They seem to be selling at $1k these days. I just paid that for a USA SUB5. I liked it better when they were $600 but at $1k the basses are still worth every penny.
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Music Man SUB USA
- Thread starter ReeV0
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I would try to get it for $800 but would not find $1,100 unreasonable.
Had one of the active SUB's ...played it a bit, then sold it. Then I picked up a passive one three years ago and it's become my #1 in the studio. I had a set of Ernie Ball cobalt flats (I think that's what they're called) on a P bass....sounded like crap. Put 'em on the SUB and they sound great (go figure). The SUB's great....love the neck, the sound and I adore the pick guard. Tacky and lovely.
we are way off topic from the o.p. here, but this is interesting stuff to me. ... selling locally is fraught with issues. i've done a little bit, but it's mostly a dead end. maybe it's a texas thing ... but houston and dfw seem to be better markets. but again, i am too old to put up with the hassle. it's ... a hassle.
also, for collectors, basses need to be dead mint to have the most appeal. o.p. was looking at a 'pristine' bass. anything modded ... is tough to move these days. might as well just sell the parts.
way off topic ... but hey, maybe you might be interested in a couple of my basses
Maybe I missed it in a later post by the OP but he just mentions that it is in mint condition not that he is a collector and that he is looking for a mint example of that model. I dont see the point in paying for a mint sub bass and dont see it adding that much to the asking. They are budget basses unless you have a huge Stingray collection and you need one because you are trying to get a example of every model they have offered then it doesn't make sense.
Again I didnt see him mention he is a collector and it was for a collection but I could have missed it. Usually people are looking to get a US stingray affordability when they are considering these models, but for that amount go with a used one for a bit more.
Also Im sure he can learn from everyone of these post talking about brokers. Maybe he never knew that was a option and a avenue he could peruse to score a stingray for a great price.
But my original point was you can get a real stingray for that amount or even a bit more and not settle for a budget version that is super tacky unless you are dead set on one. I get it, it could be a nostalgia purchase, you had one as teen etc.etc., which in that case changes everything as normal reasoning and logical as far as value and spending go out the window when dealing with nostalgia.
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passive sub with flats is a great tone and a distinctive sound that's tough to beat with any bass at any price. just saying, that's one tone thing a regular stingray can't do. but one can get close ... like with a warmoth with a mm in the 'sweet spot' and get a duncan p.u. and wire it with a series/paralell switch. not a colectible, but a great sounding bass ...
I played a US SUB for years before I traded it. Great bass, and definitely as close to a Stingray as you're gonna get without being an actual Stingray, but man - they do NOT have the fit & finish of a $1k bass IMHO. The matte finish is horrible and cheap, prone to cracking and then flaking. *Everything* is painted - there is not a millimeter of visible woodgrain. I hated the slab body.
I know prices have gone up, but mine was worth around $600 when I traded it in 2018/19. I just don't think the value is there in these basses at $1k. I'd spend a bit more on a used 'Ray or something nicer.
I know prices have gone up, but mine was worth around $600 when I traded it in 2018/19. I just don't think the value is there in these basses at $1k. I'd spend a bit more on a used 'Ray or something nicer.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
Anyone who gets (or got) into the original USA SUBs knows they weren't intended to have the 'fit and finish' of a true $1k bass - which was well established even in 2005 or so... when they were $600 new. That being said, everything about the SUBs I owned was dead-on in terms of construction and hardware. I had zero complaints... definitely the most solid $600 bass I had ever owned up to that point. The painting of everything was because they weren't using the 'prettiest' woods, and definitely wanted to differentiate them from a regular USA 'Ray. Sterling Ball commented MANY times on that back in the day - and he lost money on every SUB sold because in terms of how much value they packed into one axe: how they SOUNDED, and the fact that they were finished right alongside regular USA 'Rays on the assembly line. There was more 'competition' against the regular 'Rays than one may have thought. But yeah.... what you got was essentially a classic, old-school 2-band Ray sound and feel without the 'bells and whistles'... even the slab body was still proper MM lineage. When used 'Rays are going for upwards of $1500 or more now, there is a clear value
- Sep 4, 2010
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I had to pass a few years ago on a great sounding passive one in a NJ store that was priced at $495,-, great bass, but didn't have the dough at the time. If I wanted one now i'd say $700, tops
$1,000 is not a great deal but it isn't terrible one either. Given the way prices of USA made instruments have gone, it will only go up in the future.
The splatter coat paint job is the only black bass that doesn't show prints/smudges every single time you touch it.
You sound like a part of their marketing team from back in the day.
Good point I give you that but not worth noting as adding any value.
One benefit to the SUBs which is often not discussed is that the 5 string was the first true SR 5 string. The SR5 compares to the SR4 is a different bass and design. The SUB5 is try to the 4 string design.
Also, it should be noted that after the SUB was discontinued, the designs lived on the Classic series which has the same slab body design, but with a better finish and thr classic string trough muted bridge.
With the classic series costing north of $2000 that makes the subs even more appealing to me.
Also, it should be noted that after the SUB was discontinued, the designs lived on the Classic series which has the same slab body design, but with a better finish and thr classic string trough muted bridge.
With the classic series costing north of $2000 that makes the subs even more appealing to me.
Didn't say it added value, but it's the only black paint job that doesn't drive me nuts.
I don't have any other black basses and normally wouldn't look at buying a black bass.
Ok I guess Ill word it as its not really a selling point that makes that horrible finish a positive for most bassist.
Shocking how quickly and how high the prices have risen on MusicMan basses.
I love my SR5, but I doubt I'd spend the $2K + that's being asked these days. I got mine for $900, and I felt I had overpaid at that time, but money was tighter for me back then.
It feels like there was a big improvement in the quality of entry level instruments, but their price was low for a bit. Now, the price of entry level instruments from China and Indonesia have risen from the $200 range to the $400 and even $1,000 range (!).
It makes me think that this is good time for me to sell off some instruments.
I love my SR5, but I doubt I'd spend the $2K + that's being asked these days. I got mine for $900, and I felt I had overpaid at that time, but money was tighter for me back then.
It feels like there was a big improvement in the quality of entry level instruments, but their price was low for a bit. Now, the price of entry level instruments from China and Indonesia have risen from the $200 range to the $400 and even $1,000 range (!).
It makes me think that this is good time for me to sell off some instruments.
Same, I get the hatred but I don't share it. I rather liked the plain aesthetics, and the pickguard was an easy replacement. What ultimately did me in was the weight, my 5 string was pushing 11 lbs.
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