# Sterling SUB - Good or Garbage?



## JoeQ (Jul 28, 2014)

Hi guys,

A really good deal came my way for a 5 string Sterling SUB, here is the exact model:

Sterling by Music Man S.U.B. Ray5 Bass Guitar Black | Musician's Friend

I'm looking for a bass guitar I can use to finish songs for my metal and indie projects. I couldn't find any reviews for this bass that I can actually trust- they all either say "this sounds absolutely terrible" or "this sounds exactly like a $1500 stingray" and just leave it at that.

Does anyone have experience with this bass series? Would it require a PU or EQ swap? I know nothing about bass guitar, so if anyone has a recommendation that would be great!

Thanks.


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## ed_sped2 (Jul 29, 2014)

elguapo2k said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> A really good deal came my way for a 5 string Sterling SUB, here is the exact model:
> 
> ...


 
A MM SUB is to a Stingray what a Squier is to an American Strat. They come close, but don't expect them to blow you away. The necks feel somewhat cheap and the frets aren't dressed the way a pricer instrument would be. But, if you keep good strings and run it through a good amp or a decent modeler, your recordings will sound just fine.


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## metaldoggie (Jul 29, 2014)

If you want a bass to kick around they are fine, but if you want a decent tone....the stingray is the way to go.


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## JoeQ (Jul 29, 2014)

Thanks for the replies dudes! What would you say the weakest component is? The pickup or eq? I figured the neck wouldn't be super nice, but I am more concerned with having a usable recording tone. Granted I'm getting it for $150 + trading a boss DD-5 pedal, I should have money to spare for replacing the electronics. Any suggestions for swaps?


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## GRIZ (Jul 30, 2014)

i really like the fretless SUB rays...they forgeo the shoddy fretwork and still sound and play like a decent fretless


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## JoeQ (Jul 30, 2014)

metaldoggie said:


> If you want a bass to kick around they are fine, but if you want a decent tone....the stingray is the way to go.





artenjoyall said:


> you want a bass to kick around they are fine, but if you want a decent tone....the stingray is the way to go.



Er. Would you guys care to elaborate? So far I've gathered that the fretwork/ neck isn't the best. That's fine. I'm looking for suggestions on how I could improve the tone (electronics swaps) for the genres I plan to use it for. Or are you trying to say that it isn't worth my trouble, and that there is no substitute for a stingray? Does it just sound that much better?

I don't know much about bass guitars, but I know that swapping the pickups in my 7-string guitar made a world of difference in the clarity and shape of my tone. I have also heard that choice of bass strings (different winding methods) have a pretty significant impact on the sound. Is this true?


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## Omura (Aug 11, 2014)

Ok, I've Played A Musicman stingray 5, a Sterling ray 35 and a SUB 5 string.
The musicman feels and sound FANTASTIC. 
The Sterling ray 35 sounds very good, and feels extremely good, not quite as good as the musicman, but it punches well above it's pricetag.
The SUB 5 string sounded average-poor. and felt like a cheap toy in comparison to the sterling. It wasn't awful, or unplayable or anything. it just felt so damn cheap and toylike to me, and I tried 2 different SUBs and both felt like that.
I would save up and get a Sterling instead.


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## Velokki (Aug 12, 2014)

The Subs are really nothing like proper MusicMan instruments. They didn't sell well at all at the shop I used to be working in because they really sounded poor, even when compared to Ibanezes and ESPs. Stingrays and Sterlings are really good but drop the Subs.


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## solarian (Aug 12, 2014)

^ I'd listen to these guys as I'm not a bassist by any means, but will still throw in my 2 cents. 

I picked one up earlier in the year to replace my POS beginners Ibanez bass, and do like it quite a lot. It DOES feel cheap, not the best sound, neck heavy, etc., but with that said I do really like it. The nut that came on this guy was garbage and had to replace that immediately. The pickup is OK, but definitely needs a lot of tweaking post-recording it to get a decent sound. Aside from the pickup, the EQ is fairly weak IMO. There is a lot of range, but at least for me not the range that actually sounds decent. Again with that said, I like it! It's cheap and does the job for what I need (recording simple bass for my tracks and to screw around with), but definitely wouldn't recommend one of these to a touring musician. 

Here's mine:


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