Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass Natural

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

No matter what level you are in your playing, this is a great 5 string bass that captures the sound and feel of its big brother. The bass is made in Indonesia with great quality parts and is shipped to the United States where it receives an final inspection and set up. This bass does come stock with Ernie Ball Slinkys. The Ray35 features the same preamp, selector switch, and pickup as the newer made EBMM SR5's. You can tell a distinct difference in the different pickup modes. This bass fits perfect for finger style, pick style and slapping. The Ray35's overall tone is slightly scooped and very growly and aggressive. The bass balances quite well without any neck dives. With a 17.5 mm string spacing, the strings are close enough together that enables the player to move quickly, but isn't like playing a tree trunk. There is plenty of room to move. The neck feels really great in your hands. The neck and truss rod works very well and is stable. With the six bolt neck, it sits in the neck pocket and does not move or shift. The gig bag that is shipped with this bass is amazing. It is nice and thick. It provides plenty of protection, and the player can have piece of mind knowing that it is safe and well protected. The case features a very roomy front pocket with the brand name and logo proudly displayed. This gig bag features a single shoulder strap that allows the player to decide which shoulder they prefer. To some it up, this bass is a perfect 5 string bass for the beginning player and the seasoned pro. It is a affordable way to achieve the Stingray 5 sound and a fraction of the price. Ernie Ball/ Music-man should be proud of this new addition to the Music-man family. Try this bass today. It will not let you down!

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

I have the Natural/Maple neck model and the fit and finish is stunning. The swamp ash body with the maple is beautiful and the gloss finish is befitting a bass 4x the price. The neck joint is perfect, the tuners and all controls are very smooth. If you love the Music Man tone, but can't afford, or simply don't want to spend that kind of $$$, then this is your bass. It has become my workhorse.
I am 58 years young and have been playing bass for a living for 40 years, and still play between 150 and 200 shows per year. I play all styles of music from metal to Jazz to country and I need a versatile instrument. I own a 91 Sting Ray 5 (and various other basses, Fender Jazz, Lakland, Peavey among others), and it was time to put it up and get "a good beater bass". I didn't want spend alot since I live in a beach town and the salt air takes its toll. I played one of these and was flat out amazed and bought it on the spot! I A-B'd it with my 91 MM and was blown away by just how close the tone was, damn near identical. I have a few other players I know that have MM basses and they couldn't believe what they were hearing either, pure Music Man tone for half the price of a US model, in fact 2 of them purchased these.
The bridge is a bit thinner than my 91 and I needed to tweak the set up and file the edges of a couple of frets. All minor items and most people wouldn't even notice but I have this OCD thing going on when it comes to my rig.
I must have played every bass under $1,200.00, and there is nothing that can come close....Period

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

Try it, you will like it.
This is my first 5 string bass and I am very pleased with my purchase. It is beautiful to look at and plays exceptionally well. I have a Fender Precision 4 string and a Fender Jazz 4 string. I was afraid the strings would be too close together for my style of playing but I adjusted quickly to the 5th string.
With the 4 adjusting knobs and the 3-way switch on the Sterling you can obtain and array of sounds. I am very satisfied that I bought the correct 5 string for my use. It has a beautiful finish and all adjustments on the bass are easy.
The quality was much better than I had expected for the price.
Outstanding price for the instrument.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

I've been playing bass for over 40 years. I just recently went from a 4 string to 5 string. Tried out a lot of 5 strings and found this to be the nicest. I needed to tweek the neck just a little to get it playing and feeling just the way I wanted. Everyone in my band thinks it looks and sounds awsome. I got the natural finish. You'd never know it wasn't built in the USA.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

I tried this bass out at my local music store and compared it to every bass in stock. Fenders, Yamaha, Peavey, Ibanez, Godin and even the original Musicman Stingray bass. This guitar played and sounded second to none. At the end of the day the name on the head stock means nothing but its the sound and playability. This bass is worth every penny and I am a huge Musicman fan and love the products and quality. I also own a Musicman Luke. Buy this bass, you and your band mates will not be disappointed!

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

When I received this bass it was set up nicely and the intonation was flawless (I played 2-string 5th chords all the way up to the 22nd fret and there was no dissonance). It has a three-way pickup setting and three tone knobs for altering your tone. It's super easy to set up, including the most accessible truss rod adjustment I've seen. It's easy to play, sounds great, and it looks beautiful.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

I purchased the bass and was very impressed that they matched the price of a competator. When I received the bass the packaging was damaged and opened. The bass was not packed as well as I would expect and I had to make minor adjustments to the set up of the bass to get it to play well. Overall the bass was lighter than I expected, has good sustain and very easy play ability.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

I saw this bass hanging up at my local music store, so I decided to give it a shot. Out of curiosity, you know. I wasn't shopping for a bass, but why not play it if its there?! :) I have to say that, for me, I was not impressed. I bought an Ibanez ATK700 on clearance from Musicians Friend not too long ago that sounds better than this bass, and the Ibanez ATK's are made of very similar materials. This bass is not the Music Man that we all know and love. I do have to say that the construction is solid, and the feel is similar. Close your eyes and play it, though, and this is no Music Man.I don't think this is a good value either because the Ibanez ATK305 is very similar to this bass, sounds better, and costs less!I'm not the "end all" of bass guitar reviews, but if you're looking for an inexpensive alternative to the Ernie Ball Music Man, check out the Ibanez ATK's and save yourself some money. You'll get all the tone you want from the ATK.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man RAY35 5-String Bass:

I been playing for 21 years and have played many genres and some of the top gear including a music man 4 string..if I was to describe one word for this bass would be *unbelievable*...I gig with this bass twice and the band members told me that I never sounded so good..now that's what I call a complement!!!!!!