Updated for 2021! Sterling by Music Man Ray4HH SUB - Better Than Ever! - LowEndLobster Fresh Look
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
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EDIT: There was a loose wire on one of the 5 way switch settings which gave me that 'single coil' mode. That is not a normal config!
Hey everyone! Today we're checking out the updated Sterling by Music Man Ray4HH SUB with new body wood and finishes available for 2021! Let's check this thing out!
This bass and all my other basses with rounds are strung with MJC Ironworks Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at www.mjcironworks.com
Info on my signal chain, setup and more: • FAQ: My Signal Chain, ...
Discord: discord.gg/dzrFMzD
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Twitter: @LowEndLobster
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Years of watching oceanic docs on T.V., never once I've seen a lobster buddy-buddy with a stingray. Mother nature never cease to amaze!
Best comment of the day!
Pin this sucker. Best comment.
The ghost of Jacques Cousteau ordered beers for you... 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺
I just bought this exact bass from Guitar Center two weeks ago. An amazing bass for the price. The winning combination was the candy apple red and a Stingray style bass for under $400. I saw it in the store and bought it on sight. No pondering. My other bases are Jazz MIM and the G&L L-2000. So far I've been playing the Sterling Ray4HH frequently and it's becoming my main.
Awesome! Congrats!
I hope you are enjoying your tone monster of a bass!
Great review as always!! Love your style. These basses are a tremendous value and are easy to mod/ fix. There’s something slightly wrong with the wiring or switch of your bass. Position 4 is supposed to have coils 1+4 engaged for a super wide Jazz tone; more gutsy than position 2 (2+3).
These basses are tone monsters! I recommend rewiring so all combos play in parallel for similar output in all positions. The 1+2/2+3/1234/1+4/3+4 configuration offers humbucking in all positions. This is one of the most versatile basses available today. I just got one and will never let it go!!
Good to hear. This has become number 1on my list of basses to buy. First time bassist and have been doing as much on line research as I can.
Thank you! Yes the switch has a loose wire in one position lol
@@LowEndLobster well after all was said and done I opted for the Ibanez SR370E in Surreal Black Fade. On to bass lessons!
@@MrTomengle Congrats!
Positions 1, 3 and 5 seem to be the most useful to my ears.
just got this bass looks beautiful and love the range of tones
Here's a mod for ya: that bass needs a lobster inlay at the 12th fret.
bedazzle it with orange fake gems cut to shape like stained glass, there.
Hey you could do instrument inlays, learn how to apply binding, lots of stuff.
:O
Bass clef in pearl
Sounds like an ambitious modding project. I’m looking forward to hearing the results!
Friday! :)
Took the words out my mouth
They took the best sound out of this bass. The first position after the bridge pickup was the best sound on the old version.
That's what I was thinking and wasn't sure if I was just wrong my first time around. The outer coil tone is one of the best!
Would it be possible to just rewire the selector switch to get the original 4th position pickup configuration?
Yes, that's absolutely possible
I agree. I have a 2020 version SUB HHRay5 and the position 4 outer coils gets a lot of use from me!
7:20 kitty was loving the grooves and riffs
I got one of these Bass R4HH it sounds awesome right out the box .🎉
You are using the pickups I wanted to see! Cannot wait! Also add a black pickguard to this bass and it will look awesome with that body color.
Thanks Meyers!
In recent years maple / light fretboards have come into fashion quite a bit , and I go back-and-forth between preferring rosewood/ebony and maple. I guess I love them all. 🦞
This is the way
Definitely not bad for an "entry level" Music Man bass! Now I can't wait for the incoming modding stuff, damn it. You always know how to bring hype in the game!
Thanks B@ssiCS :)
Thank you for the reviews on the Sterling SUB basses. I just purchased a ray4hh based on your reviews. I love it so far. I'm going to dup the code red mod. My caution to others is the factory setup is really poor, the action was different on every sub I looked at and intonation wasn't even close on the one I purchased. It's going to require a setup out of the box.
I was gunna comment at the beginning and say the strings sounded like they needed to be changed but I didn’t say it because I’m like .. what if the lobster says they are new ? I will look dumb lol. Glad my ear was correct
;P
sometimes new strings suck. I bought some cheap no name clear plastic baggie strings off amazon just to see how crappy they were and since I broke half of them just putting them on I can understand why they're all sold in at least two packs if not 10 packs but never singly. At least you get a set on the guitar but they won't last and usually will do sometimes bad stuff to your fingers. I'm migrating to tapes because I like the way the science looks, the way the demos sound, and the fact that if you get a set that's working on your bass they don't break unless they literally fall apart. The ones I've priced aren't any more than any other string set...
