DarkRay 5

Crafted in partnership with Darkglass Electronics, renowned for their expertise in bass accessories, the DarkRay 5 unleashes a universe of sonic innovation.

At its core lies a cutting-edge 2 Band EQ preamp, custom-crafted by Darkglass, offering three distinct modes: Clean, Alpha (distortion), and Omega (fuzz). Dial in your perfect tone with the onboard gain knob and blend control, seamlessly mixing pristine cleans with aggressive fuzz, all while keeping that low-end power intact. An intuitive LED ring and 3-way lever switch make mode selection a breeze.

The DarkRay 5 is every bit a Stingray Special 5 and boasts a neodymium humbucking pickup, roasted maple neck, sleek contoured body, 22 stainless steel frets, and that iconic 4+1 headstock configuration.
DarkRay 5 – Stealth Black
DarkRay 5 – Stealth Black

Your Custom Options:

Model:
DarkRay 5 Bass
Color:
Stealth Black
Neck:
Roasted Maple w/Ebony Fretboard, Matching Headstock
Pickguard:
Matte Black
Hardware:
Matte Black

Build Code

129-66-53-P2-MB-BM

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DarkRay 5 Highlights

  • DarkRay 5, photo 1
  • DarkRay 5, photo 2
  • DarkRay 5, photo 3
  • DarkRay 5, photo 4
  • DarkRay 5, photo 5
  • DarkRay 5, photo 6
  • DarkRay 5 Preamp

    The 2-band preamp includes volume, treble, and bass controls with a separate blend and gain knob to achieve the desired tone and output.

  • Roasted Neck

    The DarkRay 5 features a roasted maple neck, ebony fingerboard with stainless steel frets, and matte black hardware.

  • 5-Bolt Neck

    The neck is secured by a 5-bolt attachment with perfect alignment and no shifting. A special Darkglass logo is applied to the neck plate to signify the Darkray 5 edition bass.

See & hear it

DarkRay 5 – Custom Darkglass® clean 2-band active preamp

StingRay Meets DarkGlass

Custom Darkglass® clean 2-band active preamp

The DarkRay 5 is equipped with a new modern 2 Band preamp that Darkglass specifically designed. The preamp is extremely clean and quiet with adjustable volume, gain, bass, treble, and blend controls to achieve the desired tone.

DarkRay 5 – Alpha and Omega

Alpha and Omega

The Darkglass preamp offers two highly regarded drive circuits, Alpha(tight distortion) and Omega(fuzz). Both distortion circuits are fully mixable via an onboard gain knob and blend control manipulated to the user’s preference with no low-end loss. Via the 3-way lever switch, a bright color-coded LED ring is illuminated, signifying which mode the bass is in.

DarkRay 5 – DarkRay 5 = StingRay 5

DarkRay 5 = StingRay 5

The DarkRay 5 bass is every bit a Stingray 5 Special with neodymium humbucking pickup, roasted maple neck, comfort contoured body, 22 stainless steel frets, all black hardware, and the familiar 4+1 headstock configuration.

Specifications, Schematics & More

Specifications

DarkRay 5
Size13-3/8" wide, 1-5/8" thick, 45-3/4" long (34.0 cm wide, 4.1 cm thick, 116.2 cm long)
Body WoodSelect Hardwood
Body FinishHigh Gloss Polyester (except Stealth Black)
BridgeVintage Music Man® top loaded Black plated, steel bridge plate with vintage Black plated steel saddles
PickguardBlack
Scale Length34"
Neck Radius11" (27.9 cm)
Headstock SizeOnly 8-3/4" (22.2 cm) long
Frets22 - High profile, wide, stainless steel
Neck Width1-3/4" (44.5 mm) at the nut; 2-3/4" (69.9 mm) at the last fret
Neck WoodRoasted Maple
FingerboardEbony (Roasted Maple on Gold Bar)
Fret MarkersDot
Neck FinishGunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
Neck ColorsNatural
Tuning MachinesCustom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic clover design
Neck Attachment5 bolts - perfect alignment with no shifting; Sculpted neck joint allows smooth access to higher frets
Electronic ShieldingGraphite acrylic resin coated body cavity and aluminum lined pickguard
Controlsvol, gain, blend, treble, bass
Switching3-way lever distortion selector; Preamp Only, Preamp+Alpha Distortion, Preamp+Omega Distortion
PickupsSingle Humbucking with Neodymium magnets
Strings45w-65w-80w-100w-130w (Regular Slinky Bass #2836)

Compare Specs

SpecificationsDarkRay 5—
Size13-3/8" wide, 1-5/8" thick, 45-3/4" long (34.0 cm wide, 4.1 cm thick, 116.2 cm long)
Body WoodSelect Hardwood
Body FinishHigh Gloss Polyester (except Stealth Black)
Body Colors
Body Bindings
BridgeVintage Music Man® top loaded Black plated, steel bridge plate with vintage Black plated steel saddles
PickguardBlack
Scale Length34"
Neck Radius11" (27.9 cm)
Headstock SizeOnly 8-3/4" (22.2 cm) long
Frets22 - High profile, wide, stainless steel
Neck Width1-3/4" (44.5 mm) at the nut; 2-3/4" (69.9 mm) at the last fret
Neck WoodRoasted Maple
FingerboardEbony (Roasted Maple on Gold Bar)
Fret MarkersDot
Neck FinishGunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
Neck ColorsNatural
Neck Binding
Tuning MachinesCustom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic clover design
Truss Rod
Neck Attachment5 bolts - perfect alignment with no shifting; Sculpted neck joint allows smooth access to higher frets
Electronic ShieldingGraphite acrylic resin coated body cavity and aluminum lined pickguard
Controlsvol, gain, blend, treble, bass
Switching3-way lever distortion selector; Preamp Only, Preamp+Alpha Distortion, Preamp+Omega Distortion
PickupsSingle Humbucking with Neodymium magnets
Left Handed
Strings45w-65w-80w-100w-130w (Regular Slinky Bass #2836)

Control Function Diagrams

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The Factory Tour

Since 1984, Ernie Ball Music Man has been crafting instruments in San Luis Obispo, California. Watch the factory tour and see how the difference is in the details.

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