I have been playing for 12 years and have stuck with Fender and Warwick. I played this recently at my local music shop just to pass some time and was blown away by the feel and tone of this thing. Absolutely killer bass for $500.🤙

Such a good review and demo ! I reeeeeally wish all bass guitar demos were like yours, short and very useful and descriptive talk, incredibly high quality playing in every style, a complete test of its features ... Just a whole perfect video !!!

i think your skills would make any bass sound great

That tone is killer. I may have to pick one up

I got the Sterling with the butterscotch finish and the “SLO” feature, about six months ago. It’s an incredible bass, period, with money not being a factor. I compared it to a MM Stingray to other SUB basses and the $800. My guitar sounded and played better than all of them.

When he used pick , that’s when I realised why metal bassists prefer musicman :D

Just picked up a Sterling Ray34 and I absolutely love it the sound and the action are outstanding 👍👍👍👍

Great demo! I picked up one of these after being out of my bass game for waaayyyy too long. This thing is really no joke for the price point. I adjusted the nut slot height, truss rod, string height and intonation and this thing plays like a dream. Totally worth it, and definitely a classic design to boot.

I love the sound of an Stingray even the Sterling by Musicman basses, it has that real clean sound.

Great review Marc! I don't think most people are realizing that you're testing the BRAND NEW Ray24 and not the 34. I didn't even know a 24 was coming out (to match the Fender Mexican basses I'd assume). All in all, great characteristic Stingray sound and it kinda falls into the same category as the Mexican basses - you get almost the same sound but with cheaper electronics, wood and parts (except in this case with 1 less EQ option as well). Great iniative by MusicMan. I just wish they'd change the brand's name, Sterling by MusicMan sounds...well lets just say not appealing and very confusing since MusicMan Sterling already exists as well. But anyhow, excellent review and thank you!

Even buzzes like a music man they nailed that!

Took me 2 years to run into this video, but I was wondering about these bass guitars. Great video bruh! I just got one today and love it!

I used to be a Fender guy... until I got my hands on a MusicMan. I now own four basses; two Sub Sterlings, one Ray 24 and a MM Stingray.... Love the feel and sound!!

Sterling basses got that thunger!thunder! The harder you play the better it sounds.

Seems like a good option to get some of that Music Man sound without the Music Man price... :) I was looking at one of these the other day (the 5 string version of it, anyway). Thanks for this demo!

You set a great of example for how to review instruments! Great video quality, great audio quality, and most of all good signal chain to allow viewers to accurately hear what the bass sounds like. You also completely review and demo all the features of the bass, and play different genres. I'm looking for an upgrade to my starter bass guitar and I really needed an in depth review of this bass guitar. You are amazing! Only thing missing is a description your signal chain.

Just purchased one, they play and sound amazing, love this bass...

That bass boost all the way up and treble all the way down is sooooooo niiiiiiiicce.

What's funny is when the Ray 34 first came out it was going for about $500 then they jumped up to the current price, I have the SUB which feels good in the hands and sounds decent but if you swap out the electronics it would sound a lot better probably as good as the Ray 34. This Ray 24 sounds really nice, it has the signature MM sound which the SUB really doesn't .

I just purchased the Sterling Stingray short-scale SS-4. It has exceeded my expectations. The fit, finish, sound & playability are very impressive. Low-action & No Buzz. oNe LovE from NYC

After playing guitar for 39 years, I decided to buy my very first bass guitar today. A Sterling Sting Ray, great quality for a starter bass player ( especially the active pick ups ). I tried out several other basses at the music store ( including Yamaha and Squire ), and I found the Sterling was the best for its price range. I'm just learning to play bass so don't expect me to play any Rush songs just yet, lol.

Student model flute made of plated brass is about $300 retail. An intermediate flute with a sterling silver head joint is around $700, and a model you would take to college to get a degree in flute starts around $2000. Pretty close to the same price range of basses.

Hell yes this bass is worth every penny! I got mine through an endorsement and they are amazing in the studio and live

Thank you so much for sharing this video. I just purchased a sterling Stingray 5 and this video gave me the best idea of what I spend my money for. You went through all the styles without setting the bass up first and I really appreciate that. Keep grooving my brother and thanks again.

