I need a sedative

[Bluesbob]

Last night I'm playing my new Sterling (original strings, factory set-up) in Westhampton here on Long Island, by the water, sunset, bikinis... Nice gig. Anyway, the sun goes down and the fog rolls in. We have about 15 minutes to go and I'm having trouble playing up on the neck. I look down and the neck is bent backwards! I apply pressure at the point where it looks like its the most bent and push forward at the headstock and it seems to snap back, but I still can't play above the 12th fret. I limp through the rest of the last tune (Mr. Magic) and pack up. I spent all of this morning doing a total set-up, adjusting and re-adjusting, intonating and re-intonating, and now I think I have it playing better than ever. But it has not been a pleasant experience. Can anybody tell me if this has ever happened to you, what you did and what I can look forward to in the future? I really enjoy the tone and playability of my Sterling. Should I just resign myself to playing one of my trusty old Fenders in less than ideal conditions? Anybody have a Prozac?

 

[cgworkman]

Wow - I know that EB necks are a little more susceptible to humidity and what not - but I've never heard anything like that. I'm curious to hear what others have to say myself.

 

[Bluesbob]

Boompah

 

[crazybass888]

Thats strange. Of all my EBMMs, my Sterling is the Sherman Tank...

 

[bovinehost]

I've never had that kind of experience. I would hang on and see what Jon has to say.

 

[Psychicpet]

I just had to tweak my trussrod the other day due to the neck being a little too flat, my SR5 neck is definitely a little more finicky than other basses I've had but once you get the hang of minor adjustments it's like tweaking your carb' to get the mix just right and isn't too much of a panic situation.

 

[Bluesbob]

customer service

What's up with the MM customer service? I e-mailed them Sunday right before I started this thread. It's Tuesday and no answer. Are they too busy? Understaffed? On vacation?

 

[cgworkman]

I would try again - The e-mail might have been misdirected. 99.9999% of the tiem EB's customer service is top shelf.

Good luck,

 

[MrDigory]

*gets nervous about the decision to buy a sterling*

 

[midopa]

I would try again - The e-mail might have been misdirected. 99.9999% of the tiem EB's customer service is top shelf.

Good luck,

+ 0.0001%. Give good ol' 2000 Juan (jongitarz) a Private Message about it. I'm not sure about the email thing, but sometimes the posts are pushed off the main page by other threads. Bumping the thread was a good idea, but again PM jongitarz. He will help you out. He is teh 2000 Juan, you know.

 

[bovinehost]

I would call them. I mean on the actual phone.

 

[bassmonkeee]

I would imagine with NAMM this weekend that they are busier than usual, too.

 

[midopa]

OMG Hook me up with a pass, please.

 

[huber]

my parents are going to namm

 

[jongitarz]

Ok...First, I have never heard of a neck behaving like this one. I live and work in an area that has the same type of weather changes every day. It was said that it was worked on and tweeked and it's way better than it was when the owner got it. Is it still that way? I have yet to hear from the owner, and would be more than happy to help out. [email protected] or 1 866 823-2255. The forum is great for talk, but if you need help from us/me get in touch!

P.S Mrdigory...Don't be nervous about buying our product. We stand behind our instruments, and most problems are just setup issues that don't require anything other than a truss rod adjustment

And just so I don't get called an a**hole like in another thread in the past, all I am saying is if you guys need help with your instruments, we are there to help.

 

[MrDigory]

Well, before I sink my hard earned money into it, I still wanna play an actual Sterling. I have played a newer Stingray and it was supa fly. Sorry for derailing the thread...
Anyway, I found a place finally that actually has a Sterling in shop. I think I'll go and abuse them (try out the guitar with no intention of buying it FROM them).

 

[bovinehost]

This is a perfect example of what I tell people over and over (not you guys, most of you already know this).

There are lots of good basses out there. I myself own Fenders and Reverends and have been known to fondle Laklands and Modulus and so on. But very few companies (a) really stand behind their basses once money has changed hands and (b) where else are you going to find a resource like Jon?

I can tell you the answer - nowhere. THIS is the difference. THIS is what makes me continue to buy Music Man basses. You got a problem? It WILL get fixed.

Jon, I know we're buddies and I don't have to kiss up or anything, but hot damn, brother, it's good to have you on our side.

 

[Bluesbob]

I feel better now

I corresponded with Jon and he has reassured me so I'm going to take my Sterling back to the beach (The Beach Hut, Hampton Bays) this Sat. night. Hopefully the same thing doesn't happen. I will be sure to let you all know. Thanks to everyone for your help and encouraging words. I bought the Sterling in the first place because I loved the way it looked and played. I still love it and I want to use it as my #1 because of it's versatility, but mainly because it makes me a better player. Wish me luck.

 

[jongitarz]

Aw shucks....Just doin' my job

 

[Bluesbob]

I'm B-A-C-K !

Well, the gig at the beach was rained out, so I went on vacation for a while. But now I'm back and I have an outdoor shindig for this Saturday. So I will let everybody know how that one turns out. I see I'm not the only one experiencing humidity-related neck problems, so I'm hoping for a nice dry evening.