Olp Stingray Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Almost 40 years of playing experience and this bass is by far the best value that I've experienced. I've had my share of Precisions, Jazz basses, etc. over the years up to the $1500 range. When the pandemic kicked in I had sold most of my equipment but decided I had to have one bass. The neck is solid and similar to a P-bass thickness which I prefer and I don't need a 24-fret, 2 octave one anymore based on playing blues, jam, reggae, and rock. The tonal landscape is phenomenal rolling off the treble or bass dependent upon what I'm playing. Bright highs and deep lows are easily accomplished. I've never written a review before, but this was worthy of the time. Enjoy!Steve

Sound: when you own a sterling bass you do know, what your getting in quality . this bass is heavier then my sterling sub music man. same bass just diff color .the pick up of course is still amazing ,from my sub to this bass today. Ease of Use: i pulled out the box, was not in tune from shipping of course. used my d,addario head stock tuner on it, was only off a little from shipping. easy to retune and play out of the box. Quality: i love these bass., i have small hands. witha full scale to the get the best of the tone possible, long scale is the only way for me. small hand will use the neck as a whole. Value: would buy this for any one starting. would also buy another my self lol i have two lol Manufacturer Support: never had an issue Overall: awesome for the money, get great workmenship right out of the box, a small tune . after shipping of course. love the balance and small necks for my small hands. does not take away sustain. bass talks if you listen. so this is the second one i owned and would own another.Mickey

I'm a long time guitarist with some really fine instruments who decided to pick up a "value" bass just to learn for fun. Knowing what to look for in guitars, I translated that over to basses and went to GC to try some out, see what appealed to me, and how far I could stretch the dollars I was willing to spend on an instrument to start out and, maybe, stick with. I found this Sterling by Music Man Ray4 in mint green that filled the bill on all fronts. As usual, the guys at GC let me try several instruments and test to my hearts content. I do all my own guitar set-ups and would never buy a guitar sight unseen, being worried about how much adjustment might be needed. The Ray4 wasn't too bad out of the box (quite literally because I didn't like the display instrument and they had another in stock for me to try). Once home, I did adjust neck relief, string height, intonation, and pickup to a point that I liked best. The pickup required the most adjustment actually because it had gotten stuck in an odd and very high position, perhaps from being jostled in shipping. There is some fret sprout on the higher frets, but nothing that would bother my hand. Bottom line: Everything could easily be adjusted to where I really like it and has been stable now over several days. It's comfortable to play and is, in my opinion, a real "looker." The satin finished neck is great and, although I usually don't go for maple fret boards, I do like this one. I'm very pleased with my purchase decision and would buy it again. Now onto attack that fret sprout . . .AARP Rocker

This Stingray from Sterling is a very pretty and well-finished slab of swamp ash in a natural finish. The neck and fingerboard are roasted maple. The neck is smooth enough for comfort and there's some nice visual texture to the fingerboard. Hardware is good quality and pots seem solid and smooth. Took a bit of effort to loosen the trussrod for a minor tweak, after which it moved smoothly. Bass came well set up for neck relief, string height and intonation. Really every sign of good care being taken. Sonically, it's got every bit of that classic Stingray bite and the preamp has a very wide range of adjustment. At the price I paid here (on sale) it's a really fine value. Only two complaints: (i) I had to do about an hour of filing down protruding fret ends, but then I got the bass on about the driest day in winter so the neck probably had contracted from the warmth and humidity in Indonesia; (ii) This thing is even heavier than my mighty Peavey T-40, a massive 11.25 lbs. I really enjoy it sitting down-standing up not so much. Gig bag is mid-quality.Mike L.

