do the Ray4's need custom pickguards or will replacements for EBMM's fit? did a search couldn't find anything definitive....thinking white Ray4 with an aftermarket tortoise pg could be in my future
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Sterling by Music Man SUB Ray4 and Ray5
- Thread starter RyanJD
- Start date
- Status
None of our parts will cross with the real deal Music Man items (that is an engineering thing that was done on purpose
)For new pickguards your best bet would be a place like pickguards.com
Glad to see that people are digging the new Mint Green Ray4!
Another one to check out is the new Metallic Red SB4. I think that is probably the best looking one in the SUB Series so far.
Wait till you see the new colors coming out at Winter NAMM....
Another one to check out is the new Metallic Red SB4. I think that is probably the best looking one in the SUB Series so far.
Wait till you see the new colors coming out at Winter NAMM....
Ok, thanx, but my subs looks pretty diferent and the black one is about 1 pound lighter .. :O maybe there is too much putty ..
.. 
Ok, thanx, but my subs looks pretty diferent and the black one is about 1 pound lighter .. :O maybe there is too much putty ..
Yeah that does not look like the same wood at all. But i'm no arborist.
Just read this whole thread, and really like the SUB Ray4. It's going to be my first bass! As to the preamp issue and mod, I have a intermediate knowledge of electronic schematics and opamp circuits. Most likely the 'HOT' preamp can be limited by changing some resistor values. Can someone post high quality pictures of top and bottom of the circuit board? This will give me a head start before I get my bass. I'll post the solution when I find one.
Well, I guess I would be the one to do it!
Here's a picture of the top of an unmolested circuit board.
Of all people SBMM post the PCB. Ok, here's the start, the opamp chip is an TL062, very common low noise op amp used in millions of circuits. The opamp uses a feedback loop, depending if the input is on the + or - input of the op amp, the resistor division makes the "gain". Lower one of the values (in the feedback loop) or increase the one on the input, lowers the gain. (For example the Ibanez tubescreamer uses a 500K pot for the drive, in the loop, increase to a 1M pot, and you have a tubescreamer on steroids!) similar principal although I haven't traced the circuit yet. The only difference is the active tone control for bass/treble. I'll post some more info soon. Thanks!
Hey guys. I used to own an OLP 5er and the nut width, along with the neck profile, were great for me. The width was 44mm, if I remember correctly. Also, that bass had a very nice mid-range punch, very reminiscent of a P-bass.
So, I have two questions.
One, I read that both SUB Ray4 and Ray5 have a 38mm nut. Is that true? They didn't go with a wider nut for the Ray5?
Two, I've never played with an active Stingray and I don't have first have experience as to how will the SUB Ray5 sound. Will I lose that mid-range punch with the Ray5 or not? FYI, I love the P-bass sound and punch, but Fender makes very wide necks on the 5ers and I found a great combo in the OLP which I want to have on the SUB Ray5.
So, I have two questions.
One, I read that both SUB Ray4 and Ray5 have a 38mm nut. Is that true? They didn't go with a wider nut for the Ray5?
Two, I've never played with an active Stingray and I don't have first have experience as to how will the SUB Ray5 sound. Will I lose that mid-range punch with the Ray5 or not? FYI, I love the P-bass sound and punch, but Fender makes very wide necks on the 5ers and I found a great combo in the OLP which I want to have on the SUB Ray5.
Thanks SBMM for the fast reply. If anyone could help me with the sound matter, I would be grateful.
IMO making the move to the active electronics requires some adjustment. I played a couple of OLPs before I purchased this Ray5. I also own a pair of EBMM StingRay 4s, an SBMM SB14, and a Squier Active Jazz V.
I think the Ray5 really blows the OLPs away. As I said it took a while to sort out the tone blend, but I would be surprised if you were disappointed as compared to the OLP. The OLP is a nice first try, but the S.U.B. series is clearly superior IMHO. For the price differential, I'd be hard pressed to recommend the OLP over the S.U.B. series.
I think a little time you'd be able to find that punch. Definitely worth a look.
Hope that helps.
- Status
