am used to Fender. But i am going for the SUB not the Ray or even the Musicman....
My wife bought me on back in 2013. Definitely need to switch out the pickup. What would anyone suggest?
Cool looking bass, I would like to win it.
Travis, you sound great on this bass! I guess you just prefer Jazz to Stingray tone.
which strings would you recommend for this bass?
Try a Sire M2 bass next!!!! I think it’s better and more worth it than the Sterling
Hey Bro, luv your channel. Is it possible to do a vid on the riff you are playing? Much Appreciated
God Bless🙏🙏
I'm a Christian Musician. 🙏🙏
Yo bro that bass sounds good. Also try out The standard Music Man StingRay bass sounds and feels great and needs no mods in my honest opinion. It's about a couple hundred more but it's worth it. Those things sound really good straight out of the box. The Sub model is like the lowest quality base model of MusicMan basses. But still are good basses
I like mine. I put tape wounds on it and get great tone. Everything else is stock.
Never had a humbucker? Whaddya think a P pickup is?
change the pickup and tuners
Signed up for emails. This is an amazing sounding bass but I've seen people swap the pickup for one with a whole new preamp. Might want to check out lowend lobsters content and build series he's done on this style of bass.
Musicians friend has the Walnut stain satin finish for 294 right now
I love the musicman-ish tone. I hate that color, I don't do pastel color instruments 🤮 but I have the same bass in a flat sunburst type finish and it was my first 4 string after being a 5 string only player for over 20 years and I love that little thing. The pickup isn't even, the G string is way too hot and could use some fixing at for $150 on sale I love that little thing. More comfortable to play than the Ray34 I bought about a year later. Best beginner bass out there. Period.
There’s no such thing as a beginner bass. Whoever told you that was mental. Also, to each their own. I dislike sunburst finishes on basses and love pastel coloured basses. I have this bass in translucent blue.
cool bass
Nice...
Tone is subjective... but a aside from the price, a bit odd to me to recommend a bass that "id prob recommend completely swapping out the electronics so it sounds good cause i dont like humbuckers", isn't the sound an instrument makes kinda the most important part lol?! Also, a little surprising to mention that this is probbably not suitable for funk considering the stringray is probbably the most associated with Funk players and Slapbass.
I love the way mine burps.