Just thought some comments/opinions (by me and anyone else who owns one of these basses) might help those contemplating getting one with their decision.
Not all that long ago, I bought a Classic Stingray. Great bass. Sounded killer. Very classy. Beautiful. Everything about it was stellar... except my hands, unfortunately. I could certainly play it without any trouble, but I'm "blessed" with tiny hands and short fingers. I simply prefer the narrower and slimmer neck and I'm tired of “making do with a “normal person's bass.”
So, I sucked it up, sold the Classic Stingray, and used the proceeds to special order my dream Stingray, which is a couple of months out (natural finish, maple neck, 2-band EQ, SLO neck... Perfection!!!).
In the mean time, I bought a "cheapie" Sterling SUB Series Stingray. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting much. It's a cheap bass. Cheap basses suck... or at least they did when I was learning to play. Back then a cheap bass was pretty much automatically a dog -- unplayable, sounded like garbage, felt like garbage, and fell apart soon after you bought it. I know, cause I had a few back in the day (when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth).
Boy... was I pleasantly surprised by this SUB Stingray. I would have given my eye teeth back when I was learning to play bass to have something as nice as this. Yes, obviously the hardware is not as high-end as the real Stingrays. But I must say that I LOVE this bass. I haven't been able to put it down since I got it. I've used it for everything I'm doing -- band gigs, recording, and whatever else.
It sounds like a Stingray, but with some differences (and not even bad differences, just variations on a theme). To my ears, the bass control is very similar to the 2-band Stingray, but perhaps a bit "hotter," boosting and cutting more. It is quite sensitive. You can really get some huge boom out of it.
On the other hand, the treble control is, to my ears, quite different. In fact, I would call it a "high-mid" control more than a straight-up treble boost/cut. In boost mode, it's a bit harsh to my ears, although I boost just a very small amount for slap. Other than that, I use it as a cut. And as a cut, it ABSOLUTELY shines, IMO. It almost acts as a passive tone control sound. I can crank the zing out easily and get an old-school Motown thump if I slightly boost the bass. So this “treble” control won't give you shimmering highs like a regular Stingray treble knob, but it does do something just as useful, I would argue, in a greater number of musical settings.
In general, the preamp is very HOT! The signal is way hotter than I'm used to. I have to really pad the input on my amp to keep from overdriving the input stage and clipping/distorting. This SUB has a WAY hotter signal than my other active basses, including the Stingray I sold.
As for the volume control. Well, what can I say? It's weird. For about 7/8ths of its travel it only marginally turns the volume down. Then at the very end of the travel, it's almost like an on-off switch! Now, I'm sure this is just due to the price point. You can't use top-of-the-line electronic components when selling the basses for so cheap. At first I just concluded that I would replace it with a better pot. But, as I used it more... I actually found that a "by-product" of it's weird character was actually useful. Through the first part of its travel, it actually acts like a subtle tone knob. It doesn't cut much volume and at the same time it rolls the high end off at the upper frequencies and sort of smooths things out a bit. I actually find that a useful addition for lots of things. So... the "cheapness" of the pot actually turned out to be quite useful. (my apologies if it was intentionally designed that way... but, I'm doubting it. )
As for the feel of the neck... love at first touch. My small hands really dig it. Narrow, thin, and sleek. The finish is the slightest bit sticky at times, but nothing fine steel wool won't cure. It's a flat/satin finish, so no gloss finish is harmed by this process. I love the neck on it. Very fast and comfy.
As I said, the hardware is not the most heavy-duty (nor should it be at this price point). But it's all perfectly serviceable and works the way it's supposed to. It's not junk like low-end hardware was 30 years ago. The pickup is fine. Honestly, I'd intended to change the preamp and pickup before I actually got it. But after playing it for awhile, no way am I going to touch it. It sounds great. Running through my amp, it has its own voice, but it sounds as good as anything else I have.
Until I get my new SLO Stingray, this will be my main bass. And I have no reservations about using it as such. Hell, I may become so attached to it that it will stay my main bass.
So, if you are a beginner, or a seasoned player who wants a "beater bass" (personally I think it's better than that!), don't hesitate in getting one of these. As I said earlier, I only wish they would have had "beginner basses" like this back when I was learning. I actually had a bass (my first) where the entire body cracked open (huge crack) over the course of a couple of days while trying to play it. That was excuse enough to throw it in the garbage because the action was so high and neck so warped, I could hardly fret a string. None of that here. The SUB is a class act "beginner's bass" that can certainly do gigs as well. And it's SO inexpensive. Amazing.
