Music Man DarkRay II Showtime

The Music Man DarkRay II Showtime makes room for a bigger bass sound

The DarkRay II in Showtime combines a distinctive finish with a bass design that goes far beyond a familiar clean bass tone. This four-string Ernie Ball Music Man bass guitar builds on the DarkRay concept with integrated polyphonic octave up and octave down effects. This gives you additional registers at your fingertips alongside the direct humbucker sound, without having to reach for your pedalboard for every tone change. This is an instrument for bassists who want to actively shape their sound and enjoy exploring different roles while playing.

The neodymium humbucker forms the basis for a powerful, clear bass tone. With the gain control and the switchable Alpha and Omega distortion, you can dial in the desired amount of aggression. The octave control adds a higher or lower octave, while the bass and treble controls allow for further tone shaping. The three-way switch selects between the dry basic sound, octave, or octave with distortion. Illuminated rings around the effect controls indicate which mode is active. This allows you to switch from a tight accompaniment part to a much fuller, harmonically richer sound.

The ash body is combined with a roasted maple neck and an ebony fretboard with white dots. It features 22 stainless steel frets, a 34-inch scale length, an 11-inch radius, and a 42.86 mm top nut width. The neck is attached to the contoured neck joint with five bolts. Black hardware, a top-loaded Music Man bridge, and lightweight Music Man tuners complete the build. The bass comes with a mono soft case and Ernie Ball rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

This is a pre-order for the Showtime. We expect one unit, with delivery anticipated in early 2027. The stated period is an estimate and may change. Discover how many different sides you can explore with a single DarkRay II.