Sterling by Music Man Ray4 SUB - Stingray SUBstance at a Serious Discount! - LowEndLobster Review

[@erikavery8569]

I’ve had my Sterling SUB Stingray for a year…. Love it! I’m getting ready to mod it!

[@JustNodIfYouCanHearMe77]

This is my every day bass. I have the aguilar pickup upgrade in it. Slowly going to mod it all the way to the tuners. This is a new Hobby of mine thanks to Lobster! Plus, the Stingray special HH is just too high to justify right now. This bass will do for now. Thanks lobster!

[@BurntMcgurnt]

Have you had intonation issues? Ive had that with mine

[@JustNodIfYouCanHearMe77]

@@BurntMcgurnt yes. The neck does need adjusting every time the weather changes.

[@BurntMcgurnt]

@@JustNodIfYouCanHearMe77 still a good bass even rhe stock pickup is pretty good

[@JustNodIfYouCanHearMe77]

@@BurntMcgurnt agreed. But for live shows and recordings, the pickup is so hot that it can be difficult to get sound desired. Still great bass!

[@mplsmark222]

I own one and am a luthier of bowed instruments. I must say I am impressed with the attention to detail and finish on the body. The fretwork on my is also flawless. I am amazed at the quality. I bought my used for 200 bucks, I’ve seen some for as little as $150.00.

[@davelock3166]

At Last!!! I have been waiting for this basic review on this bass for a loooooong time!

[@JeffreyWattsJayhawk]

I bought a Ray4 last year and after a few months modded it with an Aguilar DCB-M4 pickup and a John East MMSR preamp. Absolutely beautiful tone now. I also went and added some Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats and the bass is an absolute dream to play. I like it better than my Ray34, which is also excellent.

[@udlchroma]

Lobster you are so genuine and fun. I really like your style. I'm a sub4 owner too. A friend gave it to me and I thought it kind of looked and sounded like junk. Man I was so wrong. New strings and a set up got it into service and I'm excited to see what the realm of mods may bring!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you so much!

[@klaymeister]

Agree with you 100%. the bare bones construction and feel of my Ray 4 was better than a Warwick Rockbass and a Spector Legend that I used to have. Those basses were about triple the retail price. So I got a SUB and modded it to death :D

[@meyersguitars2196]

This is my main bass now and I love it truly! I swapped the pickup with a $35 GFS brand and it got the bass much more manageable with my gear and does not distort as easily now. These are probably the best bang for your buck on the market. I also prefer the narrower nut width over the standard Stingray, so this is a total win for me. I am excited to see the mods you do to this. I feel it will have Wal sounds oozing from it. Go ahead and brush up on your Tool riffs!

[@bobt5778]

I did the exact same thing. In fact I have a GFS ceramic in one and a GFS Alnico in another (lower output but cleaner and more articulate.)

[@Sumbibebe]

The People’s Bass👍🏽

[@JeremiahHartmanPhotography]

I have this one in walnut (more like dark red)....Love it...has a thin jazz bass sized neck, after 2 warranty preamp replacements I went shopping and bought a mojotone 70s MM clone preamp and a guitarfetish Alnico-V pickup. Absolutely love it...MM tone at a third of the price (and if you like thinner necks like me it's more comfortable to play than an actual MM)

[@LowEndLobster]

Very nice! I am going to snag one of those pickups! The cheapest alnico MM right now

[@JeremiahHartmanPhotography]

@@LowEndLobster nice!! Youll be impressed..ive been pleasently suprised by the quality and tone of the MM pickup.

[@daviddesmond2143]

I own American Stingray 5's. I was gigging at jams and beach bars and my expensive basses were getting hacked up. I bought the 5 string version and it has been great. It is much lighter than the USA's and the body wood is thinner on the SUB. I do not get any distortion with bass and volume boosted using my Genzler Magellen 800 amp. The tuners are not fancy but they have worked perfectly. The bridge is OK and I doubt replacing it would result in any great improvement-especially with the USA Stingray bridges are now being made of aluminum it sees silly to install an over priced boat anchor of a bridge on this thing. I agree-the fretwork, paint and details are excellent (especially since I did have to file jagged fret ends of one of my USA rays. It certainly does not have the balls of my USA's but it is quite respectful. I really doubt I will ever change the active goodies inside or bother with a hotter pickup, instead I'll just turn it up. For the price it is a bargain and I enjoy all your reviews and mods that Mr Lobster does.

