Ernie Ball Music Man S.U.B.

This is the same bass as all the others here, so reiterating the features isnt necessary. However, mine did come from guitar center with a plain black pickguard rather than the diamond plate, thankfully.

The music style I predominantly play is pop punk, so presence and brightness is very key, but that has to come without sacrificing the full sounding low end. Think Mike Dirnt or early Claypool. I use it through a hartke head and 4x10 aluminum cab and this seems to be a perfect trio for me. Is it noisy? Well, like alot of bassist, I take tone and noise very seriously so I tried it out quite a bit at the store testing it with different amps and cables and I was just amazed... it sounds like theres a gate on it! Perfectly silent when not played, but the active pickup clearly and accurately picks up the softest noise. There is a song I play where i hold a chord and softly drum on the bass, building in volume for an intro. I've had fans say it sounded like I was using a volume pedal or even a keyboard.

I would agree, though, that there might be a bit more tonal variety than I need. On many songs, I have to dial the treble knob back about 10% to keep it from being too bright but I kick that in when i'm trying to get distortion feedback. Backing the treble back about halfway gives a tremendous and round tone for a more jazzy or bluesy approach. I've used it live and in the studio and it has never failed me.

Here is where the bass fell short. There were some minor flaws (I knew I could fix them, so I bought it anyway) like really high action right off the shelf. When I straightened out the neck, there was way too much buzz, so I had to raise the saddles and lower the pickup a touch, etc... It took about a half hour and then all the problems I had with the bass were gone. A straight necked, sustain-y, tonal monster that I would confidently stack next to carvin, high-end fenders, etc.

Finish wise, yeah, it's not pretty. Fine with me, though, because its scratch and wear resistant and stands up to real life admirably.

It's been dropped, banged, tossed... and it only goes out of tune if the tuners are hit. The chrome plating on the bridge is already rusting and I've only had it a year. True, I sould clean it better, but I want to replace the parts with ones that wont rust next time.

I have and will still use this without a backup. Unbeatable for the price and hard to match at any pice.

If it were stolen, I would definitely look for another one.

All of the features have been cover here before, so I will just make some observations about the bass here. First of the bass is very heavy, which I actually view as a good thing. The bass is built like a tank. I think it's actually impossible to damage the finish on the body of the bass, but I don't really feel like putting that theory to the test. The bass is very ugly, with what I have dubbed the "truck bed finish."

It sounds like a Stingray, plain and simple. If you have always wanted the Ray sound, but without the hefty price tag, this is the perfect bass for you. The sound is full and round, and the slapping tone is excellent. I play pop-punk, and this bass is perfect for the sound I am looking for. The sound is very versatile and could be stretched to play any genre of music. I would say that this bass is great for the stage, due to the rugged finish and heft of the bass.

As I mentioned before the finish on this bass is very ugly, especially when it has the standard pick guard. I changed the pickguard as soon as I got it and it made the bass's appearance bearable. I purchased the bass second hand, so I have no idea how the action was from the factory. When I received the bass there was some pretty hefty fret buzz (which appears to be a problem from the factory, looking at the other reviews), but a quick turn of the truss rod fixed that problem. Other than that I have no problems with how the bass is set up.

Once again, this bass is a tank. This bass idea for gigging. It has all the sound of the Ray, but with a finish that is tougher than a 2 dollar steak, and it's in the price range where I am not worried about taking it out of the house. I would, and do, gig this bass without a back up.

When I bought the bass I e-mailed the customer service rep from Ernie Ball to ask about getting a new pickguard for it. The customer service was excellent. It usually took only 30 mins to get a response, and the rep was very friendly to me answering all of my questions in a polite manner. Overall I had a superb experience with the people at Ernie Ball.

I have been for only about a year and a half, and this is my second bass, so I don't really have much experience with a ton of gear. Right now the only other bass I own is a Squire P-Bass (the bass this one replaced). I compared this bass with MIM Fenders and this bass blew them out of the water. The sound was the selling point for me. Make no mistake about it, this is a Stingray in an ugly suit. If it were stolen I would definatly purchase another one. THe only thing I wish it had was an mid EQ, but honestly that asking for a lot for a 400 made in America bass. If you are in the market for a mid-level bass, defiantly, be sure to check this one out, myself (and many others) have. Trust me, you won't regret it.

