Ernie Ball Music Man Basses: StingRay, DarkRay & Bongo

Ask a room of bassists to name the sound of an active humbucker and most of them will describe a StingRay before they finish the sentence. That punch — aggressive, articulate, impossible to bury in a mix — has been Ernie Ball Music Man's calling card for decades, and the modern lineup is the best version of it yet: roasted maple necks, lightweight hardware, and an 18-volt preamp with headroom for days.

Bass Central stocks Music Man deep. Right now the wall carries 97 Ernie Ball Music Man listings, with more than 50 in stock and ready to ship — StingRay Specials in 4- and 5-string, Short Scales, DarkRays, Bongos, and limited editions you won't find hanging just anywhere. Here's how the family breaks down.

StingRay Special: the icon, modernized

The current StingRay Special keeps everything players love about the original and fixes everything they used to mod. Roasted maple necks, lightweight tuners, a sculpted 5-bolt neck joint, and that 18V preamp driving the humbucker (or two, on HH models) — all of it wrapped in finishes that sell out in waves. We stock the 4 and the 5 side by side, most of them between $2,599 and $3,149, and many right around 9 lbs or under.

Short Scale StingRays

Same StingRay voice in a compact 30-inch package, and stupidly light — several of ours are between 7.3 and 8.8 lbs. If you've ever wanted that Music Man bark without the full-scale reach, the Short Scale H Specials are some of the most fun basses in the shop.

DarkRay: the StingRay with a dark side

The DarkRay takes a StingRay and builds a Darkglass Alpha·Omega distortion circuit right into the bass — clean Music Man punch on one setting, snarling driven grit on the other, no pedal required. Roasted maple necks, ebony boards, and finishes like Starry Night, Gold Bar, and Dark Rainbow. We stock DarkRay 4s and 5s, and they move fast.

Bongo: the oddball that outplays everything

The Bongo's carved body still turns heads twenty years on, but players keep them for the HH firepower and the most flexible EQ in the Music Man line. We've got Bongos in 4, 5, and 6-string, in stock — including Mantis Green and Titan Grey.

Limited editions

When Music Man does a limited run, we try to land them. The StingRay 50th Anniversary LTD in Molten Gold — only 300 made — is down to our last one.

In stock now at Bass Central

Pulled from the wall today — every one of these is here and ready to ship:

• StingRay 5 HH Special, Classic Natural / Roasted Maple — $3,149
• StingRay 5 Special, Black / Roasted Maple — $2,749
• StingRay 5 Special, Laguna Green / Rosewood (Last 1) — $2,599
• StingRay 5 HH Special, Smoked Chrome / Ebony (Last One) — $2,949
• StingRay 5 H Special, Hot Honey / Roasted Maple, 8.5 lbs — $3,049
• StingRay 4 "DarkRay," Silverburst — $2,999
• StingRay 5 "DarkRay," Silver Burst / Ebony — $3,049
• StingRay 4 "DarkRay," Gold Bar / Roasted Maple, 8.6 lbs — $2,949
• StingRay 50th Anniversary LTD 4 H Special, Molten Gold / Ebony (Last One, 300 Made) — $3,399
• StingRay 4 H Special Short Scale, Trans Blue / Roasted Maple, 7.3 lbs — $2,699
• Bongo 6 HH, Mantis Green / Maple — $3,249
• Bongo 5 HH, Titan Grey / Ebony — $3,149

Why buy your Music Man from Bass Central?

We're a bass-only shop, and StingRays are core inventory for us — not a sideline. That means real depth on the wall, honest weights on the listings, and people who can talk pickup configurations and preamps because we play them.

Questions on any of this gear? Call or Email 800-545-8813 or sales@basscentral.com
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Browse the full Ernie Ball Music Man lineup at www.basscentral.com — and if you're torn between a Special and a DarkRay, call us. That one's worth a conversation.