Is there any huge difference in sound with these basses? I'm looking into buying a SUB 4 and that's within my budget just fine. But is it worth spending 2000 dollars to buy an American made StingRay? Is there actually any huge difference between one that costs 400 dollars and 2000 dollars? I don't know if it's worth spending 1600 more dollars to get a premium instrument.
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EBMM (USA) vs S.U.B. (INA)
- Thread starter Dbt25677
- Start date
The differences in quality are huge, as well as materials. And when I say huge, I mean, hamburger to aged bone in ribeye. If the sub fits your budget get the sub, then I would start saving for the ebmm. Ebmm has a better sound and feel that is immediately recognizable when you pick it up. It actually playes better due to the attention to detail of the builders. The sub is mass produced by people that are usually not players who have no pride or emotional investment in each particular instrument. Most people that work at ebmm take pride in what they do. And certainly Sterling Ball takes pride in it. Hope this helps.
I bought one last week--they are amazing, especially for the price. I ended up doing a head to head, direct comparison at GC. I have some expensive basses, but ultimately, I don't care where a bass comes from, or who made it. If it feels good in your hands, and sounds good, it is a good instrument. BTW, the electronics are the same.
The tone is the same (as another MM with a 2 band eq). The difference is that the wood is Indonesian, and it is put together by Indonesians. The SUB is lighter in weight--no doubt, but they feel great. I'd bet that overall, QC could be an issue, and there are probably considerable variances from bass to bass, but I feel like I scored. I may even buy another one.
I gig a SUB instead of my USA Stingray. The USA model is better in every was; better woods,better hardware, better electronics, better finish, better fit and finish. I like the SUB better for reasons I can't really quantify. It plays well, looks good, sounds good, and -bonus- cost me less than $300.
why not find a good used EBMM Stingray for about $800? you'll get the real thing and only spend an extra four bill's!
I tried out a few the other week - a sub ray4 @ £220, a fretless sbmm ray 34ca @ £750 and an EBMM classic stingray @ £2300...... Wasn't loud enough to get a good handle on sound quality, but they all sounded OK as far as I could tell. The sub actually felt the nicest to play to me, but I suspect a lot of that would be down to the narrower neck (the sub has a jazz/sterling 1.5" nut, ray 34 and ebmm both have slightly wider)
If I didn't already have a fairly decent OLP stingray copy, I'd have bought that sub in a heartbeat. As it is, I'm no longer as set on saving for a proper ebmm one until I can try out one with a SLO special neck.... Well, that and when my bank account is about 2 grand healthier than it is!
If I didn't already have a fairly decent OLP stingray copy, I'd have bought that sub in a heartbeat. As it is, I'm no longer as set on saving for a proper ebmm one until I can try out one with a SLO special neck.... Well, that and when my bank account is about 2 grand healthier than it is!
This may be true, but isn't it presumptuous to assume that Indonesians can't/don't take pride in the job they do? They just might appreciate their jobs even more.
I like my SUB.
