Sterling 5 Blueprint

[Mathil8]

Hey, I've been debating for sometime whether or not to try a custom build for a Sterling 5. I was curious if anyone had a blueprint they could post. If this isn't the forum for this kind of talk, could someone kindly point me in the right direction? Thanks .

 

[ErlendDL]

I'm not BP, but I'll go out on a limb and guess they don't share that kind of stuff with the general public.

Of course, I'm wrong on a regular basis, so...

 

[AtomicPunk]

Hey, can you send me the plans for your product so I can copy it?
Um....no.
Nice first post by the way.

 

[jlepre]

:::hiding in the corner::: *here it comes*

 

[bradfordws]

That's a strange question. I don't know any company that would have their "blueprints" available for copying. You could "try a custom build" but you'd have to work with the photos on the MM site and enlarge up to full scale. The Sterling 5 IS a nice design. I always thought of the Sterling as being similar to the old Sabre. I once had a custom shop make a custom 5 string that looked similar to the Sabre and it came out cool, but there were some design issues and I ended up selling it. That was before the Sterling 5 was released!

 

[Big Poppa]

Its sort of like asking to see ones wife daughter and mother naked. Sorry but you really cant compe here and ask us to make it easy for you to rip off our designs.

 

[Jim C]

If one had the chops to build an instrument from scratch, reverse engineering and creating prints is not very difficult.

Can you imgaine some guy working in his basement as being able to make a neck; ha

 

[Zenrad]

If one had the chops to build an instrument from scratch, reverse engineering and creating prints is not very difficult.

Can you imgaine some guy working in his basement as being able to make a neck; ha

Builders make more than necks in their basements, the neck is actually one of the easiest parts of a build. Not only was the neck in the photos below made by hand but all of the bindings and inlays were all hand cut. Took me a year. All of my builds come from my basement as do countless others by those far better than me.

The 1936 Hauser Classical below was built from the Brunee blueprint he made at the museum where Segovia's guitar resides. They allowed him to measure it for a few days and he made detailed blueprints. Many of us have made one but of course not a one sounds like the Hauser Segovia used.

To the OP - the point is, why bother blueprinting a MM bass just to build the same bass you could go out and buy for far less money? You will need very detailed blueprints. If you're going to do it yourself, well that's a different story. Building is a great experience, and while your first build will not come close to a MM it will still be a good experience. It's also worth considering that it won't sound like a MM without MM pickups and electronics. The preamp schematics are out there, but you'd need to make your own pickup - again IMO not worth the time and expense when you could just buy one.

Also maybe worth noting is that while I build instruments, I own a MM Sterling and it's become my favorite bass. There is something about the balance, feel and sound that just melts into my body and I'm able to "become one" with this thing as soon as I pick it up. It's the most comfortable bass I've ever played (my Jazz bass is a distant second), the sound is great and the build quality is stunning. The neck is absolutely amazing on mine - and I'm fussy about necks. Absolutely top notch fretwork on it. MM knows what they're doing and it would take a builder many years to reach that level, if ever.

I was going to build an electric bass but after getting my Sterling I see no need to do it.

Anyhow, if you're interested, the Guild of American Luthiers has some good info
G.A.L. Instrument Plans

 

[Jim C]

I was talking about the average guy building a solid body bass; realize an acoustic guitar is a different & harder animal and you sir are not the average kid trying to build a bass!