Sterling by Music Man Reviews

[TNT]

Yeah!!!

Highlight the "good" and CS will work out any alleged issues - after all, we be talkin' bout MM guitars!!!!

Which means - way too many good things to talk about before we get to any alleged "less" desirable elements!

However, I know most all these guys meant well and not harm.

 

[dwells]

safe it its now yoda !! hehehe sorry

 

[Big Poppa]

thanks again

 

[dwells]

ok Ive been sent here to give my review of the sterlings.
well i played the jp the axis and the silo im not sure of there names but here we go!

Silo sterling: at 1st it looks great kind of like the standard silo obviously, the neck is kind of like a better version of an OLP neck feels okay but just not the same as a real Ebmm but not bad in general the pickups in the silo sound pretty good considering its a cheaper guitar than the originals the body feels a little funny to me not sure what wood it was built with but overall the silo wasnt to bad ! But the price tag let me down ? i thought these were cheaper guitars? i cant print the price hear but i could buy a second hand ebmm in top condition for the same amount ? so that was the only major let down

JP= i was impressed with this one it felt great the neck size i actually prefered than the original jp? it sounds pretty good , doesnt have the cut of the jp but still sounded pretty good Overall this was my no.1 pick out of the 3 But still $$$$$ was not what i expected

Axis - now heres where i may get in trouble the axis felt like absolute rubbish it was No better than the OLP version the trem was horrible and stiff and went out of tune the whole time , The body looked reasonable the neck just didnt have anything remotely resembling the ebmm axis Which i consider the best neck available from ebmm so unless i played a bad axis copy im not sure but it sounded like a 200$ guitar.
keep in mind i am absolutely 110% musicman crazy and love everything about Ebmm But these guitars are over priced over here (Australia) and i cant see the reason to buy one or get my students on to them, id say save save save for quality and buy a original EBMM
cheers
D
p.s i love you big poppa hehehe

 

[dwells]

dude i promise you the retail price is exactly the same as a second hand ebmm i dont no why ,But that threw me off completely!

 

[Big Poppa]

SOmething is wrong for them to be that expensive....

 

[dwells]

this is what i thought and why i was outraged at the price Maybe if i knew the right price i couldve made abetter judgement, the guys in the guitar shop wanted me to do some YOUTUBE videos containing sterlings too ? ? conisdering 99% over ebmm guitars sold in that place ive sent there !

 

[dwells]

they were somewhere between 1000 milk cartons and 2000 milk cartons

 

[Dizzy]

SOmething is wrong for them to be that expensive....

Does CMC handle SBMM too ?

 

[dwells]

id say so? but i dont know

 

[jamminjim]

Good reviews but I'm not sure what's up with the pricing. The Silo20 I got was less than half of what I'd expect to pay for a used Silo in excellent condition ($350 USD).

SORRY OFF TOPIC: Silo20's are $399 most everywhere.

 

[paranoid70]

How does a SBMM compare to a SUB1?

 

[ScoobySteve]

How does a SBMM compare to a SUB1?

This is exactly what I'd like an objective and thorough analysis of. Seeing that the Sub1 was the flag ship of sorts for more friendly priced EBMM guitars. The build quality was outstanding and wanted to see how these new ones compare.

Anyone?

 

[Sweat]

The Sterling\SUB comparision is not a fair topic, the SUB was a unique guitar and a genre all its own the sterlings are based off existing EBMM models, so really hard to do a comparision, but the sterlings are not bad for the buck, at least the Silo20, I am going to hit the GC soon and try the rest out just to give a review as well.

As far as a follow up on the Silo20, played around with it all weekend, and everything I said in my original post holds true, plus it stays in tune as a EBMM would after being banged on for awhile, which is a big positive, hell I owned an american made strat that would not stay in tune even with out using the trem, so all in all worth buying these

 

[ScoobySteve]

The Sterling\SUB comparision is not a fair topic, the SUB was a unique guitar and a genre all its own the sterlings are based off existing EBMM models, so really hard to do a comparision, but the sterlings are not bad for the buck, at least the Silo20, I am going to hit the GC soon and try the rest out just to give a review as well.

As far as a follow up on the Silo20, played around with it all weekend, and everything I said in my original post holds true, plus it stays in tune as a EBMM would after being banged on for awhile, which is a big positive, hell I owned an american made strat that would not stay in tune even with out using the trem, so all in all worth buying these

Well I agree that it is different in circumstance considering that the SBMMs are modeled after existing EBMM guitars, however I think the Sub1 serves a model of comparison when it comes to quality, not necessarily function and utility.

While we here may make the distinction between the Sub1 and the SBMM, seeing that the SBMM are designed to target audiences who were interested in the EBMM variants. However I think the slightly more intelligent than average consumer would want to inquire about this very thing. While the Sub1's can longer compete in volume with the SBMM, this point may be dragged towards the moot end however it still retains relevancy simply because the proportion of cost and quality is still a huge selling point.

I've recommended SBMM to beginning guitarists however there are some questions that are difficult to explicate, support and justify:

1. They're around the same price. But one's a Sterling, the other's a MM.
2. How do they differ in build quality?
3. Why the change in make, why not simply create a lower tier in the Music Man gallery?

I mean some help would be great in answering these questions thoughtfully and clearly.

