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The Beatnik

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
15
Howdy all!

I just joined your merry band (although my son has had a stingray fretless 5 for the past 6 years, so perhaps I have been an EBMM owner for a while as I funded his purchase).

I have been wanting an EBMM Valentine for a bit but with a kid in college and one in daycare my disposable income has been, well, disposed of. So I picked up a SBMM Valentine yesterday. The original owner did some nice things to make it a player (new tone pot for a Q sound, refinished neck after sanding, level a couple frets, and strap locks).

My question is; what is the material in the pickups? Are they ceramic or alnico?



Thanks all!

The Beatnik
 

GWDavis28

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 23, 2003
Messages
12,474
Location
Mass
Welcome!! Remember a guitar does not exist without pictures, hahahahaha.

About the pickups your best bets would be to post this question on Facebook for the Sterling by Music Man group and/or email Sterling by Music Man directly as they are run by Praxis I believe.

Glenn. |B)
 

The Beatnik

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
15
Well the SBMM Valentine went back. It was just too far for me to get her completely right (my PRS and Big Tex Tele have ruined me). So I ordered a EBMM Valentine in Saturn gold and it will be here tomorrow. I think I’m having trouble sleeping I am so excited. Which is why I am rambling (I need more coffee).

Watch for th NGD post!
 

The Beatnik

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
15
Now that's how you do it - straight in to the water! :)

(a little envious - i'm jonesing for a valentine myself)


Sink or swim, right?

Y’all feel free to employ my strategy of “oh this is inexpensive but oh it does not work for me, so let’s spend the big bucks”.

It might only work once but oh what a work it is.
 

The Beatnik

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
15
The neck pickup never really cleaned up. It had a nice tone, it was balanced and could have airy-ness of a 335 but never quite got to completely clean. The bridge pickup was a nice Tele sounding pickup. It was more focused in the upper registers but was not really shrill like some can be. I really enjoyed that pickup when I was playing along to some Tom Petty because you could dig into the strings and you would get bite on the E and as strings. The two together was pretty good. I liked the sound but sometime it got a little lost, which may have just been my set up on the pickups themselves.

The thing that killed it for me was trying to set up the neck. I play with a very light touch and I like a very low action and I could not get it low enough without getting a sitar sound on bent B and G strings at the 12th fret. And then I spend a fair amount of time above the 15th fret and I would just have notes choke out on me. I think someone who likes a little higher action will love that guitar. I am just super picky and I and my wallet are coming to grips with that fact.

She is at the GC in Lewisville, Tx if you want her. Good guitar and the neck looks beautiful.
 

Lloyd_m

Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2017
Messages
16
Location
Paris
Sink or swim, right?

Y’all feel free to employ my strategy of “oh this is inexpensive but oh it does not work for me, so let’s spend the big bucks”.

I did worse, I bought the EBMM Valentine just because the SBMM wasn't available in black. At least you tried the SBMM :).

Congrats on the new guitar. Hope you enjoy this one. Mine hasn't fallen from its #1 spot since I got it (it's been a year and a month).
 

The Beatnik

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2018
Messages
15
Thanks! That is great to hear that your Valentine is steadily holding on to the #1 spot in the peloton. That gives me hope about buying without playing her first. And I am pretty excited as she is on the truck for delivery today. I am just hoping they don’t try to deliver when my son, who is home from college, is gone to his dentist appt. keeping fingers, toes, and other extremities crossed.
 
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