This bass is so smooth and sounds so nice. You can get a lot of sounds out of it. I know it's not "Made in America". It's made in Indonesia. As you may know, Indonesia is one of the world's largest producers of tree crops so they have a lot of wood!! We can certainly expect their to be some artisans with mad carpentry skills. Additionally, these bass guitars arrive in the U.S. and get processed through the factory in San Luis Obispo, CA. for final assembly and set-up. And, it has Sterling's name on it. It's a Sterling by Music Man and it's a StingRay!! This is a great bass guitar!! I have a 100W Fender Rumble Amp and this bass guitar sounds amazing! I've played bass for a few years now and I'm no expert. I have a long and rewarding road ahead after 40+ years of drumming. I'd been searching for a new bass after starting with a Yamaha [the RBX-170Y was a great beginner bass]. In my search, I always liked picking up Music Man basses. They were comfortable and sounded great. When I got to check out the Sterling by Music Man StingRay it was love at first sight. I saw the price drop at MF [$599] and went online to order. It came packaged in a very nice soft case. For a soft case, this is one of the best I've seen. It is well padded, durable and has several storage pockets. The bass itself: I love the natural wood look. It has such magnificent wood characteristics [see photo and the beautiful knot in the wood]. The roasted Maple is a beautiful compliment to the natural wood grain of the body. The neck is super comfortable and feels amazing! The entire neck is roasted Maple. It's not just a laminate or stain. The frets are medium, very smooth and super playable. It has a heavy duty bridge. The reviews you see online are all positive. Obviously, this isn't the "World's Greatest Bass" with none better…… but, you put Ernie Ball Cobalt flat wounds on this bass and she just hums and growls like a pro! The pickup is a Sterling by Music Man designed humbucker. I find it a great place for my thumb to rest. I think I'm going to offend Fender fans and I don't mean to. I suppose you mold a Fender into the guitar you want with fret work and adjustments. However, I've picked up a basic Fender P-Bass and Jazz Bass and my fretting hand felt like it was going through a cheese grater. The frets were so sharp and the neck did not feel as smooth as this bass. I'd rather have a Music Man!! [Or, Sterling by Music Man]. Listen….. I want a Fender American Professional II Jazz Bass too! Don't mean to knock Fender. They're the King of basses. I just want everyone, if possible, to try out this bass. It's basically a Ray34 with the natural Ash wood grain finish. If you do, I believe you will enjoy it as much as I do.Michael

I've been playing bass for 20+ years and always wanted an EB StingRay but could never justify the price. Well, I still can't justify the price, so I went with the Sterling version – and I have no regrets. It's beautiful, the neck is incredible, the tone is exactly what I wanted (and can be easily shaped with the 3-band EQ). The only sticking point for me is that it's heavy, but not a dealbreaker. The bass came with dirty pots, but I didn't know that was the issue and had contacted Sterling's support. As mentioned in another review, they were extremely slow to respond (multiple weeks). I ended up taking it to a local shop, who cleaned the pots at no charge. Overall I wouldn't hesitate to buy this again though. It's the perfect compromise if you want the classic StingRay sound without the hit on your wallet.CJ

I've had my bass since July and really can't say enough good things about it. I'm a luthier, so I did a full setup and bone nut upgrade right out of the box. Very little was needed in the setup, and it played perfectly fine out of the box. But after a setup it feels like a dream. I didn't even upgrade any of the electronics like I'd planned. It just feels and sounds so good as it is. Neck is wonderful, tuners are solid, bridge has not lost intonation at all since I first set it up. I really can't recommend this bass enough. I have a few pieces of gear I take everywhere with me for unexpected jam sessions, and this is the bass I keep on me. My guitars vary, but this bass is always in my lineup.Jason

The best bass on the market for the price. The neck is nice and solid and you can tell they hand picked the wood. The red finish is beautiful with no blemishes. The only complaint they installed the pots on top of the pickguard plastic so you'll have to unscrew the pots and output jack to get it all out. It has the OLP type bridge and the saddles move around so putting tiny pieces of foam rubber in between stops them from knocking together. The bass needed a total setup including pickup height. The pickups are loud and clear and the electronics are dead quiet. The preamp is surface mounts with polymer capacitors and they use the TL071 opamp. The B string doesn't flop around. These are great basses to mod. I replaced preamp with a Bartolini 2 band and added toggle switches for more pickup selections.BassDude

First let me say that I own several high end bass. My Fender Jazz American Deluxe is one of my favorites. So I decide I wanted a 4 string bass. This music man is all I needed. I love the tones it produces. I love the way the neck of it feels. This bass is a great buy especially for the price it's saying for. I had to make one minor adjustment to fret board.Leo

Overall: I've been playing bass for 16 years and I've always played with p basses. Recently I've been getting into playing funk music and decided I would try a different bass. I didn't want to pay over two grand to get a Stingray, so I chose this one. Right out the box it is a beautiful bass, it seems to be very well made. For $500 I couldn't believe how good the quality the bass was. Having the active electronics is great along with the powerful pickup. Perfect for cutting through the mix. It has a nice growl and is suitable for playing just about every genre of music. Only thing I had to adjust was the action and intonation. No sharp frets. I regret not having gotten this bass sooner. I have no experience with the manufacturer support so disregard that rating. Anyway this is a well made bass at a great price. Highly recommended.Miguel

Before this bass I've owned four other Stingrays in my life, including a vintage '76, an original MIA SUB, a modern American 4 string, and a modern HH 5 string. I like this one as much or better than any of them. It gives me the tight, focused punch I loved so much about my vintage Ray, and in fact plays BETTER than either of my Americans. I love the Jazz width neck. The lack of a belly cut doesn't bother me (even with my paunch!). One niggle – the nut extends about a 1/16" out from either side of its slot, and the frets could have used just a tad more filing, but these are not surprising on a bass at this price point. Well worth twice the price.John

