The DarkRay™ II expands on the aggressive, modern foundation of the original DarkRay, adding fully integrated polyphonic octave up and octave down effects to the custom Darkglass® preamp for an even broader sonic palette.

At its core is a custom Darkglass 2-band EQ preamp with master volume, bass, and treble, plus two push/push controls: a gain knob that toggles between the Alpha and Omega distortion voices, and an octave knob that selects octave up or octave down. LED rings on both knobs illuminate when engaged and change color to indicate the selected mode. A 3-way lever switch selects the core tone, octave only, or octave combined with distortion.

The DarkRay II is every bit a StingRay Special, with a neodymium humbucking pickup, roasted maple neck, ash body, ebony fingerboard, 22 stainless steel frets, black hardware, and the iconic 3+1 headstock. It ships with Ernie Ball rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and is available in Black, Showtime, Spectralite, and Mean Green Burst.

Your Custom Options:

Model:
DarkRay II Bass
Color:
Mean Green Burst
Neck:
Roasted Maple w/ Ebony Fretboard
Pickguard:
Black
Hardware:
Black

Build Code

131-MGB-50-BB1-MB-BM

Street Price

$3,299.00

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Ships within 4 months

Subject to eligibility. See lending terms at affirm.com/disclosures (opens in a new tab).

DarkRay II

Highlights

  • DarkRay II Preamp

    The custom Darkglass 2-band preamp includes volume, treble, and bass controls, plus a push/push gain knob for Alpha and Omega distortion and a push/push octave knob for octave up or down.

  • Roasted Neck

    The DarkRay II features a roasted maple neck with a gunstock oil and hand-rubbed wax finish, ebony fingerboard and 22 stainless steel frets.

  • 5-Bolt Neck

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

In detail

  • DarkRay II detail 1
  • DarkRay II detail 2
  • DarkRay II detail 3
  • DarkRay II detail 4
  • DarkRay II detail 5
  • DarkRay II detail 6
  • DarkRay II detail 7

See & hear it

Two LED rings. One switch.

Light it up

The 3-way switch decides what’s on. Push a lit knob to flip its ring between orange and purple.

Interactive

Try it: tap the switch and the knobs below.

Switch

Distortion + octave

Distortion

Octave

Your signal

Control function diagram (PDF) (opens in a new tab)

Bassist playing a DarkRay II alongside a drummer

StingRay Meets Darkglass

DarkRay II – Polyphonic Octave Up and Down

Polyphonic Octave Up and Down

The DarkRay II adds fully integrated polyphonic octave up and octave down effects to the custom Darkglass® 2-band active preamp. Push the octave knob to switch between octave up and octave down, then use the 3-way lever switch to run octave only (middle position) or octave combined with distortion (neck position) — moving easily from tight, punchy bass tones to massive, harmonically rich textures.

DarkRay II – Alpha and Omega

Alpha and Omega

The Darkglass preamp offers two highly regarded drive circuits, Alpha (tight distortion) and Omega (fuzz); push the gain knob to toggle between them. LED rings on both the gain and octave knobs illuminate when engaged and change color to indicate the selected mode, providing instant visual feedback.

DarkRay II – DarkRay II = StingRay

DarkRay II = StingRay

The DarkRay II bass is every bit a StingRay Special with a neodymium humbucking pickup, roasted maple neck, ash body, 22 stainless steel frets, all black hardware, and the familiar 3+1 headstock configuration. It ships with Ernie Ball rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

The DarkRay II finishes side by side

Specifications, Schematics & More

Specifications

DarkRay II Bass
Size13-1/2" wide, 1-5/8" thick, 44-7/8" long (34.3 cm wide, 4.1 cm thick, 114.0 cm long)
Body WoodAsh
Body FinishHigh gloss polyester
Body ColorsBlack, Showtime, Spectralite, Mean Green Burst
BridgeVintage Music Man® top loaded Black plated, steel bridge plate with vintage Black plated steel saddles
PickguardBlack
Scale Length34" (86.4 cm)
Neck Radius11" (27.9 cm)
Headstock SizeOnly 8-3/4" (22.2 cm) long
FretsStainless steel — .047 × .104 in
Neck Width1-11/16" (42.86 mm) at nut 2-1/2" (63.5 mm) at last fret
Neck WoodRoasted maple neck
FingerboardEbony
Fret MarkersWhite Dot
Neck FinishGunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
Neck ColorsRoasted - Spectralite, Mean Green Burst, Showtime; Headstock Matches Body - Black
Tuning MachinesCustom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic clover design
Truss RodAdjustable - no component or string removal
Neck Attachment5 bolt, sculpted neck joint
Electronic ShieldingGraphite acrylic resin coated body cavity and black plated aluminum control cover
ControlsVolume, Gain (push to toggle between Alpha and Omega), Octave (push to toggle between octave up and octave down), Treble, Bass
Switching3-way switch (no effect, octave, octave and distortion)
PickupsSingle Humbucking with Neodymium magnets
Left HandedNo
Strings45w-65w-80w-100w (Super Slinky Bass #2834)

Compare Specs

SpecificationsDarkRay II—
Size13-1/2" wide, 1-5/8" thick, 44-7/8" long (34.3 cm wide, 4.1 cm thick, 114.0 cm long)
Body WoodAsh
Body FinishHigh gloss polyester
Body ColorsBlack, Showtime, Spectralite, Mean Green Burst
Body Bindings
BridgeVintage Music Man® top loaded Black plated, steel bridge plate with vintage Black plated steel saddles
PickguardBlack
Scale Length34" (86.4 cm)
Neck Radius11" (27.9 cm)
Headstock SizeOnly 8-3/4" (22.2 cm) long
FretsStainless steel — .047 × .104 in
Neck Width1-11/16" (42.86 mm) at nut 2-1/2" (63.5 mm) at last fret
Neck WoodRoasted maple neck
FingerboardEbony
Fret MarkersWhite Dot
Neck FinishGunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
Neck ColorsRoasted - Spectralite, Mean Green Burst, Showtime; Headstock Matches Body - Black
Neck Binding
Tuning MachinesCustom Music Man, lightweight with tapered string posts and ergonomic clover design
Truss RodAdjustable - no component or string removal
Neck Attachment5 bolt, sculpted neck joint
Electronic ShieldingGraphite acrylic resin coated body cavity and black plated aluminum control cover
ControlsVolume, Gain (push to toggle between Alpha and Omega), Octave (push to toggle between octave up and octave down), Treble, Bass
Switching3-way switch (no effect, octave, octave and distortion)
PickupsSingle Humbucking with Neodymium magnets
Left HandedNo
Strings45w-65w-80w-100w (Super Slinky Bass #2834)

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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