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The Sterling Series: StingRay Bass
Music has always been a huge part of my family. We have roots in Greece, and music can be traced back generations. Every holiday, whether it be Christmas, or even someone’s birthday, we all join together and we sing. We play instruments, and sing and dance for hours.
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It is the way we celebrate love and joy, and I would not have it any other way. I’ll never forget as a boy when my Dad took me to my local music store and bought me a guitar for the first time.
It was a cheap little one, one that was purely acoustic, but I played it every single day, and it became so important to me, that I chose it as my career.
While the guitar is a fantastic instrument that I loved, I actually fell in love with a different instrument later in life: the bass guitar. I always viewed it, when I was younger, with not the greatest attitude. I saw it as a “lesser” instrument and turned my gaze towards the guitar and piano.
However, when I was in my high school band, my teacher recommended it to me and I began playing. I was immediately hooked. I loved the low sound, the ability to keep rhythm, and the relationship of the bass to other instruments in a band.
Guitar solos were cool, but bass solos just felt cooler. It can be overwhelming to buy a new instrument, but I am here to help guide you towards which brands work, and which brands don’t.
One bass guitar brand is the Sterling by Music Man StringRay Bass Guitar- Five String. It is very affordable and available online for purchase.
- Featuring the iconic Music Man Stingray design with Walnut Satin finish
- Precision built with Basswood body, Hard Maple neck, and Rosewood fretboard for a bold feel and smooth playability
- Sterling by Music Man design humbucker pickups coupled with a Active 2-band EQ and top mount output jack
- All Sterling by Music Man guitars receive final set-up and inspection in USA
Features
The Sterling by Music Man StringRay Bass Guitar-Five String comes with a variety of features to meet your musical instrument needs. These features include:
- Iconic Music Man StingRay design
- Walnut satin finish
- Bold feel/sleek playability
- Design humbucker pickups
- Active 2-band EQ
- Top mount output jack
- Received full final set-up and inspection in the USA
- Low-end clarity
- 5 strings for added depth/lower notes
- No hard case included, must buy elsewhere
- Measures 45” x 2.8” x 13.5”
- Weighs 9 pounds
Pros
- Great quality for a great price
- Can record cleanly through EQs
- Active bass guitar, fantastic sound
- Beautiful look and feel, sleek to play
- Fantastic sound
- No cheap or glossy finish as with other brands
- Well-made Instrument
- Light
- Easy to go mobile
- Sturdy
- Little buzz for a low setup
Cons
- Onboard pickups not very good at all
- Does not stay in tune for long periods of time
- Onboard tuner can be slightly inaccurate
- Sound can be a bit twangy (can be fixed with another set of strings)
Verdict
The Sterling by Music Man String Ray Bass Guitar-Five String is a great purchase for a player who is new to the world of music and musical instruments. It definitely gets the job done. It has a great sound and is easy to play!
A real bonus is that it is a five string, which allows you to hit those extremely low notes. Most modern bassists say they need a five string, especially with modern songs. That being said, there are some downsides to this bass guitar.
Since it is on the cheaper side of the brands, the Sterling StingRay is known to go slightly out of tune over a short period of time. I would recommend, if you are at a gig, to consistently be tuning every 30 minutes or so, as it could slip under a bit.
The onboard pickups are not the greatest, but if you are just a beginner, you will not mind this one bit. If you are a more advanced bassist looking for the highest quality of instrument, the Sterling by Music Man String Ray Bass Guitar-Five String is not for you.
I would recommend looking more at a Fender-type brand. But if you are looking for an electric bass that is easily to move and doesn’t need additional features, then the Sterling StringRay Bass would be a great buy.