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MF MD HG Memorial Day 05-20-13

Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar  (Used)

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Product #580995
See All Sterling by Music Man 4 String Electric Bass
Sterling by Music Man

Delivers StingRay sound, looks, and feel at a much more accessible price.

The Sterling RAY34 Bass Guitar features a select solid swamp ash body for percussive lows, subtle mids, and expansive highs. The lightweight swamp ash brings out the nuances and clarity that Music Man basses are known for. Combined with a Music Man-designed Sterling active 3-band preamp, you get all the tonal combinations you could ever need. A single Music Man Humbucking pickup has alnico pole pieces for classic warm tones. The Music Man designed 6-bolt neck joint used in all the Sterling Ray basses are strong and stable with no shift in the neck pocket for superior tone transfer. The Music Man-designed bridge uses a thick saddle for precise adjustments and stability. Precise slotting on each saddle guarantees no sideways movement on the bass strings during heavy playing.

Basses from Sterling by Music Man are perfect for players seeking the Music Man vibe at a more affordable price. This instrument is an accurate version of the popular Music Man bass with no compromise on quality or materials. Sterling by MusicMan pledges to make an instrument that will deliver the performance you need. Each instrument is inspected, setup and played before shipment.

Features

  • Swamp ash body
  • Maple neck
  • Rosewood fingerboard
  • 21 frets
  • 6-bolt Music Man designed neck joint
  • Music Man Designed Humbucking Pickup
  • Music Man Designed 3-band Active Preamp
  • Music Man Designed Bridge with stainless steel saddles
  • 34” scale
  • Open gear heavy duty tuners
  • Spoke Wheel truss rod adjustment
  • Heavy duty gig bag included
  • Ernie Ball bass strings: .045, .065, .080, .100
  • Nut width: 43mm (1.69")
  • Black

Own a bass that will deliver the performance you need!

Customer Reviews
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Review Snapshot®

by PowerReviews
Sterling by Music ManRay34 Electric Bass Guitar
 
5.0

(based on 25 reviews)

Ratings Distribution

  • 5 Stars

     

    (24)

  • 4 Stars

     

    (1)

  • 3 Stars

     

    (0)

  • 2 Stars

     

    (0)

  • 1 Stars

     

    (0)

100%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

  • Fun to play (3)
  • Good feel (3)
  • Good tone (3)

Cons

    Best Uses

    • Jamming (3)
    • Practicing (3)
    • Small venues (3)

    Reviewed by 25 customers

    Sort by

    Displaying reviews 1-10

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    5.0

    Best bass ever

    By Atlas

    from San, Antonio, Tx

    About Me Professional Musician

    Pros

    • Fun To Play
    • Good Feel
    • Good Pick Up
    • Good Tone
    • Solid Electronics

    Cons

      Best Uses

      • Jamming
      • Practicing
      • Recording
      • Rock Concerts
      • Small Venues

      Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

      I totally agree with all of the prior comments. I have a Music Man Stingray, but prefer the Sterling 34. Need I say more?

      Comment on this review

      (1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

       
      5.0

      Awesome Bass

      By Bob The Bass Player

      from Sonora, CA

      About Me Professional Musician

      Verified Buyer

      Pros

      • Fun To Play
      • Good Feel
      • Good Pick Up
      • Good Tone
      • Solid Electronics

      Cons

        Best Uses

        • Jamming
        • Practicing
        • Recording
        • Rock Concerts
        • School Bands
        • Small Venues

        Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

        I have played many basses throughout my 18yrs of playing and this by far is the best I have played for the price it is. The craftmanship is there in the details, like the high gloss headstock finish stops at the nut. There was thought in the design of this instrument not just made to make them cheaper. I applaud Ernie Ball and MusicMan for making this affordable line of "Quality" instruments.

        Comment on this review

        (3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

         
        4.0

        Awesome Bass!

        By JR45

        from San Diego Ca

        Verified Buyer

        Pros

        • Fun To Play
        • Good Feel
        • Good Tone

        Cons

          Best Uses

          • Jamming
          • Practicing
          • Small Venues

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          A great bass for it's price. Although heavier than my other bass guitar, the sound is worth it.

          Comment on this review

          (6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

           
          5.0

          Ray 34 by Sterling

          By Johnny810

          from New England

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          9 only because I own the real Sting Ray and this is what I am comparing it to.
          Overall very well done, clean finish, good job on the frets, setup good with near perfect intonation, tuners are a bit long on headstock but ok,all parts well done, for the price a job well done and a close match to the real Stingray.
          I'm comparing thr Ray to the real deal Sting Ray and there are differances the nut is standard plastic and not compensating, the tuners are good standard as found on most imports but well done, the finish is very good, the neck finish is no to heavy, close to the Ernie Ball but not as slick, the battery cover is easy open but still uses the wire and clip connection dot the drop in style, electronics sound clean, hardware feels solid, all in all a thumbs up.
          Definitely a good buy

