Thanks for the insight. I'll buy some strings tomorrow. My bass is intonated now, but that buzz is still there.
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Sterling by Music Man SUB Ray4 and Ray5
- Thread starter RyanJD
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Thanks for the insight. I'll buy some strings tomorrow. My bass is intonated now, but that buzz is still there.
OK this was exactly it! I put some D'Addarios on and the buzzing went away. I never would have thought to change the strings.
These basses have press on knobs and when they inevitably get pushed down too far they bind on the body. Just pull upwards on the knob until it doesn't rub on the body and then it turns very smoothly.
The potentiometers are standard quality "Alpha" brand and work fine. Here's a pic of the SUB SB4 guts.
The problem on the one I saw in Chicago was not that the knob was pressed down too far. It was just a bad pot. The bass got out the door and up on the wall at GC that way, unless it was damaged after being put up in the store.
I just got a chance to play one of these at GC the other day. I've got to say, I was impressed!
For $280, you get a licensed Stingray copy that looks and sounds a lot more like a Stingray than any of the "copies". It's not their Classic 2 band eq, but because of the pickup placement, it has the Stingray tone that people expect, at least to the degree that a $280 bass can.
The neck was slimmer at the nut and the body has a really thin finish. The hardware is definitely junky, by comparison. But if Musicman was out to steal a market share from Squiers... I think they nailed it! It's the Squier of Musicman.
Decent tone and feel for cheap and a good platform for upgrades, if you so desire.
For $280, you get a licensed Stingray copy that looks and sounds a lot more like a Stingray than any of the "copies". It's not their Classic 2 band eq, but because of the pickup placement, it has the Stingray tone that people expect, at least to the degree that a $280 bass can.
The neck was slimmer at the nut and the body has a really thin finish. The hardware is definitely junky, by comparison. But if Musicman was out to steal a market share from Squiers... I think they nailed it! It's the Squier of Musicman.
Decent tone and feel for cheap and a good platform for upgrades, if you so desire.
Hi Gabriel and everybody on here!
My name is Brian, and I am the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Praxis Musical, as well as the Product Specialist. Praxis Musical is the manufacturer of Sterling By Music Man products, which includes the new SUB Series.
Gabriel: The strings that the SUB Series comes with from the factory are generic, Asian made strings. Not the best in the world, but, for us to reach the price point that these sell for, those are what we had to work with.
Of course, we always recommend that you use Ernie Ball strings as replacements.
On the Ray4, I'd recommend using the EB2832 Regular Slinky.
On the Ray5, I'd recommend using the EB2836 Regular Slinky 5 String.
I hope this helps, and if any of you have questions about the SUB Series or Sterling By Music Man models, I'll do my best to answer your questions!
The body wood on ALL of the SUB Series Ray4 and Ray5 Basses is Basswood.
Hope that this helps clear things up!
SBMM said:
Not to disagree with the expert, but I got this quote directly from Pat Park when he worked for SBMM:
the body wood is an Indonesian local wood known as Jabon. It's similar to basswood in weight and density.
Used by many manufacturers. It's a great way to offer a solid wood and hit the price point. No plywood here!
We have been speaking by email lately, glad you are here and thanks for the information.
To clear things up: We ***had*** considered Jabon for the body wood on the bass models ***but***, Jabon is a very ugly wood in a natural state, sooooooooooooo...moving on down the line, we came up with the Walnut Satin and Honeyburst Satin finishes, which, by the way, are gorgeous, and required a rather pretty base wood to couple with!
Moving right along, that Jabon wood isn't so pretty (but is very toneful) when coupled with a 'see through' finish, so...they were moved on down to our SUB guitar models Silo3 and AX3 and the basses were kept in with basswood. Things change when you develop a product, as did the SUB Series.
Also, on an environmental note:
Jabon, which is an Indonesian hardwood closely related to Basswood, is pretty special these days! A Jabon tree takes 4-5 years to reach a harvest ready maturity, which is pretty amazing! You won't see an "old growth" Jabon tree, but, at that rate of growth, there is no need. Re-forestation is easy, cheap, and viable if you choose wisely. It's something that all of us need to be aware of, and on top of.
Yes, they are different, but still offer the same punchy sound that is *reminiscent* of the originals.
Remember, if you want the original Music Man products, you need to buy one ( and I encourage you to do so!!!) !
Sterling By Music Man, and our new SUB Series, fit price points that allow players of all economic wherewithal to get into a style and playability that is unique unto the original Music Man designs, but at different price/quality levels. There is *no* comparison when you are talking about a superior, hand crafted, American made instrument. Reality is, you know what your budget affords, (and luckily) there are now several levels from which to choose from. That budget has no reflection on talent, just reality of economics for the purchaser.
Comparing a master-built, handcrafted instrument of the level of Music Man vs. Sterling By Music Man and our SUB Series products is irrelevant. That rings true with EVERY manufacturer, only few will speak it!
We at Praxis/Sterling By Music Man offer an extremely high quality, 'bang for the buck', authorized product that gets the 'sound and soul' of Music Man out there, as it should be.
I played a "walnut" Ray4 a few days ago at my Guitar Center.
The feel and fretwork were very, very impressive for a $280 bass. It had a solid feel that inexpensive basses often lack.
Sounds a lot like my 2 band Stingray Classic.
Some corners were cut on the hardware, but everything else is great for such an inexpensive bass.,
The feel and fretwork were very, very impressive for a $280 bass. It had a solid feel that inexpensive basses often lack.
Sounds a lot like my 2 band Stingray Classic.
Some corners were cut on the hardware, but everything else is great for such an inexpensive bass.,
Hi Brian, just a happy customer saying hi here 
a pic of my studio session rocking the Ray4
one question though, is there any difference between the SUBs sold in the USA and International? I saw it at the bottom of the website and it has different page for each. The only difference I can see is the color availability
a pic of my studio session rocking the Ray4
one question though, is there any difference between the SUBs sold in the USA and International? I saw it at the bottom of the website and it has different page for each. The only difference I can see is the color availability
Hi Brian,
Thank you for the wood clarification. I was getting my information from an old thread on the EBMM forum. Either way, these seem like this offering is filling a need, and making the SR sound available to the masses.
Thank you for the wood clarification. I was getting my information from an old thread on the EBMM forum. Either way, these seem like this offering is filling a need, and making the SR sound available to the masses.
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