[@prestachuck2867]

Actually what makes the biggest improvement in these(in my own limited experience), is a LESS Hot pickup. The stock puckups on the Subs are too hot which makes them over drive the preamp and thus the front end of many bass amps. I changed out both the pickup and the preamp on mine because I was after a more authentic 70’s Stingray voice, but I think the pickup swap alone would have been a massive improvement. The oem ceramic magnet pickups on these are very hot. I suspect that it might be a great pickup with a fully passive tone circuit for a grindy-grunty rock n roll sound. Maybe with 500k volume and tone pots. Hmmm…. Maybe I need another Sub Ray after all….

[@akmalsux]

Finally! I've noticed that you've modded so many S.U.Bs yet you have yet to review one! Can't wait to slap that like button to hear you slap it!

[@619chrismc]

Just picked one up at a pawn shop for 90 bucks, it's perfectly fine now, but thanks to you and Dan, I'm doing to mod this to the moon

[@SuperFredIsa]

Very interesting Lobster ! Just an idea, as you already did a lot of high end mods on sub 4, what about doing a "lower cost" mod just for fun and information ? for exemple using Wilkinson WJB-750 tuners, Monster preamp and so on. Anyway always a good time (Chic) to look at your videos !!!

[@LowEndLobster]

Great idea Frédéric! I like that. Going with the best 'budget' pieces for each component. I dig!

[@SuperFredIsa]

@@LowEndLobster Yep, Kent Armstrong MM pickup are less expensive than other big names on ebay.... If good enough for Carl Thompson...., I think It can be good for modding a SUB and keeping it it as low budget as possible

[@Eugensson]

Judging by the @mikedeez video analysis of different Stingray preamps ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnW2lK2JqNqpj80 ), the Mojotone’s music man clone is a very close sounding replica for around 100 USD. As for the pickup, looks like the EMG HZ MM might have the same pickup bobins’ resistance as the original MM pickups, so they should sound very close if wired in parallel. Just throwing some ideas here.

[@2minTheology]

Yea - agree

[@anpcm]

@@LowEndLobster With the stock pickup wired in parallel (and stock preamp), my SUB Ray4 sounds very good, I don't need to upgrade the pickup & preamp. * You can also play this bass without the battery, just increase the gain on your amp/mixer.

[@justinkline1294]

I replaced the lower budget cast (I think) chromed bridge saddles on my Ray 4 with the larger brass saddles (and screws) from a Ray 24 bridge that I purchased. I had the higher mass bridge plate on as well but quickly went back to the larger steel plate that came stock on the Ray 4. I just think it actually transfers greater vibration to the body somehow (but these things can be quite subjective). Also went with the Aguilar 4M pickup and stock 2-band preamp based on your prior video. Love it, among my favorite basses ever to own (more than a USA MM Stingray that I used to own but didn't really care to play much, honestly). And I like how you said it has good bones. You can really feel that when these instruments are in your hands, if that makes sense. Thanks for another look at these great basses.

[@ВладимирТюрин-з6е]

Мечтал о такой гитаре 35 лет. Классный звук, звук резины , а не проволоки. Спасибо за доставленное удовольствие!

[@josephbania4564]

I agree! I build basses and could not build as nice a bass as I can with just modding the sub series platform. The finish alone is worth the price. I recently modded a sub 5. I did LOTS of work to bring it in, recarved and finished the neck, fret job, new custom design black pearloid pick guard to accommodate two emg DC40s (I moved the bridge position as close as I could to the bridge, it's at about 2.5 inches away). I also machined new brass bridge inserts (the stock ones are crap) and sized them according to the string width. I kept the stock tuners which ar "ok". Then strung it up with D' Addario chromes (I like flatwounds) KILLER bass, nice low end, not boomy and still cuts through the mix. I have about 6 or 7 5 strings to choose from, all nice basses however, this modded bass is now my main axe! Keep up the inspiring videos! PS: One thing I've noticed in stingray 5s is that the cheaper models (ie the ray5) has a narrower string spacing then the pricey models. The 35 has a 17mm spacing and the ray 15 actually varies between 16mm to 15.5...like I said not a great bridge, but I actually like the spacing as the closed you center bass strings the more you notice the difference in string circumference.

[@LowEndLobster]

Hell yeah! Great comment and awesome mods. I'll be modding a 5'er in early 2022 and will talk about the bridges. I have both a G&L 5 string bridge and Albridge Stingray 5 bridge, both with 17.5mm spacing. Will try both!

[@josephbania4564]

@@LowEndLobster Looking forward to it! check the neck width on the sub 5, it's a pretty narrow neck, 16.5 to 16 mm for the bridge spacing I believe. If you need some un-notched brass saddles with a 16mm wide barrel, let me know and I can make some for you. I'm guessing you have nut files, that's what I used to notch mine. I can do a pick-guard too. I'm on FB under my name if you shoot me a message we can take it from there if you need the stuff.

