Music Man DarkRay vs Stingray Special - This is THE Stingray Showdown! - LowEndLobster Tone Shootout

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Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray Special Review: • Music Man Stingray Spe...
Ernie Ball Music Man DarkRay Review: • Music Man DarkRay - Do...
Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray Special: www.music-man....
Ernie Ball Music Man DarkRay: www.music-man....
Hey Everyone! Today we have a spectacularly stingray-y tone shootout comparing our Ernie Ball Music Man Darkray with our Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray Special. Both share many of the same specs including a high output Neodymium pickup, selected hardwoods Ash body, roasted maple neck, and lightweight hardware. Will the Darkray's special Darkglass preamp be enough to put it above the stellar Stingray Special? Let's find out!
This bass and all my other basses with rounds are strung with SIT Foundation Nickel Plated Stainless Steel 45-105(125) unless otherwise noted. Check them out at sitstrings.com/
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[@TSBASSIST]

Something about Lobster playing a StingRay just feels and sounds right, like "home." Great comparison!

[@sicilianmammalian]

He only owns a dozen 😂

[@57precision]

Thanks for your hard work Lobster. This is the comparison everybody has been waiting for, and it's the only one on the internet that I know of. Both are excellent instruments, but it's hard to beat the clean tone of the Stingray Special. EBMM just nailed it with this preamp.

[@JK_35]

dark ray is so much better , less of that zing that i personally dislike about sting rays

[@SlinkyBass0815]

Just from that video I’m also thinking that the darkray sounds cleaner and deeper. Do you think it would make a better bass for funk and slap? I want to play RHCP but I’m not sure which bass to pick for that sound since I’m not able to get my hands on one of those to try them

[@TenFalconsMusic]

Stingray vs Stingray... ...who wins? We do😁👍

[@theladyfebruary]

Great video on these! I was keen to hear the differences between the two, and you delivered. Thank you! They both sound so good, that you can't go wrong with one, the other, or both!

[@MistaDobalinaMistaBobDobalina]

At first I thought the stingray sounded better, but it's just that the darkglass preamp is less boosted at center. If you want the classic EBMM sound you need to dial up the treble and bass slightly and then I think it sounds like the original. But then the darkglass preamp goes a lot further on both sides than the stock preamp. The treble knob on the stingray barely does anything where the darkglass is like a tone knob when you cut and a treble boost when you boost. I think they're much closer sounding than I had thought, just not at flat, and not at the extremes; the darkglass starts lower but goes further with boosting and cutting.

[@meyersguitars2196]

The Darkray sounds much more tame and I think I like it better. The standard special seems you can never get rid of the clank and sizzle. I love sizzle but sometimes the song requires something more mellow. Great comparison.

[@57precision]

On the other hand there is no Stingray without the 'sting', so I see why they made it that way. I've had good luck taming my special by turning the treble down and plucking towards the neck.

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

That was...... SPECIAL! Since I've got StingRays with rosewood and maple fingerboards, I'd go with ebony.

[@smeagle3295]

Sweeeeet! I was hoping you’d make this one specifically. Thank you. Side note: not all of the Dark Rays are light (mine is somewhere between 12 and 13 pounds.. significantly heavier than my MIM P-bass).

[@LowEndLobster]

Wow! That's a heavy mf'er!

[@smeagle3295]

@@LowEndLobster that’s what I said, lol. It’s perfect in every other way though. 🤷‍♂️

[@57precision]

That's unreal. Is it a 5? My special weighs 8.5 lbs and is a heavy spec (sparkle paint and ebony board). I can't imagine what they are doing to get them that heavy.

[@smeagle3295]

@@57precision It’s a 4. I have one of the granite ones. The one Lobster was playing is significantly lighter than mine (I don’t recall the exact weight, but it’s in the Dark Ray solo video he made).

[@401Blues]

I have the Darkray in obsidion black....soooooo I guess that is my favorite!

[@pwokaren]

The Stingray Special sounds more like the Classic Stingray, or even my L-2000 than the Darkray.

[@BARTFUNKBASS]

I've got 3-band EQ StingRays from 1995 and 2000, and I have to say the neodymium pickup sound much warmer. At times it reminds me of a StingRay with 2-band EQ.

