HS Sterling or HH Stringray (4 Stringer)

[natselection]

Which would you opt for, and why?

 

[Bass Control]

HS Sterling:
1) Slimmer neck profile that "jazz hands" will be familiar with
2) HS configuration for classic Stingray tone along with single coil tones and other tones that you can't get from basses with two humbuckers.

 

[phatduckk]

oh wow. i have both and love them both.

both are top notch in quality for sure and both sound amazing in different ways.

personally i think the HS Sterling is the best bass ever made... and the HH SR4 is the second best bass ever made. everyone here knows in nuts about Sterlings so they'll alwats be my fav.

now forget why i like them... but here's a bit of advice:

1) they have different necks... dramatically different IMHO. a neck's profile cannot be EQ's or altered, it is what it is. make this a major part of your consideration

2) the sterling's more aggressive than the ray when they're both at "flat" (no EQ)

to me those are the major points to consider... and thats why the Sterling suits me better. the HH SR4 is a close second

 

[Goofball Jones]

Why no HS Stingray? That's what I picked. I like the single coil neck position a lot. The only think I wish they would do though is in position #4 they would have coils 1&3 instead of 2&3...but it's a minor quibble.

Sounds great too.

 

[roballanson]

For me its the HS set up as well, especially on the Stingray. It is the surgeon's knife to the HH's jack hammer. Will cut through any mix like a knife through butter.....

 

[newtley]

Sterling HS talking points

1) "sits in the mix" extraordinarily well with neck pickup
2) belligerent as all get-out bridge pickup
3) "personality galore" in positions 2-4
4) I'm much more of a series-tone guy in general
5) My SR4 single H is killer as-is when I want the parallel vibe; whereas my 2 previous single H Sterlings always left me wanting a little more. The HS config is the total deal. Don't miss the parallel setting of the single H Sterling.
6) I do however prefer the wider nut of the SR4..
7) Wouldn't mind seeing alnico p/u's for the Sterling to ever so lightly tame the belligerence..
8) I treat my 2 MMs as different beasts altogether; Slinkys on the SR; flats on the sterling. For me it's like having both a Swiss Army Knife as well as a Buck knife..both do what they were designed for with aplomb..

my $.02 +/-

 

[Kristopher]

Since I have a Sterling HS on order, I'm going to have to side with that one.

Only two more months of waiting, woo hoo!

 

[natselection]

thanks guys for the tips, i will probably settle in with the sterling HS AFTER i try it out first =)

 

[Moondog]

SR4HH is the winner for me here.
-prefer alnico/tone
-like my SR4HH slightly better than my SR4HS
-prefer larger neck - the Sterling got uncomfrotable for me after a while.
-Sterlings are for girls I'm kidding

 

[n!k]

SR4HH

Gotta love that beefy double bucker tone. Also a plus if you like more sub-bass response. Although the neck / feel should be your primary concern.

 

[Dr Stankface]

HS Sterling.

It rocks.

 

[natselection]

poking around on other forums, like talk bass, i hear that the single H sterling is the way to go. apparently if you want two humbuckers, go for G&L? i'm not exactly sure what to do now. i'm back to the drawing board with

HS Sterling
H Sterling
HH Stingray
H Stingray

darn! i gotta find a place that has all of these

 

[bovinehost]

poking around on other forums, like talk bass, i hear that the single H sterling is the way to go. apparently if you want two humbuckers, go for G&L?

I'm a big fan of single H basses, but then I also think, "How many effin' tones do you want a bass to produce?"

Because at some point, it's a damned bass and it goes "thump thump thump".

G&Ls are fine instruments. No sex appeal, though, IMO. Talk Bass will make you grow hair on your palms*. Be careful over there.

Jack

*Disclaimer: Talk Bass will not make you grow hair on your palms. There are other side effects, however.

 

[newtley]

...it's a damned bass and it goes "thump thump thump".

well sure Jack, that does indeed have merit..but what about for those gigs when yawanna go (in no particular order)
thomp thomp thomp
thimp thimp thimp
bow bow bow bow..bow bow
weedly weeedly weeedly weeeeee
mmmmwwwwaaaahhhhh mmmmwwwwaaaahhhh
rumblerumble buzzzbuzzzz
thwackety thwackety thwack

 

[mynan]

Could we get that in an mp3 format???

 

[newtley]

Could we get that in an mp3 format???

I think all I have is mp1..

 

[SquidLizard]

I don't know from a Stingray HH. But my Sterling HS is an incredible bass. I can get a rich low thump for reggae that has some "bloom" to it, for lack of a better word. I can get a classic rock or R&B tone, it sounds great with a little distortion, and I can get a brighter tone as well. The gorgeous mid-range cuts right through, and sounds wonderful doing it. I personally think this bass can stand up next to anything out there and make Ernie Ball proud.

In my book the lower weight is a good thing, especially for a longer gig. You're certainly not losing any tone. I also like the neck a lot. It's fast and the thickness front to back isn't too much. Not sure how the Stingray measures up -- I played my friend's a bit and it felt good but for me to really tell I need to play for a couple of hours. It hurts the top of my thumb if a neck is too thick. I don't slap, but I believe the neck isn't as wide as a Stingray so that's a consideration.

I bought the Sterling HS after reading many posts here about it. I sure happy I did. I'm not sure why you'd pick a single H Sterling over an HS. The single H Sterling is a great bass -- don't get me wrong. But I sold my single H. I found the HS more versatile. The two pickups together are so rich sounding, and there's so much you can do with the different switching combinations.

I feel safe telling you to play whatever you can in person and see which one's more comfortable for you. And then buy the Sterling HS.

 

[natselection]

bump! so far i'm goin towards the sterling hS

 

[Fraxture]

Because at some point, it's a damned bass and it goes "thump thump thump".

Well last night the group I was playing with was impressed with all the sounds I pulled out of my HH Sterling without even touching the amp. I think having it at your fingertips and keeping the hands off the stack as much as possible is a huge plus.

But I picked Sterling because I love it's sleek design.

 

[Goofball Jones]

Still don't understand why you're differentiating between a Sterling HS and the Stingray HH.

Why are the Sterling HH and the Stingray HS not on the table?