Here's probably by far the least complicated review of this product. So prepare yourself for clarity. Features wise, it stacks up great compared to other basses in this price range. basically, if you're familiar with the Ernie Ball Stingray with 2-band EQ you'll recognize a similarity. hell, not just a similiarity, its exact. If you're not familiar with the 2-band EQ version imagine its like the 3-band version (the one with 4 knobs) only with one less knob. But, that doesn't take away from anything in my opinion. Just makes it less complicated to dial in your best sound and also puts the input jack in a better position to prevent accidental damage. The body is still made of wood, as is most. Not the quality of the Stingray but hopefully you'll never scratch it hard enough to need to see it. little or no sound quality is lost in their wood choice. The neck is painted black as well as the headstock which i think looks great, i'm a big fan of monochromatics, and the fretboard is rosewood. I prefer maple myself but since they don't give you a choice on this particular model I'll live. And now my favorite part, the finish. Satin (or textured) finish. Great job on that! Difficult to scratch and definitely makes a statement. Now, those of you who enjoy beautiful stains and things of that nature will probably have a difficult time appreciating its beauty, but in this particular situation I couldn't be any happier with it. Unless it came with a case of some type. And whats with the diamond plate pickguard? within the first week of purchasing my bass i ripped that ugly thing off and called ernie ball. they hooked me up with a very nice black pearloid pickguard. NO the stingray pickguard will not fit- nor the sterling or anything else. the new pickguard set me back about another 50 bucks but it was well worth it! hell, i saved myself 500 by choosing the SUB over the stingray anyway. nothing wrong with splurging.

Stylewise its fairly versatile. The reason why I say that is mainly because most any style of music I would play would require me to have a fairly clear tone with the potential to dial in the perfect amount of brightness and punch. I suppose if you are a classical bassist that enjoys throwing down to Bach or something its probably not necessary going to be your first pick. But thats what upright basses are for, right? I play mainly rock but I do like a good dark punch for metal and hardcore. So, I find myself turning down the middle tone knob a quarter-spin so the brightness doesn't overwelm me or pierce the ears of my listeners. Other than that this bass is pretty free of noise. I have noticed that a more seasoned bassist will probably find him/herself adjusting the truss rod and action more than normal to prevent fret buzz. I'm not sure why that is, perhaps its my playing style. but overall a great sound! this is a winner in the studio as well as stage. In my opinion, the SUB is second only to other Ernie Ball Music Man products. I'm very sad they discontinued it.

As I mentioned before, I've found myself adjusting the action and truss rod more than I would like. I've been experiencing fret buzzing. And since the pickup is so clear and bright its rather noticable. I also lowered the pickup on the top a little bit. I use HUGE gauge strings and tune down so the top string was flopping against the pickup and making a less than desirable vibration. But, with that being said, I feel that it was setup pretty close to standard with very little adjustments needing to be made.

So far, I've had this bass and used it as my main bass since 2003. for five years now she has served me well. One thing that I've experienced is quite a bit of rust on the hardware. nothing too damaging but it is on the input and bridge. I do sweat a lot on stage so that could be the culpret but i don't recall ever having that problem in the past with other basses i've owned. in my 15 years of experience this bass is probably the most trustworthy bass i've owned and would trust it to watch my kids for the weekend, if I had any. touching back on what i've mentioned three times now. the necessary adjustments i've made to the actions is the only issues i've had with the reliability. and since i'm quite handy with an alan wrench it hasn't become much of a problem yet. I have yet to scratch the finish. i did however scratch the ugly diamond plate pickguard while throwing in it in the trash. so, if you like that thing and intend to keep it on there i would consider its scratchability.

The only dealings I've had with them so far was at the time of purhase and also when i bought the new pickguard. They were helpful both times but I was giving them money. so I'm going to pass on this question.

I'll go ahead and share that the amp i'm currently using is a Hartke HA5000 head through a Hartke 810XL cabinet. 500 watts total through 8 - 10 inch aluminum cones. I've got good sound clarity. I'm using a few other things in my rack such as a power conditioner (also samson tech), a tuner, a wireless system (samson again), and a distortion pedal (not samson, light distortion). This bass is a seriously amazing addition to my already bad ass rig. If, God forbid, something happened to my bass i would hunt down the guilty party and kill them. If that were not possible, i would replace this bass with a stingray. only because they no longer make the SUB bass and i refuse to buy a used one. God knows what some little 15 year old punk kid has done to that thing in his bedroom at his parents house. as i mentioned before, i've only had a few problems nothing major and i've had my SUB bass for 5 years now. SO FAR SO GOOD. I do however wish it came with a hardshell case. I mean we didn't buy a squier here, it is a music man and it is not cheap. $600 is a lot of money to most people. but, all in all i'm very impressed!

You can get the specs off the EB website and via previous reviews, so I won't bother with the detail. In short, this is a Stingray with a few cosmetic corners cut; i.e. painted black neck, uncontoured, slab body with textured finish, metal scratchplate.