The olive green one is on sale for $379 right now on Amazon. The place I ordered from gave me the difference back cause most places are selling it for $429. Tremendous bass for the money.
379 for the HH configuration ? The single is going for 349 on various websites
@@MarcG7424 yep. Not sure what it is now but I went through zzounds because I couldn't find it in stock anywhere. A few weeks after receiving it I noticed the 379 price on Amazon, and they gave me back the difference. I'm loving it. I did have to have the frets filed and slapped some elixir strings on it. Smooth bass now!
@@Ratchman_5000 Niiiice
Rich, how are you enjoying your new bass? I LOVE the olive green version.
@@paxonearth It's great! My only complaint was that it showed up with fret sprout. I was planning on putting elixir strings on anyway so I had the frets filed also. Very smooth now!
Am I the only one who watches every video about 5 times just so it really soaks in ??? 🤔
Yes.
yeah probably but im sure mr lobster appreciates it
@@ricardobass4831 I’m a good crustacean
Lmao i go back to the musicman videos quite often but yea I think u got us beat brother lmao
XD
Me. Lobster...HH is the most underrated config of Music Man Basses.
Indeed! It all started with the Sabre!
Love the videos lobster, commenting to feed the algorithm for ya
Thank you!
That tone with both pickups.... Awesome
Thanks M Perk!
That is a very nice sounding and looking bass! I really like the Sabre tone with the pickup selector in position 3. The upcoming mods should make this bass a tone monster!!!
Thanks Keith :)
That bass is beautiful. Love that color
Thank you!
You convinced me to buy my SUB 5 and it was a super good buy!
Sweet :)
I owned the five string version of the older model for a while and, like this bass, had lots of very good usable tones.
Thanks Keith! Indeed!
You have the coolest intro in all youtube, Mister Lobster
Thank you :)
Looks nicer than the images on their site.sound pretty good. Will be interesting to see what it's like with the EMG's. Cannot wait for that video.
Great job again. Thanks Stu 😊
Thanks Stu!
i havent even watched thru the whole vid and ik its gonna be fire
Thank you :)
You might say the bass is "lobster red"? Everyday we get closer to a lobster sig musicaman :)
Might be cool to see a sterling get the compensated nut that the american models have
That would be cool, I wonder if they can be sourced
The only bad thing about HH sterling stingrays is that upgrading the pickups is twice as expensive XD
Yup XD
Looking forward to the modification. I don't know how you keep all those configurations straight...better you than me. Good vid!
Thank you Budd!
Ahh I love this. I can't wait to see the results of the tinkering. EMG in general seems to be, more often than not in the sweet-spot tone-wise of the whichever pickup configuration they are making a pickup for.
:)
... considering I get already lost with the simple configuration of a Jazz Bass, I can't imagine how I could manage your new mods 🤣🤣🤣🤣
It is worth noting that the original US-made Music Man Sub basses also had poplar body.
Indeed! The ole poplar slab body, 'b-stock' neck painted black, two band pre. Those were awesome basses
As always a GREAT review from Lobster. I´m just waiting for the changes that will be made in this bass... Congratulations Lobster!!
:)
Another great video Lobster. IMO I think position #2 would be better served using the outer coils rather than the inner ones. But other than that, this Ray4 gives a lot of bang for the buck. I look forward to the upgrades!
I agree! The Stingray special 4HH has the outer coils as an option and sounds great.
Thanks sir. Continuing to enjoy your content and on the back of a lot of it I am definitely going for a Sterling SUB. I just wish that the HH was available to us lefties, so given that it's not, it will have to be a Ray 4 for me. At least it's a starting block with solid build quality, but this one sounds so much better out of the box than that and it's really frustrating that they don't offer a left-handed option. Keep up the great vids.
I CAN'T WAIT Bro! I'm gonna do the Same, the 4HH will be here Next week. @LowEndLobster
Hell yeah!
Just when I thought you were simply going to do another pickup/preamp upgrade, you throw in the 3-way Tele switch and 2-band coil tap preamp... THAT got my attention ;)
Heheheh, too much free time on my hands ;P (not). The mod project was super fun and rewarding!
Bass sounds great for the money. Can’t wait for the upgrades!😌🎶👍🏾
:)
Let’s lobster 🦞 !!!!!!!!!
WOOOO!