I bought one of these from Sweetwater, for about $600..I once owned a real Stingray..I think this bass is a steal at $600.Yes, it is well made, solid and sounds like a Musicman.I have a 5 string, the B string is very tight for $600..I thought about buying the $1800 stringray..No way, not worth, a grand more,.There is no way, a real Stingrays Quality is 3 better than this Bass..This is a GREAT bass for the money, the lack of a MID control is not a bummer...I recommend this Bass, for a Pro or beginner. This bass kicks ass..You can upgrade the pre-amp...But I would not, it might lose the Classic Musicman sound

I got the 5-string version of this bass. I bought it at a local music store last summer for less than $570 after the tax charge. It was totally worth buying it.

Great review Marc! it should also be noted that the Ray24 is based on the classic StingRays. .. two band EQ and non-contoured body.

I would get one in a heartbeat!!! It sounds great for the price! The only difference I see that the pickup has ceramic poles and the Ernie Ball has Alnico magnets. If it’s a big deal, change the pickup(s).😌👍🏾

Have one, love it - super bang for the buck! Played many "real Rays" (I do repairs) and this thing satisfies my jones for a Stingray !

I actually really liked the sound when you boosted the treble

The solo on the beginning is the best bass solo i ever heard ,EPIC !

Bass sounds great, plays great, affordable, and ( most importantly ).... They ARE quite light. No brainer, it's worth it's asking price, and then some.

Fantastic demo, really well covered. I think this bass sounds great for slap style playing.

I watched this vid 6 months ago, and decided against buying this bass. Watched it again, bought the bass, and enjoy it. I was always a Fender SNOB, glad I watched this, glad I made the purchase, thanks man

After the jazzbass and precision , the Sterling ray 24 or 34, my next bass guitar !!!👍👍👍

Thanks for taking the time to produce this review Marcelo. I'm in the market for a Music Man so this informs my decision making. Full fledged Stingrays are now at $2,500 + in 2023...yikes!!

Ordered mine yesterday. Now the waiting game!

I mean i just bought this as my first bass. I like it

I picked one up. I haven't had anything musicman in a long time. Since a Bon go about 10 years ago. This is a very versatile bass. I love it. Great for the rock cover band I'm in

Sounds great man. Thanks for the demo, I just played my friends SUB series bass today and was surprised at how much I enjoyed playing it!! Looking into the 24's!

I can tell you for certain that jumping up to the full tilt boogie Ray34 that came out in '21, is worth it with the roasted maple neck and fretboard. It's got a punch to it that's balanced and full. Scored a B-stock in Firemist Silver for $749 a couple years ago.

Maybe I'm a philistine, but I played the S.U.B bass recently and really liked it. Its neck is thinner than the StingRay, so it's actually easier to play. I didn't just think it was great for the price; I liked it better than some far more expensive basses. If I were going to go cheap and not get a StingRay, I wouldn't bother with the middle-priced Ray24 and I'd just get a S.U.B. The one in mint green looks very nice too.

I owned one of these and I had the coolest color that I have seen, blue sparkle. I totally dug that bass and I thought that it was a great bass. It sounds killer in this video.

A very comprehensive and thorough review combined with excellent technique, thanks Marcelo. Maybe this will be my Christmas present to myself!

Dude! You’ll make any bass sound amazing...no fair! Cool review, very intuitive and complete. Thanks!

Surprisingly it sounded great with a pick

Hello and greetings from Germany. No question, what comes from the company ernie Ball, speaks for quality. And the sound is close to the Stingray. What bothers me personally, is the body shaping, or much more, the non-existent body shaping. But it's also at the classic Stingray! No question, the price must come from somewhere, of course (made in China?) A real option for people with a low budget, or beginner. But the original is undefeated... Sorry, for my English. Super Kanal, freundliche Grüße, Tobias!

Dayum I love the start :D My head just goes crazy lol :D

You sold me sir. I now own the ray25ca and I'm playing right along with you,(not on your level of course)! The EQ is identical and the rosewood neck gives it the perfect contrast from the maple neck of my Music Man Classic Series Stingray 5.

Another outstanding review... You always cover all the bases answer the important questions And you're playing is just fantastic🎵 Thanks so much!

