Sterling by Music Man SUB Ray4 and Ray5

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by jlepre

Oh cool. Sounds like an easy upgrade. That is the only thing that I thought was lacking from the new SUB that I played at GC.

It is very easy. Not the cheapest though... but for me, I spent too much money buying cheaper preamps over the years, and never fully satisfied. Now I'd rather spend a bit more and be done with it

[JonKim]

Just ordered a sb4 from music123! Got a pretty sweet deal! Can't wait to try it out! This bass was so cheap I might actually keep it for fun and mod it

[stanley00]

I bought the black and maple SUB Ray5 at GC last. It's light, no neck dive, no preamp issues, and sounds great. The only issue was sharp fret ends. I took a fine grit drywall sanding sponge block and ran it up and down the edge of the fretboard a few times. Problem solved, smoothed out the fret ends. Easily the best $300 new bass I've ever played.

[Bassist Jay]

My 9 year old son has been bugging me for about a year or so for a guitar because he wants to learn how to play. I finally broke down last week and got him a Sterling by Music Man SUB Silo3 guitar from Guitar Center. Got a smoking deal on it too and they threw in a free gig bag in addition to the discount that I got. In any event, considering the guitar sells for only $200.00 new, I wasn't sure what to expect but after playing it, I became impressed by it really quick. This is by far the best entry level guitar a person can buy. It's quality is actually closer to more mid level guitars. I played a few SUB basses too and was very impressed by them as well. These things should do really well in the entry level department.

[killjoyshidae]

Any new finishes coming for the Sub's at Namm? Particularly, the SB4?

[Mykk]

I had a chance to test drive a Ray5 and SB4 I was really impressed, the Ray5 sounded better and I prefer the bigger body.

Sometime soon, once we pull through the holidays and get finances back on track I'd love to order myself a black & maple SUB Ray 4.

The SB4 on the shelf had a dead bat (distorted sound), and from other posts I'm seeing these things may just be battery eaters.

[JonKim]

Has anyone ran musicman pickups passive?

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by JonKim

Has anyone ran musicman pickups passive?

Yes.
Sound great.

[AznChris]

Just took my Ray5 into GC yesterday so they could mod it to fix the hot output. The output seems better but I won't find out if it really helped until band practice. One big issue now is that the treble and bass tone knobs on my bass don't work at all now. Was the modification supposed to do this?

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by AznChris

Just took my Ray5 into GC yesterday so they could mod it to fix the hot output. The output seems better but I won't find out if it really helped until band practice. One big issue now is that the treble and bass tone knobs on my bass don't work at all now. Was the modification supposed to do this?

No. They must have done the mod incorrectly. Mine is working fine after the mod.

[AznChris]

Originally Posted by DWBass

No. They must have done the mod incorrectly. Mine is working fine after the mod.

Okay thanks for the quick response, I'll go back in and hopefully he'll be able to fix the problem, my bass sounds flat without the tone knobs.

[SBMM]

Originally Posted by killjoyshidae

Any new finishes coming for the Sub's at Namm? Particularly, the SB4?

Since the SB4 is a Guitar Center exclusive, they won't be at NAMM.

We are working on some new finishes for them, but, as of yet, nothing has been decided. If they do want new finishes for SB4, they won't debut in the stores until at least May 2013.

[Primakurtz]

I walked out of the local GC with a walnut/rosewood Sub Ray 4 yesterday. It is a great bass at twice the price! The fit & finish were excellent. A nice thick slab of rosewood, with smooth fret ends. Question: how different is the pickup from those on the higher-priced models?

[SBMM]

Originally Posted by Primakurtz

Question: how different is the pickup from those on the higher-priced models?

It is completely different from our Sterling By Music Man pickups internally.

Sound is pretty spot on, but, it is different.

[ns2joel]

i just got mine today (a day earlier than it should have come). i work at Ups so a friend of mine held it for me and i went to go pick it up during my other job's lunch break. i can't wait to plug it in tonight!

[Primakurtz]

Originally Posted by SBMM

It is completely different from our Sterling By Music Man pickups internally.

Sound is pretty spot on, but, it is different.

Thank you! It does indeed sound very similar, which led me to wonder.

[him666]

Just bought a black Ray4.
I've owned three real Stingrays, but sold them eventually because I didn't use them that often.
This Sub Ray4 is great. Fantastic amazing sound through my Ampeg v4 full tube amp. Extremely loud output, but no distortion. I love it.

Question: Is the pickguard the same size as the original Stingray pickguards?

[Jaredrb0]

I recently bought a S.U.B SB4 and I've been looking around for pickguards, particularly a clear one. It seems oddly shaped compared to most I've seen so I thought I'd ask you guys and see if I can get a direct link or a recommendation or something

[JonKim]

Just got my sb4! It's solid construction. The neck pocket is one of tightest I've seen in basses! Including high dollar fenders.
The electronics are bleh but Its a great platform to mod for beginners!

[stanley00]

Just a quick note on the SUB Ray5 if you plan on changing strings. The B string hole on my bridge was too small for a .130 flat wound string to pass through at the ball end. A quick twist of a drill fixed it quick, but keep that mind.