Thanks! I couldn’t really see the headstock to be honest with you.
I know I was saying the Precision look alike since I couldn’t tell what was written on the head for the life of me, even if I enlarged the image. I’m also not very familiar with Sandberg basses.
Sorry, if I was unclear - it’s on the body, around where the neck ends…
Enter at own risk
I didn’t even notice that until right now! lol
I knew it had to be different due to it’s head, pickguard & frets. It’s beautiful though.
I learned on a precision but was thinking I should get one of those precision/jazz mixed pickup basses so I can have both. Don’t know which model yet.
Yeah, the smile on that mans face on the front page of that link told me there was love baked into these instruments. I understand now due to the .de link.
Germans have always known how to build a quality bass. I’ve always lusted after Warwicks. My true dream bass. Which model? Pfft… any. 
Oh those sandbergs… <3 <3 <3
Oh that 2nd ray ray with black pickguard and hardware is sexy, would like to own that.
Thats the special?
I got my EB sterling in transparent orange but with rosewood fretboard.
I love these transparent colors.Sweet axe, love the color
Very pretty color, @BigAl . . . 
Cheers
Joe
Well that is about as perfect as an orange bass can get…dang
Another Orange bass (orange happens to be my favorite color as well):
Very nice! I’m currently in love with the 5440/5442 and that looks really similar.
Medium scale are fun to play.
Ok @T_dub, all your posts about Stingrays and Sterling and Ernie Ball Music Man got a bug in my ear about getting a Stingray. First it was gonna be Sterling By Music Man short scale or possibly a Ray 34, but I couldn’t pull the trigger without first selling my Squier Vintage Modified Jazz. Several used ones that I had my eye on were sold by the time I was able to sell my Squier. Then I talked myself into trying to find a USA made Ernie Ball Music Man SUB since it wasn’t much more. Then I kept looking at those beautiful roasted maple necks on the recent Ernie Ball Music Man Stingrays (the specials) and after I did my tax returns realized that I could afford one of those used. But in the past 24 hours I’ve found 2 new contenders. The more I look, the further away I’m getting from knowing what to get.
Contender #1: Ernie Ball Music Man Big Al SSS
From left to right, the first button changes the output from passive to active when pressed, and then each of the other three buttons controls whether or not the pickup is activated. With the knobs, from right to left, the first is volume, second is tone when in passive, the third is low-mid and high-mid when in active, and the fourth is bass and treble when in active. Yes, that’s a mouthful, but it’s very tonally versatile and has a very unique aesthetic. These were in production from 2010 or so till 2017 or so and never really caught on. You don’t see these pop up often.
Contender #2: Ernie Ball Music Man Bongo 5 HH with roasted maple neck (not painted like the normal Bongos):
So I’ve got one bass that looks like it’s from the set of the Jetsons and another than has many say looks like a toilet seat.
Both have the more powerful neodymium magnets in the pickups (which the Stingray Specials now have [and also surprisingly in the the Sterling By Music Man Short Scale]) and the 18v preamp. I don’t know how to play a 5 string (yet), but they only made this model (a Guitar Center exclusive) in a 5 string. The only other non-painted bongo necks are in the Ball Family Reserver Series (which means even more expensive than the regular Ernie Ball Music Man bass).
I can always find a Stingray (and found a pretty good deal on an older Ray 34 CA [narrower neck], same 2 band preamp as in the EBMM Stingray Classics) but each of these are rare in their own way. So, @T_dub and everyone else, which one catches your fancy (and no, I can’t afford both!)?
I love Bongos but that crazy-ass retro Goldfinger bass is glorious
I think it’s sort of a cousin to the 5440/42. It was only available for a few years (2010-2012), and according to gretschpages.com, “A limited edition model originally offered at Guitar Center for a doorbuster special in 2010. There was only one per store, and not every store got one. But the response to this limited edition was pretty good, so they made a few more. Then a few more. So it’s not quite so limited anymore.”
I have never had a chance to play a Big Al. I have not played a Bongo either, but I have seen one in person.
If it were me, I would pick the Big Al over the Bongo, but I say that after not playing either. One reason is the 4 string. I hvae 5 string and never play it. It’s not really that I don’t know how, because the conversion now would not be very hard, but I just really like playing a 4 string. the only benefit that I SEE for ME playing a 5 would be a little less moving up and down the neck.
HOWEVER.