[@SlinkyBass0815]

I‘m about to buy my first stingray. After watching this video I‘m thinking that the darkray has a much cleaner, deeper sound. Especially when it comes to the slap part. But I’m not sure if it’s because of my soundsystem. Does anyone agree here or is it just me?Anyway thank you for that comparison, it’s the only video I’ve found so far which covers the darkray clean sound

[@tedbrookins]

I agree with you. The 3eq on the Special is default boosted in the lower treble and highpassed to heck. I took the stock pre out of my SR5 HH and didn’t miss it. The EB classic 2 band is much more true sounding. Less of a signature- one that is already in the pickup placement and build quality, which is astounding.

[@barackmycat9448]

I would go for the Special. I miss my `76 natural. They are heavy though.

[@bassman494]

This is like picking between two beautiful women. Yes, take both!

[@turbophat]

I got a Stingray Special and it's the nicest instrument I've ever played. Got my eye on a killer Darkray and was thinking of swapping but you're right. I can't decide either so both it is. 🎉🎉🎉

[@tedbrookins]

Great basses. The Dark Ray is more brilliant and transparent. The 3eq is WAY harsh bright, with a baked in curve that should be made bypassable.

[@bizibetiko9778]

That Regular Stingray Special is tha cats pajamas! As for the Specialer Stingray Special, I do like the finish on the DarkRay, but for me, the Standard Special Stingray Special is a Sonically Superior Sound Contraption.

[@57precision]

Both are great instruments but I agree, EBMM nailed it with the special's preamp.

[@doj8763]

I like the DarkRay best.

[@ileutur6863]

I wish we could get the darkray finishes without the exclusivity or the built in distortion.

[@smeagle3295]

They do the starry night finish (the one on the dark ray) every so often. I know someone that has a sting ray special with it, and I’m pretty sure they did it with the 5 string too (same same, but different I know).

[@kgeorge12341]

Great review & great playing - if I may ask what bass amp are you using ?

[@revlewisrees9880]

The ‘Special’ seems to have a more fundamental treble than the ‘Darkray’. I preferred the latter.

[@ThinkingFaces]

Spacial is not special but DarkRay is. There is no standard Stingray.

[@jaydoode15]

I love Stingray's, there's nothing else like them, but they are becoming disgustingly expensive now days.

[@57precision]

They don't hold value all that well, which I think is indicative that they are overpriced. A little bit of searching and you can get a minty Stingray Special for $1700 or sometimes even less.

[@jaydoode15]

@@57precision Not where I am. People sell them for what they bought them for, or more. Fenders are still much cheaper and more readily available.

[@JustNodIfYouCanHearMe77]

I love and prefer the maple fretboard. It's so much more crisp and clear but I'd own BOTH if I could❤

[@TenFalconsMusic]

I agree 100%😁👍

[@cunjoz]

hmmm I wonder how much the material of the backplate influences the tone 🤔

[@57precision]

Could it be the entirely different preamp and age of strings? No way, it's definitely the thin veneer of wood hiding behind metal wire that never even contacts the strings that makes the difference.

[@57precision]

@@cunjoz I'm going to partner with Zildjian to tune the back plate to sound a specific note when dropped on the floor. They will be sold in sets of 12 and you'll install one depending on what key the song is in. Trust me, it will be the next big thing.

[@Bassdriver]

​​@@cunjoz actually, the fingerboard (and the neck itself) impacts the tone much more than the body - simply because strings touch it when fretted which directly affects the way they vibrate. However, the differences are slight and will probably get lost in a dense mix. The body, on the other hand, has little to no effect on the overall tone.

[@EverydayBully]

I didn't think I'd say this... but my vote is for the maple board ... so I'm saying I like the special one more than the specialler dark ray one...

[@dupajas4671]

I found the Dark Ray to also have a smoother-sounding treble boost. The distortion circuit, though, is not my cup-o’-tea… @lowendlobster , when are you going to review an SR5 - not a SUB or Harley Benton…a real SR5?

[@klaymeister]

It's funny, what most people (in other comments) are calling brightness and treble for the Stingray Special sounds more like high mids compared to the Darkray. I feel like the treble frequency on the Darkray preamp is super high like 5k or higher and the Stingray Special is in the 2k or 3k range. I also think the Special preamp saturates the tone a little and the Darkray is hyper clean. Like the Stingray Special has some kind of special sauce in it.

