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A Made In Japan Sterling Ray35?

DisarrayMG

DisarrayMG

Nov 14, 2023
13
19
#1
Hey ya'll,



I'm currently shopping around my local used market and this guy is selling a Ray35

But with a clear pickgaurd.

And he claims that it's made in Japan and so I got around digging and I can't find the model he's talking about. (Pics down below).

I'm meeting up with him later to try it out but.

Should I confront him about it?

Because not only is that fact bugging me, but it's a clear pickgaurd for a model that's clearly not for a clear pickgaurd and there's a scartch in the back and I don't know how dumb he thinks I am but I can clearly see the gaurd cracked as all hell but he lists it as "besides the scratch it's fairly clean".

Thoughts?
b4be8060-7f32-11ee-95f1-59e10dd966ee.jpeg

b65721c0-7f32-11ee-95f1-59e10dd966ee.jpeg
 
#7
Isn’t that simply an Indonesian made Ray35 in honeyburst? Some are sold with clear pickguards! This is a HH model, but it is highly likely, these were/are available on the H models too?
2310021908.jpg


Sterling by Music Man StingRay Ray35 HH SM « E-Bass

These are > 1.500,- new here in Germany, a comparable US made MusicMan would be about 3.300,-. Maybe he just confused Indonesia and Japan and it doesn’t matter to him?

On edit: here is an indonesian Ray35 H with a clear pickguard:
StingRay RAY35PB-DSBS Dark Scarlet Burst Satin Sterling by Music Man | Reverb Deutschland
 
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#9
DirkP said:
Some are sold with clear pickguards!
Click to expand...
it appears that the ones with clears are only with backrouted bodies.

OP’s is a front-rout that should have some opaque guard and is being sold by someone who hopefully is mistaken, not lying, about the country of origin. eta- and the pickguard is damaged and requires replacement anyways.

There’s great craftsmen & wood everywhere, but obviously country of origin matters or he wouldn’t have mentioned it in the ad. Ask for more pictures. Back of headstock, neck heel.
 
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#12
Reedt2000 said:
Looks like a honeyburst Ray35 made in Indonesia. Much like this one

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/sbmm-sterling-ray35-honeyburst.1082468/

200 USD is a really good price.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I messaged him and he said that he thought after seeing the Yamaha logo on the certificate that it was Japanese...
Yup, your guess is good as mine as to what kind of bleach he mixes with his coffee in the morning.
But also, where are y'all getting $200 from? I never mentioned the price in my original posting.
 
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#18
DisarrayMG said:
Yeah, I messaged him and he said that he thought after seeing the Yamaha logo on the certificate that it was Japanese...
Yup, your guess is good as mine as to what kind of bleach he mixes with his coffee in the morning.
But also, where are y'all getting $200 from? I never mentioned the price in my original posting.
Click to expand...
Misread a post :D

@MattZilla said IF they're selling it for $200...

What is asking price? Is it 600,000 KRW? Internet says that's just north of 450 USD which is a fair price IMHO
 
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#19
As others have said, that's an Indonesian made Sterling Ray 35.

Someone has replaced the pickguard with a clear one. Which is very silly because now the electronics are unshielded. The normal pickguards (made for front-rout bodies) have foil on the back.

600 USD is a bit too much, especially since you'll have to get a new pickguard.

They are however excellent basses! I bought one several years ago, which I found locally for 300ish USD equivalent. Now that was a steal!
 
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