Any other Sterling SUB Series Stingray owners like yours as much as I like mine?
Not all that long ago, I bought a Classic Stingray. Great bass. Sounded killer. Very classy. Beautiful. Everything about it was stellar... except my hands, unfortunately. I could certainly play it without any trouble, but I'm "blessed" with tiny hands and short fingers. I simply prefer the narrower and slimmer neck and I'm tired of “making do with a “normal person's bass.”
So, I sucked it up, sold the Classic Stingray, and used the proceeds to special order my dream Stingray, which is a couple of months out (natural finish, maple neck, 2-band EQ, SLO neck... Perfection!!!).In the mean time, I bought a "cheapie" Sterling SUB Series Stingray. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting much. It's a cheap bass. Cheap basses suck... or at least they did when I was learning to play. Back then a cheap bass was pretty much automatically a dog -- unplayable, sounded like garbage, felt like garbage, and fell apart soon after you bought it. I know, cause I had a few back in the day (when the dinosaurs still roamed the earth).
Boy... was I pleasantly surprised by this SUB Stingray. I would have given my eye teeth back when I was learning to play bass to have something as nice as this. Yes, obviously the hardware is not as high-end as the real Stingrays. But I must say that I LOVE this bass. I haven't been able to put it down since I got it. I've used it for everything I'm doing -- band gigs, recording, and whatever else.
It sounds like a Stingray, but with some differences (and not even bad differences, just variations on a theme). To my ears, the bass control is very similar to the 2-band Stingray, but perhaps a bit "hotter," boosting and cutting more. It is quite sensitive. You can really get some huge boom out of it.
On the other hand, the treble control is, to my ears, quite different. In fact, I would call it a "high-mid" control more than a straight-up treble boost/cut. In boost mode, it's a bit harsh to my ears, although I boost just a very small amount for slap. Other than that, I use it as a cut. And as a cut, it ABSOLUTELY shines, IMO. It almost acts as a passive tone control sound. I can crank the zing out easily and get an old-school Motown thump if I slightly boost the bass. So this “treble” control won't give you shimmering highs like a regular Stingray treble knob, but it does do something just as useful, I would argue, in a greater number of musical settings.
In general, the preamp is very HOT! The signal is way hotter than I'm used to. I have to really pad the input on my amp to keep from overdriving the input stage and clipping/distorting. This SUB has a WAY hotter signal than my other active basses, including the Stingray I sold.
As for the volume control. Well, what can I say? It's weird. For about 7/8ths of its travel it only marginally turns the volume down. Then at the very end of the travel, it's almost like an on-off switch! Now, I'm sure this is just due to the price point. You can't use top-of-the-line electronic components when selling the basses for so cheap. At first I just concluded that I would replace it with a better pot. But, as I used it more... I actually found that a "by-product" of it's weird character was actually useful. Through the first part of its travel, it actually acts like a subtle tone knob. It doesn't cut much volume and at the same time it rolls the high end off at the upper frequencies and sort of smooths things out a bit. I actually find that a useful addition for lots of things. So... the "cheapness" of the pot actually turned out to be quite useful. (my apologies if it was intentionally designed that way... but, I'm doubting it.
)As for the feel of the neck... love at first touch. My small hands really dig it. Narrow, thin, and sleek. The finish is the slightest bit sticky at times, but nothing fine steel wool won't cure. It's a flat/satin finish, so no gloss finish is harmed by this process.
I love the neck on it. Very fast and comfy.As I said, the hardware is not the most heavy-duty (nor should it be at this price point). But it's all perfectly serviceable and works the way it's supposed to. It's not junk like low-end hardware was 30 years ago. The pickup is fine. Honestly, I'd intended to change the preamp and pickup before I actually got it. But after playing it for awhile, no way am I going to touch it. It sounds great. Running through my amp, it has its own voice, but it sounds as good as anything else I have.
Until I get my new SLO Stingray, this will be my main bass. And I have no reservations about using it as such. Hell, I may become so attached to it that it will stay my main bass.
So, if you are a beginner, or a seasoned player who wants a "beater bass" (personally I think it's better than that!), don't hesitate in getting one of these. As I said earlier, I only wish they would have had "beginner basses" like this back when I was learning. I actually had a bass (my first) where the entire body cracked open (huge crack) over the course of a couple of days while trying to play it. That was excuse enough to throw it in the garbage because the action was so high and neck so warped, I could hardly fret a string. None of that here. The SUB is a class act "beginner's bass" that can certainly do gigs as well. And it's SO inexpensive. Amazing.
Any other Sterling SUB Series Stingray owners like yours as much as I like mine?
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