Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Darkray vs Stingray Special, Stingray classic, 2 band eq stingray
- Thread starter Cory rich40
- Start date
I sat in GC for 30min + bouncing between a [goldbar] Darkray and a [Jackpot] Special. Not much difference. Difficult to NOT use the mid on the Special but when left flat I’d say no difference between the two. OTD prices were about the same.
Walked out with the Goldbar Darkray:
- Goldbar finish is striking. Really pops
- Jackpot flake was unremarkable in person
- DG Alpha Omega is kind of a gimmick. But cool option to play with.
- I’ve got 3 other basses with 3band. Think I need less knobs and speculated clean on the special would be more like the older models. But brand new and with the special egos
DISCLAIMER: YMMV. I suck. This is just a hobby for me. All I really do Bass wise is play along with songs/videos that strike my fancy.
Walked out with the Goldbar Darkray:
- Goldbar finish is striking. Really pops
- Jackpot flake was unremarkable in person
- DG Alpha Omega is kind of a gimmick. But cool option to play with.
- I’ve got 3 other basses with 3band. Think I need less knobs and speculated clean on the special would be more like the older models. But brand new and with the special egos
DISCLAIMER: YMMV. I suck. This is just a hobby for me. All I really do Bass wise is play along with songs/videos that strike my fancy.
Last edited:
Yeah I ordered the stealth black darkray and to my ears, clean there isn’t much of a difference. I don’t think you could go wrong with either one.
Lobster did a YouTube comparison of the Darkray & the Special a few years back. It may be helpful.
I have been testing these two side by side. For my ears the Darkray sounds more like classic Stingray and Special is more "middle-grindy" sounding. On the lobsters video above you can REALLY hear the difference at 12:28 when the bass is cut and treble boosted. Also at 15:13 with slap samples you can hear the Darkray being alot more "Open" sounding and Special is "honky"... I had Stingray Special 5-string that felt great but to my ears never sounded like classic Stingray. I would go with Darkray OR Stingray Classic if I had to choose now 
The Darkray has a custom darkglass 2 band. If it is anything like the tone capsule, it might have a 3 dB shelf boost at around 1.5 KHz. @AgingEngineer noticed that in his analysis of the normal tone capsule. It also might not. Just something to keep in mind.
The 3 band vs 2 band behaviour can be seen in detail here
As someone who owns a Special 5 h. It feels, plays and sounds amazing. But I already have an Anagram which has all the darkglass distortion circuits so I've no need for an onboard one. I've no doubt the darkray being a special variant feels and plays amazing too. The classic I've yet to play but that sound is a classic for a reason.
The 3 band vs 2 band behaviour can be seen in detail here
As someone who owns a Special 5 h. It feels, plays and sounds amazing. But I already have an Anagram which has all the darkglass distortion circuits so I've no need for an onboard one. I've no doubt the darkray being a special variant feels and plays amazing too. The classic I've yet to play but that sound is a classic for a reason.
I own all three bass guitars. The DarkRay definitely sounds different in clean mode compared to the Classic, even though they all have a 2-band EQ. The DarkRay has much more sparkling treble, while the lows are more articulate. The Classic, on the other hand — at least mine — sounds like a vintage StingRay, with much softer and rounder highs, not overly aggressive, while having more mids.
In my opinion, the Special is the most versatile of the three, because you can imitate the classic 2-band EQ sound by playing around with the mids, but you can also make it sound aggressive if you want. In terms of quality, all of them are fantastic instruments, and although they are expensive, they are worth the money.
In my opinion, the Special is the most versatile of the three, because you can imitate the classic 2-band EQ sound by playing around with the mids, but you can also make it sound aggressive if you want. In terms of quality, all of them are fantastic instruments, and although they are expensive, they are worth the money.
Here is me just noodling around showing the clean tone of the DARK RAY when I first got it. It's just record with Iphone 15 pro max standard video record mode so it doesn't do it justice imo
