I have owned this bass for approximately 1 year. The bass has a decent sound. The B string is surprisingly good. It stays in tune, intonation is good. Its a little heavy and suffers form a dive when standing. My only real complaint is the string spacing. And its not very good for slapping, due to the pickup placement. But, you can get used to it with practice. I generally used this bass for gigs when im in a shady area and wont be too mad if it gets stolen or damaged lol!!Great budget bass and i would recommend this bass.
The dimensions are the same as the $3,000 + Ernie Ball Stiingray. But I think wood choice has a lot to do with the weight…bass wood vs. “select hard wood.”
You got a deal for $300. It's two years later and now, that same bass is $449. Even at $449 it's still a great price. Excellent review showing the different pickup settings. I'm really torn between this base and the Sire Marcus Miller V3. I tend to like rosewood fingerboards because I tend to play fingerstyle vs slap bass. The used Sub Ray5 HH bases now higher than $300. Great purchase! Getting close to making a decision on which bass. My current bass is a 1984 Ibanez MC888 Bean 4 string bass - still in great condition :)
If you can swing both basses that would be perfect, because they both have different applications, but understandably many of us can’t do that. 🥺 The HH5 is extremely versatile tho…you wouldn’t be disappointed if you only got the Sterling ☺️
I have a left-handed sub ray 4, the same model but with the old logo and 4 strings. The bass sounded distorted and it was practically impossible to get a decent EQ. I installed a Seymour Duncan SMB4DS combination, with the ceramic pickup. The improvement is amazing, it sounds like another instrument. Greetings from Chile.
@@mykemech yes my friend, the sound of the bass improves in a brutal way. With the seymour duncan combo (microphone + preamp) is enough. As these basses have a basswood body, investing a lot of money is not worth it.
I recently went to Guitar Center looking for the boss katana go and saw the Ray 4hh in Chopper blue. Came back the next day after reading about it ready to buy it if it sounded good played it for a while loved it but there was an issue with the electronics. So I started looking around found a single humbucker model Walnut stain satin finish played it for a while bought it took it home set the intonation and action and was blown away but how great this bass sounds and plays!!! I'm almost 100% sure Ibanez is making these basses in Indonesia. It has a bartolini humbucker and an Ibanez preamp. I love the four so much I ordered the bass your reviewing here. Should be here in a couple of days can't wait
Bought mine for about 350 and didn't regret it for a second, I play at my church and the timbre on this shines through in the mix especially for CCM. She is a pretty beast for sure.
Just purchased the exact same color and model at GC for $350. I had 17 guitars n basses most over $1k and this is amazing especially for the price.Might sell 1 guitar to buy the short scale with burnt maple neck.i highly recommend trying that neck.. 🤘🏻👀🤘🏻
It was about 2 years ago I bought a Sterling 5 string, single P/U. I started playing in about 1968 and then there was nothing as good as these Sterlings (or /Squiers, too) that were as of as a high quality. You really had to invest in a Fender to get a decent sound. My Sterling 5 is shockingly good for the old stuff I play. I still have my 50-odd year old Fenders but, IMO, the sounds I get from this Sterling they can are better than they can give. Wonderful instruments.
This was a very good post. I am waiting to get my Sterling Ruby Red 5HH bass in the next few days. I'm just buying it for my studio to have handy in a pinch for whoever needs to use it.
@@munkandbear2818 thanks for the advice…in most of my videos space is a real issue. My videos are recorded in a tiny office that had a desk, keyboards, a large amp and full drum kit in it, so I was very limited in where I can put my camera. I agree with looking at the camera tho…I’m kind of an introvert, so that is a problem of mine I’m still in the process of overcoming. I really appreciate the input…thank you so much for watching and commenting ☺️
I had one I loved it! I love all my stingrays!! The spacing is tighter on these than the stingray! I also had to lower the pickups to make it less hot! Them ceramics are no joke!! I personally don’t prefer the matching headstocks, I think you got a beautiful buy there!!