As far as I'm aware the hardware is identical to a stingray, except that the bridge does not have musicman stamped on it.

The feel of the neck is great, not as quick as the oiled neck of a real ray, but a nice smooth satin finish which isn't sticky, and the neck profile is wide but fairly shallow in depth compared to my P bass. It's a nice feel, but not quite as comfy as a proper Ray. BUT, for the money who's complaining?

Although not feature rich, it does have that classic MM Ray sound, which really is the ONLY feature any bass player should ever need! Hence 10/10!

Although only a 2 eq, I have tried 3 eq Rays, and just didn't find I needed the mid control...

It sounds like a Ray to me. Big FAT Bass, zingy, poppy treble. The treble can be a bit overpowering fully open, so guess what? I wind it back a bit! Very quiet.
Not the most versatile bass, but covers most of what I need, from trebly overdrive motorhead, to fat RHCP slappy sounds. I play variously with fingers and a pick, and the eq can be tailored to cope nicely with all my requirements except those really indistinct thuddy, beatle bass type sounds, for which I have a P Bass with flat wound strings.

Superb set up straight out of the box, although I'm told that the shop set it up. Has some sort of compensated nut, so intonates beautifully. The scratch plate was ugly alhough solid, but has been replaced with something prettier

6 Bolt neck which is ROCK solid. hardware seems of good quality. Electronics are very solid. Unless I decided to have a Nirvana moment and start using it as a pickaxe, I can't see this thing breaking!

Not dealt with them - 1 year warranty

I'd ALWAYS wanted a Ray, but having seen all the OLPs and other copies, I just couldn't bring myself to invest in a fake. Then EB made the SUB and all of a sudden a 'Ray alike, with the right backing was in my grasp. Then they pulled the plug, so I had to get one there and then or face the uncertainty of waiting for one on ebay or whatever. I have not looked back. One day I still hope to buy a proper stingray (just that bit more elegant and comfortable), but I now have all the sounds, look and feel that I loved for a fraction of the outlay. I'm not surprised that EB pulled the plug on the SUB range, because when all said and done, they produce all the tones of the full price article for a few cosmetic compromises. I imagine they were stealing masses of sales from themselves, after all, if you want a MM, you want a MM, and if you can't afford one, you buy a fake. I can't see them pinching Fender buyers with this product, as the MM tone is so distinct

mine is the ugly textured blue passive 4 string model made in 2004 with a missing volume knob...
I always wanted a Stingray but as I'm primarily a drummer and an audio engineer and there are many other areas I need to spend my money, I opted for this cheaper SUB version after trying many other basses in the shop.

not as flexible soundwise as the other jazz style, multi-pickup basses in the shop but this is the Stingray sound I was looking for.

As a drummer and an engineer, I always get excited when I see that the bass player I'm about to jam with or record has a Stingray...they just have a growl about them that does it for me and instantly makes me play with gusto and energy. Stingrays really are the ultimate drummers companion when groove and balls are required.

Maybe an active version would have been more versatile EQ wise especially for a live player, but I really could only afford the passive and as I'll mostly use mine for recording, I can tweak the sound, run it through Amplitube etc to sculpt the sound however I want anyway and that's already working perfectly for me with the rocky, funky stuff I'm doing. The bottom end is just perfect too. Could not be happier.

I really avoided it in the shop as I think the SUBs finish is disgustingly ugly and the colour options are limited but my blue one has a nice purple/greeny tinge when in the light which has grown on me. I really wanted a black one though.

The scratch plate is a thin waste of space...Ernie Ball should leave the pickguards off the SUBs alltogether and just put a voucher for a new pickguard in it's place. I took it off as soon as I got it home and the bass looked much better. I've just got a black pearloid Stingray pickguard which looks great and instantly saved the look.

As soon as I plugged in though, it was obvious the feel was in a totally different league than the other sub $1000 basses including the Warwick, Spector and Fenders about the shop. The neck feels great and the painted black surface is mirror smooth and the tuning heads and hardware are all really top notch although the tail piece does not have the classic 'stingray' name engraving. The outupt level is huge too and I did have to turn it down to about 8 to keep from overloading the input to the preamp but that's better than having to boost it.