[@markdbenson75]

As a beginner, I recently visited a music shop to test this bass, having sound tested a good half dozen basses beforehand (including the Yamaha 304, Fender Player jazz and precision, Ibanez SR300, Squier Affinity, Squier CV Jaguar and SX SWB1. I honestly came away scratching my head and my experience of this sterling bass hasn’t mirrored what I have heard on KZbin channels or read on forums. Most forums say it has a reasonably thin neck, with only a few saying it has a baseball bat feel. I think it has a baseball bat feel compared to the others I tested. It was more akin to a precision neck. In terms of sound, I could only test it through the small shop’s Rumble 15, and it so overdrove that amp that it was unlistenable. Even turning the volume down and twiddling the tone knobs, I could not get a nice sound out of it. I tested 3 other basses through that same small amp and they all sounded ok. Very odd experience indeed. I turned up thinking this was the bass for me and came away totally mystified as to the difference between what I hear on KZbin and what I hear live. Does this bass need a large amp/speaker to shine? Is that it? Anyway, was a good lesson to me on the absolute need to feel and hear a bass in person. Strangest of all, of the basses I have tested, the sweetest sounds come from the most expensive of those I tested (the Player precision) and the cheapest clone (the SX SWB1, whose playability was astounding). It’s a real struggle to get my head around this. The price paid seems to bear no relation to the playability or sound of a bass. And perhaps because those two elements are extremely subjective, therein lies the issue.

[@davegiard2221]

Love your channel so much man! People like you and Bully are getting me pumped to get back into playing!

[@oleran4569]

Of the many, many reviews I've seen on your channel, this is the 1st one where I've heard the strings via your vocal mic.

[@ampthebassplayer]

I really love mine! It's fascinating that you've found these to be so supercharged, because mine has always been a little underwhelming on the EQ front; neither knob seems that dramatic. I definitely will want to tinker with the electronics though because it's such a nice playing bass.

[@Stewr306]

I have one that I swapped out the preamp and pickup for one from an 2004 EBMM Stingray. To me, the Sterling preamp had way more bass and treble on tap than the EBMM 3-band does. The Sterling preamp was also a lot more noisy. Just my experience though. It’s all relative to your ear, playing style and other equipment used.

[@jameskowalkowski2334]

Just picked up the walnut stained version - LOVE THIS BASS! Thanks for the video! Great just as it is for my needs.

[@Valkanry]

Hows it doing now? Im considering a walnut myself quite soon

[@thegearknob7161]

I wanted to get a Jazz, but I'd heard good things about the Sterlings from a friend. Went into a small music shop and they only had three random basses (and no jazz), but they had one of these. I played it and it felt like what I was looking for in the Jazz so I bought it. It's a nice solid bass, and I love the look of it. They're hard to find in my country at the moment and they cost a lot more than they do in the US, so I was surprised to see that little shop had one, in the colour I wanted no less. The standard strings are junk. One of mine was faulty and had a horrible buzz whether open or fretted (and it wasn't colliding with anything). Fortunately a new set of D'Addarios cured it. It's taken quite some adjustment to keep it right, the intonation was miles off and I've just had to adjust the truss rod too, but It's a really nice bass to play. The neck has no nasty friction and is narrower than on my P bass, but not so narrow it's cramped. The pickup being near the bridge rarely gets in the way, and it's very flattering when it comes to slapping. If you're a total beginner like me, The sensitivity will show you where you are going wrong with your muting. You'd best learn to get good at it or it sounds awful, but in that sense It's a good teacher for sound technique. I still suck, but at least I know that now! It's very poor for tapping though. I guess because the pickup is so far away, but it comes through very quietly if at all. I'd be interested to know if that's a thing with all Stingrays. I don't seem to have anywhere near the clipping issues that are in this video. Maybe my amp is just happier with it. It's cool I can upgrade bits later if I want though.

[@iamLexxKelsey]

I been playing my sub a few days I'm in love it's so easy to play in my hands

[@vonicrimson3619]

This was the VERY FIRST bass I ever wanted back when I was beginning. Might get it as a second bass to use in my band.

[@GrayMatter13]

I just grabbed one of these very gently used for $275 from the guitar shop I work at. Great review and demo! I do agree that the electronics run hot. Let the modding begin!

