Music Man SUB (US)

[RiZzBot]

new old bass day. tab on battery box is busted. Has anyone had any luck finding one

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Not the Sterlings. All US models have 3 band. There has never been a 2band US Sterling IIRC.

the Sterling Classic had a 2-band…

Absolute killer basses
https://reverb.com/item/1683162-ernie-ball-music-man-sterling-classic-natural-ash-new-old-stock



If I had the cash, I’d love to get a USA Sterling. I fell in absolute love with a Stealth HH back in 2010 or so, but I’d prefer an H for myself.
Still waiting to see what the new colors for 2022 will be…other than Red and Blue…

 

[mcnach]

new old bass day. tab on battery box is busted. Has anyone had any luck finding one

View attachment 4561407

View attachment 4561408

Nice bass!
You can get the whole battery box from Gotoh, it's not expensive.

 

[RiZzBot]

Nice bass!
You can get the whole battery box from Gotoh, it's not expensive.

can you link the item please

 

[Jim C]

Battery boxes:
https://www.amazon.com/Gotoh-Single...ents&sprefix=9+volt+battery+box,mi,42&sr=1-10

https://www.amazon.com/Dunlop-ECB24...ents&sprefix=9+volt+battery+box,mi,42&sr=1-30

 

[rogerbmiller]

As I suspected, but without proof - no difference other than the headstock labeling. And the S.U.B. came before the SUB.

Between Sport Utility Bass and using the name of an existing model for their import line, EBMM should consider hiring a consultant before they name anything.

I saw this thread bumped today and this bit about the S.U.B. vs. SUB headstock was nagging at me because I knew I had a source. And I found it!

Music Man Bass Global - Headstock Logos (Part 2)

The S.U.B. headstock logo was only in 2003. From 2004 they used the SUB headstock logo.

 

[Camarillo]

I found one of these for sale here in Italy. Pretty rare I think, I never saw another one.
I think I'm having a GAS attack. What about the neck width on those? P or J style?

 

[mcnach]

I found one of these for sale here in Italy. Pretty rare I think, I never saw another one.
I think I'm having a GAS attack. What about the neck width on those? P or J style?

Same profile as the Stingrays of the era, so more P than J at the nut.

 

[Anjohl]

Yes, they’re totally different. The Sterling by Musicman SUBs are not produced by Ernie Ball, but in Asia by Praxis Instruments under license from Ernie Ball.

The US SUBs were discontinued around 2010. The Sterling by Musicman SUBs (also known as the Ray4 and Ray5) are still being produced, and have nothing to do with either the original SUBs or the Musicman Sterling, but are the lowest tier on the Asian-produced Stingray value line.

The naming conventions are confusing, but as long as you remember that Sterling by Musicman (SBMM in TB parlance) is produced in Asia under license, and Ernie Ball Musicman (EBMM to us TB’ers) is produced in the US, it’s not too difficult. Here is a chart I made earlier:

View attachment 4354684

No S.U.B. listed ;p

 

[JakobT]

No S.U.B. listed ;p

This was a four year-old post. By this time, the EBMM S. U. B. had been discontinued for more than a decade, but the SBMM Ray4 and Ray5 were part of the SBMM SUB series, as they still are today.

 

[Anjohl]

This was a four year-old post. By this time, the EBMM S. U. B. had been discontinued for more than a decade, but the SBMM Ray4 and Ray5 were part of the SBMM SUB series, as they still are today.

For sure! I owned a SBMM SUB Ray5, and just scored this EBMM SUB today!

 

[JakobT]

For sure! I owned a SBMM SUB Ray5, and just scored this EBMM SUB today!

View attachment 7341533

Congrats! Used to have one of those. Great basses!

 

[Anjohl]

Congrats! Used to have one of those. Great basses!

It plays great, just has a bit of noise, which I suspect is a grounding issue.

 

[JustFunk]

Walking into a remote shop of a non remote area, I look into an anonymous corner and I see this new-old guy:

Couldn’t believe it until I checked out everything in details. It was him, a shiny 19 years old US Musicman SUB 5 from an old stock. Listing price: bargain. Negotiated price: no questions!

Sits home by his 4 strings brother. Both active, black, warm and punchy like sxxt.

I keep it closed in his case waiting for the new pickguard to arrive as the original one is an insult to this bass (but also a reason why it doesn’t catch the attention from occasional players. Thanks EB for that horrible pickguard!)