new sterling bass player---i need your help

[donna]

hi all,

i just bought a pre owned sterling, which the person only had it for about 5 mos.

anyway, this is the first bass that i couldn't figure out just exactly what the contols do. i got the volume control down pat, tho. and i kinda feel that i know which one is the tone control--don't know for sure tho. i also have no idea as to how the 3 position switch works or what it does--help.

i used it at rehearsal last night and just ran all controls full on. it still had the original strings on it and i'm pretty sure that tonight it is going to get a set of ti flats that i have around here.

oh, i almost forgot. i was here last night before rehearsal and read some of the more recent threads and the eb faq. i adjusted the truss rod and checked the intonation and adjusted the d string.

i luv this bass. super high quality and it seems to just fit me perfectly! i luved the way that the neck felt and played.

could any of ya give me some pointers as to what everything does on this bass? i've got a gig tomorrow night and would luv to use it.

oh, i also have 2 p basses, 1 of which is the hotrodded one, and 2 g&l's.

thanx much all,

~donna~

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Hi donna,

On the control plate are 4 knobs.......

The first is the Volume....at the front. Working back, you then have the Treble, then the Mid Range and finally the Bass.

Also built into the body is a 3-way lever pickup selector......

position #1 - both coils in series mode
position #2 - single coil
position #3 - both coils in parallel mode

Putting aside the volume controll, all the other controls will affect the way your Bass will sound.

As to settings???....that will be a matter of experiment...how you want the instrument to sound. There's endless posibilities.

Perhaps the best way to go about it would be to set the treble, mid and bass to their centre position. As these are rotated you'll feel an indent...that is the centre position. Also, set the 3-way lever to the middle position.

After you have set up your preferred tone on the main power amp.....again, endless possibilities (I aim for full bass and 3/4 treble).....you can then experiment, bit by bit with all the controlls on your Sterling Bass.

Easy...hey.....

PS...I don't have a Sterling and have never played one but if I picked one up I'd probably try this first.....put the 3-way selector in the third position, turn the bass knob to full on, the treble to either 3/4 or full on and mid to 3/4. It's all a matter of preference. Some say that you get a deeper sound with the coils in series (3-way selector in 1st position). As to volume, I'd probably select more than what I wanted on the main power amp and then control over all volume with the vol knob on the Sterling.

 

[donna]

hi rod,

thanx much for the quick info. boy! do i feel ignorant. vol., treble, mid range, and bass----it all makes perfect sense now. -- and the 3 way switch deal, thankyou.

i'm gonna go and put my ti flats on now and then check everything out.

again, thankya much! )

~donna~

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

this may help as well.......

http://www.ernieball.com/mmonline/techinfo/controls/cfd_sterling.gif

 

[bovinehost]

I want to know how Rod got to be a senior member! I suspect bribery. Come to think of it, I don't know what sort of member I am. (NO SNICKERING)

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

LOL....

 

[SWR_n_EB]

donna, first of, congrats on the Sterling, i have one aslwell, very sweet.

now, here is what i have to say...but u don't really have to pay attentiuon to it, because it's my opinion. neways, i like the bass on my amp to be at 3/4 or a little less. i say this because if u pump the bass on ur amp and bass, the sound can get a little muddy, and it's hard to distinguish the differences between notes. i find when i play fast i lower the bass and add midrange. but if i play in drop D i love to pump the bass, mainly if i play a Heart Shaped BOx...but any tool, i lower the bass. but no matter what..i always the have the midrange on full, because i cut though so much better. another raeson i love MM's is thier abilty to cut through like a machette through paper!

this is my experiance with my workingman's 15, of course, if u have 10 or 12 inch speakers, it may react differently.

and as for the flat wounds..i sya no, because they are only good for upright and fretless. i find them to be very dull sounding IMHO. i think it would almost be a crime to do... i say some superslinky's or regular slinkys, and if the person before u didn't register...u can get a free pair of stirng from EB!

Good luck, and remeber, it's only suggestions and opinions, and only u can find the tone u want.

 

[dwf1004]

Your member level is based upon how many posts you have entered onto the forum. Rod got the status of "senior member" by simply creating threads overnight, when the forum was dead, then simply posting thousands of "hi" and "me too!", as well as "haXoR" posts, then deleting them well before any of us were a bit to the wise of his antics.

Now that my lame attempt at humor is over, Rod got there by posting...a lot. I personally plan on referring to him from this point forward as "The Serial King".

He's the god of pre-EB information, serial #'s, parts, etc., and EB stuff too! He has handled many inquiries of that regard, and occasionally (since they're just as good, but hit a blank about pre-EB stuff sometimes) answering a question or so that EBMM couldn't answer. You have a question about pre-EB stuff? Talk to Rod.

We hate him, he's that good. But this forum is only that much better with a resource like him here.

*bows before RT*

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

>>>>>>We hate him, he's that good.


Heeeeehheeeee....I just make it all up.....

 

[dwf1004]

Well then...that pretty much explains EVERYTHING.

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

wonder how donna went?

 

[donna]

hi guys,

please accept my apology for coming on here, asking for help, getting it, and then running like----.

Rod Trussbroken,

thankya much for the link. i just copied it to put it into my files.

i put my ti flats on thurs. night, but i didn't use the sterling at the gig. i just had this feelin'. also, i hadn't checked the string height or the pup height yet. but it did play and sound nice tho.

fri. night's gig went pretty well---alot better than i expected it to.

SWR_n_EB,

thanx much for your help. i play the bass using a pick and have always used flatwounds except for a brief period when i used 1/2 wounds---i can't even remember if i liked them or not--it's an age thing anyway, i happened to stumble onto the fender forum and after reading what all those folks had to say, i decided to try them again. they seemed to give me a closer sound to what i was looking for. but, i will say this, i pretty much can get my same sound out of anything that i play.

i bought the sterling because of the quality that i felt it had after playing one at a music store, i did not play it thru an amp tho. i luved the slightly smaller body and the neck. it was me.

i also am using 2 avatar 2x10 cabinets and a mesa boogie 400+ head. i also have the mesa 2x15 rr cabinet, but because things are starting to seem a little heavier to me, i've decided that the 2 2x10 cabs are easier for me to transport.

well guys, i hope to talk with ya all later,

~donna~

 

[SWR_n_EB]

good to hear u like the Sterling, and coincidently... i bought mine for the same reason.