• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

jestaple

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2004
Messages
3
Hi all,

This is my first post on the forrum, so i'll start by introducing myself. My name is Joe and i'm a student at the University of Vermont. I've been playing bass for almost 4 years now, and have played in one small gig band (one of those high school kinda bands that played vfw's and battle of the bands kinda things, nothing too serious) and spent two years in the high school concert band, playing the parts for stand up bass on my electric. I started with a fender squier p bass, then a year later bought a b.c. rich, which at the time i though was the coolest thing in the world, but now am ashamed to even be seen with. The band i was playing with was hard rock, so it didn't look so bad, but now i'm getting into more funky jazzy kind of stuff, playing slap a lot, and such. But not only do I look like a joke playing that kind of music with a b.c. rich, the tone is all wrong. Now, I've always loved the sound of the stingray, and ideally, I'd get one, but being a poor college student, thats just not going to happen. So, I've been looking for a more affordable bass that will suit my needs now, but at the same time, be good enough that i won't have to upgrade for a long long time, prefferably, forever.
Now, through my searching, i've stumbled across the music man s.u.b., and am considering purchasing it. Most online sales sites i see are saying its got a sound comprable to the stingray, as it has basically the same electronics, but at a fraction of the price. What i'm wondering is, what are the pros and cons to this bass, as compared to the stingray, or other basses in its price range, and what is the cause of the price differnce? I know that the s.u.b.'s fretboard only comes in rosewood, but thats okay, as its what i would get for a stingray anyway, and know that its made of poplar and not ash; but is that going to cause a substantial difference in tone? Also, i can't seem to find anywhere, even on the music man site, what s.u.b. stands for, if anything, because that would be nice to know. And lastly, for some reason, most of the dealer's sites i've been looking at don't offer the s.u.b. in graphite, which is what would most likely be my first choice for color; and i can't seem to find a picture of what it looks like in blue, so if anyone could respond with any of this info, it would be most appreciated. (oh, and if it matters at all for tone or bass selection, my amp is a peavy 1x15 combo thats roughly 150 watts).
Thanks all;
-Joe
 

basspastor

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
450
Joe,
Welcome to the forum.
I can't answer all of your questions but I do own a Blue Active SUB.
I tried several basses and can afford the pricer ones but I settled for the SUB. It has a great sound and all my coherts are constantly bragging about the great sound. I don't do much slapping since about all I play is contemporary and country gospel.
The other day I did slap on a couple of pop songs and it really sounded great according to others that were there.
The SUB can be found in graphite if you will go to Ernie Ball home page and click on music man and then instruments. I think you can see a picture of the blue teal at musicians friend, I thought there was one on EBMM site somewhere, also; check around on the net and you will find one.I don't know what SUB stands for unless it is SERVING YOU BETTER.

Blessings
 

bovinehost

Administrator
Joined
Jan 16, 2003
Messages
18,197
Location
Dall-Ass, TX
The price difference can be attributed to a number of things, including but not limited to:

- textured finish less time-consuming (fewer man-hours)
- fewer options
- hardware less expensive.

SUB actually stands for....Sport Utility Bass.

I have no experience with the SUB basses, but have heard a number of pro players say that they do nail the Stingray sound.

Welcome, by the way.
 

Mobay45

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
4,597
Location
Home of the Bongo Birthday Bash '06
Welcome to the forum Joe!

I have been wondering if Sterling Ball's middle name begins with a U? That might explain the S.U.B.. Maybe someone in the know will answer that question.

I almost bought a SUB instead of a 'Ray, but I just couldn't get into the textured body, the flat black neck and the diamond plate pickguard. I did like the way it played though. The action seemed every bit as good as the 'Ray's.

Larry
 

shaver

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 8, 2003
Messages
434
Location
Philadelphia, PA
if you ask me, i playen the b c in a funk jazz band would be prety sweet, you would get alot of attention that way...i mean who else pryd off the frets on their bass, who plays a b c rich is a jazz funk band..

but, the Sub is nice, sounds very very good, i hate the way the neck feels though, what ever the back is made out of gets kinda frictiony (sorry for the made up word,i think)
 

basspastor

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
450
Bovine,
I like my name for it better than yours. I know I'm wrong it was just a flighty thought. I going to ask Derek Saturday what it stands for;Not that I don't beleive you but ---- sport utility bass.
Oh well, I carry my sport utility bass around in my 3/4 ton crew cab chevy, it fits real good in the back seat.
Blessings
 

basspastor

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
450
I can't wait to try the Sterling Sport Utility Bass at the festival Saturday.
Oh well, fun is fun :p
blessings
 

jestaple

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2004
Messages
3
Wow, thanks everyone

