Well, here it is - A freshly minted Stingray not from California, but Indonesia. Well, it passed through the American factory on it's way over here for inspection & setup, all of which are fine for an off the peg instrument, but bear in mind that this is no OLP.
Now we all know the OLP basses had their ups and downs. Some were fab (especially the last of run MM22/23 models with their twin humbuckers and active preamps) and some were dogs. But at the end of the day, the range was never priced any higher than Squier territory. These new "Sterling by MusicMan" basses are in a different league altogether. The range starts at around £550 (rrp) for the SB-14 basswood "Sterling" model & the Ray 34 we're dealing with here (essentially a standard swamp ash bodied Stingray) is priced around £599. All Sterling by MM basses are supplied in a very nice tapered oblong, thickly padded & fur lined gigbag with the Sterling logo on the front pocket.
So these basses aren't exactly cheap like their forebears, but instead fall squarely into the Fender MIM price bracket (a new MIM Jazz retails at over £600 these days!) So the expected quality is going to have to be very good & doesn't disappoint. Quality, fit & finish & playability are all more comparable to Skyline series Laklands & Tribute series G&L's.
Sterling is an official MusicMan brand and not an instrument "made under licence" like the old OLP (Officially Licensed Product), so essentially these instruments are MusicMan basses made in another location where labour rates are obviously cheaper.
The bass we have here is the aforementioned Ray 34. Essentially a Stingray. The differences between this and the American version are minimal and don't seem to make a whole lot of difference to the overall instrument. Finish is a lustrous thick gloss black for the body & headstock, with a nicely figured rosewood fingerboard & pleasantly figured maple neck. The back of the headstock is glossed nicely with a neat line dividing this finish from the satin finish neck. The neck is smooth with good edges & never feels rough to the touch.
Fretwork is smooth and excellent. I swapped over to some 45-105 DR Sunbeams for test settings & dropped the action to a very low setting and no buzz or flat spots presented themselves at all. It's also possible to run the neck almost straight, with just the smallest bit of relief to it. The neck pocket fit is excellent & sports a six-bolt neck plate for added stability.
Playing wise, this instrument sounds like a Stingray! What else did you expect? The 3-band eq is extremely powerful, giving a huge range of tones & everything from thumping lows to seriously sizzling highs. I find the best overall setting is just a little added treble, full bass boost & the mid control in the centre detent. This gives a really nice compromise sound with plenty of bass & just that bit of sparkle on the top. Having the mid control centred is no hardship, though. There's still plenty of mid presence in this position. Overall output is huge and by no means is this an underpowered preamp or pickup.
Even on such thick strings, with the action down low, there's still plenty of speed and sparkle to be had out of the Ray 34 & all the traditional Stingray sounds we know and love, the rasping top end, amazingly clear slap sound & the huge thump/growl these basses are known for.
All in all, this new "Sterling" bass looks like a MM Stingray. It plays like a MM Stingray & it sounds like a MM Stingray. They just happened to make it in a different factory!
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