I don't like the Sterling...

[zuma]

I don't like the Sterling...because I just played one and I really, really liked it. It really messed me up. I don't need this! Here I thought I was done with skinny necks...all I have looked at in this past year is 5 strings and wide, flat necks. When my eyes saw a Sterling I just said "next."

So I was at Guitar Center Pasadena just now looking for the new coated strings (which they don't have yet) and I thought, Hmmm that's the first "Sterling by MusicMan" bass I've seen. I ought to try it. Oh crap! It's a Sterling. I'm not going to like it. But, something inside me said go ahead man just play it. It was awesome! You know when you grab a bass and all of a sudden you just start playing some really cool, fresh stuff?! Well, that's what happened. Granted, it had very fresh strings but I could tell it was a real winner. It was a player's bass - simple black bass with a plain maple neck.

I guarantee you that if you were blindfolded you would say it was a regular Sterling, not the SB14. The 3 way lever sounded best to me when it was closest to me. Not sure what that position is but it sounds damn good. Time to sell a bass or two!

 

[Kristopher]

on my last visit to GC I picked up one of those Sterling by Musicman SB14 basses and I was blown away. I own three different Sterling basses at the moment and the SB bass sounded just as tight and clear as any of them. The tone and construction were right on.

 

[five7]

I know what you mean!

 

[TheAntMan]

I tried the Ray34 by SBMM and it was as awesome as my Stingray 4H. These are fantastic instruments. Tone was sweet, feel was smooth, looks are killer and price is perfect. Can't ask for more.

-- Ant

 

[Yango]

Yeah, EBMM certainly does have that effect.

I was a long time Fender Jazz guy, but had never been happy with the tone of the bass. One day I'm at my local music store, just poking around, and one of the sales guys suggests that I might want to look at the Musicman line. I tried a Stingray, and thought, "hmmmmmm, nice" and he says why not try the Sterling? I did, and man, it felt like I'd been playing this instrument for 20 years... it just felt like home—and the tone was sweet, punchy and tight... heaven. An extra bonus is that the attention to detail and overall quality of EBMM instruments is head and shoulders above anything out there.

Needless to say, I bought the Sterling, and I'm still crazy about it. I recently traded that Jazz Bass for a minty Stingray, which, much to my surprise—despite having a slightly heftier neck, is still a blast to play. It actually makes me play different patterns and runs than I normally do, which is very cool.

Something else that's kind of strange, is that I've always been a one bass kind of guy... now I'm rotating two, and I'm thinking about getting a third... I'm considering a 4 string Sterling HS now. So it goes...

Actually, if there's anyone out there that's got both a Sterling H and HS, I'd love to hear your opinion on how the tone of the two compares/differs. My local music store only seems to stock either H or HH, so I haven't been able to try the HS.

 

[zuma]

I'll add this to mix and begrudgingly so...I just put some fresh EB Slinkys on my G&L 1505 and though it's not a bad sounding instrument at all, its preamp is just miles behind the Ernie Balls'. It's my opinion of course and I'm not trying to bring another manufacturer in to the mix but it's just so hard to see why Leo could have started such a beautiful sound with the Stingray then create something so different preamp wise. I'll leave it at that.

I'm sure this isn't news to anyone here but my realization is that although there is certainly a beauty and a magic to the placement of the single H pickup, they really benefit from a good warming up with some active bass magic. It needs an active preamp for the sound I hear in my head. A two pickup bass can get away with being passive because you have some natural thunder in the neck pickup.

Keep in mind I don't play live that much anymore which means I just about always play through a computer interface and my studio monitors. I bring that up because I don't get to enhance my sound with my amplifier's eq section. I am VERY used to this way of hearing my basses. Even when I go to Guitar Center I set everything flat and just make sure my input level is good. It's important for me to be able to get 90% of my sound with just my bass. Ernie Balls do that!

I need $700 for that SB14...what to sell, what to sell?

Oh, and I do like them Slinkys! They sort of have a natural mid scoop and they seem to glide. I imagine the new coated ones must be REAL slippery.

 

[7broccos]

BONGO

 

[AnthonyD]

Sterling was my first EBMM love... Can't go wrong...

 

[zuma]

BONGO

Sell my Bongo or get one? I'm not sure what you mean but I don't think I'm selling the Bongo just yet. I would trade it for a single H but that's about it.

 

[Basscake]

It took me a while to figure it out, but I think it's the ceramic pickups that I'm digging.

I love the tone of my 99 SR5 with ceramics.

While looking for a 4-string counterpart I found out that the Sterling comes closer to that tone that any 4s Stingray.

 

[oli@bass]

It's important for me to be able to get 90% of my sound with just my bass. Ernie Balls do that!

Amen to that!

And although I like to process my bass sound using different preamps and effects, I still consider the natural bass to be the most important source of the sound. Without a proper onset, all additional tweaking is useless anyway. IMO.

 

[zuma]

Amen to that!

And although I like to process my bass sound using different preamps and effects, I still consider the natural bass to be the most important source of the sound. Without a proper onset, all additional tweaking is useless anyway. IMO.

And what a great tone you have. Is that a fretless on the song "Skaramouche?"

 

[lomky]

I love love love my Teal Sterling 4!!!

 

[LuvMusic]

You know when you grab a bass and all of a sudden you just start playing some really cool, fresh stuff?! Well, that's what happened. Granted, it had very fresh strings but I could tell it was a real winner. It was a player's bass - simple black bass with a plain maple neck.

I guarantee you that if you were blindfolded you would say it was a regular Sterling, not the SB14. The 3 way lever sounded best to me when it was closest to me. Not sure what that position is but it sounds damn good. Time to sell a bass or two!

First time posting on this forum and Zuma's experience describes nicely why I'm here. Stopped at GC and was playing a Sterling. Saw a SBMM SB14 (blue though, not black). Started playing it. The result....it followed me home:

Looking forward to learning more about EB basses from the community!

 

[shakinbacon]

First time posting on this forum and Zuma's experience describes nicely why I'm here. Stopped at GC and was playing a Sterling. Saw a SBMM SB14 (blue though, not black). Started playing it. The result....it followed me home:

Looking forward to learning more about EB basses from the community!

stunning

and the furniture ain't bad either

 

[Jazzbassman23]

I love love love my Teal Sterling 4!!!

Now that I can relate to.

 

[Powman]

I was thinking of getting another MM bass. I have a Sterling (Not a Sterling by MM, but a MM Sterling. Am I the only one who finds this a bit confusing?). I want to string it up with flats to get a different sound.

Anyhow, this thread got me thinking that I think I might just check out these Sterling by MM basses...

 

[LuvMusic]

I was thinking of getting another MM bass. I have a Sterling (Not a Sterling by MM, but a MM Sterling. Am I the only one who finds this a bit confusing?). I want to string it up with flats to get a different sound.

Anyhow, this thread got me thinking that I think I might just check out these Sterling by MM basses...

Yes....the naming is confusing!

FYI, I just put a set of SIT Silencers on my SBMM SB14. These strings are "flattened" rounds to provide a smoother, quiter feel. Stings sound great (alot like slinkys) and you do get less string noise.

I am a flat fan but didn't want to change the voice of the Sterling bass. That said, I have a fresh set of Chromes waiting if I decide I don't like the SIT strings.

I think you should check-out a Sterling by MM. I played both the US and Chinese versions before I bought. Expense was a consideration when I purchased the bass. If I could have afforded a new USA Sterling at the time, I probably would have bought it....the feel of the materials is just different.

That said, the Chinese Sterling does sound like a Sterling should, was well setup (QC done in the US) and IMHO is an EXCELLENT value!