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I have had several of the Sterling By Music Man basses over the years, in all price points. They are always perform beyond their price in my opinion. I have brand new Music Man Stings rays in 4 and 5 string configurations and wanted something similar that I wouldn't mind getting dusty or even dinged up left out in the living room. I ordered this Sub series SBMM and immediately ran over it (true story). Hectic day at work, took the new bass out, still in the box , set it against the truck, got distracted and backed out the head home. I only have a single large dimple somehow. The action and neck are fine. This thing plays very nicely, and sounds like it's Daddy (the real Stingray). It is an amazing bass before you even factor in the price. If you are looking for a great playing and looking bass on the cheap, here you go.If you want a Stingray tone without the Stingray price, here you go. If you don't know what you are looking for in a bass, why not buy this one?

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I thought " How bad can it be, it's a Musicman." I thought, if it's playable I'll just swap out the pu, change the hardware and electronics and I'll have really nice bass for a bit over $500. And it's a Musicman.But right out of the box I knew something was up. The fret ends were perfect. It had great hardware, polished frets, heavy mass bridge, seamless finish and it sounded f'ing great... for 300 bucks. I opened it up and the electronics were clean, solders were perfect and the cavity was finished. Even the saddles were better than expected.I did lightly sand the neck, linseed oil the fretboard, lowered the action a little (truss rod adjustment was perfect) radius'ed the strings, tweeked the intonation, and it sounds amazing, forget the price. It's a great bass; solid and I like the setup. A volume pot, and two eq's. The low frequency is powerful with a big bottom. The high frequency is subtle and balanced.Also zZounds treated me great. I got the instrument in two day of my order. They shipped it out the same day.The only frustration is that I live in Brooklyn and there' nothing to complain about, except having nothing to complain about. WTF. And every word of this is true. Love this bass.

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I bought this as a back up to my EBMM Sting Ray HH. The price seemed perfect for a backup bass. When it arrived though I blown away. No it's not the same as the 2K plus EBMM version but it might be one of the best basses out there under $800. While the pickup is a little hot, lowering it a little can really give you that 70s scooped mid Sting Ray sound. The build is solid and aside from some dust around the neck pocket, that was easily wiped away, the bass arrived perfect.The 2 band EQ is actually very versatile with the ceramic pickup. The neck, especially for a new player will be perfect, it's not too tick or thin and is more narrow like Jazz bass. This is my only issue because I'm use to my MM but I knew that before purchasing so it's not a negative, just different. Many will love the neck.Fretwork was great, no bad edges and they were smooth when I checked before changing strings. Bridge resembles the old Sting Ray minus the dampeners, it may not look stellar but the adjustments are easily made and it works, the sustain on this is better than most basses costing twice as much or more.Last thing but sometimes it's the details right? I have other guitars and basses with the truss rod wheels as well, always used a small hex key. This bass, at least mine, came with a little hex key for the bridge adjustment and a 6" rod that fits perfectly into the wheel to adjust the truss rod! None of my others came with anything similar and this works on all of them... sometimes it's the little things that show they actually put thought into something. That extra effort in regards to the lowest price Sting Ray packaging sums up the entire package, they put a lot of effort into making this very reasonably priced bass, pretty fantastic.My first purchase from zZounds and they were stellar as well. Fast shipping and were very easy to work with, will definitely buy from again.

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I got my Walnut Model from another vendor the 1st of October, 2019. It arrived perfectly setup and in perfect condition. I absolutely love this bass. My SG Standard Bass is now put away in the closet. * This bass is easy to play.* Great neck & action. * I find the tonal qualities amazing. * Clear, fat & articulate.* Consistent across all scales.I'm 67, have played in bands since 1966 using many brands. This really is my favorite. I play all the time now and I was rarely playing before. I'm playing through a Fender Rumble Studio 40V3 daisy chained to my Rumble 100V3 and it sounds awesome. Even my wife spoke up about how good it sounds. I will be changing over to the Ultralight Fodera strings when the stock begin to loose their tone. Best bass strings I ever played. You just can't go wrong excepting it arrives damaged-then send back and get another. I wouldn't take an American Fender Jazz over this, except for the cash value. Get one & enjoy.