I really love this colour and the maple board. I wish sterling did this colour combo for the single ray 4's. I ordered one (which isn't cheap in Australia here, equivalent to USD$735) and the strings were low at the base of the neck but high in the middle. I took it to a guitar tech who said the neck heel was swollen and basically defective. I returned it and ordered another from another store. Same problem! Perhaps the supplier here had a bad batch of the candy reds. So unfortunately I had to return that too. A real shame because I loved the feel and the sound.
Aw, major shame! Bummer man :(
@@LowEndLobster Yeah really loved the colour and sound. Might try to save up a bit more and go to a Music Man stingray instead ;)
Very cool review. I really like the 5 way pickup switch. Thanks Lobster 🦞
Thank you Sparks :)
Looking forward to seeing this build series!
Thanks Ken :)
@@LowEndLobster you're welcome! You've been having lots of great build videos here about active basses which are something I've never dealt with before. I'm not used to preamps so it's great to learn about them!
Great color,sounds really good,the revised edition is definitely interesting.Great choice in using EMG Pickups & Preamp,It’s going to sound killer
Thank you!
The color is really cool
I can't wait until the next video
Thanks Cody :)
Really looking forward to this one. Love the color of the bass but it needs a black pearloid pickguard. Can't wait to see/hear the pickup combinations.
Thanks Bevin!
I picked up a SUB Ray5HH a little bit ago. It sounds decent, the preamp can be a bit much, and the pickups are really a bit hot, but the feel of the bass is really nice. Not bad, even. It does not feel like a "cheap" entry level bass at all. With upgraded electronics, that thing would be the cat's pajamas! I haven't decided what I'm going to put in mine yet. Can't wait to see what you do with this one.
Thanks Bizi! That's why I like em so much. The stuff that you can't change easily (body/neck) are consistently solid in the ones I've tried, and the stuff that you can change is decent enough to keep around but definitely gets better with some mods :). Well said!
I love these SUB videos. Gives me a lot to think about to mod mine up hopefully soon!
Thanks Tim! So glad you enjoy the videos :)
Beautiful !! I wS just looking at this on reverb like 2 days ago, I love this color!!
Thanks! It is indeed eye catching
Nice bass. Excellent playing. But......your cat stole the show!
Thank you :)
I've seen these before at my guitar center, they sound cool! Another great video
Thanks!
Really like the candy apple finish, super nice
Thanks McMeeBurger!
I’ve got an EMG MMCS in my OLP/G&L mashup (it’s an OLP Stingray with a G&L Tribute L2000 neck) - can’t wait for the mod vid!
Woah that sounds crazy! Did you have to modify the neck pocket at all?
@@LowEndLobster yes - it's a bit agricultural underneath the pickguard but it worked. The OLP's neck was totally warped and I bought the G&L neck for a very cheap price as the seller on eBay said it had a backbow. It turns out that the truss rod nut was loose. It's absolutely fine now. I did a cover of White Room by Cream using it on my channel
It will be great to see the new and improved lol
Thanks Davey!
Really enjoying your videos. Very insightful and entertaining. 👌
Thank you :)
Great review! I'm looking forward to the mod video!
Thank you!
I just knew the word ‘modding’ would make an appearance!!
Spoiler alert ;P
Did you say EMG? Sounds good to me LowEndLobster, can't wait to watch and hear those modifications!!!
Indeed! Tomorrow you shall see the glory :)
If they do a short scale HH, I am in! As always, thank you!
Thanks Nathan!
Just bought this bass from GC for 299.99 and so far love it.I don;t think it needs any mods
Good demo and video. I remember playing this bass when I first began playing bass in April of 2020 (yet now I can actually call myself a real bassist). At that time I was pretty much just a rhythm guitarist) Anyway I'm almost exclusively a Precision Bass man but I thought this bass sounded incredible in the 4th position (the neck p style setting/big surprise huh) and the fifth position running only bridge pickup. Those two setting alone mafe this bass a worthy purchase. I'm gonna check out the most video because I really like this bass even not being big on the stingrays. I like the way you broke down all the features this bass has to offer. If I may add one thing I believe this bass is a great choice for pick players. Not only funk players but Rock N Roll, Hardcore and even Heavy Metal this bass would be very well adept to.
Lovely color, Nice sound, Maple neck, this bass only need a black pickguard to be perfect for me
I have the green one, I love it. Matches my green hair and dirty blonde hair. Quality is good, except the frets at the heel feel kinda sharp on the ends. Just not into active. I might pay the money to get it straight passive.
But I got it for 300 USD and was the best impulsive buy I ever did. If you see one, get one.