I also see moving up and down the neck as a HUGE PLUS for skill level after beginner to mid intermediate. it helps to learn the fretboard, AND helps to develop. a feel for the neck, which can lead to less “watching our hand play bass” so you can look up and see the music, or the crowd, or the wall, anything but watching your fretting hand playing.
That is just my opinion, and I am gonna run with it.
Also, I am not a huge fan of the bongo, but playing it may be a dream, so I would never rule it out unless I played it. But if you like the look and thing you will enjoy the bass, then it would not be a bad move.
This is what is now called the RAY 24.
I have this era Ray 34, and it is very very close to the current (2018 and later) Ray34, but it still says Ray34 on the headstock, and the new ones do not.
The Ray34ca, also says Ray34ca on the headstock, but as far as I know, other than color, it is still the same thing as the Ray24 of today.
I could be wrong, I would have to do some more digging, however, I think they are still the square bodies (like vintage, with out the belly and arm cuts in the body), but the electronics are still the same as what is put in the Ray24 of today’s era.
I was not aware that the Ray34ca had the 2 band preamp as the EBMM Stingray Classic, which is a 3 band preamp by the way.
It is said to have the vintage style of the Classic Stingray 2 band pre-amp from the late 70’s, but that is what the Ray24 says today, and it is nothing more then what is in the Ray4 or Ray24.
I will have to look into it more, I am basing this off what I know of the 2018 and later Ray24ca. I don’t have factual info about the Ray34ca to say for sure.
BUT
I do have a archived webpage from 2012 I believe, that states the specs of the Ray34’s and Ray34ca’s, so I can try to dig it up and look into it more.
Do you prefer the Narrower neck?
Do you prefer to have more tonal range than the classic stingray sound? (which you can still shape with effects and preamps and DAW’s and plugin’s)
If you prefer the smaller neck, and want to stay with EBMM, and not go to SBMM, then you can look into the EBMM Sterling’s. They have the smaller Jazz neck, and they have a 3 way pick up that goes Series / Parallel / Single coil, so you can get that neck standard with a little more tonal options.
OR
Look for a Stingray SLO SPECIAL. They have the SLO neck or the STERLING neck, or a Jazz neck, pretty much all the same thing. But they are stingray’s in every other sense of the word. Classic stingray pick ups and preamp (3 band), and I love mine to death.
ALSO, if you like the Stingray, and you want the smaller neck.
I would buy a SBMM Ray4 for $299, then get a Aguilar or Seymour Duncan, or EMG, or Herrick pick up for it. This way you can get a Ray, and play with it. with a good pick up, you will get a classic stingray sound. it is not the same as the stingray, but so close I can barley tell the difference between my Ray4 and Stingray SLO Special, since they have the same shape neck, they sound similar.
The Stingray feels more expensive, and the preamp is 3band instead of 2 band, so I can tell the difference if blindfolded. But if played thru my headphones thru my Dai into Garage Band, I can’t hear much difference if I play a song with one track from each bass. If I isolate each bass track and play it with the song that has the bass removed, I can’t really tell much difference.
If you like the fatter neck, it is hard to pass up on the Ray34 of today. It DOES have the Stingray Classic Electronics, from pre 2018 EBMM stingray’s, in it, and they are that good.
I will check on that Ray34ca page, and see what I find, and see if I can link it here.
Also
This is the exact same bass, I mean the same bass that one person played, sent to the other person, and they played it. Both reviewed it. It’s a 5 string, but it still goes into depth on the Big Al, and the pick ups and settings will apply to a 4 string as well.
and
I think when they changed from the Ray34CA to the Ray24CA they went down in price (the Ray24 is midway between the Sub4 and Ray34) and down in quality of the electronics, but I can’t find where I read that the electronics were the same. The Stingray Classic does have the 2 band preamp according to the music man site: Classic StingRay 4 | Basses | Ernie Ball Music Man. And they all share the slab bodies. The USA Subs also have the slab bodies and 2 band preamp.
I found a 2015 catalog that says the following about the Ray 34 CA electronics: “Music Man® designed 2-Band active preamp features volume, treble and bass controls. The preamp and pickup were re-voiced for this model, for a more organic feel and are noise free.” https://guitar-compare.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2015_Sterling_MusicMan_Catalog.pdf
I’m not sure if I like the fatter neck or not. I’ve only ever played on the smaller jazz neck. If I go to the five string then I’ll definitely have to get used to a fatter neck. I found a great deal on an EBMM Sterling locally but the guy stopped responding to my messages so I never got to try it out.
