Limited Edition 2005 Sterling

[kevsatthebeach]

Hi... I'm a new kid in town. After several decades of playing Leo's first creations, I have finally joined the ranks of EBMM basses. Which is to say, playing them. Just picked up a 2005 Limited Edition Sterling. It's truly a beautiful instrument -- that great vintage yellow color. And it's an absolute joy to play. It's so clear that it was designed with incredible care and built with tremendous attention to detail. The pic doesn't do it justice.

Having monitored this site a bit, it's obvious that a wonderful community exists here. I hope no one will mind a noob asking a couple questions? First, where might I find instructions about changing the battery. And, secondly, what is the preferred approach to lowering the action. The nice guy I bought the guitar from had acquired it as an investment. It was pretty clear that he never played it. As such, it's been sitting in it's case and the action is really high. I've heard so much talk of the truss rod adjustments that I wanted to ask before doing anything.

Thank you, in advance of your responses, and thank you to everyone who brought such an incredible instrument into my hands.

_kev

 

[ras1983]

you may want to take it to a bass tech for the first setup.

otherwise, you can raise/lower the bridge saddles to raise/lower the strings.

adjusting the trussrod will affect the bow in the neck. if you have never set up a trussrod before, your new bass is not what you should be playing around with, because if you adjust the trussrod too much you could do serious damage to the neck.

btw, CONGRATS!

 

[Aussie Mark]

Setup instructions are in the FAQ on the Musicman section of the main Ernie Ball website. In terms of changing the battery, all you need to do is flip open the little rectangular battery cover on the rear of the body, and pop a new 9v in there.

 

[Aussie Mark]

By the way, that colour is called "buttercream"

 

[phatduckk]

hey man welcome aboard. great choice in basses ... ive got one just like it

actually i would vote for you toying with the truss rod. due to the changes seasons (temperature) since the bass was last set up it seems to me that you can easily get the action to factory spec (or to whatever you want) by turning the wheel.

the faq here says:

"Since the neck is finished only with gunstock oil and wax blend, it is more susceptible to humidity changes. An occasional truss rod adjustment will help keep your bass playing factory-new. If you are getting fret buzz (plugged in only, of course) raise the action by turning the trussrod wheel counter-clockwise, to lower the action turn it clockwise."

just turn it about a 1/4 turn, tune her up and play it for 1/2 hour or so. if its cool, then youre done. if not do it again. should be a snap.

setting these basses up is pretty easy. you can find info at: http://www.ernieball.com/faq_content.php?subjectcode=mm_basses or by searching around the forum

enjoy the new bass
-Arin

 

[PocketGroove82]

welcome to the forums, you picked up a beautiful piece there.
EBMM Bases are the easiest on the planet to setup! I learned all about the mysterious art of setting them up, but being really bored and fiddling around with them. But, now I feel very lucky and thankful that I didn't do any serious damage to my honeyburst test subject. So,
Even though all you'd really have to do is slap some new strings on, tune it up, give the trussrod wheel a turn clockwise (if the neck has a little curve to it) or adjust the saddle heights and intonate the bass.
I would recommend asking around and trying to find a reputable fix-it-guy, and letting him to it, and maybe ask if you can watch or if he can explain the process.

Then, you can check out some internet sites on the standard procedure for bass setups and give it a shot yourself. Just don't do anything crazy like take the neck off or put a Free Tibet bumper sticker on the back!

As for the battery. Just flick the little compartment open. Take out the old one, and see which way it fits in. Then slide a new one in and snap it shut.
Too easy Drill Sergeant!

 

[Jim_F]

Hi - and welcome to the forum.

Got a 2005 Ltd buttercream Stingray too - excellent choice of bass!

As already mentioned - changing the battery could not be easier, open the battery compartment (no screws ) and slide the old one out and pop the new one in - probably last a year ot two without having to change.

And if you are feeling adventurous, adjusting the action using the trussrod wheel is nice and easy compared to other basses I have set up - however I recommend getting an experienced guitar tech to set the bass up for the first time, just watch watch they do.
As fellow forumites have said - turn the trussrod wheel 1/4 of a turn at a time - let it rest, tune, then try the action again. You say the action is too high - turn the wheel clockwise to lower - but remember, small adjustments!

 

[Bill]

Welcome, and you have a gorgeous bass!

 

[Big Poppa]

99% of "set-up" issues are truss rod related. Ras the last thing I want people to be doing is raising and lowering the saddles. When we usually get a bass back at the factory for set-up the customer has usually taken the neck off shimmed it with matches messed with the saddles and ignored the truss rod.

Lets think this thing out....considering that every one of our instruments leave with a great set up and you dont change string gauges the only thing that can change is the neck relief. THis is usually weather related or climate shifts. Unless you atttack the truss rod like a wieght lifter you cannot damage the bass or the rod.

Just about ten days ago we had a customer that was just raising a huge stink about his bass not playing well many people tried to explain it to him and it got testy. Caca de kick and others jumped on the other guys bandwagon. He couldnt believe that he had to pay freight one way to the factory, wouldnt deal with his dealer (the guy who is paid to interface) it was ex[plained that if nothing was wrong as far as warranty is concerned that he would have to pay freight both ways and a minimal set up fee.

I told him that it was the truss rod...i even said trust me I have a fair amount of experience.....He sent it back it was a five minute truss rod adjustment. He used foul language at Dan in CS was livid that he was being charged as previously agreed upon...
His dealer was Beaver and Beaver went way above the call of duty and paid the frieght and set up fee. Funny no apology for berating CS and posting the derogatory thread
and stirring things up when it was a very basic normal adjustment.

THis is one example of why I dont like CS issues here...

Now back to the Noob....Great bass! I knowe the guy who its named after...keep a close eye on him.

 

[Caca de Kick]

That Buttercream is a special and beautiful color...I love mine.

EB has made their products very user friendly and top notch workmanship. Congrats!

 

[kevsatthebeach]

Thank you all so much for the help. What a nice group of people. Maybe it's 'cause we're all in love with the same thing.

 

[Mobay45]

Maybe it's 'cause we're all in love with the same thing.

????? Ourselves?

Just kidding. Nice bass. I had a BC Bongo until a few days ago. Great looking basses.

 

[Big Poppa]

larry what happened to your bc bongo>?

 

[TSanders]

larry what happened to your bc bongo>?

He sees EVERYTHING.

 

[tkarter]

larry what happened to your bc bongo>?

It didn't come to Kansas BP.

tk

 

[scottbass71]

Welcome and enjoy the ride

 

[Mobay45]

larry what happened to your bc bongo>?

It was heavy (11 lbs.) so I let it go to a new home since I found something else that I wanted.

Of course I don't know how long this something else will last with you having decided to do the 20th SR5 in Blue Dawn.

 

[Big Poppa]

and just what is that something else? Coward!

 

[RockinRayDuke]

EBMM basses are absolutely the easiest basses to adjust and setup, got a SR shipped to me today that was setup to my taste in 5 minutes. But IMO everyone who plays an instrument needs to find out some basic maintenance facts. There's plenty of info available on the net.

Jack and I were discussing a while back how many basses in the forums have been traded away because people didn't know how to set them up properly and assumed there was something not right with the bass.

Wish I could have wangled that BC from you Larry.

 

[Mobay45]

and just what is that something else? Coward!

I just didn't want to abuse your forum.

But since you asked, it's a Skjold Design bass that I actually played about 2 1/2 years ago that became available again.