Jungle Boogie ❤️

Great sounding bass your right it does have that signature Stingray sound and at an affordable price 👍

Great review and playing @The Bass Wizard. I wish you could do a side to side review of the 5 strings version of this bass and your SR5.

I picked up a Ray25 ca, and upgraded it with an Aguilar pickup and a Tone Monster 3 band preamp. It has become one of my favorites, especially for recording. It always sits perfectly in the mix. Well worth the money.

Great review and man you've got some chops. I bought this as my first bass and it sounds incredible to me. I'm primarily a guitarist/vocalist so I find the short scale 30" bass easy to play. I use a pick....and it records great too! The slap sound you got out of it sounds amazeballs.

Bottom line is it sounds like a expensive Sting ray bass and so does the cheaper SUB bass I have the SUB and am very happy with it. I played a lot of basses in that price range and always came back to the SUB bass.

Bought the sub for 250.00 maybe 4 or 5 years ago.I am used to playing Fender P bass, and some jazz style basses that I made. At church It did not fit in the mix well.I moved the pick up towards the neck ,and put an aluminum pick guard on it.It has better bottom now.For slap, and tap ,and pick it a good bass.It,s maple neck, and light weight body make it the nicest bass physically that I own.I thought about putting a P-46 Bill Wilde pick up in it, but I have a 1983 Kramer Focus 7000 with the P-46 in it that is a killer bass for all around use, and a 1974 fender P bass stock, and a home made P bass with two sp-1 Duncan P bass pick ups in it that sounds great in the mix at church.I must say for the money that the sub bass is very nice.Sorry for being long winded, but I love bass. 71 years old ,and have been playing 48 years.

I think it sounds great. But as others have said, you are clearly a great player and the sound is all in your hands. I bet you make any bass sound good.

Sounded the same to me. Now the slaps are killer sounding.

Budget instruments have come so far since I started playing back in '07 (not really that long ago I guess haha). I remember saving for my Sterling HH because the Subs weren't available anymore but I had to have that MM sound. I'd definitely put down $500 for one of these, it sounds fantastic!

do a warwick bass review please

I was never interested in a Musicman until this video! I need to try one. Nice job Marcelo.

Back in the early 2000s Music Man tried to release a lower-priced line of Basses that were still made in the USA, and came up with the “SUB” line (yet another reason to hate the “Sterling By Music Man” and current “SUB” names) - what they did was make them slab-cut bodies made from Poplar, which sounds very much like Alder for a fraction of the price (in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s, the full-on Music Men were made of either Ash, Alder or Poplar before switching to Ash almost full-time), a spray-in Matte Finish that didn’t need to be buffed out, saving huge amounts of time being made as well as matte-finished Necks as opposed to the Oil & Wax versions, slightly cheaper versions of the passive or 2-band active versions of the Stingray pickups and Hardware. Nothing was truly “cheap”: most of the money was saved was on the non-buffed finishes on slab-cut Bodies and 1-step finished Necks. But they were made in SLO right next to their Big Siblings, and played/sounded *fantastic* for the money. Ultimately EBMM realized they were losing money on the project and halted it, starting up the “SBMM” company a few years later. I have an rare USA-made “SUB Sterling” in a color only used on *6* of the SUB Sterlings & owned a “SUB 5” for about a year (and yes, selling that off was a huge fault in my part: at the time I didn’t have a Preamp that worked well with it) but the Sterling is an amazing Rock Bass, and I’m keeping my Ebay eyes open for a USA SUB 5 Stingray rather than purchase a SBMM Ray 35 or 25.

There's a great story about Jaco pastorius showing Marcus Miller a bassline and Marcus saying 'yeah but I do it like this', and starts doing his slap based technique. Jaco looks at him and says 'yeah I can do that too but I don't...'

Bought one .Replaced the pick up with a Seymour Duncan and change the strings .Will be playing through an Orange 25 for home studio use

Love my sub 4. My buddy has stingray 5 and paid over 2k. He played mine and felt he got robbed!. In fact, he borrows mine to gig with when he needs a 4

..great review! I own the Ray34ca and well, since then i love the Sterling Ray models, they are awesome ! ❤ 👍

And I'm here like "$500? That's cheapish range?" I gotta keep searching for the $69 bass.

