MusicMan S.U.B.

a bit lower quality hardware, different finishes, and only 2-band EQ. i believe there are passive and active models.
from what i've heard (around here) they're worth more than the money, and are almost as good as a stingray.

 

I just played and looked over a Sub today at the music store, there was a real stingray ( a natural ash one) on the wall for comparison. I wouldn't go so far as to say its just like a ray in quality but you are getting what you pay for. The u.s.a. stingray looked higher in quality over all but the Sub played good. The 2-band controls don't really change your sound too much and before the salesman said it was "2-band" I thought it was just a volume, tone and treble boost. The matte bumpy finish didn't do anything for me, nor did the "tailgate" pickguard.
To be honest I'd rather pay less for a Peavey Fury 4 with a 3 band EQ. Or better yet, buy a stingray copy and add your own active preamp. Low down: Yet another marketing strategy for young players.

 

i thought they were utterly crap

steve

 

I have played the sub bass, and given i prefer two band eq's i can not see any reason to buy a stingray. I liked the finish, but only in black (to match the neck), the scratchplate is the same as the stingray, so it is easy to replace. The hardware to me looked identical to a stingrays and it is all well made. The body shape and contouring all match the stingray allmost to the letter. To me it raises the question "what are you paying for that is sooo much better on the stingray that is worth twice the price?" I am sure i will get stick for that remark but i can not see where all the additional cost goes. A mid dial and a better finish seems a push for another £500~.

In the UK the importer has decided not to bring the passive model in, so we only get the two band eq active version over here. Guess they decided that the passive one is not worth it.

 

its worth twice as much..for the pre amp, an ash body, birdseye maple neck....etc.
its like asking whats the diff between mexi..and the mia

steve

 

Basically the

SUB bass is to the Stingray

as the

Fender Highway 1 (J and P basses) is to the Fender American Series.


All above are US made basses. The SUB like the Highway 1 cut cost mostly with that matte-like finish. Sure, regular maple rather than swanky birdseye maple, highend EQ, and other high end features on the Sting ray does cut cost too but I really think the high gloss finish is very labor intensive and environmentally costly.

The SUBs look pretty damn good but I've gotta tell ya, if I'm going to blow $800 on a Music Man, I just assume keep my eye out for a good used Stingray (that bird's eye maple is just soooo purdy).

 

I tried a couple of them and they both felt kinda cheap, probably because of the weird black finish that they apply to the back of the neck.

 

Gezz, they put finish on the back of the neck? I wonder what the hell for! That's a crappy feature. I MUST find one and try them out for myself. Say, how much does the SUB with and without active EQ go for anyway?

 

The ones I tried at GC were both the passive model, and they were listed at $649.

 

There was a few threads done already on this bass and it seems that they are just an affordable Music Man,I played a few of them and did'nt really find anything not like-able to list.
They are a good bass,but not worth the asking price,This is my final answer.

 

The suggested selling price for a Sub is $650, but I saw one as low as $500 online a few weeks ago. If you could find one used a year or two from now you could probably get it for like $300-400. That would be a GREAT deal.