I got this bass a few months ago, and wasn't expecting to buy a bass that day, but since then it's always come out to either jam sessions, or shows with my band. I practice on it every day as well. The neck is really smooth and has an extremely playable feel, it fits perfectly to my hand. These basses come with a bridge that has decent mass to it, so the sustain and resonance is there in in the hardware. The tuning pegs hold tune really well, and the only modification I've done is add a hipshot drop tuner and dunlop strap locks, otherwise, this bass sounds amazing right out of the box. Highly recommend trying one out, it'll probably end up in your collection like mine did!BCass

I recently purchased this bass (smoked chrome single H) and I couldn't be happier. The bass looks better in person than online! Besides the looks, the bass weight is balanced (no neck dive) and light. This is my third Musicman purchase and I will say the setup wasn't great with any of them. I don't mind that since I will change out the strings and adjust them to my own liking anyways. I added EB cobalt flats to mine and love the tone I'm getting from it. Be warned! This bass punches through the mix! I played it recently at my church and I was asked to dial back the volume because it was to much for the mix. I don't mind that because it's better than not having enough power and it was a simple fix! The neck feels amazing, better than the satin finish on my fender P and J basses. I had a choice between this bass and a Fender Elite precision and the difference was in the feel and weight. They both sounded great but the low weight and feel of the neck did it for me. You won't get that from a picture/description online! If you're on the fence about getting one try it out at your local GC like I did. I have no regrets with this bass, it's craftsmanship at its finest.Adam

I have always avoided a Music Man because of the price tag. I decided to trade in two of my top line Schecter basses for this and I DON'T regret my decision. This Stingray has perfect balance, perfect tone, and perfect set up right out of the box. My bandmates love the deep growl of the low end and the clear highs on the upper end. The HH set up allows me to get all the various tones I need for my Alternative music band. I get the punch I need for my RHCP, Green Day, Blink 182 songs along with my deep tones needed for my Foo Fighters, Weezer, Muse, Killers, Toadies and all my other songs. My Schecter basses were great but were not this versatile. I will never go back to middle of the road basses now that I have been stung by the Stingray!Bean

I always loved the Stingray body style and sound, but the neck was just too thick and wide for me. I own a number of Music Man Sterlings because they have the most comfortable neck on any bass I've ever played/owned (which is virtually every brand). However, while I love the Sterlings, there was something about the Stingray's classic body shape and use of Alnico magnets in the pickups (Sterlings use Ceramic which are "hotter" and more modern sounding) that I always wanted to have. When Music Man came out with a Stingray with the Sterling neck (i.e., this SLO Special), they combined the best of both worlds. Such a smart move by the company to recognize the desirability of this configuration. I own the SLO Special HS version. The classic Music Man look and sound with a neck that never is a struggle to play. Also, unlike some other brands that put a heavy gloss on the back of the neck (which seems nice at first but turns out to cause terrible "thumb drag"), the Stingray has the awesome wax/oil combination which give Music Man necks that characteristic unfinished wood feel that makes playing all night long effortless and comfortable. Another nice thing about the Stingray compared to the Sterling is that it has more space between the neck pickup and fretboard (and one less fret) so that slapping/popping is easier. This is really the ideal bass and it is highly recommended. It is a bit heavy like all Stingrays, but the comfort you'll experience with the Sterling neck and a nice place to rest your thumb on the dual pickups more than makes up for it.Where's My Mule?

I have played bass for 47 years I have owned several name brand bass guitar but this one sounds and plays Better than any other.Neil

Overall great bass for the price point , the only improvement should be a drop in battery compartment that doesn't use a battery clip lead these are apt to break with frequent use the drop in style I have on other Sterling and Music Man basses are much easier to use and more reliable and are available for only a couple dollars online as replacements .John

It was good for the first like 2 weeks I had it but then I started to notice I have fret buzz on the e string fifth fret till about the 8th. Everything else is great about it it's just the front buzz it's kind of depressing.Joseph

Very cool bass. Feels great, excellent sound, and looks good. A bit on the heavy side though. I play and record at home these days, but I'd be happy playing this at a concert. I'm an amateur musician, been playing about 20 years now. I traded in my old bass because I want to incorporate more slap/popping, and needed a bass that would do the job. After playing at GC for an hour, I settled on this one. Not at all disappointed; so far I love everything about it.Pat

I've owned a couple MM basses in the past and IMHO , this is the best sounding MM bass I have ever played . I bought this bass because of the amazing tone ……I like it so much , I'm thinking about buying the white one with the rosewood neck .JAMES

I love how this bass sounds. Has a nice growl. The pickup is hot for a passive. My hands hurt from manual labor so the short scale bass is much more comfortable to play on the weekends with my jam band. I like the 3 way switch for the variety of tones. I like the parallel the best. Has a fat bottom with a bite. Ive played several ernie ball music man basses and this sterling sounds just as good as the music man.Josh