Sterling by Music Man StingRay Ray4 Bass Guitar in Black

I was looking for an affordable bass after spending the last several years playing no-name cheapies (I put myself on a strict budget during the pandemic, and am only just now starting to loosen the purse strings lol). After reading some reviews on this one, I decided to give it a go. My thoughts:It's heavy, which I like, as the weight keeps it in place. I can move up and down the neck without having to hold the bass in place at the same time, which I always had to do with lighter basses. The neck is nice and smooth, there were no sharp fret edges to file down, and I didn't have to adjust the string distance from the fret board, all of which makes for good action. It feels comfortable in my hands (again, I like a heavier weight, some may not) and it sounds great for the price.My only complaints are that upon arrival, the knobs weren't fully screwed on and, after screwing them fully on, they still protrude a bit too far from the body. Also, pickup was actually compressed into the body on one end, as if it had been pushed in. But I popped it out with no damage to the pickup or the body. Hopefully, these were just anomalies specific to the one I got, and are not universal to the model.So all in all, a good, bass for the price. But to be clear, my rating is actually 4.5. Of course we're not able to rate in half stars, thus the 5 stars that accompanies this review.

For background: I am a semi-professional musician and recording engineer/producer. Besides some short stints in LA, I've mostly spent my music career in the local San Diego scene doing a variety of things from guitarist and bassist in bands, recording, live engineering, and DJing. I've been playing guitar specifically for 25 years. I also worked at the Taylor guitar factory in finish for 2 years so I know a fair amount about the guitar manufacturing process. I consider myself semi-professional only because I shifted my main career to technology and now music is more of a "serious hobby."I wanted this bass for two reasons: first, just for fun! I mean, it's fun to switch it up now and again! But more importantly as a useful tool for recording songs. I'm always borrowing basses or telling people, "I'll get the bass guitar in there later..." Plugins are cool, but I'd rather PLAY.Forever ago, I knew if I had the money, the Stingray was the bass I always wanted in my instrument arsenal. But they're expensive! I was STOKED to see that Ernie Ball/Music Man decided to make a cheap version that is licensed and has some assurance of quality control. A company like that, being one of the smaller brands, absolutely cannot afford to tarnish their reputation with bad instruments._______________________________________________________THE REVIEW:THIS BASS IS AWESOME! Out of the box I am immensely impressed. This is not a completely flawless instrument however, what you are getting for your money is like a gift from the music Gods. I'll start with the "bad."The finish: Overall its really great. It's a satin, which is cheaper to do than a gloss finish because the last coat goes on flat and does not require buffing. In fact, over time, your arms and such will end up buffing it. So it's not a durable type of finish either. Also, you can't fix tiny flaws, of which there are maybe 1 or 2 that I found. But honestly, this is all completely negligible to consider. The finish is fine. If you expect some amazing finish, you gotta pay. If anything, I can't stand "perfect" looking guitars that look like they haven't been played anyway.The input jack: When I first plugged in, I used the right angle side of my cable. This was scary. It doesn't work!! I would have to slightly tug at the cable to get a connection. This could be partly due to the design of the cable (Monster mid-range, don't recall exact model). I was slightly bummed but this but honestly not discouraged. At this price, there HAD to be something. LOL. Anyway, I swapped around my cable for the straight end and it works just fine! So for now I'm good but I would like to address the input jack connection soon so it's nothing to ever worry about.The "good."The bass sounds amazing. The pickup, they really did not hold back on this thing. It sounds fantastic. The fret board and action is setup very well. Very smooth. The intonation is slightly off on the E and D strings but that's easy to adjust. Honestly impressed with how close they got it to perfect from the factory though. It even stayed in tune all the way from Indonesia. It was cool to immediately play a little lick on it.Last thoughts for beginners:I rated this a 4-star guitar for a beginner. It would be 5 stars because it's so amazing for the money but the issue with the input jack is scary enough for a noob. Someone who doesn't know any advanced guitarists or luthiers might end up thinking their bass is "broken" for who knows how long before they address simple issues like that. I know because I've seen it happen. New players will quit practicing because they broke one string. You want the experience to be as easy as possible for a beginner. This is ALMOST their. If you have guidance, you're fine with this instrument.Another note is the active pickup. Active pickups are just another extra annoyance for someone just learning. They won't appreciate the enhanced tone and will be lazy about replacing batteries. ...but dang it sounds LEGIT.Model: Red Satin Burst, Ray4.

Always been a good bass to go to. Been using these since 2004! In my opinion, these basses are just as good as the $1000 basses. All a placebo effect.

What a fine instrument this is. Very well constructed and feels great. Plays smoothly and looks beautiful. Very resonant! My only gripe, and it is minor, is that the pickups are cheap and a bit wonky and the placement of the volume knob gets in the way of picking. Bullfighter is definitely going places if they keep this up! I just found a new favorite guitar.

After years away from playing, I decided it was finally time to pick up the bass again—and I'm so glad I chose the Sterling by Music Man StingRay Ray4. Right out of the box, it felt solid and well-built, and the walnut satin finish looks even better in person. It’s got this cool, understated vibe that I love.The neck feels smooth and easy to play, which was a huge relief since I was worried I’d be rusty. The action was low enough to make things comfortable, but not so low that I had to adjust anything right away. I plugged it in and was instantly impressed by the tone—clear, punchy, and surprisingly versatile for one pickup.I’ve mostly been noodling around with rock and funk lines, and the active electronics really help the bass cut through without needing much EQ. It also holds tuning really well, even after some heavy-handed slap and pop attempts (still working on those chops…).If you’re like me and getting back into playing after a long time—or even just starting fresh—this bass makes it easy and fun to fall in love with playing again. No regrets at all.