Sterling By Musicman Ray35

[1mband]

Product webpage

The Headstock

When compared to Musicman & S.U.B., the machine heads on the Ray35 are longer, making them look more protruding out of the headstock. However, that's just cosmetics. The tunners turn and hold the strings well. It appears that they may have the same gear ratios as the Schaller ones.

At this point of time, i have yet to find out any info on the nut material.
It is hard, well-cut, sits firmly in the groove, and holds the strings nicely.

The Neck

I am surprised at the straightness of the neck. Till now, i don't find a need to adjust the truss rod. And the back of the neck is sanded, it gives you the smooth running that your thumb needs.

The neck joint is seamless. It shows how much attention goes into the making, giving it a high-quality feel. The 6-bolt neck joint is a proven and inherited design for its strength.

The Bridge

It is easy to adjust the bridge saddles, to whatever string heights you desire.

Pickup switching

a. COILS 1+2 (SERIES) - warm sounding
b. COILS 1+2 (SERIES) with Filter - warm sounding, with stronger lows, and sounds like a single coil.
c. COILS 1&2 (PARALLEL) - punchy sounding

The Bass-Mid-Treble knobs are center-indent.
This is useful as you can feel their settings easily.

The Finish

I personally prefer the honeyburst finish with matching headstock.
This combination makes the whole bass look so classy.
And obviously, that's also the option i've purchased.

The Balance
If you are sitting down playing, the bass rest well-balanced on your thigh.
If you are strapping it, the bass doesn't balance at the 45 degree angle, but rather, it leans more toward the horizontal. It's a little neck-heavy.

The Overall Feel
This bass holds the low B-string well.
You'll get that solid grib while playing it.
Tone-wise, with the pickup at its usual sweet-spot, and 3 selections, there's a pretty good ranges of sounds.

Made In Indonesia
Here's the part where we all perceive differently.
If I were to judge its quality without thinking where it's made, i can only say: a good bass is, a good bass.

More Ray35 info on other forums:
EBMM Forums
Talkbass
Basschat

Where to buy this bass?
BGW Guitars
Those who know Brendon will know that it's an enjoyment to purchase gears from BGW Guitars. The service is great, and i believe their after-sales support is as good.

Go, get a Ray35 today!

 

[redname]

Hi everyone,
just got myself this wonderful bass over last weekend.

was deciding between this with another bass over at another place but put my money on this cause the neck just feels right for me.

I've got the honeyburst one just in case you r interested to know.

ok, here's my little lowdown on the rest of the bass

features and build:

the bass really feels solid and surprisingly, it isn't tht heavy. I have a MIK squier 4 string jazz and it weighs a ton, heavier than the ray35 actually.

with the kind of wood this bass is made of (body - swamp ash, neck - maple, fingerboard - rosewood), you really can't go wrg with it.

the whole bass is set to a rather low profile already thanks to BGW and beez, great for playing althou i'll do some adjustments myself later on and i do find the intonation a bit funny but no issues for tht as it can be adjusted.

tone and sound:
i've tried a SR4 b4 and i wld say ray35 does sound pretty similar to it with in regards to the kind of punchy tone SR4 has.

featured with a onboard active pre-amp and also split coil humbucker, this bass is suppose to be pretty versatile. i was pretty satisfied with how versatile it is, baring in mind that it's only a single humbucker. pls dnt expect the tone range to be like a jazz or pj setup bass.

one of the reasons that got me to buy this bass is the low B. i tried all the pieces @ BGW and the one i took just had this overwhelming tone on the low B. it kind of opens up really well.

others:
try to plug this bass into a powerful amp, u really can hear the bass growl. my home practise amp didn't do any justice to it but still the tone was quite decent on it, nothing compared to the other amps i tried the bass on thou.

had my 1st try (out of home) on this bass few days ago during church practise. the bass really sounded great on the church bass amp. it didn't need much adjustments of the EQ compared to the prev bass i was using where i always have problems getting the bass to have a solid bottom yet cuts thru. this bass has no problems delivering a punchy, clear and rock solid bottom tone. the only complain i got was tht it's too darn loud haha but tht's because i forgot i'm on active now and still turn on the amp volume and the usual level, opps.

i might wanna add in a jazz pickup or soapbar in the future but just let me get use to a 5 string and play efficiently 1st

 

[j3ster]

gotten my hands on this bass after trying out 2 different 5ers and a number of 4ers.

here's a short review on it.

Had some time off aft my work so decided to make my way down to BGW. took me at least 15 mins to find the place =X
initially i was quite skeptical of the Sterling coz i've tired an OLP b4 and with a little top up i cld get a grassroots or mim fender or even a discounted Edwards.

Upon reaching, Brandon allowed me to play freely with all the rays and SBs alike and i was quite taken aback by the tone and build of the guitar itself.

colour - the pictures on the website dont do much justice, you've gotta look at the bass in person to decide.
in the end i settled for the honeyburst. The burst is quite beautiful for the price you are paying so no complaints here.

Build - its a little heavy but den again my previous bass was a soundgear so its a matter of gettin used to.
there's a hint of neck dive on the ray35 but it aint as bad as some of the other basses i've tried.
the construction seemed to be quite soild and the set up is reasonably well considering its made in Indonesia.

Tone - this is actually quite subjective, however i must say the pup and pre-amps are good! normally when i try basses out i'll leave only max the vol, the rest i'll let it remain @ 12 o'clock. You can feel the bass resonates beautifully, either Brandon is very confident of his wares or he could be very confident of his amps =P Coz the ones i've been to either ask me to max everything or they must max it for me when i am playing 1/2 way which i find the latter quite rude.
There are 3 switches on the bass itself.

1-series
2-series with filter
3-parallel

my ears might be failing me coz i dun feel much difference between 1 & 2 except maybe a heavier low on the 2?

my first try was @ the studio, the bass managed to cut thru w/o too much lows or highs where previously i hav trouble with my lows.

Like all the basses, there are pros and cons well my only complain abt the bass is just the heavy weight and the lack of tumb rest though all these can be rectify by gettin used to =D

Lastly pls take a look at the gig bag..... it became my deciding factor whether or not to buy the bass lol
no spoilers here =x

I was glad I decided not to be lazy to make my way down to Brandon's. His service is top notch, and his after sales is great as well. I mean who would actually bother to sms you to ask if everything's ok or not after you made your purchase from their shop!

If you are lookin @ a mid range level 5er i strongly recommend that you test this bass out first before lookin at others within the same range!

Thanks Brandon! =)