2008 Sterling HH

[Homeoftheben]

Ok, so I picked up a Sterling HH on Black Friday. Went in looking for deals on Elixirs, came out with them attached to something with Music Man stamped across it =)

Anyway, I had to head back to school a day after the purchase, and, with much difficulty, decided to leave it at home while I finished up my exams (the dorm is not kind to musical equipment). After getting here though, I've been looking at reviews online- and I ran across about 4 or 5 really horrible ones. People disgusted with the sound, the construction, etc. I was wondering why that is? Every other review I've seen has been great- most people really love their Sterlings. Any idea why the odd reviews out?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Ben

 

[iamcatwarrior]

Welcome to the forum!

Just out of curiosity, where did you see these bad reviews? I would agree that people really love their Sterlings (and Bongos, and Stingrays, etc.) and a lot the folks on this site post just to say that, but I have very rarely seen anything on the EBMM forums that conveys the opposite.

Not everyone is going to fall in love with just one bass. I'm happy that there is greater than only one company who makes basses besides Music Man, because different things appeal to different people. For these folks who didn't care for them (Sterlings), I'm sure they eventually found what they were looking for.

BTW, congrats on the purchase of the Sterling HH; I just got another myself from a guy on here. Could we see some pics in the gallery? A tone report?

 

[Homeoftheben]

Thanks!

Yeah, I played it for about an hour before purchase, and (not being that big of a compulsive buyer) it really surprised me with how quick I fell in love with it. And trust me, as soon as I can get home and take them, pics will be shared for all

A good example of the bad reviews can be found here, on Harmony Central.

Thanks for the quick reply too!

 

[Homeoftheben]

(Not sure if my other post went through?)

Thanks for the quick reply!

Yeah, I definitely fell in love with the Sterling- took about an hour to get me paying at the front =) Most of the bad reviews I found here though:
Ernie Ball Sterling HH: Harmony Central User Reviews

Thanks again for the help!

Ben

 

[nashman]

Ben,

For every bass - or amp - or cab - or whatever, there will be people that like it and people who don't. Stand outside a movie theatre and ask those leaving what they thought about the movie - given an appropriate sample, you will get mixed results. What matters is - did you like the movie - or bass - or amp - or cab - or whatever. Don't second guess your excellent decision - it's natural to wonder what could have been - I do the same when I make any major purchase - like a car. Just remember why you made your decison and don't second guess - it takes all the fun out of it!

 

[Frantic Slayer]

huh, that sounds ridiculous to me.

first let me comment on the clicky bit.

A: his amp is clipping
or
B: he is really digging in, however this has only happened to me when i plugged it into crappy amps, and was quickly remedied by a slight roll of the treble knob. so i dont think that has anything to do with the bass.

now about the tone complaints.

yes MM basses are a bit aggressive, and edgy, but thats thats part of the reason why we love them!

its not for everyone, my teacher, who is a very good bassist imo, admits that while the MM tone is not for him, that they are in fact, really really nice basses

edit: oh yea, i almost forgot, we have a rule around here: no pics no bass!

we want pics!!!!

 

[oli@bass]

I read through the reviews and have to wonder... why did 3 of the 4 reviewers buy this bass in the first place?! I mean, if they hate the tone, the looks and feel that much. Also, review 3 seems to be more or less a copy of review 2.

 

[Frantic Slayer]

I read through the reviews and have to wonder... why did 3 of the 4 reviewers buy this bass in the first place?! I mean, if they hate the tone, the looks and feel that much. Also, review 3 seems to be more or less a copy of review 2.

I was beginning to wonder the same thing myself, what do they walk into a music store and go: "hrmm, I hate the way this one looks...ahhh I hate the way it sounds too! ... I know! I have a good idea! Ill buy it!" I mean come on!

edit: on second thought, you can just discard the reviews, because its obvious that they have brain damage in the first place

 

[Duarte]

I had a thread about this before:

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/32005-hh-sterling-reviews-whats-up.html

Welcome to the forum, guy with awesome bass.

 

[oli@bass]

I went back to HC to read some reviews on the StingRay HH, the model I currently like most (and have two of). And again, it makes me wonder why some of the reviews are that bad except for that the writers simply rather would have something else. It would also be interesting to know what kind of strings were on these instruments, how often they've been (ab)used before, whether they came new from the factory and so on. I've play quite some StingRays but "lifeless" and "bland" was not a term I'd associate with any of them -- except if the strings on them were just dead. And about the HH not being able to sound the same as a single H is simply wrong ( I own a couple of those as well, so I did compare).

It seems that many of those "reviewers" have very little knowledge of instruments in general, and don't take into account that instruments are made out of wood. A material where no two cuts are identical, so no two basses will ever sound exactly the same. For example, my 2006 HS, the 2007 H and the 2007 HH all sound a bit different on the common bridge humbucker. But guess what: They also sound very different unamplified! And that character of the wood can be found in the amplified sound as well. And again the mahogany body 30th Anniversary and the ash body with maple top 20th Anniversary models will each have their own character as well. It's in the wood! And that holds true for any instruments made out of wood -- even those that cost 2 or 3 times as much as an EBMM bass (been there -- owned some).

