Music Man SUB 4

This review is for the Music Man Sub4. American made 4 string, typical 'Ernie Ball Stingray' style. Active electronics (battery is easy to get to with a snap on lid, unlike some that require screwdrivers), one volume, 2 tone. Tough black finish, like plastic sandpaper covering a very ugly and cheap (but heavy and toneful) green wood. Sleek, glossy black neck and headstock. Single humbucking pickup. Looks tough and Is tough... sorta.

This Beastie had a surprising amount of tonal range. Exceptionally bright and present, with NO unwanted noise. Too bright in some circumstances, so I often dialed back on the treble knob about 10%. Full, warm and round on the bottom, sassy on top - making it great for pop, punk, rock... dial back the treble all the way and its a creamy sub floor for hip hop and r+b. I was astounded that this AMERICAN MADE bass was only $400. But....

looked and felt like it was supposed to... like a stingray with a kevlar vest. Its not gonna win any beauty pageants, but it has it where it counts... Sorta...

Here's the 'sorta' I was alluding to. Some time between a pre-show practice and the show 2 days later, the electronics died. I didnt find out until showtime. Its got a fancy, complicated-looking PCB in its guts and something on it went kaput with no obvious cause. Needless to say, it was upsetting to have an Epic Fail with a Stingray moments before a packed friday night show. I tested everything I could later and nothing seemed burnt, loose, missing, out out of sorts in any way.

Months later, I gutted the electronics. Still, the board looked perfect, everything solidly connected. The pickup seemed hastily put-together, but it tested fine as well. I then routed out a spot for a P style pickup and installed MM and P pickups from GFS (a favorable review for another area) and an 3 way selector switch. Now this bass is back to being my go-to-guy. The body, neck, tuners... all those are solid and perfectly reliable.

Zilch. Ernie Ball said i was out of luck and would not offer repairs short of total replacement. All I wanted was the PCB, but since my bass was a clearance sale on a discontinued item, no dice.

Having heard no other complaints from friends and other Ernie owners about their axes, I'm led to believe that this electronic failure was possibly a fluke. Perhaps some power spike blew the board, maybe a roadie dropped it and didnt tell me, maybe Karma for picking on my high school english teacher. Before the failure it was an outstanding bass for the money, and American-Made - which is why it still has so high a rating. If you find one on the used market, however, BUYER BEWARE! check it out thoroughly before buying it. I hope I'm right that I was just unlucky