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Overall, this is a winning deal, IF you specifically want that StingRay Music Man tone and playability. There were a couple QC issues I have never seen in a comparable Ibanez Talman bass or Squier bass in same price range. A big plus, the pickup in the Sterling is above par and sounds darn good right out of the box. That's what we wanted! Set-up was surprisingly close to perfect;someone,somewhere along the line spent some time on that factor. The control plate had several screws that had been applied at angles,which broke off the routed,wooden tang they screw into. That had to be repaired, a minor thing, but still! Also, the tuners are 2nd grade quality,but they will get you by...for awhile. The neck is tobonga or something like that,and feels sweet. Not one sharp or too high fret-that's amazing for a $300+ bass! Totally satisfied with this basic bass from Sterling,and upgrades are fun and easy. zZounds delivered in 2 days, guitar was in double-box mode. A great deal, thanks!

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I bought this bass last week and it arrived on time and I love it it came set up fairly well no sharp frets it plays and sounds awesome zZounds is an outstanding company and I love the pay while you play option.

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Out of the box it was beautiful! Well packed. The Black with the Maple neck is Stunning. Great Quality. I was able to achieve Pbass Jbass and StingRay tones. Sounds so good. Not a beginner. Playing over 60 years. Sweet sweet bass.

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Oh. Indeed, this is a great bass, just over 3 bills. I got mine today and it's perfect ! With very minimal intonation adjustment, I'm making sweet, heavy thunder with it. Every positive review on this machine is likely, written with huge enthusiasm. I know, mine is ! Don't sleep on it. Buy this bass !

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The bass is great. It has a good weight. I bought a blemished model so the setup was horrible but there really isn't a visible mark on it. After a quick setup it rocks, not made in china they are made in Indonesia.

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We've always dug the Music Man Stingray Bass from WAY back,so it was kind of fateful in that when we needed a backup bass, we just happen to have a brand new Music Man bass pickup sitting on our desk a client had left for extra studio time payment. It made sense to order a Sterling, so we went with the creamish version with rosewood-type fretboard. It was a perfect choice.

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Just got this Ray 4 Bass well made great tone looks are great this bass is good if you like a String Ray type of bass and dont want to break the Bank i did a little setup up to what i like and put a new set of strings on it and good to go i will use this Bass for my New Years Eve gig with my band got this bass on play as you pay plan .

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This instruments feels like it's double its price.Besides intonation issues in two strings. Feels and sounds really, really good. I am very happy with the purchase, also with the two day shipping as well.

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Must of been a Friday when my Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. 4 was set up. Intonation was miles off. Fret buzz, loose knobs and loose input jack, and high action. Instead of going through the hassle of exchanging to risk receiving another in the same state, I purchased an inexpensive luthier tool kit and you tube- 2 hours and fine tuned. NOW it’s plays exceptional ! Great budget bass or beginner bass.

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This bass plays has a fast neck for ease of playing. I also like the contour body. My major concern is that is has too much of a treble sound. I believe the pickup should be moved closer to the neck. I routed out a new cavity about an inch above the existing one and moved the pickup closer to the neck. This required me to get a new custom pick guard. Now I get the deeper more bass sound I prefer.

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I typically play Fender basses but sold a jazz bass and needed to replace it. I decided to try something different so I went with this. It's a great introduction to the Stingray basses. The active EQ is very useful. Lots of tones can be dialed in with just a single pickup. That's impressive. This is a great rock bass. If you prefer to play with a pick then you'll love this one. It's great for fingerstyle too, of course. Sustain is no joke with this bass. A note seems to sing noticeably longer than most other basses I've played. The neck is very similar to a Fender neck but maybe slightly more beefy, deeper, than a jazz neck. It feels really good. The build quality is very good and the pickup sounds nice but the electrical components are cheap. This bass is a good foundation for upgrades though. My only negative experience was with the setup. I know some things are subjective but some things are not. The intonation was not even in the ballpark. They must have skipped some steps. Easy to fix but according to the sticker/seal on the pickguard, "All instruments inspected, set-up, and shipped from Orange, CA USA". This one wasn't. Always a great experience with zZounds though. I've been using them for years. Fast shipping. I ordered on Sunday and had this bass by Wednesday afternoon...for FREE. Boom!