I did have to adjust the truss rod as my was buzzing alot as it had been in the shop for ages and had gone out or been badly re-adjusted in the shop. Mine was also missing the volume knob which I hear is quite a normal problem with the SUB. After playing it for a few days at home, the g string broke which i'll put down to it being played to death in the shop...I can understand that, it's a ball to play :-)

I've already said that I hate the finish and scratch plate but the black neck and overall quality of the parts redeem it's beauty and at least it can take a lot of abuse it just does not match the sound quality of this instrument.

my volume knob buzzes, crackles and drops in and out although tech support at Ernie Ball say to hit it with some spray and it will be fine. If not, I'll just buy a new 500k pot for a few dollars and fit it myself...no big deal. Pots are always a pain.

This bass is solid. I have dropped It several times and it remained perfectly in tune...

Ernie Ball are the best so far. Instant replies, genuine interest in my opinions and they even sent me a replacement volume knob for free. I'm hooked.
I worked in several music stores years ago and always remembered the support/R&D people for Ernie Ball/Music Man being the most likeable and into their art.

i've recorded many basses over the years and this is my favourite rock/funk bass I've worked with.
If you want the Stingray sound at a fraction of the price, you can't loose. I suspect they'll keep their value well too being genuine US articles. If i lost it i'd either by another SUB or a secondhand stingray without bothering to try anything else.

When was it made? Fairly recently. For the general specifications, take a look at the other twenty-odd reviews as I can't really add to them. The model I own is the black textured model, and thankfully it's the active version. Unlike the StingRay (one of which I own), it's got the painted neck but this doesn't feel sticky (I'm one of thiose guys who sweats a bit when playing). I couldn't tell you what wood's used in construction, although one review reckoned the neck was rosewood. The styling is identical to its Sting Ray big brother, although mine seems to be just the merest tad lighter and the neck is definitely slightly slimmer. Mind you, I'm one of those mad blokes who likes slightly weightier instruments, so that's my look-out rather than an actual fault. I got it from a mate who had bought it new in the States - he rarely played it and I haven't gigged it yet so it's absolutely pristine. I wonder, though, if the StingRay 4-string scratchplate would fit...?

As a StingRay user of eleven years standing, it's really hard to review this without comparing all the while. It basically covers everything else I do on my StingRay, although I find it a bit mellower, which is a nice touch. As I no longer gig regularly as a bassist (I had to switch to keys to keep the band going), I've not yet put it through my live rig, but it sounds very nice through my EQ pedal and keyboard combo and it records better than the other one (damn, I'm comparing again). Being a single pickup bass, variety isn't really the thing here, but it's just a good workable sound - I wouldn't normally whack the treble all the way up for slap playing, but I find I can bear to do so without threatening to smash the glass by sound alone.

I got it with slightly heavier strings than I would normally choose, so it's just been set up around my tastes, and feels real nice. I've used 40-100 for years and they still feel good on this one. As I say, the previous owner looked after this (thanks, Gary) and there's not a mark on it, although my local luthier reckoned that the fretting was slightly haphazard and he had a bit of an adventure seating some of the frets. With my dodgy eyesight, I couldn't really tell.

I believe the idea behind this finish was to beat this one up on stage and preserve your more valuable item. I reckon it would do that OK, although to be honest I want to keep it in mint condition! Next time I pick up a dep gig on bass, this is definitely going with me.

Never dealt with the company - no warranty as I got it second-hand

This is about the fifteenth bass I've owned since I got my first one at seventeen. I'm not sure I'd buy another one if I lost this, as I already have a genuine StingRay, but having said that I'm really taken with it. Obviously I love the instrument as it is, and I can't think of anything that would improve it. A smaller price-tag might have been nice, but Gary's getting married this year and needed the money!

Ok I believe this thing is made pretty recently and I know its made in the USA. Its a 22 fret, 4 string job with single active humbucker and 2 band eq with treble, bass and volume controls. Mine is a very nice textured matt white finish. They are all textured in this series but the white is especially nice. Real good quality finish too. The body is made of poplar and the neck is black painted maple with rosewood fretboard, it has the same musicman bridge as the stingray and the same musicman custom tuners. and the whole thing looks really really nice.

This thing is definitely a slap machine. It has an incredible twang for playing slap and when you wind back the treble it is also capable of some real nice grooves. It's very very bright sounding and I would recommend an EQ pedal in addition to your amp to try and tame the brightness out of it if you aren't playing that much slap. The pots dont buzz at all which is nice. I am playing it thru a Laney R3 (I just got rid of a 700 watt full stack) and it sounds pretty dam nice but I am sure that an even better amp would make this thing sound incredible. I have used it in band rehearsals and it cuts through really nicely and compliments my guitarist nicely who has a very distinctive choppy sound from his satch ibanez. We play a lot of jazzy funk and sometimes riffy type stuff like early incubus/rhcp/muse and it works bang on.