Also I love the kitty.
Just bought one. Sounds good right out of the box.
Quite a great pallet of scoopy sounds with this setup. Even more so after modding... Wow, how to use these extra 3?
38mm nut.. Wow. Had a jazz bass once with that, super smooth.
Candy apple Red is an evil color! Very hemoglobin-like.
Cat seemed to enjoy it - that's a great sign!
Thank you :) Indeed Bebe was a fan, and I think the color is such a gem. It can look so many different ways depending on what it's paired with (pickguard, hardware, control plate)
@@LowEndLobster do you really enjoy these bridgy humbucker sounds for playing? You are a rocker, I've seen. Lot of right hand!
Stingray tone is one of my favorites :)
@@LowEndLobster boooyaaah!
So these sterlings would be a nice catch? Trying to get my band to do a write off here lol!
The trans blue is super nice. Good original preamp? Seems so light and easy...
I hated the lobster but over a weekend I have become a fan lol no BS when you watch quite a few
I'm sad they got rid of my favourite double humbucker musicman tone. The two outer coils for position 4.
The third position is both pickups in humbucker mode if that’s what you mean? 🤔
@@BenjiH23 3rd position is both pickups which includes all four coils not just the two outer coils
Right!? Way more useful than the two inner ones IMO
I like the red so much better than that PePe green.
Red= feelsgoodman, Green= feelsbadman
I just got the Lake blue metallic color version.
And not for the first time, a Lobster has given me a bad case of GAS..............................
Them funky bass lines do tend to loosen the bowels a little don’t they ?
XD
great bass, nice playing !!!!!!
It's funny how strong the Stingray sound is. Even on the neck pickups it still has that iconic sound which is good and bad, I do love the sound but it isn't the most versatile bass.
Thanks FT! You're right, the character is very distinctive even when a variable like pickup position is altered (but the pickup construction is the same)
You truly are mad! Definitely needs a 🦞 on the pickguard! You might ask WD Music Products if they can do that 😊👍
That'd be cool :)
cool review, best bass for this price point
I agree it's definitely one of (if not the) best value at $350 in terms of balancing features and quality
Nice vid bro!
Thank you my man!
Awesome, I just suggested for you to do some mods on a Ray4HH or on your green olive Ray5HH kn your new give away video.
Looking forward.
PS: What about Delano pickups?
Thank you Mauricio! We'll definitely have some Delano stuff in the future, I like their pickups very much
Hey Lobters, saludos! Great vids you do, man. Today I bought this Sterling and I think is a 2018 unit because the numbers start with b18... I tested it with a Rumble 25! at the store and it sounded great. So, when I took it home like 3 hours ago I played it with my ampeg b2-re with 2-10s thinking that it will sound better. It sounds good, but there is a "distortion" (that I did not hear back in the shop) when stepping the upper and middles frets (low notes) of the 4th and 3rd strings. At first gave me the impression of a growl or gnarly cool sound, but when I came exploring all knobs and five switchings, I came out to think that something's wrong, that is a distorted sound coming from... I don't... the frets? the strings? You said that there is a distortion on the previews units before the 2021's. So I'm thinking about it very sadly and My unit it has to be from 2018, I think. What should I do, a set up or change the electronics, or... I don't know... Please help me! Thank's a lot. Muchas Gracias!
Oh man, the poplar is only in the 2 new colors, but I want an olive colored one lol.
Gross ;P
I would love so much to learn how to mod, your the man at modding lobster 🦞
you’re right. it does look like a lot more “rum”
You caught my New England accent hahaha
I'm thinking about buying a used Ibanez ATK pickup and stuffing it into one of those Sterlings someday
........ Damn you and your good ideas
@@LowEndLobster it will take a while so you can do it first :D
Why do the Angry Beavers are vanishing?!!! 😱😱😱😱
LOL! I didn't even order the shirt hahaha it came in another order as a mistake and I thought it was so funny. Half angry beavers hahaha
So much electronic noise on this one! It's still distorting with the treble up too.
I think it deserves your attentions though as she sounded right at the core. Nice emg setup why not keep the 5 way and do a series /parallel option with the coil splits? Like the big al
Thanks James! Indeed, I think some more aggressive shielding/grounding would quiet this thing up. I think another Ray4 (or Ray5) HH project is in order where we explore the 5 way switch and its functionality in more detail
What happened to the other half of your Angry Beavers shirt?! That used to be one of my favorite shows!
It came like that hahaha. I didn't even order this shirt. It came when I ordered another t-shirt (as did the shirt I ordered).
