Watch this BEFORE you buy! | Sterling by Music Man Intro Series Ray 2 [Review/Demo]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
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Slight elephant in the room - Sire Z3 is £399. Can’t wait to see your review of that one 😉
My sire z3 is arriving today. I'm so excited lol
I’m super keen to try the Z3!
@bassface8580 what did you think?
Yesss, the Sire brand has even better quality control in most cases. S**t can happen of course, but more rarely than other brands.
I agree with the OP, a Jonny review of the Z3 would be excellent!
The compression provided by playing hard in to a Stingray preamp is what gives the bass it's signature tone.
For sure! Passive stingray suits a different vibe
Thanks Donny Jibble. Awesome honest review.
@@klaymeister Don Jibble is a much better name
That is a great sounding bass for $250 US! What you said about preferring the sound of the Ray2 over the Ray4 just reinforces my opinion of preferring a passive budget bass over a budget instrument with a cheap preamp.
Nice! Yeah I think they’re different flavours that excel in different ways 😀
I would have loved to have that when back in high school.
Great review! Really interesting about the price difference in the US vs the UK. $250 vs $350 pricing between the Ray2 vs Ray4 makes sense. For £50 more in the UK might as well go for the Ray4 unless you really want a passive Ray or really like the vibrant finishes.
I've always played my Ray34HH passive, just took out the battery one day and found I liked it. I can hit it harder now and not feel like it's too much
I dig this! A bit of setup work and maybe an electronics swap to more robust components would probably be necessary, but for the American list price, that's not bad. I also prefer passive basses, so this would be a nice compromise to get close to the Stingray sound without a battery. Just wish it was a better deal for my UK bass fam!
You and me both! Glad you are a fan 😀
The carousel intro just hits😆
I could imagine getting this model if it were still 1996 and it was this model available for sale at the retailer where I bought equipment in the 90s. The storekeeper sold me Epiphone’s take on the P-bass in ‘96, but sixteen-year-old me would’ve easily been persuaded to get this one for his first bass. Since we are now in the final quarter of 2024 as I comment, I doubt I would go for this one. I would probably choose a model with the active electronics and the 3-band equalizer.
It sounds like Sterling is using a linear taper pot for the tone control. An audio taper pot would work better as a tone pot.
I also find the stock ceramic SBMM pickups to be very hot. The DC resistance is relatively low, which means the ceramic magnets are very strong (high Gauss), which is why it sounded better when dialed back slightly. Rewiring the pickup from series (which it is most likely) to parallel would tame it noticeably.
A set of EB Slinkys might help too, as I've heard they come with generic strings.
Like the way it sounds. Hopefully they can get the QC sorted out.
that ampeg liquifier chorus sounds amazing. beautiful melodiy as well. is that a song or freestyling?
The amp + cab sim became the missing pre-amp. great bass
415€, so only 35 euro less than the 4? Thats stupid, especially with the sire z3 existing.
It's still different because the sterling 4 is passive
@@carlosaguilera838 the sire z3 has an active passive switch, so it can also be used without batteries
This really helped!!!
@@Collin.bass44 happy to help!
Kinda wish you would’ve done a comparison between the two. Think you just sold me on the Ray2, but with the QC issues it might be worth it to just take a Ray4 and remove the preamp
As soon as you said ampeg liquifier chorus I heard The Cure. I don't know if anyone else did but almost the bass VI part of "Push" but not exactly. What the hell was that? Is that something? Did you just make it up? I like it.
Subject of the video kinda. When I went to buy my sub ray4 there were probably 10 of them on the wall and they ALL sounded and felt different. I spent a lot of time going back and forth and it was a Christmas sale and the plain dark stained ones were $150 but didn't sound as good as the brown burst or whatever I got so I ended up not getting the one on sale and paying $350. Bastards.
It's from blink-182 song called Carousel.
