Sterling Owners Chime in..

[MK Bass Weed]

Those in the KNOW about H vs the HS..

Not what's better..but...

If you have an HS do you "MISS" the Parallel mode of the Single H mode?

I have the Ray5 HH...and have that sound but want a 4 and looking at the Sterling...thinking about HS...but I do LOVE the H...

Wondering if I'm going to miss that mode.

Let me know what choo think, and mainly experienced..

 

[Golem]

Those in the KNOW about H vs the HS..

Not what's better..but...

If you have an HS do you "MISS" the Parallel mode of the Single H mode?

I have the Ray5 HH...and have that sound but want a 4 and looking at
the Sterling...thinking about HS...but I do LOVE the H...

Wondering if I'm going to miss that mode.

Let me know what choo think, and mainly experienced..

Most of us here have multiple MMs so ... do I "MISS" the Parallel
mode of the Single H model ?. Well no, not when I've chosen to
play that night a Sterling instead of a StingRay ... AND, I have
willingly swapped the Parallel mode for access to my fave switch
setting which is 2 outa 3 coils, the bridge coil being silent. I have
owned single PU "1H" Sterlings, but I prefer the HS [got a pair].
I still have Parallel mode on one Sterling, but I don't really care
too much what mode its 3-way switch is in, since I play that one
at about 70/30% favoring the piezo bridge PUs

I might just dig the 1Hp more than the HS, but it's a close call.
The Hp is about $250 more than an HS [4-string] but if you feel
you might reeeeaaally miss Parallel mode, mebby you should
seriously consider an Hp.

Acoarst it all depends on your band's sound. In a trashy loud
bar scene, just play whatever ax appeals appearance-wise to
the ladies [if we can call them that] ;-) Assuming you play in a
more musical sounding band, if you can try out an Hp, try it !

 

[MK Bass Weed]

Thanks Golem,

I dig Jennifer Young's sound from the Travis Larson Band...seems to be her favored setting in the live performance mode.

Then again..I do have the Ray HH already..hmmm

 

[tunaman4u2]

I've had a lot of Sterlings, HH, HS & H & the HH is the one that stays. The diversity is killer. I would miss so many more tones on that than I would the parallel H tone, it is cool though dont get me wrong.

IF I was in an original band where I picked MY tone, I'd strongly consider just rocking the H like I did in the past. Being an old man trying to nail covers I'm with the HH

 

[five7]

Haven't tried a HH but had an HS and now a H. I would have to pick the HS if I could find another one with a maple board.

 

[dlb1001]

Traded in my HS for a 5 string H model. So far, I need to see how it sits in at band practice. Having the ability to flip between parallel and series comes in handy.

 

[1954bassman]

For me, the solution is to have a 5H and a 5HS

 

[Marine57]

I have a Sterling 4 HS. I think it has the most tone variations of any of the EBMMs. I've demoed Stingray HHs and can't hear much of differnce between any of the switches. I liked a Stingray HS and if I recall properly even though it has similar switching, it held what I consider a characteristic warm tone, kind of like a smooth P bass sound, where as my Sterling can go from P to J tones with a flick of the switch. I've studied the wiring diagrams a bit and the Sterling is designed for series and parallel switching where a Stingray isn't. I think this is why you get more tone choices on a Sterling HS. I think you miss out on tone choices when you switch to a HH, Sterling and Stingray, because you're stuck switching coils only, instead of a HS when you're switching coils and between series and parrallel.

 

[Gravesend Black]

Personally I'm in love with my ceramic SR5H parallel mode. I guess we can accept it like some sort of Sterling)

 

[tbonesullivan]

I've got a Stingray 5H, and honestly I don't find the parallel mode to be that much different. The single coil mode might be something you'd miss more though.

But, I have the Stingray 5HS from the ceramic days, which is identical do the current Sterling HS electronics. It is one of the most versatile basses I own. I don't think you'd be missing anything. Instead, you'd be gaining a lot.

 

[73jbass]

The only thing I wish the Sterling HS had on it is a parallel setting instead of single coil in position 2. Position 4 is my favorite.

 

[Golem]

The only thing I wish the Sterling HS had on it is a parallel setting
instead of single coil in position 2. Position 4 is my favorite.

I don't get too much use outa the bridge SC [pos #2] myself,
and the front 2 coils [pos #4] is my fave as well ... IOW, I do
seem to be snubbing that coil nearest the bridge !

But OTOH, the tone of the bridge SC alone is something I really
wanna keep. It's a special effect farraz I'm concerned, but what
little use I do make of it means more to me than the difference
between series and parallel.

 

[John Kramer]

I have a Sterling H and recently purchased an HS. On the H, I originally used parallel because it sounded good right in front of the amp. However, I changed to using the series and single coil settings because they sounded better (more articulate) out in the audience when I tested them with a wireless. So for me, the HS is just fine because it retains the both of these options--I don't miss parallel mode.

 

[Davecg2]

Love my Sterling and it's versatility. That said, I almost always play in series mode (switch towards the neck).

 

[T-bone]

Love my Sterling too. I've played both H and Hh and have found, since pretty much all my playing is live with a band, I really can't tell the difference. With drums, guitars, keys, and vocals, the nuances between the two pretty much is lost.

What isn't lost, however, is the unmistakable sound of a Musicman instrument. The main difference I notice between my Sterling, Stingrays, and SUB5 is the neck size. When I want to fly, out comes the Sterling.

tbone

 

[Golem]

`

Coupla questions for the TNS [True Nerds of Sterling]:

1. I just encountered a USA Sterling-4 SUB. It has no
3-way switch, so ... is it parallel or series wired ?

2. Under the hood I saw a sorta crescent shape circuit
board attached to the back side of the pots. IIRC Rays
have a "black box" EQ-pre and the rest is hand wiring
[referring to single PU Rays anywho]. So ... does what
I saw indicate that Sterling SUBs use the same 3-band
as the "full dress" Sterlings of that era ?

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I had a USA SR-4 SUB and I miss it. This bass sounds
noticeably hotter than I recall of the SR SUB sound but
that ax is now a 5-yr-old memory, and individual axen
do vary. I'm left wondering just how closely a Sterling
SUB resembles a "full dress" Sterling, cuz a number of
differences are evident just by eye: No 3-way switch,
6-bolt neck with square heel, no body contours, etc.