Anyway, don't worry, if you like your bass, and it sounds and plays good to you, then just enjoy it!

 

[Homeoftheben]

edit: oh yea, i almost forgot, we have a rule around here: no pics no bass!

we want pics!!!!

Hahaha- I'll do my best to get them up soon. I think my first day back is going to spent playing though

Thanks to everyone who commented though- I feel about 10 times more sure about my purchase now-- and I really can't wait to get back home to it. You'd think my professors would understand how important a new HH is......

 

[bovinehost]

Harmony Central reviews are where disgruntled ass-hats go to vent. People complain about Talkbass, but Harmony Central makes TB seem like a Mensa convention.

As far as the vast majority of those reviews go, I think I recognize the writing style of people I've banned here. Unfortunately, there are people who simply don't play well with others, and once they've been forced out of the herd - well, suddenly that wonderful instrument they couldn't talk enough about becomes a glaring reminder of their socialization problems.

Ah, but enough of that. Besides, we're more fun than Harmony Central.

Let's see that bass!

Jack

 

[iamcatwarrior]

Harmony Central reviews are where disgruntled ass-hats go to vent. People complain about Talkbass, but Harmony Central makes TB seem like a Mensa convention.

Harmony Central? Oh, what a surprise! Yeah, I'd say "ass-hats" is the right word for these people.

 

[Psycho Ward]

I don’t know how H-C reviews could mean anything. If I went by their reviews everything I own is junk. And what I consider to be junk is held in holy reverence there.

I came to EBMM basses in my quest for a better bass, based on what sounded and felt better to ME and I have 10 EBMM’s now. Before I discovered EBMM I went thru several basses, lost a lot of money on them too. But every EBMM I’ve ever bought sounded great right out of the box to me. The other basses that I’ve kept all had to have modifications though they reviewed well at H-C.

Trust only your ears I say.

 

[fidooda]

i'm pretty sure those reviews are coming from people that only did a quick test drive of the instruments in a store (hint: where the price paid is marked unknown).

 

[Grand Wazoo]

Harmony Central reviews are where disgruntled ass-hats go to vent. ...

People complain about Talkbass, but Harmony Central makes TB seem like a Mensa convention.

Jack

Jack you crack me up mate very funny but... some of your lingo could be greek to us Brits, can you please elaborate on the definition of an ass-hat? Never heard that term. Thanks

 

[bovinehost]

I have found a number of definitions for "ass-hat".

1. One whose head is so far up their rear end it could pass for a hat; used to describe a person who is stubborn, cruel, or otherwise unpleasant to be around.

2. A general term for someone who carries out actions with such stupidity that they might as well wear their ass as a hat.

3. Someone so incredibly stupid and/or ignorant that everything above their waist is useless; i.e. a hat for their ass.

I strive to be helpful!

the going completely hatstand,

Jack

 

[GGK]

Ok, so I picked up a Sterling HH on Black Friday. Went in looking for deals on Elixirs, came out with them attached to something with Music Man stamped across it =)

Anyway, I had to head back to school a day after the purchase, and, with much difficulty, decided to leave it at home while I finished up my exams (the dorm is not kind to musical equipment). After getting here though, I've been looking at reviews online- and I ran across about 4 or 5 really horrible ones. People disgusted with the sound, the construction, etc. I was wondering why that is? Every other review I've seen has been great- most people really love their Sterlings. Any idea why the odd reviews out?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Ben

Hey Ben, welcome.
I too read those reviews from HC prior to buying my Sterling. I know that for some, the EBMM tone may not be for them and can understand that. But when the description of Quality and Wood selection came up, I knew the reviewer was daffed. I don't know much, but two things I do know, 1) love the EBMM tone, and 2) their products are higly constucted of high quality wood and components.
Great choice

 

[Big Poppa]

THese are disenfranchised banned people trying to get even....I can see a bad review if it isnt your cup of tea but these guys tip their hand when they take the review beyond reality.

 

[Grand Wazoo]

I have found a number of definitions for "ass-hat".

1. One whose head is so far up their rear end it could pass for a hat; used to describe a person who is stubborn, cruel, or otherwise unpleasant to be around.

2. A general term for someone who carries out actions with such stupidity that they might as well wear their ass as a hat.

3. Someone so incredibly stupid and/or ignorant that everything above their waist is useless; i.e. a hat for their ass.

I strive to be helpful!

the going completely hatstand,

Jack

Thank you for your concise clarification, this gave me the correct picture of the meaning of an ass-hat. (You should list it on wikipedia, y'know?)

And here are the British equivalents

1. One whose head is so far up their rear end it could pass for a hat; used to describe a person who is stubborn, cruel, or otherwise unpleasant to be around.

1.a - A complete and utter wanker

2. A general term for someone who carries out actions with such stupidity that they might as well wear their ass as a hat.

2.a - see 1.a

3. Someone so incredibly stupid and/or ignorant that everything above their waist is useless; i.e. a hat for their ass.

3.a - see 1.a

Often one word round here says a thousand things

p.s.: to avoid repeating 1.a you could always ad-lib with more colourful alternatives such as: tosser, f###wit, tw#t, #u#t, #o#k, kn#b, pr#ck, asswipe, and so on... depending on the mood of the moment.

Cheers mate