          Comment on this review

          (5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

           
          5.0

          Ative Musican

          By Gary Helton

          from Kentucky

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          Very nice neck the onbord EQ makes about any tone you whant this is a keeper buy one you will not be sorry
          Built like a tank
          Best Value for the money

          Comment on this review

          (4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

           
          5.0

          pretty well satisfied

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          this thing gets the job done and gets it done in style
          I bought this sterling Ray 34 bass in honeyburst to take over for my Fender MIM jazz bass,which has went through much abuse. i am very pleased. This baby plays very smooth and through my GK 700rb2 and GK410rbh i have any tone i want.the eq on this thing makes it to where i dont havde to fiddle with the amp betweens songs. it slaps just like you would expect an american stingray to,works well with picking and sounds good(even though i never use a pick) and the fingerstyle play is smooth and comfortable i would have to say this bass is 85-90 percent as good as any musicman ive played. which is totally groovy conidering it being half the price, it even outperforms its american counterpart in alot of cases. i play meshuggah level heavy metal, smooth jazz, blues, super funky stuff, country or whatever else a crappy band around here is needing from their stand in bass player(me).i love this bass, i am playing more than i have in years and loving how i sound and play more than ever. this is my new standard for a moderatly priced quality bass.
          beautiful looking, well built solid piece of funkwood
          great deal. it would be hard to find anything this good for a comparable price.

          Comment on this review

          (7 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

           
          5.0

          Excellent

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          Definitely worth the money - Bought one of these recently for double the price it is here and it's perfect for anyone trying to achieve a modern sound. It gives you great bottom end and top end and sounds great in any tuning / for any style.

          Comment on this review

          (5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

           
          5.0

          For a more affordable instrument, I'm impressed!

          By Michael Hoelen

          from Undisclosed

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          As I've stated a few glitches above, this is an overall good affordable bass. This bass (along with the MusicMan basses) show a great deal of versatility. If you're looking for a bass with a big whallop for a great price, get this one!
          This bass practically includes the same woods that are used on Ernie Ball/MusicMan basses. The active preamp is second to none. The pickup is percussive and has a pretty close vintage sound.
          As for the setup, (I'm only speaking for my bass not everyone's) the fretwork could have been done a little bit neater, and they could have used the same string nuts as Ernie Ball uses.
          With the exceptions noted above, for the price you can't really argue with the price attached.

          Comment on this review

          (5 of 5 customers found this review helpful)

           
          5.0

          Pleasantly surprised

          By David-0sV_4

          from Chicago

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          I purchased this product a couple of weekends ago from a local guitar store and I am extremely (and I mean EXTREMELY..) satisfied. The value for the money is excellent.First, the heavily-padded gig bag is very nice. Good quality considering it is only a gig bag.The bass sounds excellent - and, like another reviewer - I believe it sounds better than the 'authentic' (MIA) MusicMan. The finish (honey burst) is absolutely stunning. The bass is built like a tank and plays very nice. It has a lot of 'snap' and 'zing' to the sound and also has a good bottom end.It goes to show you that you do not need to spend a small fortune to buy a quality instrument these days. Very (very...) happy.

          Comment on this review

          (10 of 10 customers found this review helpful)

           
          5.0

          The Best Bass for the Money anywhere.

          By Greyhame

          from Columbus, OH

          Comments about Sterling by Music Man Ray34 Electric Bass Guitar:

          I've been playing guitar for over 15 years. I've been a semi-professional musician for 8 of those. Last year I started playing in a power trio and needed a bass. I had played bass sparsely through the years but this was the first time I'd be playing it as my main instrument.I set about buying a bass that I liked and felt right in my hands. I set a budget of about $1500 and went into the city to fact find. From about 11am to about 7pm I played basses at various music stores. I played every Fender, Warwick, Yamaha, everything I could that wasn't obviously a metal bass. At the end of the day it was between this one and the Music Man version the Stingray. The difference in price was a grand. In all honesty there were some benefits to the Stingray over this model, the neck felt a little faster, and as the guy below said it was lighter. But the differences really didn't add up to $1000. In fact if the difference had been $300 I probably still would have went with this Sterling.There is attention to detail on this bass that one just doesn't expect in the under $1000 range of instruments. The setup is flawless, the fret work is solid, clean, and smooth as can be. The finish looks great and after gigging heavy with it for almost a year it holds up amazingly well without losing any of it luster. The amount of sound combinations you can get out of the single hum-bucker and three knob EQ is amazing. The tone is right on par with the more expensive musicman. I play a very wide variety of music and there is not one that I've felt this bass lack flavor in. From R&B, Jazz, Pop, Funk, Hip-hop, Blues, Rock, Grunge, and New Wave it has consistently outperformed any other bass I've played.If I needed a second bass or a backup for this bass I would simply buy the same bass in a different color.

          Comment on this review

          Displaying reviews 1-10

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