[@sicilianmammalian]

Wish you would’ve compared it to the minty ray and the one when you tried to make your own darkray with the filter

[@DrTomoculus]

Stingray is specialer.

[@HeavyBells]

The Darkray sounds like it was recorded with a blanket over the speaker compared to the Special without. I am a big Stingray fan, but I don’t know why people would go with the Darkray when they can have the clearer tone of the Special and just get a dark glass pedal for when you need the distortion and fuzz tones.

[@hcmao2]

I prefer the Special. Dark Ray sounds like "mud". It's awesome, but the Special's bright sounds better to me. Now I'm curious to see the difference between DarkRay and Sterling by Music Man Sub Ray 4, because both have this "mud" tone.

[@Bassdriver]

That was really interesting! It seems the preamps are voiced really differently on these two. The Darkray seems to have the treble control set to higher frequencies and with both bass and treble set flat, it sounds brighter that the "standard" Special, which, in turn, has more punchy midrange. However, with the treble rolled off, the Special sounds brighter of the two! If I was offered one of them I'd definitely take the Special (do they offer a black/black/maple combo?) but both are sweet.

[@57precision]

They do come in black/black/maple.

[@Bassdriver]

@@57precision DO WANT. It's that post punk/new wave vibe, like Steven Severin's Stingray. Love that look.

[@57precision]

@@Bassdriver go for it. I've had a special for a few years and they really are incredible. And they can be had for pretty cheap (relatively) on the used market if you have access to Talk Bass.

[@Bassdriver]

@@57precision unfortunately, I have much more pressing spendings at the moment. Like, well, keeping myself alive. Or my car running (which is rather important for me as a taxi driver ;-)).

[@rennymc]

Great review! I looked away a lot to see if I could guess which bass you were playing and I was surprised a few times. I dig the dark ray A LOT! Are the newer Stingray bodies smaller than the old school ones? That dark ray looks almost the size of my ‘96 Sterling, unless you’re a giant lobster! 😂🦞

[@mandalorthedeaf1237]

Like most others here I prefer the Stingray special. It just sounds more clear and defined. In some settings the difference is barely noticable, but it's there. And if I want distortion I'll get a pedal. Like I just did couple weeks ago. The darkglass alpha omega. XD

[@Bassic778]

Both sound great but I'm partial to the Special since I got my very first USA StingRay 5HH special two weeks ago!

[@samuelleuck2880]

Thanks for all the great uploads! Would really like to hear your opinion of a bass from PRS, I can't find a decent review anywhere!

[@martinheath5947]

The Special sounds very close to a Classic Ray. I'd take that one in grey and black, roasted maple neck plus a suitable pedal for distortion over the Darkglass model

[@simons.2948]

I went for the special, being delivered in 6 weeeks a looooong wait but very exciting, I enjoyed the vid cheers

[@marlen2801]

Thank you for this great sound comparison!!! Two great sounding bass 🎸🎸..fior me, the special one is just fine please 🤗🤗

[@cgr4817]

The difference is pretty clear: you play better with the Stingray Special.

[@SisterRose]

The regular special seems incapable of doing a "dark" sound, which is a lot easier of course on the darkglass preamp one - but the darkglass one's darker sounds are a little to muddy for an instrument of that price IMO and the Treble boost has a weird frequency range that reminds me of a cheap acoustic sim pedal, a bit too much fret noise. The Treble range on the regular special is almost more of an upper mids thing which feels perfect. It'd be hard to pick one really. At the start of the demo I was leaning more regular special, towards the end the Dark one sounded more balanced. I'll never be able to afford either though so it's much of a muchness hehe

[@57precision]

The big brain answer is get the Special and use the money you save on an Alpha Omega pedal. Now you've got both sounds. Also used specials go for $1800 all day long on Talk Bass (in fact there's a gorgeous one on there right now). That's still a lot of money but probably achievable for most if you make it a priority.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

Is there different strings on them or the darkray have slightly older strings the blonde one just has a little more zing to her, I’d like to see a 5er vs a 4 banger I feel like the 4strings also have a little more zing then the 5s at least for the special lineup could just be me tho

[@rl-ub9hx]

Darkglass made the clean preamp so it doesn't have the same EQ points as the EB

[@coryrich5514]

I can’t decide which one is the best. I have a special 4H, a special 5 HH, and a bongo 5 HH, and it’s hard for me to decide which one to use for gigs because I love all 3, so I try to rotate use. A different one for each gig. I got my 4 mainly for use with my fender Adam Clayton amp.

