Paul Gray Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

This is a good bass that I picked up as a beater and will probably use more than just for that. For active electronics and the cost, I figured it would be worth any set up that other reviews complained about. Mine didn't require any setup at all. However, there was a really noticeable chip off the paint on the headstock, and I bought new, not scratch and dent. It took two weeks to ship and I didn't want to go through a return process and get a less playable return, so I called Musician's Friend and asked for a rebate. They only gave ten, but I got it on sale and took the deal. As for the play-ability of this bass, it rocks right up there with a lot of basses three times the cost. It's a really easy to play setup, easy to navigate neck and gives nice indie rock bass tones out of the box, at least for me.Rev. Sal

I bought this for my son for his birth day a year and a half ago. I myself have played bass for over 30 years. I have had this thing professionally set up twice. Fretts needed dressed, action was way too high right out of the box. Electronics are fairly decent and playability is good after a set up. He is happy but already seeking a better bass.Scott

i bought it used, so that may affect my review but the bass was fairly easy to play, but the tuning was an issue. it would stay in tune but the pegs were kinda loose. i should note that this bass has ACTIVE PICKUPS. Meaning it takes a 9v battery to power. Not a big deal but you can't really play the bass without a battery. And if you forget to turn the volume knob all the way down, the battery will drain overnight and be complete dead before you pick the bass back up again. Would i recommend this to someone? yes but if they are beginning to learn how to play the instrument.zach m

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

I went from a new yamaha with active pickups to this jackson with passive pickups. I don't play much bass, so Literally I was looking for a cheap guitar to record with. It has a solid low end grunt but still maintains the mid bang "slap" as you might call it. No its not spotless, the wood is not colored along some of the seems and its not the prettiest style wise, but for someone who just wants an easy playing, solid sounding bass track, this is a great weapon.Jeremy

I give this bass 5 stars, not because it's comparable to a high end instrument, but because of the quality at this unbelievable price point. I was looking for a passive P-style bass that wouldn't break the bank; my expectations were that I would have to do some work to it (fret level, polish, sharp ends, etc.) However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that none of those issues existed when it arrived, and it was even actually in tune! I lowered the action to my preference, as should be done with every instrument. The neck is extremely comfortable and fast. The plastic nut is cut quite well, bridge is more than adequate, tuners are sufficient and hold tune even with heavy handed attack. The real surprise though, was the strong sustained growling punch of the pickup! This bass actually sounds quite good! I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it: and it's an excellent backup or first bass, that you won't soon outgrow. For reference – I have been playing guitar for 32 years, bass for 25 years and have a MIM Fender Jazz V, and several Ibanez basses (mid grade – professional grade, 4, 5, & 6 string variations). This Jackson isn't in the same class as my others, but that doesn't really mean anything, because it still delivers exceptional quality and value. It is very fun to play, and the tonality is quite useable and shapeable. Bottom line is – this bass is a huge bang for buck!Shasal

This was the first bass I bought myself and im very glad I did. I bought this bass around last December and have been in love ever since. I bought this bass mainly cause of the price tag but also because I was wanting a bass with humbuckers. The epiphone thunderbird had my eye but wasn't exactly in my budget at the time but then I came across this bass. Great price tag and a familiar (body) P bass shape. Fast forward to today and this bass still rocks. The body was put together nicely along with it's finish but you can tell where quality was sacrificed which was the neck. Not terrible or unplayable but you can tell it's a fairly cheap neck. Otherwise the tone, playability, and feel is amazing.Brandon F

This is a really good starter bass, IMO. It came well set up and ready to play right after I tuned it up. Intonation was good. Neck was straight and the fretwork did not need any repairs. Pickups seem to be decent. Fun to play. Short scale was the right choice for me. The extra 4" for a full scale would have really been an uncomfortable stretch for me.Clay

Right out of the box, was amazed at the quality of the finishes. Great balance. The neck was a terrific surprise as it came with no sharp frets and so comfortable. The electronics are not the highest of quality but they do work. The set up was amazing and initially had fret buzz on low E at 7th fret. Tuned it and has lessoned, I may need to tweak a bit. But for price who could go wrong! I should have ordered another one and will continue to check to see if they go back on sale again. Even at regular price if the deliver what I received then it is great value for the money. I happened to get mine when they were 1/2 off regular price so am super pleased.carol2m

Completely unusable out of the box. Neck was bowed like a half pipe. Various high frets had to be filed down, and it was impossible to intonate. E string nut was cut so deep it is almost even with the fretboard. Theres no wood on the tuner side to replace the nut like a Fender where there would be a wooden slot to fit a nut into. I'm trying to build it back up w/ some epoxy and filings off a bone my dog was chewing on & will refile. Otherwise, I'll use it for firewood. I had some higher end parts and the experience to make this a decent little bass but if you dont, save your money or go w/ an Ibanez or Jackson in a budget short scale. Or spend more on a Fender.Matty G

