Please school me on Music Man, Sterling and their ever-changing model names

[Bikeguy57]

oy vey!

 

[TheReceder]

That probably explains it then, yes. So not only are the naming conventions out of whack, they also keep screwing with any method of identifying these basses. Good lord.

You figured this out pretty quick... Took me years of beating my head against a wall regarding the way they name their basses before I realized one important thing...

Chicks don't dig guys with flat heads.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Looks like there’s at least one near duplication to keep straight;

• StingRay Short Scale (SBMM)- $550
• Short Scale StingRay (EBMM) - $2100

I’m sure there are others........

 

[stuntbass77]

All I know is I can attest to the RAY34 and the SB14 as outstanding for the money. After selling my RAY34 due to the neck size and finding out they were stopping the SB14 I ran out an purchased one. Best bag for the buck basses I have come across.

 

[mikeswals]

Forgot to mention OLP, who made budget licensed Stingray basses for a while. I guess they fall somewhere between the Ray5 and Ray35 in terms of price (and quality?)

OLP was the old licensed copies from years ago. Sterling By Musicman is the current company that is now the licensed copies.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

EBMM Stingray expensive
SBMM Ray34 not expensive

 

[Kukulkan61]

Yup it’s confusing... just go by price I guess, from low to high, high being the actual EBMM...

 

[selowitch]

Not sure what your budget is, but the Ray35 is probably what you want. 90% of a USA Music Man at a fraction of the price.

Sterling by Music Man StingRay RAY35, Natural Ash | The Sound Parcel | Reverb

I agree the Ray35 is fantastic ... the only reason I don’t own one is that they tend to weigh more on average. I’m willing to pay more to get a lighter five-string so I can stand up for a three-hour gig, rehearsal, or session—which I can’t do if my bass weighs 11lbs.

 

[Joeynone]

The stingray special is a revoiced eq, neodymium pickups, 18v electronics, lighter weight hardware and a roasted neck. I own a stingray H-Piezo, HS Neckthru and the HH Special... the special is the best ray I’ve ever played by a VERY wide margin. I’ve owned about 12 different rays in my career

 

[ComeHomeShane]

Last I looked there is a Sterling SUB 5 in the classifieds where the owner installed An aguilar humbucker and preamp. Great deal.

 

[ERIC31]

Holy crap! My head is spinning with all of this!

I’ve just got a OLP 5 string I bought in 2005 for $125! Got bored with the black finish and painted it blue. Had a few different pickups and preamps in it.

I’ll never get rid of it!