[@pokebass1]

I've been playing one of these since about 2017. I've loved it. My only complaint is that the tuners need replaced pretty quickly. Once I set mine up, it's been the best feeling bass I've ever played. I love the Stingray feel and the narrow neck that this bass has. I don't know that I'll ever get another Stingray simply because it needs no more. It's as perfect as I could ever ask for.

[@brettthebassist]

Yeah the tuners are ok. Recommendations for better ones?🤔

[@chrismorris3897]

I’m impressed with this Bass!

[@marciosouza8656]

I love my SUB Ray 5... Great Bass!

[@cskeise]

Lottery as you know, this is my kinda bass. Looking forward for the mod.... hope you had a great Christmas...💙👊😎

[@SomosFoster]

Dude I certainly came here for the bass but then I heard the song of time and it just look me back to my childhood... Now im not probably not getting the bass but a N64

[@wharrgarblstudios]

I have always wanted a stingray but was a bit suspect of the SUB - this review pushed me closer to pulling the trigger!

[@haydenp2755]

Bought one used in tobacco burst after a break from bass, really enjoying it.

[@TheGAMEGod_YT]

Yo lobster! I just got one of these today dude !! Lets goooooo. Same color by the way.

[@djijspeakerguy4628]

Super versatile bass. I might get one someday. I currently have an Ibanez GSR200 and a strange old Hondo ii medium-scale bass with a Dimarzio p-bass pickup. I have always loved how the stingray basses sounded on the low E, with the bass turned up, but never realized how customizable the sound was!

[@golfboy83]

I'm always torn on any stingray bass....im also so confused about music man vs sterling vs sting ray. They have way too many iterations of what looks like the same bass!

[@sending2ormore45]

I really appreciate your reviews, especially the mods. I’m wanting to duplicate code red, but I have experienced problems with multiple Ray4 sub basses.The quality has been really inconsistent. The necks have all had problems. The ones in the store hard issues so I ordered. The first order had a bump on the neck behind the first fret that affected playability. The replacement too has a problem with the neck but less severe. It’s disappointing to see this drop in quality control from Sterling. I’m still going to duplicate project code red, but mine will be black-n-blue instead of red. Thanks for the reviews and mods.

[@xxxxxxDalexxxxxx]

At 299 or 350$ these are indeed great value. Over here in Europe retail prices for the SUB go from 460 to 500€, however. At that price point there are better options out there, imo.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great comment! Very true, the pricing for these in the EU is nuts. From what I understand, they are made in Indonesia, shipped to the USA for quality control (california), and then shipped to the EU. Very inefficient, and having some in house QC in the EU would allow for more competitive pricing overseas. It's a real shame!

[@mikaelolsson5333]

What are the better options you have in mind for us Europeans, Ohhhtheirony?

[@xxxxxxDalexxxxxx]

The Harley Benton MB4 is obviously a great bargain with its 119€ price tag. The neck is very thick and wide though, so it's not for everyone. Definitely not for me. My personal favorite is the Fame MM400, it is well built and sounds great. Very close to the original in sound and feel, actually. While this bass is not in production any longer, it's fairly common to find a used one for under 300€. It's way better than the SUB Ray 4 in my eyes (and ears). I'd also like to give a shoutout to the Cort GB74JH. It's pretty awesome. While not exactly a Stingray copy, the bridge humbucker produces a similar sound. You can get it brand new for for under 500€ or used for under 300€. And that thing comes with hipshot ultralight tuners, an omega bridge and one of the nicest necks I've played. Here is a 3000$ Musicman Stingray vs the Cort GB: m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/imebhXqhe9FqgqM

[@mikaelolsson5333]

@@xxxxxxDalexxxxxx Well, I bought a mintgreen B-stock one from "the German" for less than 360 EUR. So I'm happy. I've change the strings and lowered the action to a level that suits me. I've also recessed the pickup, to lower its high output and to give my fingers more space. 😉

[@prestachuck2867]

I purchased one of these Ray 4s in early 2020 when they were still $299. I installed the SD 70’s Alnico MM pickup with the MojoTone 70’s MM two band preamp. It’s impressive now. I would have paid an additional 50 bucks to have a gloss finished body like yours does, but they didn’t yet exist. I almost grabbed a second one, but I was presented with a great deal on a Player Precision, and decided I needed a Ray and a P more than I needed two Rays. Haha. My increasingly irreplaceable Pedulla stays in the home studio now, while the (Sub) Ray 4 and Player P go to the bars with me. I really enjoy watching your videos, and your playing is solid. Keep up the great work. Cheers!

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you Chuck!

