I played my friend's SBMM Ray4 and thought the neck felt really really good. Looking at the specs on sweetwater it looks like the Ray34 has a wider nut, so I'm wondering if the shape of the back of the neck is different between the two and if the thickness of the neck from front to back is noticeably different.
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Anyone have SBMM Ray4 and Ray34?
- Thread starter Odonian
- Start date
@LowEndLobster I just finished watching your stingray comparison video, would you be down to attempt an answer to my question above?
Also you do really good work, have watched a lot of your videos over the last two weeks, so thanks for that!
Also you do really good work, have watched a lot of your videos over the last two weeks, so thanks for that!
My advice ..... never buy a sterling . Serious QC issues . Musical firewood .
Agreed on the Sterling, I have a Sub behind me right now that I luv and sounds great. But it has alot of wiring and production bugs. Spend the money for the Sterling!
The ray34 has a traditional stingray neck which is p bass like, the ray4 is more like a jazz neck, kinda like a USA Stingray and Sterling difference
I used to play at a really rough joint. I bought a Sterling Ray4 just for this gig. Plus I wanted to see what all the talk was about. I have owned it for over 3 years and have played it at almost every gig since. Leaving my nicer basses at home. Make the recommended pu adjustments, Ernie ball slinkys,,playing position close to the neck, sounds great. The later Ray4 sounds better than the earlier sub series.
I have the Sterling 24 CA in mint green/rosewood (after missing out on the earlier 34 CA) & just got a Sterling Short Scale Stingray (in Daphne/maple).
These are 2 of my best bass aqusitions ever. Love them.
These are 2 of my best bass aqusitions ever. Love them.
Not my experience at all. I have two SBMMs. Yes, the tuners on the SBMM short scale aren't great, that I'll give you. But other than that, I've never had a problem with either one. Might be a function of age, mine are relatively new (2020 and 2021)—I think this was more a problem in the earlier years of SBMM.
I have both and play both. Bought both new. The Ray4's neck is very Jazz like. The Ray 34 is entirely different . . . much beefier. Probably more Ray-ish although I have never had a 'real' Ray. I do also have an old USA SUB and I'd say the neck is pretty close to what is on the Ray34. QC on the Ray34 was great . . . even to the point where I really didn't need file the nut at all. The Ray4 was not nearly as nice out of the box. But for the price, I have no problem putting an hour or two into dialing in the frets and set up. Also, on the Ray4, you really need to re-wire into a parallel connection. IMO, stock pup re-wired in parallel and the stock pre is fine. I would certainly not use either for musical firewood . . . they are both great sounding, looking, and playing instruments.
Some shows call for pyrotechnics
I've only experienced one bad one in all the units I've tried. I'm on my second Sterling Ray34 now, only switching out to reduce weight.
The subs have a 2 band eq and cheaper bridge. The neck profiles are different but both are comfortable. I'm predominantly a p bass player, and I find the sub to be slightly more narrow at the nut, but not quite as drastically different as a jazz. The sbmm feels slightly wider (than a standard p) and more comfortable for me. It also has 3band eq, and a more solid bridge.
Both are great instruments in their price range, for overall value, I'd give a slight edge to the ray4.
Both are great instruments in their price range, for overall value, I'd give a slight edge to the ray4.
My Ray 34 was a 2022 model . Seized truss rod and stripped tuners . Brand new . Returned without even plugging it in . Never again .
I've found the Ray4's to be very consistent and usually have meh electronics but solid enough bones. The Ray34s can vary quite a bit in regards to weight and quality. The two ones that I've reviewed were all well over 10 lbs. I've worked with over a dozen Ray4's and they've all been right around 9 lbs. The first Ray34 I reviewed was really nice, the second one not as nice overall. I'll hopefully be revisiting the Ray34 with one of the new sparkle finishes at some point this year.
I've never owned an SBMM personally but I've plugged some in at stores plenty of times and never had any issues. I have some EBMM basses so I don't have any need to buy a SBMM but I like to use them in store to demo other gear like amps, cabs, and pedals. I really liked the short scale stingray that I played most recently.
My SBMM ray34 is still burning after 2 years of intensive use without flaws. I must have been the one who bought the only one they made right.
Wide enough range of feedback that I'll have to make some road trips to try some stuff out. I know I should really do that anyway but if there were a consensus of consistent results I'd have yielded to convenience and just ordered something online. Thanks to everyone pitching into this conversation.
