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Ray all day. Don’t believe everything you read, it is plenty versatile and sits great in a stage or studio mix. It is the definition of an “active” sound and the EQ is powerful - a little goes a long way. The J (passive) will bring you some classic tones, including hum if you solo one of the pickups. An active J is a different flavor.
Nothing against the J, but don’t hesitate if you like the Ray.
Nothing against the J, but don’t hesitate if you like the Ray.
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I Bought a US Stingray a few years ago . 3 band EQ, natural wood,Rosewood board .Nothing wrong with it at all except I didn't really like it personally . Felt flat and plank like ,just didn't warm to it . Completely versatile etc but wasn't the bass for me . Soundwise I think it's a bit like the Rickenbacker thing .Sure you cant get the classic Rick Gravel if you want or you can just tone it down and make it sound like any other bass ,P or J etc Options are there . Try before you buy and you obviously have ,really dont worry about what others think unless you are a working session player .
Both Jazz and Stingrays are excellent basses and I am fortunate enough to own both. It's all about subjective taste. I prefer the Stingray over the Jazz.
while I dont have a stingray per se, I do have a fender 4 PJ and a AmDLX Dimension V H... and let me tell you it was a big adjustment to go from a p pickup to a single sweet spot humbucker but I find it really compliments a 5 string.
With a P pickup, you can very comfortably sit on the first 5 frets and the notes are going to sound pretty full of low end but that really isnt quite so on the single humbucker. The pickup incentivizes you to play higher on the neck and stretch out more into different playing positions . IMO it's just as versatile as any P bass and can sit in a mix just as well, albeit cutting through a bit more
With a P pickup, you can very comfortably sit on the first 5 frets and the notes are going to sound pretty full of low end but that really isnt quite so on the single humbucker. The pickup incentivizes you to play higher on the neck and stretch out more into different playing positions . IMO it's just as versatile as any P bass and can sit in a mix just as well, albeit cutting through a bit more
Follow what your gut's telling you.
If you still can't decide, they now have another option for you;
Fender Jino Jazz Bass!
If you still can't decide, they now have another option for you;
Fender Jino Jazz Bass!
Buy both isn't horrible advice. I bought a used 60th anniversary MIM Jazz for like $250 off craigslist once. The electronics were in pretty bad shape and it had some cracks in the finish, but I replaced the pots and output jack for like less than $20 and that bass played just fine. I put aluminum knobs on it too.. eventually sold it but, good deals pop up sometimes.
And hey if you were looking to buy either an Ernie Ball MM, or a Fender American Jazz, you could probably buy a new Sterling Ray 34 and an MIM Fender Jazz both for the cost of one of those basses and have two acceptable working man's basses.
Musicians Friend seems to have an $800 Sterling Ray34 on sale for $599 right now if you live in the US. I've been hearing people have been getting used and demo items from them lately in lieu of items listed as new but I mean.. worst that happens you wait a week or two to get your money back.
Tell me this thing isn't saying "Play me" to you with that sweet roasted maple neck and natural finish. Exact model I mentioned having belonged to a friend that let me play it in my earlier post. Fine bass indeed. That neck felt so good in my hands. I'm finding it hard not to push the button myself.. but.. I need another bass like I need another hole in my head atm. I already have a Lakland 55-02 on the way for bass number 4.
It's a step above the SUB series.
And hey if you were looking to buy either an Ernie Ball MM, or a Fender American Jazz, you could probably buy a new Sterling Ray 34 and an MIM Fender Jazz both for the cost of one of those basses and have two acceptable working man's basses.
Musicians Friend seems to have an $800 Sterling Ray34 on sale for $599 right now if you live in the US. I've been hearing people have been getting used and demo items from them lately in lieu of items listed as new but I mean.. worst that happens you wait a week or two to get your money back.
Tell me this thing isn't saying "Play me" to you with that sweet roasted maple neck and natural finish. Exact model I mentioned having belonged to a friend that let me play it in my earlier post. Fine bass indeed. That neck felt so good in my hands. I'm finding it hard not to push the button myself.. but.. I need another bass like I need another hole in my head atm. I already have a Lakland 55-02 on the way for bass number 4.