[@prestachuck2867]

Hey 🦞, I just had an idea that you probably have thought of already. It would appear that the oem pickup on these Sub Rays is really high output. I wonder what a stock Sub Ray 4 (and maybe a Five) would sound like with a passive tone circuit. Maybe test one with 500k pots such as you might use for a hot P bass pickup, then A/B compare with a fully stock Sub Ray. Of course that leaves the control panel with a producer knob, which can be a minus or a plus depending upon your outlook.

[@oskarus3]

SUB mod builds are always welcome here

[@Bassdriver]

I want a 5er as a backup/different tone bass I could take to venues I'd rather not take the Alembic to. Definitely black/maple as it's by far my favourite combo for fenderoids and Stingrays. Alas, I'm pretty much broke as of late and cannot justify buying another instrument, especially one that's non-essential. Even though it's still really affordable. But hey - I still have the Alembic I got when times were better ;-)

[@petervroom6603]

Excited to see your video on the multi coil with the NFP preamp. Are you going to use a one humbucker per string multi coil? I just finished my multi coil nfp stingray sub build and it kicks ass. I went with the one humbucker per string from Herrick Pickups, it is the exact tone I have been looking for. Keep up the awesomeness!

[@LowEndLobster]

Yes! It's a friend's bass that has the mods already done, just showcasing it. Will be a fun video!

[@petervroom6603]

@@LowEndLobster awesome! Looking forward to seeing it!

[@bevinmodrak4997]

Very much looking forward to the next mods on this. I had the same thing in mind and got the soldering iron out to build a filter-based pre-amp (which will go into a Ray5 SUB). Can't wait to see that Wal-esque build.

[@sonojon0]

I have picked up an SUB used from Guitar Center website. Previous owner must’ve discovered your videos as I got mines with an Aguilar DCM pickup installed. I have to say, I like the Aguilar pickup but it sounds waaay to modern and am looking into another pickup that sounds close to the Ray 24A classic that allows me to run the SUB in series or parallel.

[@flogginga_dead_horse4022]

I love these basses, just put an Aguilar pickup in one and it's nearly perfect.

[@njtguy]

It’s kind of a shame that Ernie Ball doesn’t sell the pickups and eq systems separately from the bass as well for the hardware.Fender does that on their website.Would be cool if you modified this bass with Musicman USA parts.

[@LowEndLobster]

Great comment. It is a bummer, but alas there are replica preamps available that do a great job (mojotone) and pickups on the second hand market. Alas, I agree that EBMM being so secretive about the pickups and preamps as well as not making those items (plus hardware) available for purchase separately is lame.

[@russellzauner]

G&L also sells factory parts on their site, and to my surprise they were competitively priced.

[@Steve-mp7by]

You can get pickups and preamps that sound better than the Ernie Ball stuff

[@horrorshowbass]

Ray34 pres are on reverb

[@timmikhailouski8961]

I've got one in Mint Green finish with maple neck and it's really cool. Neck has 38mm width on the nut, it's less then regular Stingray or Ray34. I'd say that neck is the same as on Musicman Sterling. My upgrades: Copper foil electronics shileding SeymourDuncan SMB-4D instead of stock pickup Machine head replacement Darkglass Tone Capsule replica instead of stock preamp. DIY 3eq Stingray preamp with boost-cut option also works fantastic

[@bobt5778]

How's the ceramic SMB-4D sound? I had the SMB-4A (Alnico) in another sub ray 4. It was more subdued than what I was expecting.

[@timmikhailouski8961]

@@bobt5778 great output, lots of midrange

[@1okanaganguy]

I used to be a poser and tone slave, only wanting top brand names to buy (and be seen playing). Well, that's all over, now. Quality/price is the main attraction anymore.

[@Steve-mp7by]

They put the volume pot before the preamp instead of after. I think they use a ceramic pickup and Alnico 5 sounds better

[@andre_toyonaga_]

Hi there. Great review! Btw is this a Short scale model? Cheers! Best regards.

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! This is full scale. I did review the short scale though, check it out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/moarkKVsZZKJbdU

[@paxonearth]

JuliaPlaysGroove still plays hers, and she's an AMAZING player!!

[@grantkoeller8911]

Thanks Will, I love this channel!!! Would this bass work for 1940's Bebop combo jazz, big band swing or surfing rock from early 1960's? It only has one pickup, too bad it doesn't have 2 pickups.

[@blackstrapyarnspinners9616]

Hi! Love your reviews! I am looking for a good all-around bass strictly for recording. What mods would you recommend for this bass, and by the time I am done, would the cost end up being the same as if I just bought a higher end bass? Thank you so much! I am watching videos for basses I know I don't want, just because you are so entertaining...

