Sterling Ray34?

[Tupac]

Has anyone tried one of these bad boys? Apparently they're just Stingrays parts made in Indonesia with cheaper labor. I wonder how it would compare to the MIM Jazz.

[socknroll1]

Bump...I,m curious too. I see a few in the for sale section right now but haven't heard much about them. They look great and for half the price of an EBMM I may buy one someday.

[Indiana Mike]

Ha

Go back to yesterday...

I stole a new one at GC for $450 out the door. Brand new , zero damage , with bag. Honeyburst ray34.

It was an impulse buy as I went in to buy guitar strings for my daughter

They had two on clearance. Played both , left , went home , went back and snatched it. They had a silverburst and the honeyburst. Honestly the HB had better fit and finish and played easier . The silverburst appeared to have a lot of in store use and the action was a tad high.
The HB was dead on perfect for me. That said I am not implying poor QC but , one (HB) was new and one (SB) was used, might have been a return.

I am loving it so far and could not believe the build quality , playability and tone.

Not sure I would pay seven bills for a new one but , $450 NIB ... Hell yes! BTW , not USA stingray parts but EBMM designed parts... mine does have a nice two piece ash body with some nice grain .... some say they are heavy , mine is very comparable to the weight of my classic '60s jazz .. i would say 9-9.5#.

[silverburst]

They are great basses for the money:

Rex and the Bass: Sterling by MusicMan RAY34 Silverburst Bass

[socknroll1]

Thanks guys...I can't speak for the OP but I am curious for a comparison to a REAL stingray. Is the sound almost as good, or only halfway there? Etc. All I've read so far has indicated that the fit and finish are great, but I haven't read much about the sound yet.

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by socknroll1

Thanks guys...I can't speak for the OP but I am curious for a comparison to a REAL stingray. Is the sound almost as good, or only halfway there? Etc. All I've read so far has indicated that the fit and finish are great, but I haven't read much about the sound yet.

They sound quite good - a friend bought one, and I've played it a few times, besides seeing him gig it... Also, I checked out a couple at my local GC, and thought they were really good for under $500 - but not worth the normal new asking price...

FWIW, I've played a ton of real StingRays, and own an sr5 HH...


- georgestrings

[silverburst]

The sound is nearly identical to an Ernie Ball Stingray.

[jmattbassplaya]

Not to be a butt, but do a search. This topic has been done at least 10 times before.

I should know because I responded in every single on of them til this one.

[socknroll1]

valid point. But I'm not the OP.

I think I'm pretty well convinced and would like to buy one if these in the future. The price tags for an EBMM are hard to swallow for me. Paying that much for a very simple bolt-on design...I dunno. Plus whenever I see a wall of Stingrays in a store (read: GC) they all have ancient strings and horrible setups, so I can't reproduce what I thought was the "stingray sound.". Anyone else experience the same?

[bass rocks]

plus 1
ernie balls in gc are terrible
the strings are always on the frets
im sure ernie ball is a good brand but gc @#$%'s
them up