Hoping they do a rerelease of the Joe Dart Sterling at some point🤞🤞
Me too! I’d get one if the shipping to the UK wasn’t £200
I would gladly spend the extra money on a Ray 4. I could even get a used one in mint condition for the same price.
Love the kit, but needs to be a lot cheaper I think,
However, spot on, honest review again Boss 👍🏻
I would agree. Thanks!
seems you had a similar experience as lobster, where the QC is a significant step down from ray4s
SBMM can bog right off - their UK/EU pricing has been nuts for a while now compared to US. Everyone else manages to get their stock here at a comparable price (even if sometimes they simply change the $ into a £), but not SBMM. I'm out.
It's one hell of a pi$$ take - seeing as if you buy it in the US it's nearly £200 cheaper
I got my Stingray used for 950€, these days the used prices are 1500-2000. A new Sterling Ray34? They're asking 1600€ for one. 1600!! Why would I even consider one, when there are 5 USA Stingrays on the listings right now for less?
I would love to know the pot values on those basses. The old 2003 USA made subs that were passive had 2 500 and a 1 meg which worked like a high cut and low cut. It definitely was different for that time. My personal experience with 1meg pots are they don’t change much till you drop them about 75-80% maybe thats what’s in your tone pot who knows sound good tho. Love the color
It sounds like it's a pretty good mod platform
.
I wonder if the Pete Wentz signature bass comes with platform shoes and eyeliner.
it does - animal print Fedora and fingerless gloves are optional
The tone with the added chorus fx is very nice, but considering the quality issues plus the nonsense price, I'll pass on this! Sorry.
Over the US, this is practically a product at the level of most Squier Affinity (nothing against them 'cause they're great for what they are) or Harley Benton entry level models, but priced at the same level of most hi-end instruments of the brands I've already mentioned. For the price, a Sire Z3 is 10.000 times better! No doubts here, Sire makes great stuff at every price level.
I have a Harley Benton MB4. It does the same thing, plus coil splitting.
I need to try one out!
Any plans to review the new Epiphone Grabber?
So far I've only seen 1 review, and that's from a store trying to sell them 😅
@@Realbreather 😇😇😇😇😇😇
@@JonnyDibble 🤯
Not sure if it was the angle, but the headstock looked massive.
My question, does it come left handed for us southpaws
No one likes us southpaw.
Wide angle lens 😊
Not meaning to moan, but are there no other, more authentic-sounding snare drum sounds in the drum computer you're playing along to? Or one that's slightly quieter! 😅
And on the topic: That 'base' sounds great from the start of your video! 🤩👍 According to some others' comments, a certain Sire bass seems to be a wiser choice, in regards to price/performance ratio!? 🙂
Hmm, are you listening through a phone or speakers? That’s a real deal snare from GGD! Hoping I can get my hands on a Z3 SOON 😊
@@JonnyDibble - I'm listening through good Technics 🎧 connected to my phone; My laptop's currently out of order, sadly 😅
It's not a biggie and most likely just personal preference, though; As a bassist and also drummer, I just perceive the snare drum to be a tad too loud and distracting from the bass = the focus of your videos.
By the way, I like your new style of demo'ing! 😉👍
Thanks for the info about the (lack of) quality control. Makes me already not want to buy it.
You should do a comparison with the Harley Benton MB-4
The UK/EU pricing is really weird. I kinda expected those to compete with the Harley Bentons and the Squier Sonic, tbh.
Nice video, though
The Joe Dart was going to cost £200 to ship 😅 It’s gotta be an import thing?
@@JonnyDibble wow, that's wild. But yeah, probably import fees and stuff.
If I were young (i used to be once) and on a very tight budget i would have bought one of these in a heartbeat. Provided it comes in black and maple. Sounds pretty good too. I was in the states a few weeks ago and wandered into a guitar shop. For between 600 to 800 dollars you can pick up a new (mexican) fender jazz or p bass. Didn't have any stingrays in store. They looked great and I didn't touch them. Well only a little bit. I am lucky enough to own a 1990 stingray which I had to hussle to buy. I once got an offer to do a straight swap for a brand new Rickenbacker 4001 in cherry red. I declined. Was I stupid? Wrong answers only.
