Sterling 5 String Spacing

[sjb]

Hello fellow Musicman bass lovers. I'm brand new to this forum but not new to my love for the Musicman Stingray Bass. I got my first one a '79 Stingray back in about 1982. I played them throughout the 80's. I switched over to Jazz Basses for a while and then when I made the transition to 5 string, I stuck with Jazz Basses because of my prefference for slightly wider string spacing.

I recently purchased a N.O.S. Sub 5 fretless that I just love. Narrower string spacing isn't as much of an issue if I'm playing strictly pizzicato, like on fretless. Anyhow, I'm loving the Musicman sound so much, especially now that I'm mainly playing Rock, that I've been thinking of getting a SR5. My Sub 5 kills even playing Rock; I have decent intonation. But, I need a SR5 with frets now.

I've been looking at some of the 20th Anniversary SR5's. I called EB customer service and was trying to find out if there were any plans for a more "Stingray-ish" 5 string, similar to the Sub 5. I was told that there was going to be a Sterling 5.

My question to all of you is this:

What would you like the Sterling 5 to look like in terms of features, design, etc.? From what I've heard, many of the details are still up in the air. Here's a chance to say what YOU want and maybe influence the future of what will probably be a GREAT bass!!!!!!!!!

Personally, I'd love to see wider string spacing. EB is going to continue to make the SR5. Why not have a wider string spacing option for those of us that grew up playing Fenders and Musicmans with 3/4" string spacing? 18mm would be a nice compromise; it's wide enough to play Funk but not so wide that it turns off some bassist that prefer slightly narrower string spacing.

As far as the pickguard goes I think that including the "Teardrop" shaped pickguard uninstalled would be a good idea. For those of us that like the feel of not too much space between the body and string, we could install it. It would also be cool to have a Musicman 5 that has that "Teardrop" shaped pickguard. For those that want to show off the wood/finish and/or don't like the pickguard, they can leave it off.

These are my thoughts. What do YOU think?

 

[Big Poppa]

I have posted on this it will have the same string spacing and the teardrop will be a permanent install...Sorry!

 

[INMT]

I think the strings should be so close together they are on top of each other. Call it "stacked spacing"

 

[MacD]

I'm sure this is obvious, but the "tear drop" pickguard is the one the Sterlings and SR4's currently come with, right?

 

[bovinehost]

I'm sure this is obvious, but the "tear drop" pickguard is the one the Sterlings and SR4's currently come with, right?

Yes. You might even say it's one of the most easily identifiable features.

This string spacing issue gets plenty of play from a rather vocal minority elsewhere on the 'net. I saw it come up for a vote once and it was like 8 out of 10 actually preferred the current string spacing.

So there's a lot of talk about wanting more spacing, but I think it turns out to be not quite as popular as one might think.

I think the current string spacing is more or less what we're going to get. For those of us who are comfortable with it, okay, no news is good news. Wider spacing fans are just going to have to adapt or go with something wider, I guess.

I vote for "adapt", by the way!

Jack

 

[high mileage]

From one of the previous posts I think the information is that the neck profile will be different. Hoping to try one myself when they come out.

 

[tkarter]

I was hoping it had a string and and octave like a mandolin does.


tk

 

[sjb]

Well, since it is a Sterling, it's no surprise that the bass will have an attached teardrop shaped pickguard. I'm happy about that one.

As far as string spacing goes; short of having "stacked string spacing". I guess the string spacing can't get any tighter. So again, no surprise; the string spacing on the Sterling 5 will remain at 11/16" (17.5mm). That's cool, I'm playing Rock these days. I don't need the wide spacing that makes playing Funk easier.

I'm starting to realize that I really am in the minority as far as string spacing preference goes. Jack, I'm sure that 8 out of 10 bassist did prefer the current string spacing in a poll. All I can say to the person that builds my Sterling 5, is this:

PLEASE GO EASY WHEN SANDING THE EDGES OF THE FINGERBOARD AND DON'T ROUND OFF THE ENDS OF THE FRETS TOO MUCH; I NEED EVERY LAST 1/100" OF THAT FRET/FINGERBOARD. THANK YOU.