So I hesitated on buying this Guitar because I just didnt care for the finish. Well It looks nothing like the pictures. Beautiful 3D flames in the top.Am Very pleased. So that brings me to what I expected from a PRS and didnt get, a playable set up. I know its an SE but the action shouldnt be 6mm at the 22nd fret. How QC at the factory allowed it to leave puzzles me. The pick ups are good for Drop C but even at B standard get really muddy on the lower strings. I put in a Nazgoul, Sentient set and these in another standard guitar. They sound really nice in standard E to drop C. IMOTwayne72

I have used this guitar with my band, live and in rehearsals… Plays fantastically once I set it up to my desired specs (Std D tuning, 10-52 strings, FU Tone brass block), but these PRS stock pickups have no grunt and snarl to them, so I plan to add an SD Black Winter set like in my EC Black Metal FR (dropped C). I have reverted back to using my Kramer Assault Plus which came loaded with the SD Alternative 8 set. Will likely use Custom 24 as primary D guitar again after replacing pickups. For this pickup issue alone, I'm giving it 3 stars, otherwise, it would be 5, as spending over 200 bucks more is a bit off putting after spending over $1100 for this plus a hard shell case for an import.Steve

Absolutely love this guitar! As with all SE Custom 24 models, the feel and balance on the strap and also on the knee are prerfect. The action is fast and smooth, and the whole guitar just oozes quality. The roasted maple board is a really nice variation from the mahogany or ebony boards, which are usually found on Custom 24 models. This particular guitar has the most amazing and deepest "3-D" effect quilted maple veneer that I've ever seen on a SE series model. I believe that PRS would probably rate this as a 4A (AAAA). The sound is as good as you'll get from stock pups in a sub- 1000 guitar and the way that PRS wire the coil tap gives a convincing single-coil tone. What upgrades would make this even better? Probably locking tuners, and maybe a satin neck. After- market pickups, if you want to change the tone.kentishkeith

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

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 used to tour on a circuit for country in the midwest, but heavy metal, thrash, rock etc. is always where my heart is, so i have always been searching for basses that can go from one extreme to the other depending on the gig or band im with. this bass leaves a little bit to be desired as far as a mellow tone, but if thats what a player wants they can always string up some flats and raise the mids. this bass has killer attack, a fast neck that even guitar players can spider the first 5 frets without struggle. it can definitely be strung with piccolo strings if youre feeling creative. i use it for my heavy metal/ hard rock band now, and it can go from Flea to Geezer to Chancellor with ease. id still use a USA ernie stingray for recording though…. good bass.jw

I purchased this bass on a whim while at our local guitar shop. The price was right, I always wanted a Stingray styled instrument, and I wanted a beater spare. The Good: Overall, lot's of bang for the buck here. It came out of the box setup perfectly, and quite frankly I was SHOCKED at how ultra low the action was. Fit and finish were all excellent right out of the box as well. The Bad: The only downside to this bass are the electronics. The pre-amp is simply horrid. Boosting the bass side of the 2 band eq even the slightest amount results in distorted tones. Even with the pickup lowered as far as it would go, I just couldn't boost the EQ without experiencing some amount of distortion. If you check the popular bass forums this is a known problem with the Sub model Stingrays. I'm going to try pulling the pre-amp altogether and run the pickup passively. If that doesn't work, I've already decided it's worth springing for a new Seymour Duncan replacement system. All in all, it's a solid bass for the price. It plays better than many of the more expensive basses I've owned.Wildnorth

This bass is fantastic. Even though it's called a Jazz Bass it really feels like a solid, chunky P Bass with a J bridge pickup. The wider neck is very sturdy and the instrument has great sustain. I also like the Fender TBX circuit. It's gives the bass a nice trebly presence that can cut through.PDA

Amazing bass. I always wanted a P-Bass, and this thing delivers. The PJ combination gives you all you will ever need for any kind of music you play. The layout is easy with the Expander gives that more tonal diversity in a lightweight, comfortable package. The neck needed a few adjustments before I got it to play flawlessly but after I did there was no looking back. Can’t beat this thing for its price and the fact it doesn’t have the pick guard of the newer models and most basses of this type means more wood for better tone.T.

