Ernie Ball DarkRay II Bass Adds Built-In Octave FX

Ernie Ball Music Man has officially pushed the boundaries of modern bass guitar design with the launch of the DarkRay II Bass. Expanding upon the aggressive foundation of the original DarkRay, this new iteration introduces a fully integrated, polyphonic octave-up and octave-down effect system. By embedding studio-grade Darkglass distortions and seamless pitch-tracking directly into the instrument's circuitry, the DarkRay II frees players from the constraints of traditional pedalboards and redefines what a factory-standard bass can do.

Beyond the Standard Bass: A Built-In Pedalboard

Standard bass releases typically focus on wood combinations, passive or active EQs, and pickup configurations, leaving the player responsible for sourcing, powering, and routing external effects pedals to shape their tone. The DarkRay II stands apart by housing a massive, modular tonal architecture right at the player’s fingertips.

Instead of dealing with signal loss, patch cables, or tap-dancing on a dark stage, bassists can manipulate extreme tonal shifts directly from the instrument. A custom-designed, color-coded LED ring system on the control knobs provides instant visual feedback, illuminating and changing color to indicate exactly which modes and effects are currently engaged.

Fully Polyphonic Octave Integration

The standout upgrade in the DarkRay II is its new octave section. While many external octave pedals struggle with latency or glitch out when playing anything other than single notes, the DarkRay II’s built-in octave is fully polyphonic. It offers fast, seamless tracking capable of handling complex chords, intervals, and multiple strings simultaneously.

• Octave Up or Down: A push/push function on the octave control allows players to instantly toggle between an octave-up for synth-like leads or an octave-down for earth-shaking sub-bass.
• Onboard Wet/Dry Blend: The same control knob operates as a wet/dry blend, allowing the bassist to dial in anything from a subtle foundational sub-frequency beneath their core tone to a completely saturated, processed octave roar.

Dual Darkglass Distortions

Building on the legacy of its predecessor, the DarkRay II integrates the legendary, aggressive distortions from the Darkglass Alpha·Omega pedal directly into the bass's custom active two-band preamp.

• Alpha and Omega Voices: Using a push/push function on the gain control, players can switch between two distinct distortion circuits—the punchy, tight "Alpha" and the raw, brutal "Omega."
• Three-Way Switching: A three-way selector switch allows players to run their core clean tone, an isolated octave tone (middle position), or a massive, harmonically rich combination of both octave and distortion (neck position).

Unmistakably Music Man at its Core

Despite its advanced internal effects, the DarkRay II remains a true StingRay Special at heart. When the effects are bypassed, the bass behaves exactly like a classic two-band StingRay. A single neodymium humbucker drives the core sound, while the bass and treble controls offer both cut and boost capabilities to shape the clean tone.

The instrument is crafted with the premium materials Ernie Ball Music Man is known for:

• Body & Neck: A resonant, solid ash body finished in high-gloss polyester, paired with a five-bolt roasted maple neck featuring a comfortable "C" profile. The neck is treated with a gunstock oil and hand-rubbed wax blend for a frictionless, broken-in feel.
• Fretboard: An 11-inch radius ebony fretboard loaded with 22 stainless steel frets and classic white dot inlays on a 34-inch scale length.
• Hardware: Black hardware, custom lightweight tuners, and a black-plated vintage Music Man bridge complete the sleek, modern aesthetic.

Power, Pricing, and Availability

To drive the advanced Darkglass preamp and integrated effects, the DarkRay II operates on two 9-volt batteries. Taking modern gigging into consideration, Ernie Ball ships every unit with rechargeable batteries and a durable mono case.

The DarkRay II 4-string bass is available in four striking finishes: Black, Showtime, Spectralite, and Mean Green Burst. Plus, two exclusive Sweetwater finishes: New Dawn and Scoville Red.

It is now available at a street price of $3,299.

For more information, specifications, and retailer availability, visit music-man.com.

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