Hey Sterling, don't worry, I won't pm you requesting 19mm (or even 18mm) spacing on the Sterling 5; I was originally planning to do that. I might be an a#@hole, but I'm not a knucklehead. Thanks for responding to my post.

 

[slucas]

Around these parts, a knucklehead is actually respected slightly more so than an a#@hole. I guess you'll figure that out sooner or later .

 

[bovinehost]

I'm starting to realize that I really am in the minority as far as string spacing preference goes. Jack, I'm sure that 8 out of 10 bassist did prefer the current string spacing in a poll.

This is what I think, anyway - that the advocates of wider spacing (or AWSs) are, in this case, the squeaky wheel.

I mean, this is above and beyond the obvious fact that Stingray 5s are ubiquitous in every possible musical niche. No one, whether they're an AWS or a Advocate of Regular Spacing (ARSe) really questions the overall success of the design.

And that vote came as a suprise to me, really, given how often I read "If only Ernie Ball would go with wider string spacing....." on Talkbass.

It's also odd to me to actually think of wider spacing as desirable - I adapted to Laklands for a while, but I never really enjoyed the spacing. This may be because I am strictly a fingerstyle player - I don't know.

What is the appeal of wider spacing?

Jack

 

[sjb]

Steve, I'm not either. It was just an attempt at some self-depricating humor, when I reffered to myself as an a#@hole. I'm out of the wide string spacing camp!



Jack, as far as string spacing goes, for me it boils down to style of playing. I joined a 10 piece Funk/RnB band, shortly after I made the transition to 5 string. It was easier for me to play Funk (with my thumb) on a bass that had wider string spacing. I think that that's the only appeal; at least for me. The Musicman 17.5mm spacing is fine for pizzicato (fingerstyle) playing; I love my SUB 5.

Given a choice, I would probably lean towards slightly wider spacing (like 18mm), it really doesn;t matter that much anymore to me. I also realize and accept that I am in the minority on this issue so I'm never going to bother bringing it up again.

Steve

 

[Big Poppa]

steve Im fine with you bringing it up and got your humor..I was serious when I apologised for the spacing not being what you wanted

Here is the deal If any bass would have wider spacing it would be the stingray...think of the sterling4 in relation to the stingray4 and that is what our goals are..the sterling is LIGHTLY narower neck and and the sterling will be a little "jazzier" neck

 

[strummer]

Steve, I'm not either. It was just an attempt at some self-depricating humor, when I reffered to myself as an a#@hole. I'm out of the wide string spacing camp!



Jack, as far as string spacing goes, for me it boils down to style of playing. I joined a 10 piece Funk/RnB band, shortly after I made the transition to 5 string. It was easier for me to play Funk (with my thumb) on a bass that had wider string spacing. I think that that's the only appeal; at least for me. The Musicman 17.5mm spacing is fine for pizzicato (fingerstyle) playing; I love my SUB 5.

Given a choice, I would probably lean towards slightly wider spacing (like 18mm), it really doesn;t matter that much anymore to me. I also realize and accept that I am in the minority on this issue so I'm never going to bother bringing it up again.

Steve

Steve, I'm not going to make fun of the fact that you are advocating a 0,5 mm widening of the string spacing, though it is soo tempting
The question I want to put to you is this: what is it (apart form familiarity) that makes you want wider string spacing? You say it's because it's easier to thumb slap, but I'd like you to be more specific if possible.
Yep, I'm curious, though maybe the answers will not make any sense to me as I can't slap worth sh*t.
Anyway, please elaborate

 

[sjb]

strummer,

My 5 string J-Bass has a bridge with 18mm spacing. The neck is also a consistent 1/8" wider from the nut to the last fret, compared to the SR5. Believe it or not, the .5mm does make a big difference for me when slapping. The G string also tends to not slip off of the edge of the fret, for all styles, since there's enough space with the additional 1/8" of fingerboard width.

