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fevitz

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
Messages
111
Location
gold coast australia
Today i picked up my first 5 string being the sterling sub after reading many reviews on this bass . im very pleased with this purchase and for the price its good quality As soon as i picked up this instrument i was impressed with the comfortable , slim neck and for a 5 string bass its a piece of cake to get around . Theres also a feeling of solidity, similar to my stingray about it , for $449 i expected a cheaper feel to it , but not so !!! I plugged it in and for a single pick-up it has a huge sound ( on a par with my bongo H H ) It sounds cleaner than my SR-4 LE , of course , though i havent tried it live yet . The potent active, BASS / TREBLE give this the same strength as what my bongo has , so i will probably need to set everything flat for starters then tweek in as i go on the night . The action is perfect , and no fret buzz . The finish and the contoured body give it the appearance of a quality instrument and the maple neck is what you would expect on a $2500 MM . It came with a heavy duty gig bag , trussrod adjuster and alan key for bridge
The only thing im not too happy about is the B & E tuning keys, feel like they should be more precise . " the key worm and the cog arnt as tight as on my SR4 or bongo , the key turns and nothing happens for half a turn till the thread picks up . But i can live with it .
if anyone has a tip how rectify this pls let me know !
I have absolutely no regrets about buying this .
 

RJKANEAO

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 14, 2012
Messages
316
Location
Big Island- Hawaii
They are wonderful basses for the price.. Heres mines.. My son has one also in honey burst I think it was..will post his later.. ImageUploadedByTapatalk1348402204.057774.jpg
 

RJKANEAO

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 14, 2012
Messages
316
Location
Big Island- Hawaii
Love the finish - great bass, congrats. From what I've heard in video reviews these get a good representation of the Stingray sound.

Thanks.. I actually have two.. One is my son's who is just starting to learn.. I'm not really much of Bass player but I dabble and use it a lot in the studio.. I bought two cause the price was just amazing in addition to having my artist pricing as a endorsee.. It's really good & I think it'll surprise lots of the skeptics.. I haven't gotten to play mines much because I've been on the road playing And I never have much time to really get a jam going when I'm home. :( as soon as I can find some time I will take a picture of my sons honey burst Ray 4. Which he graciously named Rayvon. Haha kids..
Aloha RJ
www.rjkaneomusic.com
 

aborg1

New member
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Messages
1
FYI: Sterling SUB series Ray5 (strings)

I spoke to a tech rep today querying about which Ernie Ball strings where shipped on the Ray4 & 5. I currently have the Ray5 Black, he stated that the red silk end strings are a very cheap Asian brand string and not anywhere close to any of the Ernie Ball strings. Just thought it may helpful for someone who wanted to know. I'm a 30 year Fender man and this little puppy is blowing the tone socks off of all of my bass axe's. I'm very,very tempted to try a Sterling Ray35. I can't believe how light this thing is compared to my Jazz active and others. I first thought I purchased a cheap piece of junk. I now have to REPENT, I sinned greatly.

Peace Out

Mike
 
Last edited:

Moose308

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 12, 2006
Messages
204
Location
British Columbia
First thing I do when I get a new bass is put on a fresh set of strings. Period.

Since I don't know how long the strings have been on there, or who drooled on them, or even what type they are, I always replacement with new, quality strings, usually something like EB Power Slinkies. Fat strings are where the tone is.
 

stingray_guy

Active member
Joined
Nov 26, 2012
Messages
36
Location
London, UK
I've got the Ray4 in walnut satin, beautiful bass! Would love to try the walnut Ray5 (and I never thought I'd hear myself say that as I personally don't like 5 string basses) but its not avaliable in the UK just yet. Would be great to have both Rays in a matching finish!
 

douglasspears

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 23, 2007
Messages
504
Location
Atlanta, GA
guitar player here....I have the walnut SBMM Sub Ray5 to hold down bass for jam sessions, and love it! Sounds and plays awesome! I find myself just playing the bass by myself because it's so badass!
 

steevo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
395
Location
West Midlands, UK
How do they stand up to the original sub series? I sold my trans orange stingray and kept my sub5 and wonder now why i ever bothered buying the stingray to start with when the sub is a perfectly good bass and i must say sounds the dogs bollocks when recorded without any eq or effects.
 

stingray_guy

Active member
Joined
Nov 26, 2012
Messages
36
Location
London, UK
I'm still a newbie to the forum, and basically every post I've put up so far is about the SBMM Subs hahaha, but I really do rant and rave about them. More people need to give them a try they really are the nuts. Payed £249 for my Ray4 in walnut satin and its the best buy I've ever made. Ill be at LBGS on saturday, and Ill be playing some damn nice basses, but I still always look forward to getting home and playing my Sub, my main recording and gigging bass. After a bit of tweaking and perfecting they play great, necks like butter. See for yourself give them a try. I'd love one day to do a neck swap with somebody for a maple fretboard, but that's for later days. For now, I wouldn't change a thing about it
 
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