Question: Sterling owners, what's the word?

[Fred_Flux]

My father has owned a Sting Ray 5 H for 10 years now and, if my signature agrees, I'm sure I'll be able to answer all your questions!

Body-wise: if we can include $ender for one moment in this discussion, I'd say StingRay : Precision = Sterling : Jazz. Noticeably smaller body (at least for a 5'5''er like me) and thinner, faster neck. The same can be said in comparison to the Bongo.

Tone-wise: well, if I had to do an A/B comparison of a ceramic StingRay 5 and a Sterling 5 H I don't think I would be able to guess which one is playing. This does not apply, however, if you're interested in double-pickup setups, as HS and HH Sterlings miss parallel wiring for the bridge pickup mode - the "classic" StingRay sound, if you wish (I still can't understand why Sterlings do not feature series/parallel switches apart from the single humbucker version): if you're going to make a great deal out of this, or not, is up to your tastes. Personally I'm not yet missing that "standard" sound, but I can't be sure I'm not needing that anytime soon!

[tunaman4u2]

Tone-wise: well, if I had to do an A/B comparison of a ceramic StingRay 5 and a Sterling 5 H I don't think I would be able to guess which one is playing. This does not apply, however, if you're interested in double-pickup setups, as HS and HH Sterlings miss parallel wiring for the bridge pickup mode - the "classic" StingRay sound, if you wish (I still can't understand why Sterlings do not feature series/parallel switches apart from the single humbucker version): if you're going to make a great deal out of this, or not, is up to your tastes. Personally I'm not yet missing that "standard" sound, but I can't be sure I'm not needing that anytime soon!

I love my Sterling HH but you are exactly correct... I'd LOVE to have a parallel tone for the single H again. I'm hoping that in a few years we see a Reflex HH with a Sterling neck... until then I roll with the Sterling HH & ah hem, another bass to be my super growly

[Golem]

I love my Sterling HH but you are exactly correct... I'd LOVE to have
a parallel tone for the single H again. I'm hoping that in a few years
we see a Reflex HH with a Sterling neck... until then I roll with the
Sterling HH & ah hem, another bass to be my super growly

I hear ya. I think it's cuz you have an HH. I'll bet that if you had an
HS you'd not miss the parallel, or at least miss it a whole bunch less,
cuz the SC neck PU bumps in 'just the right amount' [IMHO] of extra
bottom as a sorta "sonic veneer" on toppa the [series-wired] bridge
humbugger. IOW, with all 3 coils playing [full house, center position
on the blade switch], the effect is verrrry similar to a single H played
in parallel mode.

Get your hands on a HS and compare the center position to the rear
position [of switch] to see what I mean. My absolute FAVE position
is one click forward of center, which combines the neck SC with the
forward coil of the bridgebucker, IOW full house minus the rearmost
[bridgemost?] coil on the bass. Reduces the tzizzle without reducing
the bridge PU's growl.

Mebbe you chose Sterling over Ray cuz you LIKE tzizzle ? Not only
can an HS deliver or hold back tzizzle via the blade switch, but it
also allows playing the rearmost coil alone, to sooper boost your
tzizzle ... a feature shared with the single H but gone from the HH.


`

[tunaman4u2]

Thanks for the reply Golem

I love my Sterling HH dont get me wrong... I'm sure the HS would be great but after looking at a Reflex HH with active\passive, series\parallel, 4 band EQ... thats a HUGE upgrade

HH to HS? small change compared to that. I love my Sterling HH & play 4 of the positions very often & like em... the only one I dont play a lot is just the neck pickup. I chose Sterling over Ray due to neck... which is why I can't pick up a Reflex... the Big Al didn't beat out my Sterling HH... so hence I wait for a Reflex with a Sterling neck, maybe years if need be !

[fly]

hey.........damn fine basses them Sterlings.......

[tunaman4u2]

So I gave my Sterling a huge A/B vs another bass tonight (Night life isn't the same after a newborn, ha ha ha)

I'm playing with the "other" bass for a good hour, using all the settings & I find its "best" tone... so I pick up the Sterling HH to see if I can mimic it

Solo the bridge, cut the lows, boost the mids, boost the treble.... super in your face, not a setting I would gravitate towards normally but it nailed the "other" bass dead on

So whats the point? I feel like picking up other basses just to have some more tonal options... but the reality is that the Sterling HH can get SO many tones that maybe you don't think it can at first. When I first saw this "other" bass I was like wow, thats a different tone, cool... but I had it the whole time

On the flip side, my Bongo & Sterling dont really cross paths, theres just something different about a lot of the tones.

[five7]

Already missing my sterling 5HS, need to find another one but with a rosewood board. You are right about the bongo and sterling not crossing paths!

[fly]

did I mention that the Sterling is a killer bass?

[tunaman4u2]

Sterling owners? Whats the word?

I'll tell you what the word is... after trying bass after bass... the Sterling HH has destroyed them all. I'm selling off other stuff because whenever I go to play anything else but the Sterling HH its a downgrade, when I'm at a gig... I don't want to downgrade

The only upgrade I see... would be a Reflex HH but alas, not available with a sterling neck & my arthritic hands are beat!

BTW: Sterling & Big Al... matter of preference, pretty equal. Big Al can so sounds the Sterling can't & vice versa. I'd take either one over EVERY 4 string Sterling sized neck bass.

[phat5]

Diggin' on my recent addition, a Sterling 5HH w/a mapel neck in gunstock oil. Really interested to see how this one sits in the mix. Traded my Bongo 5HH for this one.......although the Bongo was a tone monster, it seems that it's a bit more polite sounding than the Sterling. I'm guessin' that the ceramic pups wired in series with a 5 way switch, is more to my liking. My BIGGEST bitch about the Sterling, is the weight.......Small bodied bass weighing in at 10.5#'s......when I was told it was about 9-9.5#'s. Funny thing, the weight isn't that bad, the Sterling is better balanced than the 9+ lb Bongo I traded. Seems easier on my shoulder.

[mindwell]

I'm happy to be back in the category of those who own an EBMM bass! Should have got this Sterling 5 a LONG time ago.

Back in the late 1990's - early 2000's I played a Stingray 5, and made a record with it. Loved the neck, but didn't find the sound quite worked for my fingerstyle needs. Still, sounded great: here it is, on a record I got to make with Queensryche singer Geoff Tate. Song has upright in verses, EBMM SR 5 in choruses.

And here is the new one! 2008 EBMM Sterling 5, with me noodling my living room. LOVE this bass; tiny nut width, beautiful neck grain, punchy as heck. So happy to be back in the EBMM fold!

[J Romano]

Welcome back, love your playing!!!!!

[laneline]

Great demo and wow, beautiful bass.

[mindwell]

Great demo and wow, beautiful bass.

laneline and JL, thanks for the welcome and compliments! Much obliged.

Got to play the bass at practice tonight, and it killed! Really fits my physique and hands nicely. And yeah, it is gorgeous. I found it on Gbase, and when I saw the pics of the finish and the neck grain, my jaw about hit the floor. For the time being, they still have the pics up here. I'm a huge fan of straight, tight, neck grain, and this one almost looks quarter-sawn. Even more beautiful in person. So glad I pulled the trigger; she's a keeper! And at 9 lbs 12 oz, not bad at all.