[@ramshaar2597]

Real good bass sound's good i am not crazy on black basses but still the sound good in any parameter!

[@1thess523]

I actually had a chance to try a Ray 24 and come to find out I really didn't like it, I prefer more the stained SUB model for some reason those always feel and sound better than the black or even the seafoam with the maple neck.

[@newsles2]

Hi again. I hope all is well. I was wondering what happened to the instructional video you did, showing the actual removal and installation of new preamp and pickup for this bass? I can't seem to find it anywhere and it would be really useful to be able to see it again, especially as they seem almost non-existent on here. Thanks!

[@markyurick4137]

Had one of these, but I thought the Ray24 was worth the up charge. Can't really say why, just thought it felt a lot better. Strangely, the pick guard on the SUB felt really weird. Like it was made of layered paper or something. Different strokes I suppose. My 24 has a really nice rose wood fret board, which is also nice. Great review.

[@sicilianmammalian]

I got the walnut one (I dubbed it Wall-E) I put some bass lines pbass pups in it and a new bridge but left stock it sounds great

[@BassMusician7]

Nice looking Bass

[@TheAlfaproyect]

I have a Vintage V96 bass. It looks similar to this. I don't know if you know about the brand. To me it's great for the price that I paid. I recommend taking a look at it. Always great content!!

[@richardrichard5409]

The V96 is a far better bass, I've owned both and a proper Stingray 4H

[@TheAlfaproyect]

@@richardrichard5409 Thanks Richard for your comment. It makes me feel very happy for my purchase. I didn't want to pay for the brand by buying a Sterling

[@jamessimpson1515]

I would love to see an all-around “dream mod” on the Ray4 SUB. I have one and plan to mod mine in early 2022. I was thinking about the John East preamp…can I swap to the 3-channel pre amp? Bartolini pickup. But I was thinking about the other hardware too (tuners, bridge) and would love to see recs on those.

[@alanphillips1016]

Have seen that new Ibanez EHB with the ash body and walnut top? Any plans on doing a video on one?

[@LowEndLobster]

Hey Alan! I'll think about it. I think those new BTBs will take priority. I don't expect the new EHB to sound too different. I am kind of bummed they're still using the BH2s in that and not DCBs.

[@jveenbaas]

i think you tried upgrading a Harley benton MM type bass recently ? here in europe this SUB costs about 500 euros (used about 300 ) the Harly Benton is 140 euros (new) , but listening to you here i think buying a sub is stil money well spend , or do you have other thoughts about that? i have a Preamp and pickup comming in from retrovibe , so i am going to upgrade it... hope you still see my comment on this already bit older video...kind regards Johan

[@ralphholstein6017]

Love your Video's. Can you tell me what the difference would be between one of these Ray 4's and a Sterling 4 That has SUB on the head stock. I have a made in China SUB that I have put a Mojotone preamp and Tone Monster pick up in. As much I would love a made in USA Stingray I cannot justify the price for what I do. Thanks again for the education.

[@LowEndLobster]

Hey Ralph! I don't think there's much difference outside of the headstock logo (and a slight neck tint?) and I think the preamp might be slightly different.

[@Mawiba5]

Thank you for you great work an videos, it is always a joy! I bought this bass and i am with you.. i already changed the tuners and the preamp is way to hot. I want to change the preamp and maybe the pickup too, i am looking for a nice classic stingray tone. Can you (or somebody here) recommend some?

[@LowEndLobster]

Thank you! The best budget combo for the classic ray tone is probably the Aguilar pickup (I haven't tested the cheap guitar fetish one yet) and the Mojotone preamp. Hope that helps! Check out my Ultimate Stingray Mod Guide and I hope those sound clips can help you decide.

[@Mawiba5]

@@LowEndLobster thanks a lot for your quick response! i probably go for this combo :) and of course i will watch this clips :)

[@TobTart]

I really want a stingray and I dont even know why. something about it is so cool but I can't tell what it is. cool content btw.

[@Bass.Player]

These are nice basses I have owned a couple but i have a ray35 and never played the ray5 because of it. I had a nice mint green one that i bought new but never played it. I don't play the Ray35 much but I will not part with it, it's a Honey burst and hard to find so it's a keeper...

[@TheGAMEGod_YT]

Let’s goooooo

[@keithgray7593]

I think this sounds great stock!

