If Leo Fender were still alive, he would surely be leading this new design. Ernie Ball laid the foundations of MUSIC MAN. Born in 1930, in 1958 he opened a small musical instrument shop in Tarzana (near Hollywood, USA), where what customers asked him for most were his guitars, which through his efforts gained enormous fame among musicians all over America.
He soon got in touch with the then-very-famous designer Leo Fender and some of his colleagues at FENDER, to specifically address some parts of the designs that, in his judgment, could be improved (for example, strings).
He also tried to resolve his improvement attempts by consulting GIBSON (a guitar maker that predated FENDER) and ultimately improved some string designs of his own that he sold in high demand in his shop and, from then on, to the whole world.
The Beginnings of MUSIC MAN
Around 1971, with Leo Fender having handed his designs over to CBS in 1965, two of his employees, Forrest White and Tom Walker, were very unhappy with these new commercial initiatives at FENDER and decided to form their own company, which at first they called TRI-SONIC, then MUSITEK INC, and finally MUSIC MAN INC in 1974, in which Leo Fender himself ended up participating once he was definitively released from the contract that had tied him to CBS, being named “President of MUSIC MAN” in 1975.
By 1976, this company's production was successfully ramped up, and from then until today it has been known as MUSIC MAN, taking that year as the reference for periodically celebrating its anniversaries with special designs. For example, in 2006 they recently offered a spectacular “thirtieth anniversary” model.
Sterling Ball was in 1975 one of Leo Fender's testers and ended up closely tied to MUSIC MAN. Together with Leo Fender and Walker, they designed the STINGRAY bass (whose first prototype they named STERLING), which brought many innovations at the time, such as its new HUMBUCKING pickups and active circuits with two- or three-band EQ, powered by a 9-volt battery. This caused a great sensation in the electric guitar market (and bass guitars too) because it seemed a “perfect” model in terms of its sound, shape (similar to Leo's JAZZ BASS), and the “push” of its signal into the amplifier. From that moment on, other manufacturers also began incorporating those active circuits into their models, powered by the by-then typical 9-volt battery, which, as on this model, was housed in a separate compartment on the back of the guitar's body.
They also introduced other novelties, such as a satin color finish, especially on the back of the neck, so the palm of the hand could slide along it more comfortably. Ernie Ball put “the cherry on top” by installing his magnificent strings on those new MUSIC MAN models, which many were already “raving about...” Then, year by year, they expanded the number of models, even to basses with five or more strings, at the whim of their musician users.
In 1980 MUSIC MAN took on a new business dimension in which Leo Fender was already out of the company, designing new models on his own. But after the death of his wife in 1979, which affected him deeply, and already aging, he gradually withdrew from production until Parkinson's definitively took him further away from this passion, of which he was without doubt one of the principal master designers. He passed away on March 21, 1991. Many of us continually miss him for his excellent innovations.
During that period, Ernie Ball became much more involved in MUSIC MAN, working together with Sterling on building the company's new models, to the point that in 1984 Ernie Ball himself acquired it, when besides guitars they were also making amplifiers, with significant penetration in the world market.
MUSIC MAN claims to be today the No. 1 company in US sales of strings for both guitars and basses (under the “Ernie Ball” brand).
Sterling Ball (Ernie Ball's son) is today the owner of MUSIC MAN, so this company decidedly “pampers” the model I'm presenting here today. Moreover, this design is the heir of what was formerly called the “StingRay,” whose “first father” was none other than “Leo Fender,” which can be seen from its overall shape in this “Sterling Ray 34.”
The “StingRay” already featured, among its several innovations, that “3+1” tuner layout on the headstock, an idea of Leo's own, who then held that this avoided “dead spots” when playing certain notes, which could be noticed in earlier designs where all four tuners sit on one side in a line.
Its “big pickup” was also a sound innovation, with excellent results in tone. Since 1984, the “StingRay” electric bass model has been MUSIC MAN's pampered favorite, and since it appeared, the STERLING RAY 34 has been its refined heir.
The “Sterling Ray 34” Model I Have in My Hands
This Sterling bass model first appeared in 1993 and soon achieved impressive market success around the world as a great innovation.
Up to today, it hasn't undergone too many modifications, since it continues to be a success. The number “34” in its name refers to the scale length, 34" (inches), as established by Leo Fender for his “Jazz Bass,” and which remains practically a standard for all manufacturers in four-string basses. Leo took that reference by measuring the neck of a cello he had in his workshop (not made by him), according to his memoirs.
In 1998 the MUSIC MAN factory expanded even further, even setting up others outside the US, but always supervising and meticulously controlling their results from its North American headquarters. The model that came to me was made in Indonesia, but I couldn't tell it apart from a similar “made in USA” one, since its finish is impressively perfect.
It's called “Natural” because of the color of the “bare” wood its body is made of, with an excellent satin varnish that gives it a lot of visual appeal; the wood's own grain can be seen. The body is made of ash, the neck of maple, with its fingerboard (21 frets) of rosewood. The neck is firmly bolted to the body.
It has a single but dual-coil HUMBUCKING pickup (with eight pole pieces, very high quality), a key component, though not the only one, and very responsible for achieving that good sound.
I Test It Through a Frequency Analyzer
As with other basses that pass through my hands, I tested this model by inserting a frequency analyzer after its electroacoustic signal output, placing its three EQ knobs (highs, mids, and lows) in their middle positions and keeping the volume knob at maximum.
From the result of this test we can observe excellent coordinated behavior among the four strings, especially in the bands around 200 to 500 Hz, which in principle would correspond to most of the notes that should stand out on this type of instrument. It thus achieves a welcome lift in that region.
It's also true that if, instead of keeping the EQ controls at their midpoint, we set them to their maximums, the extension of those curves on the graph would be greater at both extremes, but without a doubt the band mentioned above would remain similar to what's shown there.
Keep in mind that the graphic analysis doesn't represent any “volume or strength” of the signal delivered, which is of course very powerful (this has to do with its magnificent pickup and those superb eight pole pieces).
Conclusions
Its active circuit contains a three-band preamp, which is very controllable with the front knobs, achieving very varied tones depending on the styles of music we want to play with it, from the deepest for jazz to the punchiest and brightest for funk, and intermediate positions as well.
Its strings, of course, are ERNIE BALL, which have always thrilled me. Its tuning machines are large and very typical of the first FENDER models, although smaller sizes, just as effective as these, have lately been coming into fashion.
I notice a greater weight in this model (4.22 kg) than in others from the competition (which are lightening them, for example, by reducing the amount of wood used in building the body), but this one gives a feeling of “power” and, of course, it's carried very reasonably on the player's body.
But the best part comes when we plug in the cable and connect it to an amplifier, because then its “power is magnified” and its emphatic style grows in the same proportion as its weight, which surely has something to do with achieving that goal, and you can hear it...
It's a sober, elegant bass with personality, for example with the black pickguard in the center that sets it apart from other brands
Its sturdy bridge gives the strings a pleasant, long “sustain,” well proven and effective, in the style of Fender's, easily adjustable if necessary with “Allen keys,” of which a set is included. The bass also comes with a good, very strong black canvas gig bag for carrying it. Welcome details. On the front, four knobs (one master volume and the other three to control our EQ wishes for each song in separate bands) are perfectly accessible and have a very comfortable turning feel.
There's no useless lettering on the instrument, except for the brand and model, as well as the typical mother-of-pearl markers on the fingerboard, which are no doubt very helpful to the player on many occasions.