Rics seem to be very divisive instruments from what I read online. A 4000 is still my ideal lottery win bass though lol.
This would have been my dream bass a few months ago 🤣🤣🤣 I always wanted to have a passive stingray
Before you even mentioned the price I hit google and yeah... for the amount they're charging for this bottom of the barrel bass you can pick up stuff just as good or even better for cheaper, the same price or only a couple of quid more. Daft move, if they're have made this closer to £200 here (maybe even £299) I reckon it'd have been a no-brainer.
Yeah! It must be an import thing. When I was looking at buying the Joe Dart direct from Sterling, I was put off because the postage was £200!
I've a choise of Ray2 new $237 - orf a Ray4 new $279 - which would you pick?
Out of the three, which would you recommend? The series, ray 4, or Pete Wentz?
@@TimothyDohner honestly? Probably the Wentz. In terms of overall sound and package, it’s the winner imo
In the US, $250 would be a great mod platform, and I bet there will be deals, but £350?! Naah. Roll on the Sire!!!
If you had an HH the distortion sounds better. Basses are wierd. On guitar the bridge pickups sound dirty and neckpickups give some warmth. On basses the neck pickup along with bridge pickups give you the dirt.
Stingrays are really funny with the 8 pole pickups. Basses are a little sttange anyway. Its the same with guitars too. The closer to the bridge the brighter the dound. Doesnt teally matter much on guitar where you pick. On bass it makes a hell uv a lot of difference. Cliser to the bridge on thicker strings is a lot brighter than closer to the neck.
I am surprised that QC is the issue with these. I have had a few Sterling Ray4's, and I allways thought their QC and finish was WAY ahead of other budgetbrands like Squires etc.
Most if not all Sterling Rays so far are made in Indonesia, I assume by Cortek/Cort and yes, I agree with you. The Intro is made in China, though, so most probably a different manufacturer.
@@mgr_1138 ah yeah that makes sense
The pricing in Europe completely sucks. Even when US-Price is without VAT, this surcharge is insane, esp. for entry level instruments. 250$ = 225€. 225€ plus customs 4% plus customs fee 80ct = 234,80€. Plus german VAT 19% = ~ 280€. 415€ is 48% higher! Is the distibution not interested in selling it? Let’s call it the Z3-fee.
Too less bang for the buck. Why not buying a Harley Benton MB-4 SB/K for 129/139€?
they can’t be interested in selling it, such a stupid way to price this instrument. it’s like what they did with the sterling joe dart bass, you can have it outside the US but only if you pay almost double what you would pay in the US.
@@jakestringer513yeah it was £200 shipping 😅 Hence why I passed
@@JonnyDibble don’t blame you
Carousel FTW
you forgot to tell us its weight!
AGAIN!
@@JonnyDibble it’s important in my opinion because its lighter weight could be a plus for the R2 model…the Ray4 is not so light (about 9.7lbs) for a 4 strings bass, the R2 has a lighter body wood
Can u save me some time and tell me where this guitar is made, please ?
China
@@bobt5778 thankyou . Cheers
Imagine they released a Ray 3 with a one band pre amp lol
That's would actually be interesting. Just a single knob that blends between standard passivr sound and the classic scooped preamp spund
😂
Spanish guy here. I got a G&L Tribute L2000 for 410€, second hand and in mint condition, 5 € cheaper than this bass here in europe! That should say something!
Wow nice grab.
Weird my Spanish band member also rocked a L2000 in his old band. Maybe the L2000 is a Spanish guy bass haha
He’s the guitarist in my current band though.