[@asant90]

For real these gear snobs sometimes go way overboard for the sake of the review or because they can afford $1000+ instruments. I got this bass and I have recorded and played live and have had no issues( get really good tones zero distort)I use a compressor and eq with it and it sounds perfect. Bass is not a guitar so trying to get a guitar tone is stupid. This dude is a big snob.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

Really looking forward to the mod on this one!! How can I find your reverb page? If I click the link ever it doesn’t take me to your page just to reverb in general

[@monahantp3767]

I'd love to turn one of those into a "Dark-Ray" of sorts... Now you've got my wheels turning LOL!

[@daviddesmond2143]

You are probably much better off getting a distortion stomp box than a distortion circuit in your bass.

[@monahantp3767]

@@daviddesmond2143 That's been my thinking as well. But if I'm building something for fun-- Dark-Ray is the direction I would go ;)

[@tomrobinson4781]

Aye! Lovely

[@markblackstad8705]

Nice review (as usual) Lobster. I have a strange question that maybe you and/or someone else can chime in on. I have a HH Ray4 SUB 2021 SBMM Stingray. Is there a noticeable tone difference between the bridge pickup alone on the HH SUB and the single (bridge) pickup SUB like the one in this video? I really like the tonal variations you can get with the HH and the 5 position switch but in the 5th position (bridge only) pickup setting I don't really think I am hearing the classic Stingray tone in mine. It seems in this video review that the single pickup SUB, even un modded, seems to be really close, at least to my ears. Anyone have both and can give me their opinions and some advice?

[@KarlClews]

Yes, there’s definitely a difference in tone between the single pick-up bass and the two pick-up bass set to bridge only, even using identical pickups. Could be down to slight differences in the preamp (one designed to handle two pickups is going to differ from one designed for a single pickup). But another explanation I’ve heard is that, even when inactive, the neck pick-up on a two pickup Ray will exert a magnetic force on the strings which will affect the vibration of the strings and change the harmonic content.

[@mikaelolsson5333]

I bought a SUB Ray4 to have something to fiddle around with during the holidays coming up (modify, that is). I adjusted the stock Pup down, away from the strings, and this lowered the level that overloaded the preamp. Does the distance of the pickup from the strings do anything to the tone balance, would you say? Other thing I did was to lower the action and change strings. Now I just have to get used to the super slim neck which none of my earlier basses have.

[@marklongshore4860]

I bought this bass a couple of months ago, ice blue with rosewood fingerboard. I tried out several at Guitar Center during their sale ($350 - $100 = $250) and the one I bought plays as well as my Music Man Ball Family Reserve high-end bass with absolutely no adjustments; no fret noise and low action, but like you said, the electronics are marginal. I watched your upgraded pickup and preamp video and opted for the Aguilar AG-4M pickup and Aguilar OBP-35SK/PP preamp and all is great. Aguilar was helpful r/e tech questions regarding wiring. The Ray4 SUB sounds great through my Gallien-Krueger 2 x 12 500-watt amp and antique 1967 Fender Bassman. I did not change the hardware but maybe in the future. The bass holds its tune well. The strings are junk regarding uneven sound, but a set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky strings solved the problem. Thanks for all you do, Mr. Lobster.

[@hof8231]

I'm looking to get into the world of Stingrays without breaking the bank partly because I'm broke and partly because I don't know if it'll be for me. Would you recommend getting a Ray34 and keeping it stock or getting a Ray4 and using the difference on upgrades to preamp/pickups/etc?

[@LowEndLobster]

Great question! If you like to tinker, go with the SUB. If you want something that you don't have to touch, the 34 will treat you well. (just make sure you don't get one that's 12 lbs)

[@MotoMarios]

Thank you for the review. This bass is actually next on my list and I've got a question that has been bugging me for as long as I've kept it in this list: Do, from your experience single-piece maple necks warp in ways that compromise the instrument's playability? All basses I've owned have 5-piece ply necks and I'm a bit wary of single piece necks because I play very low action and I need spotless fretboards. Most basses get fret-levelled after I buy them, but I also need to know what happens over time.

[@prestachuck2867]

I have a SBMM Sub Series Ray 4 that’s now two years old. I’ve played it indoors and outdoors in temps ranging from 100f down to around 40f. On the gig where the temperature plummeted suddenly, I had to retune quite a lot during the show, but so did the guitarists. The neck is still in great shape on my SubRay4. I play with very low action. I’ve never had to take a file to the frets on mine either.

[@MotoMarios]

@@prestachuck2867 Thanks! Great to hear this is the case with those instruments.

[@keithpasculli7465]

Really nice sounding bass for $350.00. I would drop a better preamp into it and call it good; the pickup sounds great

[@triconte4418]

Hey Lob!!! Do you thing you could review a Stingray DarkRay?