Thanks…a few months in with it and I still love it. I did have to make some adjustments also, the D string around the 12th fret would get a little buzz, but I adjusted the truss and raised the bridge saddle and fixed that. I also just turn the volume down about half way for the hot gain issue, because I don’t think I would be able to lower the pickups enough for how loud it is. Thanks for watching and commenting ☺️
@@Fretless33Bass My original plan was just to make a Stingray fretless (since MusicMan no longer makes fretless basses). But once I got the bass home, I liked it so much I wanted one to keep as a fretted, so I got another.
Wrong about several appointments.. the truss rod adjusting wheel .. you use the holes with a small screwdriver or Allen wrench and you can adjust it as the USA Stingray’s
Wait...... it's not a stingray? I guess i had my understanding of one wrong. Lol. It looked hella similar. What's the difference between this and a stingy? I'm curious.
It is certainly ready to play, however…for my style of playing I lowered the action at the bridge and lowered the pickups so the strings wouldn’t hit them. I also adjusted the truss rod to get rid of a little buzz I created by lowering the strings.
how has this held up? basswood bodies always fall apart on me within 2-3 years. screw holes strip and all that fun stuff, output jack, and in one case the pickguard just eventually came off. and the denting...oh god the denting, would dent just by looking at it wrong lol, anyways, im curious how this has held up for you? im really considering giving basswood another chance!
Thanks for asking…it’s only been 8 months and I only play it in my music room…all is well. I had to adjust the bridge saddle height recently because I switched to a lighter gauge string, but the bass is holding up perfectly ☺️
Higly recommend this bass. I picked one up second hand in olive green which is sadly the ugliest colour in my opinion. I filed and sandpapered that mother for 8 hours and ebonised the wood, now its the prettiest bass I own.
Bought the red ray5 hh recently and the d string is quiet compared to the other strings. Any issue with your d string being quieter. Almost like a slight compression on the d.
I am actually shocked that you would excuse the preamp distortion. That is like buying a new car, having it designed from the factory to run rough and shaking, and excusing it because you don't mind the shaking and stuttering. I can't even play mine in good music because of the distortion. I Don't think even Glarry or Hard Luck would sell something with such a terminal fault. I love everything about it except this distortion. New preamp install coming up...
I agree with what you wrote, but I wouldn’t say I excused it…if I had my way I would have purchased an actual Musicman Stingray with the award winning preamp I love. However, I did show for those of us that can’t afford a new preamp that all you need to do to deal with it is to turn the gain down. I put a mark on the bass and volume knob to remind me where the sweet spot is. I agree…a new preamp is the way to go for sure…thanks for the comment ☺️👍🏻
Whenever I buy an instrument, I always clear it with my wife. When she gives me the OK then all will be well and she's a very tolerant woman. When mama's happy everyone's happy; when mama's not happy...NOBODY'S happy. 😁
@@Fretless33Bass I like funk tone like stringray ray 4 or Ray 24ca my budget is $500 what should I go for should I buy ray 4 or Ray 24ca or any other basses but I have doubt which one best and why Ray 24 ca price high then ray 4 is any key difference
@@Bankniftysurgeon cool! I love the funk tone also and believe it or not this bass is perfect for that tone. What I played certainly doesn’t show any funk style or tone, but it can do it. With a 500$ budget you more than likely won’t be able to get an actual Stingray and the Ray24 is a Sterling series bass anyway. It will still have the same preamp as all the other Sterlings. Further down the road you could always buy a better preamp for the bass 👍🏻 Hope this helps…let us know what you get ☺️
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Congrats! That's a killer bass and a killer deal. Enjoy!
Agreed…I was so happy to pick this one up 😍
Lobster what’s up!!!!
I have owned this bass for approximately 1 year. The bass has a decent sound. The B string is surprisingly good. It stays in tune, intonation is good. Its a little heavy and suffers form a dive when standing. My only real complaint is the string spacing. And its not very good for slapping, due to the pickup placement. But, you can get used to it with practice. I generally used this bass for gigs when im in a shady area and wont be too mad if it gets stolen or damaged lol!!Great budget bass and i would recommend this bass.