This is where this thing absolutely blew me away. I picked this bad boy up in a shop and within 2 minutes I had decided I was going to buy it and we only went in to price up some new skins for our drummer. I was drawn to it cuz of the way it looked and the way it played was just out of this world. Fantastic slick, low action with no buzz anywhere. This thing also stays in tune better than ANY instrument I have ever played in my life. No flaws anywhere on this instrument. The factory has done an amazing job. This bass really needed no tinkering with at all which is the first instrument I have had where this has been the case and I have has many different guitars from many different makers.

Well I have had it about 3 weeks and no problems as of yet. It is pretty heavy which I like as I used to play Les Paul in my guitaring days. I cant see as anything on here is going to suddenly fall to bits it looks pretty hefty and I would gig it with no backup.

Never had to deal with EB/MM

I have played Stingrays and I really would choose this over them purely because they are amazing value for money and they dont sound inferior at all. The tone is bang on but it would be nice to have a 3 band eq as opposed to 2. If it went missing I would definitely buy another one. I would have to get the white as everyone I have showed this thing absolutely loves it. These things really are classy. Buy it!!

US manufacture, four strings, ACTIVE pickups, white finish, with the black scratch plate

this thing looks freaking awesome! It might be a cheaper, quicker finish than the Stingray but I honestly think it looks better. It's a more urban sort of finish punk rockers would love it

you can get such a huge variety on this bass, and the extra 200 bucks aussie i paid for the active pickups were fully worth it. the thing i love about it is these explosive pops you can get with it.

well, the guy who owns the music shop i bought this from set it up, so i don't know how well the factory sets it up.

the workmanship is superb.

this bass is a mean beast, i would play it live without backup. these things are built to last, hell yes.

the finish, i think i can say it will not rub off without paint stripper, this huge thick finish will not rub off, get scratched, its so easy to clean that the window cleaner where i work could clean it...that means its not very hard to clean...

if it were stolen, god forbid, i would buy this again without question.

Thiss bass sounds and feels very good. It has a plastic coating on the body, which may detract from the look, but it comes in nice colors. I like the active 2-band EQ. I almost wish it had a fatter sound, but playing over the neck position rather than over the single bridge pickup helps out fairly well.

I play in a blues/jazz influenced band, and my guitar player and I agree that it sounds good. I play with the bass knob of the eq at about 80%, and the treble at about 30%. A hotter Bartolini/Music Man style pickup would be an awesome addition to the sound.

Bass was set up well, I tend to like a low action because it forces me to play cleaner. No flaws. I love the music man bridge (very similar to the Stingray bridge, without the engraved logo. The only detriment would be the (plastic-like)coating on the body, but nice color (burgundy). I like the aluminum pick-guard.

I have only adjusted the truss rod just to lower the action a bit, and it has been rock-solid ever since. Very well built bass. Yes, I play it live, without a back up.

I has been playing for 15 years and this is the most pleasurable bass I've ever owned, and I've had Fenders and Ibanez's. Great sound for funk, jazz, and blues. I would definitely buy another one... I consider it a poor mans' Stingray.

4 strings and 21 frets
passive with two tone controls
single MM humbucker
made in the USA

This bass sounds really good and you can get a lot of tones out of the single pickup. I play mostly jazz and blues and a lot of rock and funk as well so versitilaty is a nesecity. It doesn't have as much bottom as my vintage p bass but still has plenty but it does have better articulation than my american jazz bass and provides good harmonics. This bass pretty much feels like a cross between my p bass and j bass and gives me what I like about them at about half the cost. This bass is a mean slap machine even without the bennefit of an onboard preamp.(Ive havent found an active bass I can live with yet) Has a good variety of sounds but is limited and sounds great through my GK rig.

The action and set up was good right off the shelf and everything was well adjusted. The finish is kinda cheesy but is evenly applied and the neck is fast and smooth. I cant find any flaws

This will deffinatley last a long time or else I wouldn't have bought it . The bass just seems like it was built solidly but could use some strap locks. I bought this as a backup bass but I fell it will come out on stage with me quite a bit. My only concern it that the tuning gears dont seem to be of the same quality of my american jazz bass and feel more like those from a mexican fender bass which I have had problems with in the past.

I havent dealt with them yet

I really like this bass and I am amazed that this quality of bass could be purchased for this kinda of money. I went in to the store looking for a back up/kickaround bass and left with a quality instrument. I don't think it will replace my Jazz bass but will give it a run for its money and considering I paid a less than half of what I paid for my j bass for this bass. I would by another if I have to but other than it being stolen I dont think I will have any reason.