EBMM DarkRay WOW!

[Mario Vidange]

If I had the money to spare, this would probably be it. It looks really good and I dig the sound a lot.

 

[perfektspace6]

I really like this and they make a five. The white with matching head stock is the clear winner. Not sure why they didn't do matching head stocks on the other colors. The roasted brown/yellow doesn't match the black and grey at all.

 

[SonicVolcano]

Awesome bass!

What is the string spacing on the 5-string version? And I hear a lot about the G-string being too close to the edge on the fretboard...

 

[MDBass]

I'm starting this thread in hopes to begin some discussion about the EBMM DarkRay. To preface, I have had alot of experience using EBMM Stingray's throughout my 20 years of playing. I recently aquired my first DarkRay and I am quite blown away by this instrument. EBMM and Darkglass absolutely knocked it out of the park with this bass.

Most importantly, I'd like to talk about the Darkglass Pre. When set to clean, the 2 band EQ has a tone similar to the ceramic equipped Sterling Bass set to parallel. I don't find the treble to be as clacky as an alnico two or 3 band. Possibly the treble center point is set higher above that "clack" range. I set up my bass with GHS Boomers 45-105 for bit more low mid heft. A little boost of the bass and a slightly less boost of the treble yields a great starting point for working in the distortion and overdrive modes.

Alpha mode (red) - this distortion mode is tight and focused and more transparent to the clean mode. I have been experimenting working this bass into my bands set (hard rock pick playing). We aren't metal so I am not diming the blend or gain. I am wearing studio quality headphones. My bass is plugged into the amp with an aux cable running the tunes from my Iphone into that same amp.

Omega mode (blue) - this overdrive mode kicks in a lot more midrange and a hairy "scronky" tone. It's looser, fuzzier and more saturated across the entire frequency spectrum. I feel this mode isn't quite as transparent to the clean as the Alpha mode. Once again, I have found my setting with the blend highly favoring the clean and the gain somewhere in the middle. I am definitely not going for dimed crunch and saturation.

It's amazing to me how sensative and usable these controls are. For hard rock playing, the 3 way switch offering clean, distortion, and overdrive is much more useful to me than the parallel/single/series modes of older models. The definition and edge the drive modes provide to my pick playing in the mix is at this point already becoming a necessity.

In short, looking past this instrument as a novelty and as a legitimate progression in a usable tool for hard rock, it's a game over winner. Please discuss.

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The aesthetics on this are stupefyingly good.

I’d bet it sounds just as good as it looks.

 

[burgerdj]

I love the concept, but don’t love the lighting indicator. Zon also built Billy Gould a bass with onboard distortion several years ago. I liked how that was a bit more understated.

 

[Bald-N-Bassy]

Hell yeah! I just scored a silver darkray today. that white one looks killer.

 

[secondbestcody]

I love my Darkray as well. My wife got mine as a wedding/birthday gift, otherwise I would have never gotten one haha. I use it in my cover band. My only complaint is I only get to use the Alpha mode in one song.

 

[zubrycky]

Congrats for the bass, OP!

I would make many wonderful things with a bass like that, but it's impossible to find one here in Brazil (and the price would be insane)...

 

[Cory rich40]

While it won't ever (and likely wasn't meant to) be a bass that will appeal across the spectrum of genres out there, it appears to do what it's meant to incredibly well. And, unlike some of these instruments that get released with onboard-effects/electronics that feel hokey and dated within 5 minutes of hitting the shelves, this has the potential to age quite well down the years. Only time will truly tell on that, but yeah. Looks like fun.

Enjoy a sweet-looking new bass!

They came out with new colors and a 5 string version last week, so that tells me they must be very popular. Maybe next year they will come out with a similar bongo. I would get one if I didn’t have a stingray special, a bongo, and the alpha omega amp and the DG 212 cab. The darkglass amps seem like they were made to go with stingrays. The bongo sounds even better with the amp to me

 

[Cory rich40]

I have seen one negative thing on it though. Someone said on a review from sweetwater that it uses batteries like crazy though. Probably couldn’t put the bass down though is what I’m guessing

 

[sloppy_phil]

I have seen one negative thing on it though. Someone said on a review from sweetwater that it uses batteries like crazy though. Probably couldn’t put the bass down though is what I’m guessing

I'd call that a reasonably small price to pay for some pretty amazing tones on offer!

 

[kmd88]

I love the concept, but don’t love the lighting indicator. Zon also built Billy Gould a bass with onboard distortion several years ago. I liked how that was a bit more understated.

Billy Gould and FNM rock!

Initially I was a bit turned off by the LED as well. Honestly though in person, it looks pretty cool. I'll be taking this bass on stage this Friday. Curious to see if people take notice.

 

[kmd88]

Hell yeah! I just scored a silver darkray today. that white one looks killer.

Congrats! Let us know what you think of the tones.

 

[Cory rich40]

I'd call that a reasonably small price to pay for some pretty amazing tones on offer!

True. And probably played it every day until they died. Can’t say I blame him. I would just say keep a 4 pack of Duracell

 

[DuluthDank]

The good news is that even if the Darkgass sound falls out of favor in ten years or so, at most you'd be compelled to switch out the preamp, and you'd still have an awesome Musicman bass.

 

[Stranger Danger]

Now I need a Funkray with an onboard envelope filter

 

[Stranger Danger]

I love my Darkray as well. My wife got mine as a wedding/birthday gift, otherwise I would have never gotten one haha. I use it in my cover band. My only complaint is I only get to use the Alpha mode in one song.

You need to build a new band around that bass!

 

[kmd88]

The good news is that even if the Darkgass sound falls out of favor in ten years or so, at most you'd be compelled to switch out the preamp, and you'd still have an awesome Musicman bass.

Yes! But... What I am finding is that the music man / darkglass pre in this bass could in fact be a timeless tool depending on the user / usage. This is why I’m so impressed by it. Gear is only defined by the operator.

 

[PBassbalz]

I have one and love it but it goes through 9 volts pretty quick. The other problem I having right now is a loose connection with one of the batteries. I'm sure it's an easy fix but without a connected battery you get no sound so it forces me to bring a back up for a short set when normally I wouldn't.

 

[Gonzalo Sanchez]

I'm just lucky they don't make a lefty version. Else Id be poor. I guess a Sterling it is?