The dimensions are the same as the $3,000 + Ernie Ball Stiingray. But I think wood choice has a lot to do with the weight…bass wood vs. “select hard wood.”
You got a deal for $300. It's two years later and now, that same bass is $449. Even at $449 it's still a great price. Excellent review showing the different pickup settings. I'm really torn between this base and the Sire Marcus Miller V3. I tend to like rosewood fingerboards because I tend to play fingerstyle vs slap bass. The used Sub Ray5 HH bases now higher than $300. Great purchase! Getting close to making a decision on which bass. My current bass is a 1984 Ibanez MC888 Bean 4 string bass - still in great condition :)
If you can swing both basses that would be perfect, because they both have different applications, but understandably many of us can’t do that. 🥺 The HH5 is extremely versatile tho…you wouldn’t be disappointed if you only got the Sterling ☺️
I just bought this one yesterday. Thank you so much for sharing.👍🏾
@@tedsimington7654 congratulations on your new bass!
I have a left-handed sub ray 4, the same model but with the old logo and 4 strings. The bass sounded distorted and it was practically impossible to get a decent EQ. I installed a Seymour Duncan SMB4DS combination, with the ceramic pickup. The improvement is amazing, it sounds like another instrument. Greetings from Chile.
I have the HH5 like this. Great sound, but that preamp is terrible. Distorts in any amp. Going to look into upgrading mine as well.
@@mykemech yes my friend, the sound of the bass improves in a brutal way. With the seymour duncan combo (microphone + preamp) is enough. As these basses have a basswood body, investing a lot of money is not worth it.
I've owned a Ray 4, 34 and classic US Stingray and I think I'm going back to a Ray4. Great basses
I recently went to Guitar Center looking for the boss katana go and saw the Ray 4hh in Chopper blue. Came back the next day after reading about it ready to buy it if it sounded good played it for a while loved it but there was an issue with the electronics. So I started looking around found a single humbucker model Walnut stain satin finish played it for a while bought it took it home set the intonation and action and was blown away but how great this bass sounds and plays!!! I'm almost 100% sure Ibanez is making these basses in Indonesia. It has a bartolini humbucker and an Ibanez preamp. I love the four so much I ordered the bass your reviewing here. Should be here in a couple of days can't wait
When I saw the price I couldn't pass it up mine should be in this week. Thanks for your review!
You will love it!!! Congrats 🎉
Theyre on sale for $289 might jump on it
@@suprbird yes tried to order mines from guitar center it took them 2 weeks to process it lol. I canceled just going to see if I can grab one locally.
Sold!!! Just found one at GC for $350, free shipping. Thanks for the great review!
Awesome! You’re going to love it‼️
How wide is the neck at the nut? And at the bridge? Thx
Bought mine for about 350 and didn't regret it for a second, I play at my church and the timbre on this shines through in the mix especially for CCM. She is a pretty beast for sure.
It does have a beautiful sound ☺️
Excellent comprehensive review.
Thank you sir
@@shawnmlynch thanks sooo much ☺️
Just purchased the exact same color and model at GC for $350. I had 17 guitars n basses most over $1k and this is amazing especially for the price.Might sell 1 guitar to buy the short scale with burnt maple neck.i highly recommend trying that neck.. 🤘🏻👀🤘🏻
@@AndréLuisSlayer yes! This bass has me neglecting my Fender Jazz bass a lot…it has tones a Fender just can’t obtain ☺️
Beautiful instrument!!! Can’t wait to get one
Got this exact bass 2 months ago. It's a really good one!
I agree…I pick it up a lot over my Fender Jazz…it really plays nice 😊
very nice review! I am shopping for a new bass for my upcoming birthday this summer... this one sounds beautiful!
Thanks…I have been very pleased with it since I bought it and for a while used this bass more than my Fender J bass ☺️
Just bought this bass. I love it .