It plays excellent, the low E string plays at open string still register a clear note. The bass would be better if it can be made lighter.ussongs_4

The most beautiful bass you would ever want to see. The sound is great. All the electronics seem to be top shelf. The guys in the band that I play in, say it is the best sounding bass that I have. I believe at last count, I had 10.slomo693845

Overall: I was lucky enough to get the last one last month in black Bass is beautiful set up perfect nice and light fast easy neck and the tone with the Nordstrand pickups is amazing and versatile Kinda like a jazz bass on steroids I've done 4 gigs nothing but compliments on the sound I'm very happy with this bass zZounds rocks I've bought a lot of gear from them and 4 basses so far A Ibanez gsr200m for my granddaughter A Ibanez btb 20th anniversary 6 string fantastic bass with Nordstrand pickups A sterling sting ray 5 hh the 1000 dollar one in White Killer bass My other basses that I have owned for a few years are my Yamaha Trb 6 jp2 6 string my boutique baby and a really cool maestro neck thru 5 string fretless So i have a nice stable of basses I do find myself using my 605e now a lot its light comfortable and a tone monster Do yourself a favor and order one ..worth the waitDavid

Molto soddisfatto, ottima elettronica, manico stretto per un 5 corde. Spedizione al solito velocissima e con imballo adeguatoMassimo Alboretti

While my classic stingray 5 was away for modifications, I wanted another bass to keep me going. When I purchased this bass the first thing I did was go from stainless steel to nickel round wound; then I used the lightest gauge available.(25-45-65-85-105,because my hands are not that large) The nickel strings along with the rosewood fret board gave that bass the perfect contrast in tone as apposed to the stainless steel strings on the maple neck. Good back up bass!Crazy J.W.

This bass has all the good qualities a good bass should have, In some cases even better than some of those more expensive ones. Every note was clear and precise. The only draw back to me was the bass is a little on the heavy side, other than that it is a great instrument!Sleepingdog

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

Fantastic bass guitar. Really good finish all round and a great sound and features. Would be good for players at any level.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Some set up issues with the bass, but ,at the price I am incredibly impressed with the overall quality, playability and tone. After some adjustments to truss rod, bridge action ( intonation was good) and pickup height I've now got a 5 string J Type bass that I will happily gig when the venues open again. Although not as slick as my MTD and Warwick basses, the Sire gives me a whole range of tones that I can't squeeze out of the other basses. The active eq is really excellent, but the ability to use and adjust the passive circuit with the master tone control makes this more versatile than any of my other basses. Overall, a bit of a bargain with great service on top!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Fabulous, straight out of the box and arrived in tune! Read and watch the reviews, believe the hype. You won't hear a bad word against it. The only negative I found was someone did't like the headstock (which I love). This is an instrument way above its' price point in every regard. It feels quality, the sound is incredible. There's a very good video on Sires site with Mr Miller himself demonstrating it's scope. It's a very versatile instrument, the pre-amp is the same across the whole range and is quality schmutter, the sweepable mids let you fine tune your tone. And you can have it passive too and the option to string through or over the bridge. The rolled fretboard is the icing. I'd gig with this no messing, and can't wait to record with it. If I'd have had the cash, i'd have gone for a V7, but I am over the moon with this.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Bought it as a second bass for the occasions when taking my Thumb Bass gives me too much anxiety. I have owned a Fender USA Jazz once and always liked the idea of a jazz but just found them irritating compared to how well made and thought out the Warwick is. This bass on the other hand is very good value. Its a little rough round the edges and needed quite a bit of setting up to get it right for me but it was playable straight out of the box just the action was quite high. The two things I am impressed by is the tone and the neck. Both of these have been really well thought out and make it (in my opinion) better than the Fender I had. At least I can adjust the truss rod without having to take the thing apart and it stays where I put it. The weight is subjective, yes it's heavier than a Fender, not by much though. However its like a feather compared to the vastly more expensive Warwick. So in conclusion this is great, you get a good bass that plays and sounds much better than the £320 I paid for it and I now have a Jazz bass that doesn't irritate me.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

With the on-board pre-amp it's versatile. If you want punch you can get punch, and if you want a more melodic sound you can get that too. The fret board, with its rounded edges, has a comfortable feel. I love the swamp ash body. This is an instrument you want to play before you buy — the quality at the factory is very uneven, so make sure you have hold it in your hands and examine the workmanship and the quality of the maple neck before you buy.Ink-Stained Wretch

I saw these in a bass vid of 2021 basses. I bought the gray one. the body is cool. The wood grains are exposed so it feels like an aged piece of wood without the splinters. it has the Emg Pups. they sound amazing. The neck is roasted maple. the fretboard plays smooth, quick. the tuners have the spector logo on them another classy touch.this thing is a tone beast. i lowered the action to my personal taste. it comes ready to plug in and blastProfessor EADG

The looks, feel and tone of this bass is amazing, I love EMG pick ups, independent volume control per pick up and nice and simple bass and treble control, I love rock and metal and play a PRS Tremonti guitar, but I play this bass in church and it’s made a difference to the sound of the band, sounds full and thunderous when needed, depending on how you playReviewed by Andertons Music Co.