I came across a student at a local shop and he straight up asked me, "The Sub1 is a Music Man, the Sterlings aren't. Why should I get a Sterling."

Now out of context what that student said may seem over critical, but it really wasn't conveyed in that way. What he was referring to is simply, "I love the EBMM JP and the SBMM JP is an outstanding aesthetic representation of the Music Man, but musicians don't look at instruments, we play them, and naturally lean towards quality."

Point in a bottle is: Aesthetics and styling is a strong selling point, but quality/price proportion is a stronger one.
I really didn't have a response to that.

 

[jamminjim]

"The Sub1 is a Music Man, the Sterlings aren't."

Very intelligent and perceptive young man. He's probably going to be a knucklehead someday. Personally, I don't think SBMM's should be compared to Sub1's or vice-versa. It's like comparing Epis to Gibs. The Sub line is only inferior to regular production Ernie Ball Music Man guitars in their aesthetics. In every other way it is an Ernie Ball Music Man guitar. It is a very high quality, superbly crafted guitar. So, why draw unfair comparisons? It may even be insulting to the fine craftsmen and employees of the EBMM company.
Let's compare Sterlings to other guitars constructed overseas or out-of-country. Is that not fair and realistic?

 

[ScoobySteve]

Very intelligent and perceptive young man. He's probably going to be a knucklehead someday. Personally, I don't think SBMM's should be compared to Sub1's or vice-versa. It's like comparing Epis to Gibs. The Sub line is only inferior to regular production Ernie Ball Music Man guitars in their aesthetics. In every other way it is an Ernie Ball Music Man guitar. It is a very high quality, superbly crafted guitar. So, why draw unfair comparisons? It may even be insulting to the fine craftsmen and employees of the EBMM company.
Let's compare Sterlings to other guitars constructed overseas or out-of-country. Is that not fair and realistic?

That's fair, those are simply the inquiry I've been getting from some of my students. For example one of my students is recently in search for a new guitar. She bought a new Epi LP and then a few months later had buyers remorse because Gib cut the prices on some of their lower end LP's. So basically she felt if she waited a little longer and spent a little more, she could have had a Gibson and not a Epiphone. So from her I get the same dilemma.

It's all personal preference but it came down to, "Sterling now, save a little more and find/buy a Sub1, or save even a little bit more and buy a second hand EBMM? It's tough advice to give really.

I mean, to clarify earlier postings, I personally feel that no other guitars compare to the Sterling's when compared to other companies that outsource and produce cookie cutter axes in the factories. I mean a low end Korean Ibby RG vs Sterling is a no contest. What I am trying to demonstrate is that it creates dilemmas for the consumer who REALLY wants a MUSIC MAN guitar.

 

[robelinda2]

Regarding the pricing here in Australia, I think its reasonable, compared to the cost of a USA EBMM guitar. The Silo20 here retails for $1695, or so it was at the shop I went to. The USA Silo retails for $4300 here with trem, I would say the Sterling range is very reasonably priced at less than half the USA cost, but the USA Silo is way off. Even a standard AL is priced too high at $4300, BFR JP is $8000. So I think the Sterling range is reasonably priced, but the ones I played weren't great, especially the Axis. The Silo was ok.

 

[paranoid70]

I didn't mean to start anything here with my SUB1 vs. SBMM question. Fing has an excellent point though, the SUB1 was a unique design, so I guess a comparison to the Silo20 is not really fair. They are different machines. However, I don't think a SBMM vs. MIM Strat (for example) would be fair either.

I guess I need to get down to a store and try one out for myself.

 

[Dizzy]

Regarding the pricing here in Australia, I think its reasonable, compared to the cost of a USA EBMM guitar.

The Silo20 here retails for $1695, or so it was at the shop I went to.

The USA Silo retails for $4300 here with trem.
Even a standard AL is priced too high at $4300.
BFR JP is $8000.

Those prices are a f*ing joke.
I don't give a rat's ass about all the taxes and stuff - they amount to nowhere near that markup.

I buy a pile of very expensive surveying equipment for my business (Topcon, Trimble - from Japan, USA), and frequently check the difference between the Aussie / US / Japanese prices.
Take off the applicable duties, expenses, and a respectable markup by the distributor - the root price is very similar - so my Dealer gets our business.

But someone is seriously taking the piss here - and while they are, I'll never buy an EBMM from Oz - Never.
A quick calculation of Rob's quoted USA Silo price shows at least AU$800-1000 unaccounted for.
The markup on a BFR JP is off the scale.

Good Dealers can only do so much, but it all starts with them paying such a ridiculous premium for these instruments in the first place.

Although it's entirely expected, it's infuriating to see the rip-off practice continue with the SBMM range.

At least it appears there is no restriction on the US dealers selling direct to Australia.
We can land a Silo20 here for around ~AU$650 SHIPPED, and an AX40 for ~AU$850 SHIPPED straight from eBay - and at those prices, there are NO duties or Taxes.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Sterling-Sil...hash=item120412891429&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Sterling-AX4...r?hash=item5ad0cc1495&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

That'll sort the extortionate bastards out - the Aussie stock will go Stale.

I'll probably get slammed and regret this rant/hijack after the effects of a 4-shot espresso and a bad night's sleep have settled, but something's got to be done.

It's a massive injustice to EBMM, SBMM and the people that love and play them.

.