I’m still very happy with mine 💖🫶🏻✌🏼
It was about 2 years ago I bought a Sterling 5 string, single P/U. I started playing in about 1968 and then there was nothing as good as these Sterlings (or /Squiers, too) that were as of as a high quality. You really had to invest in a Fender to get a decent sound. My Sterling 5 is shockingly good for the old stuff I play. I still have my 50-odd year old Fenders but, IMO, the sounds I get from this Sterling they can are better than they can give. Wonderful instruments.
This was a very good post. I am waiting to get my Sterling Ruby Red 5HH bass in the next few days. I'm just buying it for my studio to have handy in a pinch for whoever needs to use it.
Thanks for watching…you 💯 won’t regret purchasing this bass. Just keep in mind the preamp is hot so it’s going to be a lot louder…at least mine was 👍🏻
@@Fretless33Bass Big thanks. Live Long and Prosper.
Great video man! Just an observation it would be awesome if you could bring the camera more to your right so you're looking at us instead of away.
@@munkandbear2818 thanks for the advice…in most of my videos space is a real issue. My videos are recorded in a tiny office that had a desk, keyboards, a large amp and full drum kit in it, so I was very limited in where I can put my camera. I agree with looking at the camera tho…I’m kind of an introvert, so that is a problem of mine I’m still in the process of overcoming. I really appreciate the input…thank you so much for watching and commenting ☺️
I had one I loved it! I love all my stingrays!! The spacing is tighter on these than the stingray! I also had to lower the pickups to make it less hot! Them ceramics are no joke!! I personally don’t prefer the matching headstocks, I think you got a beautiful buy there!!
Thanks…a few months in with it and I still love it. I did have to make some adjustments also, the D string around the 12th fret would get a little buzz, but I adjusted the truss and raised the bridge saddle and fixed that. I also just turn the volume down about half way for the hot gain issue, because I don’t think I would be able to lower the pickups enough for how loud it is. Thanks for watching and commenting ☺️
@@Fretless33Bass glad you are enjoying it!!
Nice bass for $300.00. I had a 4 string Sterling for the same price. Musicman basses are the most fun to play.
Yes! I’m still really enjoying playing this beauty ☺️😎
Fantastic bass. I bought two. Had one converted to fretless.
I’m so tempted to do that!
@@Fretless33Bass My original plan was just to make a Stingray fretless (since MusicMan no longer makes fretless basses). But once I got the bass home, I liked it so much I wanted one to keep as a fretted, so I got another.
@@RodneyGurdal cool…what all did you do to convert it…nut and new neck?
I'm about to buy the same one I think. I'm looking at a couple different ones but this is high on the list.
This one is better because it’s and LE 😉 But seriously…I love the ruby red satin burst 💥 but any color you get will be a solid bass underneath 👍🏻
That’s a great looking bass and sounds like a beast!!👍🏽
It really is…it hasn’t replaced my J bass, but it is still a joy to play ☺️
Wrong about several appointments.. the truss rod adjusting wheel .. you use the holes with a small screwdriver or Allen wrench and you can adjust it as the USA Stingray’s
That’s exactly what I said (approximately 8:55 in the video)…thanks for watching and commenting tho 😉☺️
Wait...... it's not a stingray? I guess i had my understanding of one wrong. Lol. It looked hella similar.
What's the difference between this and a stingy? I'm curious.
@@Six3rdy it still plays great too ☺️
Did your bass need much adjustment when you got it? It's not a skill area for me, so I want something that comes pretty much ready to play.
It is certainly ready to play, however…for my style of playing I lowered the action at the bridge and lowered the pickups so the strings wouldn’t hit them. I also adjusted the truss rod to get rid of a little buzz I created by lowering the strings.
I will be stringing mine E to C
how has this held up? basswood bodies always fall apart on me within 2-3 years. screw holes strip and all that fun stuff, output jack, and in one case the pickguard just eventually came off. and the denting...oh god the denting, would dent just by looking at it wrong lol, anyways, im curious how this has held up for you? im really considering giving basswood another chance!
