Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar 

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

The price tag of this bass is not an indication of the quality, playability, and sound of this bass. In terms of quality, this bass is every bit as nice as any of the made in mexico F-nder basses that ive ever owned. Maybe even better. In terms of sound, it blows them away. This is absolutely a pro level, gig worthy instrument. I play in several bands that play everything from rock, funk, even country. I could get the sounds i wanted for all of those situations. My only complaint is that the color selection for the SB4 is limited to black and the output from the pre-amp is a little hot if you run the volume wide open. Other than that, i could find no fault in it. Ive played both the SB4 and the Ray 4 basses. They are equally nice. The Ray 4 is a tiny bit bigger than the SB4 and has a few small differences such as color selection, output jack location, etc. but they are both equal in terms of sound and playability. Both are great. Yes, if you have 4 or 5 times the amount of money this costs to drop on a bass, you can get a bass that might be a tiny bit better, but honestly, it aint gonna be that much better. If you are a beginner looking for a good instrument without spending a fortune, or if you are a experienced gigging musician that cares more about sound than the brand, or if you just need a really nice back up, this is the bass for you.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

This is a great bass and a great value. The humbucker is fairly clean (very little noise) and gets SUPER loud. The two-band active EQ is great and you can really tailor your tone to specific situations with the turn of a knob or two. Makes an OK amp sound great. Use it with a sans amp when recording and it will blow you away. The body is pretty light, but not too light like a few I played before buying this one. I'm new to the bass but have been playing guitar, drums and recording music for years, so I know what a bass should sound like and this one is versatile enough to play almost any genre (especially if it's loud!) This is a great transition instrument from guitar to bass as the weight is comparable and the neck isn't huge. Frets well, no buzz, all around this is a fantastic bass! Is it professional? No. Is it a Music Man? No. But it gets the job more than done at a fraction of the price. I highly recommend this instrument to anyone but a pro who can afford the real thing. GREAT JOB, STERLING!

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

I lost a vintage rickenbacker 20 years ago and was so heartsick that i quit playing. But recently I've regretted quitting. So I went hunting for a good starter bass, expecting to replace my beloved Rick next year.

A salesman asked me to rethink the two bases I'd chosen and handed me this thing. Immediately I knew I'd buy this instead.

I'm not bragging... anyone can be good. But I need the reader to understand that I know bass guitars, so here is a short resume for ya:

I played jazz with a fender jazz master. I played punk with a Rick. I played classic rock with a Gibson SG body. I was good.. I played with lots of bands. I had access to lots of untouchable vintage guitars through a friend who made his living in a studio.

None of them were half as playable as this gem. This is a work-horse of an instrumant. It makes all sorts of nice tones. Its got plenty of volume (i'm playing through the line-in on my soundcard without additional electronics). The neck is so approachable that you'll swear youre playing a short neck.

Get this. Its the best bang for the buck you'll ever get from any new instrument.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

I was looking for a bass that would give me a different sound from the typical J-bass pickup sound I typically use. I had tried other basses with humbuckers and thought I would test this one out, since it didn't cost much. I have to say that I love playing this bass! It's a ton of fun and easy to play. I have played other low-price basses that friends own that sound pretty dull. This one has a lot of tonal flexibility and can put out more volume than I could ever use. I like that it has a smaller body. To me, many bass bodies are larger than they need to be, and I'm a pretty big guy. With the light body, it does seem a little neck heavy to me, but that may just be based on the angle I tend to hold guitars when I play them. The hardware isn't going to compare with my primary bass (a Pedulla), but it's not horrible either. Overall, it's almost shocking how nice it plays and sounds considering its price.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

I bought this bass for my 12 year old son who is learning to play. It seemed like a good fit because it's light, has regular width frets. The bass was safely delivered and I plugged it into the house system at our church. We have plenty bottom end on the mains there with a big Bose system. I've never seen a bass with this much contour ability, tone and adjustments. Just messing around it, I could make the house system rumble. I brought the tone back to kind of a mid-range workable tone. Just knowing you can bring that bottom end up when you want is really cool.

Ernie Ball Musicman doesn't endorse any junk apparently. Dang right, I would buy another one and recommend it to anybody.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

This is a follow-up to my first review on this bass. After playing this bass for a couple of weeks now,I'm absolutely loving it.I just played two live sessions at my church and it performed great.Really cuts thru the mix.( sweet musicman tone)I made some reference to a slight neck dive,I now retract that statement,I was incorrect. The bass really shoulders very well(nice balance).This bass blows my Fender American deluxe jazz away.I also kinda prefer it over my Sterling Ray 34ca.I've been playing bass for over 30yrs.and never has there been anything like these new sub basses.Before, you would have to spend $$$$$ to get this kind of performance.These new sub basses are close to that at a budget price.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

On quality I was a bit concerned at first.On shipping, not much protection in the box.Could very easily be damaged.The first thing that I noticed about the bass is that there's not much finish on the neck and feels a bit ruff and dry.However, the neck was straight, frets very well and no dings or scratches on the body.Set-up was pretty good.Hardware is cheaper but gets the job done. No problems staying in tune.But after polishing the neck out and a change of strings,I have no complaints,feels great.The output and tone are great on this bass.The hardwood body on this bass is very light and comfortable.Almost too light as there is just a slight bit of a neck dive feel.The only real problem that I have with this bass is the pre-amp is a bit noisey and some static is noticeable,at least on this one.All things considered and remembering that this a budget bass,Im loving it.It is an exceptional bass for the money.

Comments about Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. SB4 Bass Guitar:

i bought this bass giged with it the night it came was blown away this bass blows a fender p bass out of the water.... buy this