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If your looking for cheap affordable instrument without the correlating cheap features, then this bass Is for you. With a fast thin but supportive neck and a well balanced frame this bass is comfortable to play and will get the job done. Over the top highs and bottom low low notes give this the edge you need to make yourself stand out through the sounds of the guitars, or maybe a solo in which you want to shine the entire time you're playing. Fantastic instrument. Cheap price. Quality Instrument

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I believe very firmly in “you get what you pay for.” I’ve spend close onto $10k on my guitar setup, because quality>quantity. When the drummer of my band quit, and our bass player moved to drums, I moved to bass, because I’ve always enjoyed it, and why not. We play mostly in drop b, which Fender does really well surprisingly. Point is, I’m not a fan of extended range. So I didn’t care much for the Schecter 5 string bass of his. Sounds great, but I wanted a 4 string. I don’t know if me being on bass is going to be permanent, so I didn’t want to spend a fortune. I was going to just get a Fender Jazz Bass, but Fender isn’t allowing the pay as you play thing right now, so I thought “eh, this has good reviews, I’ll try it out. Worst case, it’s only $300, and probably won’t be hard to sell.” Don’t think that’s going to be an issue. This bass is outstanding. The neck is satin, and the Jatoba fretboard is the same color and feels just like Rosewood. The frets were very nicely finished. No sharp edges or high spots. The neck did have a crazy backbow, but about 3/8 of a turn and it was all set. The tuners are not notchy or jumpy. Very smooth and responsive. Bridge seems fine, it didn’t need any adjustments from the factory. Sounds insane. The active EQ really helps dial in the perfect sound. One note: this is NOT white. If you want to know what this color really looks like, check out the buttercream Player Series Strat. This, in my case, was absolutely a welcome surprise, since I didn’t want super pure white. So, just a note. Big thick Sting Ray tone at an absolute fraction of the price. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy this bass a dozen more times. You don’t see import instruments of this caliber very often. Absolutely insane. I can’t put it down. Another flawless purchase from zZounds. This is my 8th purchase. No reason to buy anywhere else. Such great people.

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This bass is the best bass I have ever played. I have played a mim pbass for 15years at church. After playing my new Sterling I thought about throwing my pbass in the trash! Eveyone at church compliments me on the better sounds that this bass has. I bought this bass as a blemished model, but I have yet to find anything wrong with it. My only complaint is that I need is a thumb rest as I play closer to the neck instead of the pickup.

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Easy to play! The quality is rather good. The finish is like a matte finish. I am a Lead Guitarist and right now I am recording and decided to go for an Active Bass. The only problem is string buzz and no Instructions. I suppose the 1/4 cable activates the the Pickup power? So yeah you do have to mess around with blending the knobs and stuff to find the sound you want. For the price you can't beat it.

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awesome for the money, get great workmenship right out of the box, a small tune . after shipping of course. love the balance and small necks for my small hands. does not take away sustain. bass talks if you listen. so this is the second one i owned and would own another.

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I purchased this bass for studio use. Right after unboxing it, I noticed the frets were fairly sharp. After playing it for a few hours, I noticed my hands were fairly chewed up. The frets all the way from 1 to 22 on BOTH sides of the neck were like razors. I totally understand this is a budget bass, but dang. Pretty unacceptable. I would expect better quality from a crooked EBMM chinese knock off. Contacting Sterling Ball has been a sincere pain. Takes them weeks to reply. They wanted me to ship it across the country so they could polish the frets OR replace it with the same bass. A process that would take WEEKS for a $300 bass. Thank you zZounds for taking it back. Sterling Ball should make this right with me but I geniunely think they do not care about their customers. Sad. Oh! You can pull the tuning heads right off the tuning machine with little to no force as well, pretty cool.