Dear L. E. Lobster;
When You re-string the Bass, could you show the pack of strings You are using, i.e. the actual packaging.
I believe you said you demo with a new pack of the same brand and size for consistency, throughout the videos You will do.
Seeing the packaging will help in remembering what the strings are.
Sincerely Mike B. B. From Philly
Thanks Michael! I should do a little B roll with the string pack when I mention them, that's a great idea.
Hi Mr Lobster I’m looking for my first bass am I better off with this in 4 or 5 string. I’m newly retired and looking for an indoor hobby. Or can u recommend something else. Love your show. JJ
Nice vid man, does it come with a gig bag or hard case?
Thank you! Nope. Only the Ray34/5 basses have bags
@@LowEndLobster Thanks
I've always had jazz bass, but I really want to get into the MM world. You who have already tested both versions (H and HH), do you think that the 2 humbuckers give you that much versatility or do you think that in the end you will end up playing 90% of the time on the humbucker on the bridge?
I like versatility as I don't like to take more than 1 bass away when I go to rehearsal or jam. But I'm afraid I'll end up not making any use of the neck humbucker. Can you comment about your opinion, please? Thanks!!
Great question Rafa! I think the HH for only a little more money offers a TON of tonal flexibility while still being able to get the Ray4H tones. Even if you don't solo the neck pickup, positions 2 and 4 (inner and outer coils) are superb as well
@@LowEndLobster you're the best!! I'll order a HH! 4 strings of course! =) thanks a lot for all great stuff you bring for us! I Can't express such gratitude in words.
vsauce does know how to play bass!!
Thanks for the great content, Mr Lobster. I am new to the channel and bring little/no knowledge of bass. Your expertise is crucial to my search for a great beginner bass.
How many claws for this instrument?
Can you do a review of Yamaha BB435?
it looks good, although I am not a fan of the white guard/plate, It does sound a great bass, you seemed to be noodling a little more that usual, so would seem you liked it too. Its going to be a killer bass if you manage to improve on what it already manages.
Does this bass work in passive mode? By that I mean, Without a battery.
It does. I have one and recently the battery had died and I didn't realize it. The reason I finally came around is that it's output was much lower than in active mode so I had to keep turning up my amp. But it definitely becomes a passive.
So I know watching your other review of the stock single pickup Ray 4 it is very hot and you got allot of clipping with stock preamp. Seems that's not an issue with the HH version based on this review?
The HH seems to be a little more well sorted as the pickups aren't hardwired in series. Based on some comments I've seen, it seems some SUBs have the four conductor pickup while others (like all of mine) have only had the two conductor series-only pickup. I think that has something to do with it as well.
I think I need this bass.
;)
Woohoo EMG's going in! 👍
:)
What a coincidence I just bought that one!
Congrats Will!
Hey Lobster, could I just upgrade the preamp swapping the stock with a John East using the same control panel? If so, what preamp would you recommend using the same control setup (with exception of a three band EQ)? Keep crushing it
!
Yes, you could absolutely swap in a JE using the same control plate. You can also use the Mojotone preamp which is a clone of the original 2 band. Those work very well with aftermarket pickups as well. I'll be doing another (better) video on the Mojotone with a very interesting pickup in the near future. Hope that helps!
Hi Lobster. I ADORE the look and sound of these basses, just have a hard time dealing with the neck profile. EDIT: I had a hard time understanding the switching change. Does this mean that you'll be able to switch both pups single/serial/parallel independently?
Aw bummer :( Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with these. I've found them to be pretty consistent (though there's probably hundreds of thousands of them out there). The dozen or so I've tried over the past year have been very consistent with only one needing a little fret end filing.
@@LowEndLobster Sorry, edited the comment at the same time you responded.
No prob dude. Do there's no series parallel here, the 5 way selects different rows of magents on the pickup. Each MM had two rows of four, and the selector gives you different combos. The new electronics moves to a 3 way switch and independent coil tapping for each pickup separately
I feel like there's a missed market not making a short scale version of these. The only shortscale SUB is kinda pricey for what you get and no HH option.
Greattings from Portugal
Gonna choose between the Ray 24 Ca TLB or the Ray 4 HH PBBS what to you think? I'm 37 and re-join our high-school band (didn't play for almost 15 years). Please keep doing it, it's great. Regards Pedro
Hope you can put your claw on the Harley Benton MM-84 sb deluxe blah blah, enthusiastic reviews but I think is a pretty divisive instrument.
Yes! I've actually already shot the review of the 5 string version, will be up soon :)