[@bassimprovjams3772]

@@coryrich5514 nice!!! I’ve had a couple 5er HH and I miss them sooo much! I was just thinking about getting another one lol, I had a 5HH bongo also and it’s a absolute beast of a bass! People talk crap about the look but I love the look , and the feel, the 24 fret, the hi and low mids, it’s just an amazing experience to play! I do the same thing, I rotate between my stingrays and my lakland and Dingwall, it’s the only way to do it lol, I got the dial mono case to bring two but I always end up just playing one the whole night

[@bassimprovjams3772]

@@coryrich5514 I miss my 5HH I’ve had two and want another one so bad

[@deniaruman39]

I like sound your sound stingray bass....so catchy and clean

[@Rib13Bass]

I prefer the Stingray Special but Im also old and I yell at clouds

[@PlayWithYourThumb]

Curmudgeons rule.

[@braddietzmusic2429]

No Stingray showdown can be complete without the 5-string, and various HH, HS pickup versions and fretless, piezo and… and… 😉

[@TheDarkKnight73]

the dark-g sounds a bit deeper to me, but price wins

[@TwangThang57]

Dark Ray was a little too, uh.... Dark!

[@rl-ub9hx]

Damn... That Darkray is SEXY

[@razielkain5458]

Best intro prayer of all time 😂😂😂

[@laurenbrowdy4552]

Holy cow that maple fretboard one is so bright. Bass boosted and treble cut, it’s still brighter than the rosewood with both at center

[@ileutur6863]

Even if tonewood was a thing, the fingerboard is the thinnest and mpst insignificant piece of wood in the combination

[@bassimprovjams3772]

It’s ebony, it’s weird because I have 2specials a ebony and a roasted maple and my ebony is brighter and a pound heavier,

[@57precision]

Could it be the entirely different preamp and age of strings? No way, it's definitely the thin veneer of wood hiding behind metal wire that never even contacts the strings that makes the difference.

[@kevin.caudle2185]

Wrap them up I'll take LOL

[@GingerBass]

You could compare the darkglass circuit in the darkray with the stingray special and the equivalent darkglass pedal. we'd then be able to see how practical it is to have a distortion/fuzz circuit onboard a bass vs bass and pedal

[@57precision]

I would say the pedal is always more practical because then you can use it with any bass. Onboard distortions have been around for decades and never really became that popular.

[@rl-ub9hx]

I've had all the pedals and that bass. It's all on the individual but it was amazing to not need a pedal board or to have to bend over or spend hours dialing in tones. The X factor of the darkray for me was the massive variety of tones available. You can also have three clean voices on tap if you kick the drive back and blend full.

[@ramshaar2597]

I like both of them

[@SpartacusPlanktonpants]

Can we please, please, please have a ManRay version, for SpongeBob fans?

[@idickman]

The Stingray Special actually sounds like a Ray to me. The Dark Ray, not so much. It's a matter of personal preference in the end, but if you want "classic" stingray sound with low midrange growl then Darkglass won't get you there. I know lots of folks love the Darkglass distortion sound but it feels very cold and harsh to me. Something in the treble range just grates on my ears.

[@birdman8125]

Stop with the lobster claw begging for likes and subscribes already.

[@LowEndLobster]

Stop with the beak and being a bird ya turkey

[@pine3737]

The difference is fretboards and body finnish. Also the DarkRay has other features we didn't indulge in!

[@57precision]

You're right. There's no way it could be to down to the completely different EQ curves of the preamps, it's definitely the paint color that makes them sound different!

[@robertjova5400]

Special er 🤔

[@josephjordan2883]

The special sounded better. Darkray sounded squashed to me.

[@funtoomass]

Stingray Special better.

[@jimsuber6784]

Please don't do that

[@colehalley1403]

Lobster, you need to learn/make other bass lines.

[@LowEndLobster]

I made this one for Modcember because the other one got tired ;P, it's a good one that covers the whole fingerboard and is easy to string together heh

[@rl-ub9hx]

I mean... It's a base line bass line for a reason

[@robhaag6102]

Nice video lobster can you send a invite to your discord I can't get your link to work

[@t.c.v.t.]

Letsssssss Geeeeeeet Readddy to Rummmmmblllllllle!!!