Ernie Ball Music Man Introduces 5-String DarkRay Bass

Ernie Ball Music Man DarkRay 5 Bass

After teaming up with Darkglass Electronics to unveil the DarkRay bass last year, Ernie Ball Music Man has added to the lineup with a five-string version. The DarkRay 5 comes in two finishes: Starry Night and a limited edition White Sparkle.

“The DarkRay 5 is all about tone and features a new 2-band EQ preamp designed specifically for this 5-string model,” EBMM writes. “It offers three very distinct and useful tones: Clean, Alpha (distortion), and Omega (fuzz), each fully mixable via an onboard gain knob and blend control set to the player’s preference. In addition, the original DarkRay 4 bass will be offered in Starry Night, Obsidian Black, and the exclusive White Sparkle, which is limited-to-25, and only available in the Vault.”

Hear the bass in action with demos by Josh Paul of each finish:

The Ernie Ball Music Man DarkRay 5 is available now with prices of $2,799 for the Starry Night finish and $2,899 for the White Sparkle.

Ernie Ball Music Man DarkRay 5 Bass Specs:

Construction:Bolt-on
Scale:34″
Body:Select Hardwood
Neck:Roasted Maple
Fingerboard:Ebony
Inlays:Dot
Frets:22 Stainless Steel
Pickup:Single Humbucking with Neodymium Magnets
Electronics:Custom Darkglass 2-band active preamp with two distinct distortion circuits (Alpha and Omega); vol, gain, blend, treble, bass
Switching:3-way lever distortion selector; Preamp Only, Preamp+Alpha Distortion, Preamp+Omega Distortion
Bridge:Vintage Music Man top loaded Black plated, steel bridge plate with vintage Black plated steel saddles
Tuners:Custom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic clover design
Finish:Starry Night, White Sparkle

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Leave a Reply to Josh Rosenberg Cancel reply

  1. Josh Rosenberg

    I really feel emotional about the body of this instrument made out of select hardwood. We used to have a select hardwood tree in backyard when I was a child. I would climb the the select hardwood tree and play on the tire swing hanging from its branches. My parental unit would BBQ meats smoked with the chips of the select hardwood tree. Really brings back the memory. So glad they didn’t make it out of taters or pocket lint.