The biggest problem for me (and many others) when playing Funk on basses with tighter string spacing is that it's harder to hit the string cleanly with the thumb. It's that simple.
It's also easier to pop the D string with my index finger with the additional space between it and the G string. I know that .5mm isn't much, but it is enough to make a difference for me.

18mm spacing is the minimum I'm comfortable slapping on. I've been playing bass for 30 years. The first 23 years I played Fender J Basses and Stingrays. I got very accustomed to having 19mm string spacing. When I made the transition to 5 strings, it was simply more comfortable to play the ones with wider spacing. Why should the string spacing get tighter with the addition of one more string?

I'm surprised that you're so tempted to make fun of the fact that I'm advocating a compromise between EB's 17.5mm spacing and full 19mm spacing. 18mm might be just enough to make EB basses accesible to those that are turned off by their string spacing. Since it's such a small amount it shouldn't bother you or anyone else, right???. The fact of the matter is .5mm is a significant amount. Everything is relative.

My whole point of starting this thread was to get feedback and see what my fellow bassist would want the new Sterling 5 to be like. I was in no way trying to put down those that like 17.5mm spacing. My original thought was that if there's enough support for something like slightly wider string spacing, EB might seriously consider offering one of their 5's with it.

In hindsight, this forum was probably the wrong place to do it. Everyone on this forum probably loves things just the way they are.

 

[Kristopher]

What's the string spacing on the Bongo 5? Wider than the Stingray 5? Is it the wider alternative?

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

If I am not mistaken, the string spacing decision has already been made. It does make sense that it be the same or smaller than the StingRay5 to reflect their 4-string counterparts. I can understand the request to offer a little more variety for those who like the SR5 but do not like spacing. I guess it's just one of the features of a EBMM 5-string bass: tight spacing.

Personally, I've always preferred slightly wider 4-string spacing but narrower 5-string spacing. I also find that what the taper is to the nut also has a great effect on the feel. So in certain cases, 19mm spacing at the bridge doesn't feel as wide as others.

I am looking forward to seeing what the Sterling 5 is like and how it differs from the SR5.

 

[sjb]

steve Im fine with you bringing it up and got your humor..I was serious when I apologised for the spacing not being what you wanted

Here is the deal If any bass would have wider spacing it would be the stingray...think of the sterling4 in relation to the stingray4 and that is what our goals are..the sterling is LIGHTLY narower neck and and the sterling will be a little "jazzier" neck

Hello Sterling,

Thanks so much for your responses. It's really nice to have this opportunity to communicate with you.

I agree with what you're saying about keeping the string spacing consistently narrower (at the nut and bridge) on the Sterling 5. And offering a slightly wider overall string spacing on the SR5. That's probably worth some serious consideration.

I'm thinking a 1 5/8" nut and 17.5mm saddle spacing on the Sterling 5. And a 1 3/4" nut and 18mm saddle spacing on the Stingray 5. The width of the neck at the last fret of the SR5 would need to be increased by 1/8" to 2 7/8"

What's your experience with this whole string spacing debate for 5 string basses? Do you agree with the statement that those that are in favor of wide string spacing are a "very vocal minority"? What do you hear at the NAMM Show? What do you hear from high profile bassist/artist?

Thanks,

Steve

 

[Big Poppa]

sjb Im not being a smart ass but if the majority preferred wider spacing then we would give the customer what they want.

 

[tkarter]

BP some how I have never seen you with a ruler or as a ruler.

tk

 

[sloshep]

After messing around in music stores with various 5 string spacings. The spacing that felt right was the one EBMM chose to use. I truly believe it is the best compromise between that nasty narrow spacing the Asians mtg. tend to like use (5/8) verses the full spacing of a 4 string (3/4).