@@d3lt452 and what does a G&L L2000 have to do with a Stingray model bass?
they sound in a very different way!
they have different humbucker pickups and different position of the bridge humbucker…
the G&L Kiloton is the G&L model bass closer to a Stingray…
@@luigi.zanini I'm not claiming they're the same bass, I'm talking about the quality, the G&L is an active bass, with mint fit and finish, no problems in neck, pickups, playability or adjustability, and even though getting a Tribute L2000 new would cost around 600 or 800 €, compare how much you're getting for that price compared to the Ray 2 for 415 €. The Ray 2 is not a bad begginer bass, it's a pretty decent bass if you're getting it for the price it should be, 299€, not for the 415€ they're selling it to you now
@@d3lt452ah ok now I understood your point of view
The price differences between the US, UK and EU are nuts! Seems they only really want to sell them here in America. 😛 Shame about the quality control. Seems like it would be worth the risk at US $250 but not for nearly double that (when you factor in exchange rates) elsewhere.
I bought a new Ray34 on sale for $449 USD. Couldn't be happier. Hard pass on the Ray 2, there are better basses for the money.
Why would you want a preamp inside an instrument when everyone uses pedals and preamps already?
very simple: the Stingray onboard preamp frequencies are different from other preamp frequencies
That riff during the Ampeg Chorus was outstanding 👏👏👏
Subscribed
That’s blink 182
Carousel by Blink182 😀
They haven't paid me, but these two large gentlemen just out of shot.....🤕
£250 - £300 would have been a way better price point, as you mentioned the full bore version is only slightly more!!
It sounds like a stingray...
Win
I didn't need to watch further than 0:47 (but I did anyway ;-) ). I'm not sponsoring the Pooh and I support independent Taiwan so this one's right out.
Oh, and inb4 "hahaha, I wonder where was your phone made' - well, it's a Korean brand and it was made in Vietnam so yes, I do put my money where my mouth is ;-)
I would bet money most of the individual components of your Vietnamese phone are Chinese. As are the electronics in your non Chinese made basses, car, tv, household appliances, computer/laptop, etc, etc.
@@gr8avocadoin my basses? Dunno, one's an Alembic Essence 5 so I really doubt that, one's a fretless made by a Polish luthier Jarosław Bąk somewhere in the 90s so also doubtful. One's a Washburn by Status S-1000 (a cheaper Status headless without the graphite neck, basically) so nope, I don't really think so, as, back in the 80s when it was made, the Chinese didn't have a near-monopoly in electronics as they do now. I also have a Sire V7 and a Harley Benton acoustic fretless 5 so yeah, there might be quite a lot of Chinese stuff in there, especially in the Benton (it doesn't say where it was made, and the Sire was made in Indonesia - I'm pretty sure it came out the Cortec factory) but I bought all my basses used anyway so no money went into Pooh's pocket (and no social score points were awarded or deducted) ;-) I have no idea about the car (it's a Seat, they're a part of the VW group so I think it's a mixture of mostly Spanish and German parts) but I also bought it 2nd hand so just as above - none of my money went to Pooh's plans of taking over Taiwan. As for the phone - it may be so, unfortunately. But the thing is, you can minimize your impact if bringing it down to 0 is impossible (and nowadays it is). That's why I avoid stuff made in China, and when there are no other viable options, I try to buy 2nd hand (like with my GoPro or my interface). I'm not saying everyone should do as I do, it's just my thing but yeah, I believe it's in our best interest not to sponsor the Pooh and to support Taiwan's independence.
@Bassdriver get over yourself bro.
@@MichaelgoestoBitburgAre you not enjoying living with the cognitive dissonance? Really feel for you babe.
@@MichaelgoestoBitburg you're making wrong assumptions. Not the 1st time someone does that on the internet though, so it's ok.
Just a terrible bass at any price.
@ sterling Lefty Version Please
Ray4 is 399...this one I saw was 349....if I was getting a mm style I would go with the ray4....makes sense for the USA customers at $249...but this priced at £349 in UK is not worth it....ray4 will be more versatile with the active preamp
Agreed