It's a step above the SUB series.
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A Lakland 44-02 will get you pretty much right where you want to be. I haven’t played any of the new ones, so I’m not quite sure how they sound anymore. I do remember my old 55-02 with Barts as being a bit more polite. It was a great bass. I miss it.
A series/parallel switch on my Jazz bass gets me close enough to both worlds. I installed the switch originally because I'd heard the resulting bigger sound of series wiring was supposed to bring the sound more into P territory, but I find that's not quite true. If anything I think the sound is more in line with a Stingray.
If you're jonesing for a Stingray, don't get the Jazz. You'll still be wondering all the time what the Stingray would have been like.
It's not like you're not going to be able to find a good Jazz bass if you decide the Stingray isn't what you thought it would be.
It's not like you're not going to be able to find a good Jazz bass if you decide the Stingray isn't what you thought it would be.
You hear a lot of stupid things on the internet.
What else is there to say?
I’m certainly not going to be the first to say that, if the ‘ray sounds and feels good to you and the Jazz does not, you’ve answered your own question. But I would point out that I, too, was disappointed in the sound of the Jazz basses I’d played, up until I figured out that, unlike every other dual pickup bass I’ve owned, a Jazz does not sound very good with both pickup volumes wide open.
After years of playing J and being disappointed with the bridge PU tone, I tried a Stingray. Wow, there it was! A thicker, more substantial J bridge tone. Having the HB pickup in the mid position was the winner. Sold my lovely J and switched to the 'Ray.
I have a theory that live music is different than recorded music. Live, you need some mids to counteract the mud contributed by the room. A J bass with both pickups on cuts mids and guess what - buried in the mix. A P or a 'Ray are more mid-forward (but with different colors) and seem to work better live. Assuming, of course, you want the bass to have a voice; to be more than just a low frequency effect hidden below the music.
Anyway, for me, it is 'Ray over J any day.
I have a theory that live music is different than recorded music. Live, you need some mids to counteract the mud contributed by the room. A J bass with both pickups on cuts mids and guess what - buried in the mix. A P or a 'Ray are more mid-forward (but with different colors) and seem to work better live. Assuming, of course, you want the bass to have a voice; to be more than just a low frequency effect hidden below the music.
Anyway, for me, it is 'Ray over J any day.
You’ve already tried both and have discovered which you one you prefer! Don’t let hype or traditions sway you away from one bass and into another. Many of us make that mistake over and over..
I tried to convince myself I was a P-bass guy and went through several until I finally accepted that I wasn’t really into them.
With the proper technique and Eq a Stingray will crush it in any environment. The HH models offer more flexibility but you very well might not need that. I do a lot of studio work and play in a wide variety of bands and found that I needed the HH (having owned both the H and HH). I discovered the HH had more headroom and more sub-lows, which is what I wanted.
I’ve heard people complain that the G string rolls off the neck but that’s 100% bad playing technique. I do hammer-ons, bends, and pulls all the time and have never had this happen (without doing it intentionally to see what the fuss was about).
I’ve also heard people say they don’t cut through the mix and that the strings aren’t balanced. If that’s the case the issue is with the mix, your eq, and again playing technique.
I use mine in the studio and live with Reggae, Funk, Soul, blues, folk, soft rock, and deathcore.
no has ever complained about cutting through the mix and I’ve never felt like I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of the bass.
You can now get a Stingray with dual humbuckers if you think that you’re going to need it. You probably won’t need the dual pickup model if you learn to use all of the active controls (including the volume knob) and move your plucking fingers to different areas of the strings.
Rays are a lot more flexible than most people who’ve never owned one realize.
Get the bass that feels best to you. You will spend more hours playing it, and the more time you play, the better you will sound.
Rays are a lot more flexible than most people who’ve never owned one realize.
Get the bass that feels best to you. You will spend more hours playing it, and the more time you play, the better you will sound.
Two different beasts. I love both and own both.
