Music Man Launches DarkRay II Bass
Ernie Ball Music Man's new DarkRay II bass pairs a Darkglass active preamp with dual distortion voices and an octave section.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Metal
Ernie Ball Music Man introduced the DarkRay II bass, available now in Black, Showtime, Spectralite and Mean Green Burst finishes. The instrument was developed to bring the distortions of the Darkglass Alpha·Omega pedal into a StingRay Special.
Why it matters
The DarkRay II folds a pedal-style distortion and octave system into a single instrument, letting bassists reach those tones without an external effects chain. It is sold through the company's website and select authorized dealers.
The manufacturer lists 22 stainless steel frets on a 34-inch scale with an 11-inch ebony fretboard radius, and the preamp runs on two 9-volt batteries. Pricing and independent tests of the instrument were not included in the announcement.
The players
Ernie Ball Music Man
Ernie Ball Music Man is a California-based bass and guitar manufacturer known for its StingRay line of basses.
Darkglass Electronics
Darkglass Electronics is a Finnish maker of bass amplification and effects pedals, including the Alpha·Omega distortion pedal whose sounds the DarkRay II draws on.
The details
The DarkRay II includes a single neodymium humbucker and a custom Darkglass active two-band preamp. A push/push gain control switches between two distortion voices, Alpha and Omega, while a fully polyphonic octave section selects one octave up or down and a three-way switch chooses core tone, octave only, or octave combined with distortion. The body is solid ash with a five-bolt roasted maple neck, and each bass ships with Ernie Ball rechargeable batteries and a mono case.
Timeline
November 12, 2026: DarkRay II introduced and made available now.
Industry Dynamics
The DarkRay II extends the distortion voices of the Darkglass Alpha·Omega pedal directly into a bass body, moving a pedal-board sound into the instrument itself. It reflects a broader push by bass makers to build effects into instruments rather than rely solely on external signal chains.
The DarkRay II is available now at www.music-man.com and through select authorized EBMM dealers. Players can buy it directly or try it at an authorized retailer before purchasing.
The takeaway
The DarkRay II shows bassists can get pedal-level distortion and octave tones from one instrument with no external chain. Players weighing a purchase should compare its built-in voices against their current pedal setup.
Further reading
Explore more metal music coverage for context on heavy bass tones.
More information
Find the DarkRay II on the Ernie Ball Music Man product purchase site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bass Musician Magazine, The Face of Bass.
