STUDIO & GEAR / PLAYING REVIEW
Sterling RAY4 & Fender Precision
Slap and fingerstyle on two basses.
A bass can leave a different impression when played on its own than it does with accompaniment. Some instruments draw your attention to the clarity of each note’s attack, while others reveal more of their low-mid weight within a song. The Sterling RAY4 and Mexican-made Fender Player Precision I played for this review brought that contrast to mind.
I played both slap and fingerstyle on each bass. Before listening to the four videos, let’s look at the instruments’ basic designs. My impressions from playing them follow below.
The origins of the StingRay
and Sterling RAY4
Music Man introduced the StingRay in 1976. Its defining features included a humbucking pickup and onboard active EQ. Players could shape their tone using the controls on the bass itself, as well as those on the amplifier. The oval pickguard and headstock with three tuners on one side and one on the other also give the StingRay its recognizable appearance.
Sterling by Music Man is a brand that brings Music Man instrument designs to a wider range of players. Part of the Ernie Ball family of brands, it emphasizes accessibility and affordability. Despite the similar name, Sterling by Music Man is distinct from the Sterling, an individual bass model made by Music Man.
The RAY4 played here is a four-string, StingRay-style bass in Sterling by Music Man’s SUB series. It has a single humbucking pickup and a two-band active preamp. It does not share every specification with the original StingRay, but both use a single humbucker and onboard EQ.
The RAY4’s preamp runs on a 9V battery, with controls for volume, bass and treble on the instrument. Rather than switching between multiple pickups, you shape the signal from one pickup through the preamp. The videos below feature slap and fingerstyle performances.
02 / PLAYER PRECISIONThe Precision Bass story
begins in 1951
The Precision Bass first went into production in October 1951. At the time, the double bass was large and cumbersome to transport, and it could struggle to make the low end heard as bands grew louder. The Precision was a response to those needs. A bass with a fretted neck for locating pitches and the ability to amplify its sound began to find a place on stages and in recording studios.
The 1951 model looked different from the Precision we know today. Early versions used a single-coil pickup, and body contours shaped for the player’s comfort were introduced in 1954–1955. In 1957, the familiar split-coil pickup and a Stratocaster-derived headstock appeared. These changes established the familiar Precision shape and pickup layout.
The Precision went on to appear on many popular music recordings. A notable example is the work of Motown bassist James Jamerson, who played a 1962 Precision he called the “Funk Machine.”
The Precision in the Player series
The Player series launched in June 2018, replacing the Standard series of the time. Fender introduced it as a core range in its electric guitar and bass lineup and an entry point into the brand. At launch, its role was to offer Fender’s traditional models at relatively accessible prices. The bass reviewed here is a Mexican-made Player Precision. In Korea, a Mexican-made Fender is often called a “maekpen” (맥펜).
Although the pickup is divided into two sections, they work together as a single unit. The basic controls are master volume and master tone. In this passive circuit, the tone knob shapes the sound by reducing the amount of high end. That differs from the RAY4’s separate bass and treble controls.
Next, listen to the Precision’s slap and fingerstyle videos, then read about the differences I noticed while playing the two instruments.
Playing impressions
STERLING RAY4“The Sterling had a clear attack and a bright, ringing sound. I especially liked its distinctive tight, snappy ring when playing slap.”
Suh Jiho
FENDER PLAYER PRECISION“The Mexican-made Precision felt comparatively warm and weighty in the low mids. It seemed a little plain on its own, but I liked the understated weight it brought when I played with accompaniment.”
Suh Jiho
What stayed with me was the Sterling’s clear slap attack and the Mexican-made Precision’s weight with accompaniment. The Precision, in particular, is worth hearing within a song rather than judging solely by how it sounds on its own.
Performance & media credits
Review and bass performance: Suh Jiho. Four videos supplied by KPOP MAGAZINE; still images taken from the same recordings. Fender logo: Fender Newsroom. Media usage record.