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For less money than a college kid will spend on a fast food and Starbucks in a month, this bass can be had. And for the working musician, it'll pay for itself before zZounds debits a payment from your credit card.As a back up bass for rehearsals (and and gigs where I want to get a more vintage Funk or soul tone than I can render from my fancy 6-string bass with Barts and a 3-band eq) this bass cannot be beat for twice the price.Right out of the box the tone is punchy and lively at nearly every volume and tone setting. Depending on your playing style and technique, you can get all the retro tones and MOST of the new ones.

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Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

This is an incredible bass for the price. The sound is very similar to the original Music Man's Sting Ray 5 and the fingerboard feels amazing and very comfortable. I also have to give a lot of credit to zZounds because the shipping was really fast.

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I bought this bass about 7 months ago and I have to say to this day I don't regret it. It sounds amazing overall for the style of music I play ands the action on it is beyond what it's price should be. Highly recommend to anyone starting out on bass or anyone who has played for years!

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You can't beat any of the Sterling basses in this price range. Definitely a little low-end heavy sound wise compared to the sub ray 4 but that helps the low B-string resonate more. Only surprise was that I was expecting the fretboard to be a little darker colored than what I actually received. Not necessarily a bad thing but the picture of the trans blue satin bass is slightly misleading. Other than that I'm completely satisfied with this purchase!

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Minimal set up needed when I received the bass. Amazing tone, but wish I had a little more options for dialing in different tone beyond the 2 band pre-amp. After spending all weekend with this bass, I'm liking it more than my $2K Warwick, plays and sounds much better.

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--Update--Had to return the Dented and scratches bass, customer support was incredibly helpful in with getting an exchange order. Phone call with customer support was quick and easy, best method to get any issues sorted out. _Not sure if this is relevant to quality, but the original bass was made in China, and the new factory bass is made in Indonesia._New bass (Factory New), brought the much needed truss rod adjustment bar and string saddle hex key. Anyone purchasing this bass, do yourself a huge favor and ditch the stock strings. I replaced my set with the Elixir nickel plated steel (.45-.130). Having both the amp and bass EQ to flat is very bright and bass heavy compared to the stock strings, which needed a lot of boosting in the treble spectrum. Now for the bad. The tuners that come with this bass are really good at staying in tune, but quality-wise they are lacking. By taking off the stock strings, the chrome on the machine head windings were stripped. Thus revealing the interior metal; bronze, now whenever I tune up or down there is a persistent 'scratching' feel to it. Silicon based lube has helped it out tremendously but unfortunately it is still stripped. Best upgrades for this phenomenal bass would be, tuning machines, bridge and saddles. I would suggest Hipshot ultralite tuning machines, and for the bridge I would swap it out for a Babicz solo rail system. These two upgrades would improve the bass greatly, and be able to compete against instruments around the $700 area.Overall I would give this bass a 4 out of 5!

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Arrived yesterday! I compared this Indonesia-made SR5 to my trusty SanLuisObispo-made SR5 that cost 4x more. Hardware quality and pickup switching ability are the only major differences, and they don't affect the sound quality. The sound is comparatively equal and playability is identical. I'm planning to defret this cheaper $ bass and transform it into a 5-string fretless. Already pulled one fret and looks like it's a go!

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I have a Musicman Stingray 5 , and this cheaper version can produce the same tone I'm used to, and the same feel I'm used to without breaking the bank.

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The tone of this bass is outstanding, very similar to my MM 4H. This is a pretty solid guitar and weighs a lot more than my MM. The value here is crazy. It looks great, sounds great and plays great. Very happy.

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Nice bass for the money, The tuning keys could be better, replaced stock strings with some Stainless flats, did some minor adjustments!

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I ordered this bass in Vintage Sunburst and I’ve been finding it hard to put it down. The highs sing beautiful with the rumbling lows, this is probably the best bass you can find for under $500. I’ve put it head to head with Mexican Fender, Ibanez, and ESP/LTD basses and nothing comes close to beating it. Definitely could get a great deal of mileage with this one, whether you are a seasoned professional, or a fledgling newcomer.

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The first mint green stingray five by Sterling I received, was a keeper. It arrived with the strings loosened. Which, to me makes perfect sense, as you wouldn’t want to ship a guitar at full tension. Once I got it tuned up, it had clearly gotten a good factory set up. I also lucked out with some good sounding pieces of wood and it was acoustically pleasing to play and hear, unplugged, watching TV, etc. then suddenly the electronics stopped working. It wasn’t after a battery change. So, I know it wasn’t from putting in a missed labeled or rechargeable battery, or anything like that. I tested the leads and I can only yes that a bad solder point must’ve gotten shaken loose and shorted. Naturally I exchange the bass. The one that arrived after that. The one that I have in my possession now, is a sad specimen, indeed. A knot on the fretboard. Oxidized frets. No rounding on the nut edges (Seriously, just jutting, squared off, nonsense). Burn marks on the neck wood from the machining making the metal so hot. Neck pocket doesn’t seal very well. No setup whatsoever, machine screws dangling and rattling in their saddles. String tree rattling (That’s a first for me). Pickup almost touching the strings. It’s sounds farty while unplugged and wholly uninspiring. I’m stuck w it because they’re on back order and I need it for recording. Paid $350 for a Glarry 5 strings w an active humbucker. Saving up for real MM. Sterling has blown it for me like so many other Indonesian guitar manufacturers…

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Bought the dented and scratches version, and it played really well! Due to a dent (most likely from a fall) the truss rod rattles when I play an open E or any note on the low B. Aside from the annoying rattle, this bass is a beast! The 2 band EQ really helps tighten up the low end/ high end frequencies of this bass. Will definitely purchase another mint green bass (this time no blemishes), that way I can give the instrument a fair review without issues from a rattling truss rod.Will post an update review once the new bass comes in the mail!