[@lionelkirbyshire7683]

Ive just bought one and its great. It sounds good, and it looks good, and i would say at the price, it's a bargain, i feel like i stolen it .

[@greyfoxzero]

These are great except the tuner QC. The replacements they sent under warranty were just as bad with gears constantly stripping. I got tired of dealing with it when competing brands are putting good tuners on their basses that don't have this issue. I would get one again if I ever find one that has some decent tuners but its just not as mod friendly as a good squire jazz.

[@legend1143]

this bass still has great sound to it regardles

[@milocabral7428]

This implies the existence of a domray

[@LowEndLobster]

Lmao new project name

[@alexzuccaro6579]

I have lowered the pickup and have no clipping. Best bass for the price

[@makidiaz3894]

This is a good option if you want to walk into a guitar center and just quickly pick something for $350. But I’m willing to bet you would be better off with a squire or Yamaha for the same amount of cash. The tone is way too “zingy” very aluminum tone sounding bass. The best thing about this bass is that it’s very easy to setup a low action, which makes playing a breeze. The most unfortunate thing about this bass is the tone and cheap hardware. It feels like a $200 bass imho. These used to be $279.

[@horrorshowbass]

This plus a ray34 pre and you sound like a US. Sold my classic, kept my Ray34

[@danielbeemstra3059]

I have a Wilkinson mm pickup what i want to build in my Ray 4,can i compare this Wilkinson ceramic pickup with the stock pickup from the Ray 24?

[@matthewlunsford4351]

If you were going to mod this and make it passive, what changes would you make?

[@prestachuck2867]

Remove the preamp, install passive volume and tone circuit not all unlike that in a a stock pbass. You end up with an extra hole on the control plate. Fill it with either a dead (producer knob) pot with a matching knob or a switch (producer switch).

[@dainlynam2891]

Hey Lobster 🦞! I’m the guy with the “Frankenstein” setup. I like this video with the Sterling SUB. I was just wondering if you would have turned up the bass all the way would it be useful for something like hip-hop? To me I think that SUB means low almost like an 808 drum type of sound is that why you didn’t turn the bass all the way up? Just wondering also what kind of amplifier are you playing through? I have is the Ampeg BA-210 combo as you can already guess has 2/10 inch speakers and another 4/10 Hartke cabinet as well. Do you think that can handle the lowest bass setting that bass has to offer? Sorry for being 3 months late for your review. Thanks!!

[@samuelbrainsample]

Besides the tuners, the control knobs are crappy plastic on the inside. I'm interested in getting one of these to do a mod on it. Does anyone make hole-for-hole replacement tuners?

[@RiverDawson]

I’m surprised to here you say you have the action so low and get no fret buzz. I’ve had to raise my action a lot to stop the fret buzz. But my Ray 34 is low and no buzz at all.

[@LowEndLobster]

To be fair, I don't play with SUPER lower action and usually setup my basses with what many consider 'medium/medium low' if that makes sense. I'm not someone who does a lot of tapping and I don't play with a super light touch, so YMMV for sure

[@Backlashed]

Do these neck dive and if so do lightweight tuners help?

[@LowEndLobster]

These aren't very divey, but light weight tuners will always help

[@johnkane2104]

Overall, between this and the Squire Paranormal 54 Jazz, which do you prefer. Looking at both…

[@LowEndLobster]

That's a great question! For a stock bass, I'd say the Squier is probably more well rounded but may sound a little bit more bland. As a mod platform, the SUB all day. I'm going to be doing a mod vid soon with the $37 alnico GFS guitar fetish pickup and we'll see how significant the impact is!

[@tokai5707]

Damn that boy got a cute laugh

[@LowEndLobster]

Thanks ;P

[@Mazinga]

My D string is much lower in volume than rest of the strings and I don’t know what the reason is . Any idea?

[@masterquan4891]

Looking at the Yamaha TRBX 304 or the Musicman Subray 4. Recommendations?

[@SnarkyRC]

Yamaha of course.

[@cropcircle5693]

15:44 tell me more about this "great replacement" theory you have...

[@LowEndLobster]

LOL XD

[@KoffyGG]

Still waiting on the Harley benton mb 5 sbk one homieboy

[@legend1143]

how about the more expensive bases sterling makes

[@LowEndLobster]

We've done vids on the 24 and 34h, no 34hh yet though

[@Uroste]

Man, I bet it would be a 1 hour long video if you ever get a Peavey t-40.

[@LowEndLobster]

Ahahaha I have one I am borrowing!

[@Uroste]

@@LowEndLobster Great!