Thanks for asking…it’s only been 8 months and I only play it in my music room…all is well. I had to adjust the bridge saddle height recently because I switched to a lighter gauge string, but the bass is holding up perfectly ☺️
Did he play it
@ 9:22 I go through each pickup playing a nice funky little bass line…it’s closer to the end of the video
Higly recommend this bass. I picked one up second hand in olive green which is sadly the ugliest colour in my opinion. I filed and sandpapered that mother for 8 hours and ebonised the wood, now its the prettiest bass I own.
Wow! I personally may have liked that olive green, but strong work on personalizing it 🫶🏻
What about the string spacing?
It’s 16mm at the bridge. For my hands is very comfortable ☺️
@@Fretless33Bass if it was 19 mm it would be the Better bass for me, thanks for the info
@@TuGinecologo believe it or not…it doesn’t feel as cramped as you think. I would try one if you can.
@@Fretless33Bass yes, I'm planning to buy one and modify it
Bought the red ray5 hh recently and the d string is quiet compared to the other strings. Any issue with your d string being quieter. Almost like a slight compression on the d.
No…no issues with my D string, perhaps try adjusting the pickups if you haven’t already? Sorry to hear about this issue. 😬
great review. what's it weigh?
Thanks for watching…Amazon states 9 pounds, but it was for a single humbucker. I put mine on the scale and it showed 10.6 pounds.
can you use this bass as passive and active? if you dont have a battery at the time
Unfortunately no
We’re you just playing clean? Or through any effect pedal?
Clean…I used an app called AUM as a host, but no effects were used. What you hear is 💯 Sterling SUB series ☺️
I am actually shocked that you would excuse the preamp distortion. That is like buying a new car, having it designed from the factory to run rough and shaking, and excusing it because you don't mind the shaking and stuttering. I can't even play mine in good music because of the distortion. I Don't think even Glarry or Hard Luck would sell something with such a terminal fault. I love everything about it except this distortion. New preamp install coming up...
I agree with what you wrote, but I wouldn’t say I excused it…if I had my way I would have purchased an actual Musicman Stingray with the award winning preamp I love. However, I did show for those of us that can’t afford a new preamp that all you need to do to deal with it is to turn the gain down. I put a mark on the bass and volume knob to remind me where the sweet spot is. I agree…a new preamp is the way to go for sure…thanks for the comment ☺️👍🏻
@@Fretless33Bass I got ya! All good points!
how much does this weigh exactly?
Amazon states 9 pounds, but it was for a single humbucker. I put mine on the scale and it showed 10.6 pounds.
@@Fretless33Bass thank you
Where can i find the owner's manual for it? Mine didnt come with one
You should be able to locate one with a simple google search. What do you need to know…perhaps I can help?
Jamás suena como el Stingray.
True, but it is very close and sounds very good regardless. The preamp is the biggest difference and it plays great 👍🏻
He lost me when he said he had to talk to his wife, smh
Happy wife…happy life ☺️
I know right? what a considerate jerk, huh?
@@kevinrutkowski3034 🫶🏻🤣😂
Whenever I buy an instrument, I always clear it with my wife. When she gives me the OK then all will be well and she's a very tolerant woman. When mama's happy everyone's happy; when mama's not happy...NOBODY'S happy. 😁
Not a guitar
Correct, you are 😎☺️
@@Fretless33Bass y’all called it a guitar in there, just saying
Sounds suck
@@Bankniftysurgeon what sounds do you prefer? This is a budget bass that has a ton of potential. ☺️
@@Fretless33Bass I like funk tone like stringray ray 4 or Ray 24ca my budget is $500 what should I go for should I buy ray 4 or Ray 24ca or any other basses but I have doubt which one best and why Ray 24 ca price high then ray 4 is any key difference
@@Bankniftysurgeon cool! I love the funk tone also and believe it or not this bass is perfect for that tone. What I played certainly doesn’t show any funk style or tone, but it can do it. With a 500$ budget you more than likely won’t be able to get an actual Stingray and the Ray24 is a Sterling series bass anyway. It will still have the same preamp as all the other Sterlings. Further down the road you could always buy a better preamp for the bass 👍🏻 Hope this helps…let us know what you get ☺️