Theres no way i expected to get that many responses that quick, i'm so impressed. As for a b c rich in a funk jazz band, the idea sounds novel, but trust me, the tone is all wrong. i've experimented with different kinds of strings, and the thing is, i love the feel of a flatwound string, so thats what i use, but that plus the lack of brightness from my bass itself just kills any chance of having slap sound any good. i think the active eq on the sub (wow, sport utility bass, i'd have never guessed that one) will give me the flexability i need to be able to have it sound good regardless of the style i'm playing, and allow me to stick with flatwounds without losing any chance of having a bright tone. (i would ideally love to keep the old b c rich, if for nothing else than to have as my first real bass, but unfortunately, the only way i can cough up the dough for a relatively nice new one is to sell the old one...)
So through all your responses, it seems to me like the sub is the way to go. stingray sound; traditional shape but with modern edgy styling for a nice blend of styles; and all in all, a music man that won't decimate all my beer mon- er, i mean, book money for next semester .
Only thing thats still got me feeling a little -iffy is a thought i had that shaver confirmed for me. that neck. I'm not so sure about that painted neck, is there anything i'd be able to do to it after purchasing that would smooth it up a bit without negatively affecting the instrument? (Mishaps during any proccesses shouldn't be a problem, as my father is a carpenter, but i can't go on just his word for smoothing out the neck, as he knows nothing about musical instruments) i'm thinking possibly sanding it down and putting a new finish on it of some sort, anything like that that can keep it from getting sticky.
thanks again,
-Joe
 

jestaple

New member
Joined
Apr 12, 2004
Messages
3
Oh, wow.
by the way, thanks a ton for that site cgworkman!
Not only is it offered in graphite there, which for some reason it isn't on musicians friend, its a whole 60 dollars cheaper!
forever greatful,
-joe
 

basspastor

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
450
Jestaple,
I have not had a friction problem with the neck, keep your hands clean, wipe the neck down before and after use and if playing for a long time in one setting wipe it down during that time (I had to wipe mine down a couple of times last week but I played for over two hours.). Anything will get gritty if not kept clean.
This is just my experience with the SUB,
Blessings
 

cgworkman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
1,628
Location
U.S.A.
jestaple said:
Oh, wow.
by the way, thanks a ton for that site cgworkman!
Not only is it offered in graphite there, which for some reason it isn't on musicians friend, its a whole 60 dollars cheaper!
forever greatful,
-joe

No problem - go ahead and guy it! I know a lot of people frown on the SUB - but i really believe it's hard to go wrong with an american made EBMM instrument regardless of the price. I think some like to wrinkle their nose just because it's "cheaper"....
 

cgworkman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
1,628
Location
U.S.A.
cgworkman said:
No problem - go ahead and guy it! I know a lot of people frown on the SUB - but i really believe it's hard to go wrong with an american made EBMM instrument regardless of the price. I think some like to wrinkle their nose just because it's "cheaper"....

I meant go ahead and buy it not guy it....
 

cgworkman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 3, 2004
Messages
1,628
Location
U.S.A.
there you go jestaple! if you don't mind that ugly pickguard.......

it's a good price to and looks to be in mint condition for the most part.

good luck
 

dlloyd

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2004
Messages
1,733
Location
Scotland
jestaple said:
Now, through my searching, i've stumbled across the music man s.u.b., and am considering purchasing it. Most online sales sites i see are saying its got a sound comprable to the stingray, as it has basically the same electronics, but at a fraction of the price.

I've tried out a few S.U.B.s and the sound, to my ears, is quite different to that of the Stingray. The active circuit seems to me to have less punch, and less power than that of the Stingray. I'm curious as to what others think about this...

It's a nice sound, mind you.

What i'm wondering is, what are the pros and cons to this bass, as compared to the stingray, or other basses in its price range, and what is the cause of the price differnce?

Pros and cons... well, there are a number of differences (not all can be construed as pros and cons)...

The body of the S.U.B. is poplar whereas Stingrays are mostly ash. Some older Stingrays are ash and some are poplar. Some people prefer ash or alder to poplar, and Fender recently stopped producing guitars with poplar bodies for this reason. I personally wouldn't know the difference.

The finish of the S.U.B is textured and matte. This probably saves some money.

There are no body contours on the S.U.B... but neither was there on the earliest Stingrays.

The pickguard on the S.U.B. is metallic, with those diamond thingies on it. I haven't fully made up my mind whether I like that or not.

The electronics on the S.U.B. are not the same as on the Stingray, and you only have the two-band eq, with no cut/boost... still sounds good, but doesn't quite have the wow-factor of the Stingray.

The neck of the S.U.B. is painted. I'm not sure about this, what are they trying to hide??? Mind you, the Bongo (IIRC) also has a painted neck... perhaps that's the new fashion. I didn't like the feel of the S.U.B.'s neck as much as the unfinished maple, but after playing it for a while, I forgot about it. I didn't detect any stickiness.

The fretwork on the S.U.B. is not to the same quality as on the Stingray... this may be a peculiarity of the S.U.B.s I tried out, but the fret slots seemed a little too deep

I know that the s.u.b.'s fretboard only comes in rosewood, but thats okay, as its what i would get for a stingray anyway, and know that its made of poplar and not ash; but is that going to cause a substantial difference in tone?

As I said, there is a difference in tone, but I think that mainly comes from the electronics.

Also, i can't seem to find anywhere, even on the music man site, what s.u.b. stands for, if anything, because that would be nice to know.

Sports Utility Bass. It's a play on Sports Utility Vehicle, due to the rugged looks of the bass.

Ultimately, it's not a Stingray, but we're dealing with a bass that costs half as much, I don't think it's really a valid comparison. At the price (and I'm in the UK, where we're paying nearly double what you would) there is nothing, to my mind, that can touch it. Try one out, I reckon you'll like it.
 
Top Bottom