So I’ve been looking at bass videos and realized I need a fender precision and jazz bass now lol I also have a stingray and I think it will stay in its case forever when I get a fender jazz or precision. it’s nice to see these are also somewhat good.

I KNOW IT,S 2021 BUT WITH YOUR SKILL THIS IS A GREAT DEMO OF THIS BASS. THANKS.

I just bought a pair of these basses, and they’re absolutely amazing. You wouldn’t really make the conclusion that they’re 300 dollars if you didn’t know the price

I always had a crush on the Musicman Ray bass, I still wonder these days why i didn't bought one. So many of the basist that i like the tone use these. I am still not sure if i would buy the budget version of the more expensive one... Still have time to think. At least the budget one seem very decent.

Nice review. This definitely compares well with the much more expensive Stingray 4 string, even with the lack of a mid cut/boost feature. The Stingray gives you better materials for sure and probably better build quality, but not $1,000+ better.

This is a very helpful review. I did not hear much different in the low end knob, but heard the changes in the treble knob. I was going to get a Ray4, but the Ray24 feels really better in my hands.

that opening groove though!

Nice song choice . Jungle Boogie !

There was a little bit of fret buzz but seems like a solid bass a good alternative for the beginner that Dont want the usual jazz or p bass,or even a back up bass

This bass sounds great, however, so does the SUBray4 bass. I use one live and get many compliments.

wish i had that bass , that burst is really smooth

These basses are top notch for the money. Sound great with the eq set flat, straight out of the box

The Ray 24 in your demo with the active bass and treble Eq is the same as the original Stingray that came out in 1976. The original had the same 2 knob active bass and treble controls. Music Man added the active mid control to the Stingray sometime in the mid to late 1980’s as I recall.

The tone on these is just sick. For the $ there's nothing else out there like it.

One of the best deals ( Marcus's Sire Bass) on the planet. These basses play and sound better than the USA models. This is how the original MusicMan basses sounded..

Picked up that blue 34 for $500 on a stupid deal of the day a couple of weeks ago. First time I've ever received a damaged box. It was torn along the long end almost all the way. My heart sank. I reached in and pulled it out (i didn't even have to cut the box it was fully open) expecting a broken neck or at least chips or scratches. Surprisingly zero damage although it was in a padded gig bag and the only other padding in the box was a few squares of cardboard. anyways nice bass.

I may not NEED a Fodera but I’d LOVE one!

It sounds very good like a Stingray...the price point is right especially if you tour and have to concern yourself with damage and theft.

I got a copy of the Stingray, with sunburst finish and a black pick guard for around $120. It sounds amazing and I feel like it could easily rival the actual Stingray, or most of it for so much less.

i have a 79 and a couple early 2000s big difference between the 2 band EQ and 3 band they are both great and distinctive. most days i like the 2 band better.

I respect music man, but I've never been able to find one I can really connect with. I'll just stick with my fender P.

FYI, the Stingray classics also have a 2 band EQ.

Instruments made over seas can be great with good QC from the parent company. Learned this several years ago when I got a PRS SE, made in S Korea

I have a few stingays. including a 79 with orginal 2 band EQ. i prefer the 2 band over the 3 band.

Perfect riff to test a StingRay EQ with. Amen.

What makes it worth paying $200 more over the SUB Ray4? Is it a better pickup? Better hardware?

I love the tone and sound of the stingray, I wanna get one

That's a very cool-looking bass guitar. I love it. Don't get me wrong, I love Fenders guitars and basses but I have a few fender guitars and it would be nick to mix it up. That Stingray looks and plays wonderfully.

The Ray4, especially the Indonesian made one, is already a very nice bass for the money. The Ray24 seems to have a better quality bridge and hardware. The body wood is I think Mahogany vs Basswood for the Ray4. As a fan of the entire Sterling line, and MM basses in general, I definitely plan to try one. Nice surprise, great review.

What better if the price is about 850$: Sterling Ray35 or Fender Player Precision Bass?

Guys - I make a custom "no mods " rest for Stingrays. Gets you the old skool Fender finger position. Look up Zero-Mod Stingray

Got a trans blue just before Christmas, for the money there excellent. Nice and punchy for that funk sound