Which EBMM 5er to compliment my Sterling?

[Figjam]

I have a 1997 sterling, and for the last year it has treated me very well and i still do not have any complaints about it. It will no doubt be my bass of choice in the future as well. Lately i have been having some 5 string gas and one of my options that i am contemplating is getting a new EBMM. I rarely buy basses new because i feel the value is better used, but if i were to buy this bass i feel like treating myself to something new.

My ideal tone is pretty much a sterling, although anything in the ballpark will do. Give or take some mids, its all good.

As far as 5ers go, Im not sure which one would be the best partner for my sterling. An SR5 would be good but it would sound so similiar if not exactly the same that im not sure thered be a point to getting it. The new Sterling 5s (so i hear) might have the same problem.

That leaves bongos and dual pickup Sr5s and maybe Sterling 5s (I dont know much about these, feel free to fill me in). Im not completely against having a HH bass, but the neck pickup does tend to get in my way when slapping, but im sure its easy enough to get used to that, right?

So out of all of the bongos, all of the Sr5s and maybe the to-be Sterling 5 (potentially dual pickup?) , where should i look?

 

[nspark]

All this talk (BP, Jack, etc.) about single-hummer Bongos has me really dying to try one. Granted, I haven't tried any Bongos yet but I totally understand your issues of Sterling/SR5 redundancy. I have an SR5 that I'm looking to replace in the next few months with a Sterling, since I'm more of a 4-string player and the two are effectively the same tonally. So, for the opinion of someone who hasn't played many EBMMers (aside from a few Rays, a Sterling or two, and the SR5 I own), I'd be most interested (in order) in a Single-H Bongo, Double-H SR5, Double-H Bongo. Good luck finding the right bass!

-Nick Park

 

[Figjam]

Ive played a HH bongo and it wasnt my cup of tea really. I dont ttihnk ill ever be a bongno guy. To me that seems important in my decision. I think i need to stand by the traditional EBMM models , i dont think id feel at home on a bongo.

I think an SR5 or a Sterling 5 with two humbuckers might be worth looking into.

Chances are if i own a 5er and my sterling, ill use the sterling for any intense slapping anyway, so the HH issue is okay.

Can anyone enlighten me with more info on the sterling 5?

 

[Figjam]

I think right now this would be my Sr5 of choice. Add another humbucker, maybe.

I kind of want it to contrast my sterling. my sterling is black/black/maple. So why not white/white pearloid/rosewood? My sterling will remain my slapper, so i dont need the brightness of maple, plus my sterling has birdseye and i dont really like plain maple which is what would be on the 5er.

 

[Dr Stankface]

The new HH SR5s are the best sounding basses i've ever heard. I'd strongly recommend getting one. Have it in the middle position (All coils) and you're in heaven. With playing that one yesterday, i'm really thinking about going back to Ernie Ball strings. I forgot how good they feel. Anything will feel better than these nickelplated Fenders.

Andrew

 

[Figjam]

I find DR Lo riders (stainless) to be my string of choice.

Can a photoshop person maybe show me that bass ^ with 2 humbuckers?

My other color of choice would be Pacific Blue Burst.

hmmmm

after some thinking (and a 4th edit to thsi post) i like the pacifc blue.

 

[Figjam]

How much are the dual SR5s supposed to sell for? Hopefuly not too muc more than the regular SR5s.

 

[Randracula]

What about this..................

 

[TSanders]

Figgy,

Since were not supposed to name prices here, Ill sat that the HH SR4 at GC was about $100 more and the HH SR5 was about $125 more, I think.

If you dig the Sterling tone, I think youd dig the Dual pup Ray 5. Or you could wait and see how the 5 string Sterling moves you when it comes out.

 

[smallequestrian]

The Dualies are I like 100 bucks or maybe a little less more. If you are concerned with slapping space, you could always look into an HS as well. Slapping an HH only becomes annoying with 24 fret basses, if you have good technique though you can learn to work around this. When you have a 20 or 21 fret there is a lot more extra space.

We know nothing about the 5 string Sterling. Don't look for too much info before summer Namm, and even at that point they probably wouldn't even ship till 2007, similar to how the dualies happened this year.

 

[Figjam]

I think ill definitely dig the dual pickup SR5. I think the second pup will make the B string kickass.

Do you know any info about the sterling 5? Seems like a weird idea to me.

 

[TSanders]

Theres not been much said here regarding the details of the Sterling 5.

The low B on the HH Ray 5 was just pure amazing.

 

[Figjam]

Sounds like ive made up my mind, plus i dig the shape of the SR5.

 

[smallequestrian]

I think ill definitely dig the dual pickup SR5. I think the second pup will make the B string kickass.

Do you know any info about the sterling 5? Seems like a weird idea to me.

The Sterling 5 is a hard thing to figure seeing that the SR5 is essentially a Sterling now. In theory it should have a smaller neck just like a Sterling relative to a Stingray, but the SR5 already has a slim neck for a 5 string. Maybe it will have an egg shape guard and probably a smaller body than the SR5. Who knows really. I keep thinking in the back of my head that it will end up being more like a 5 string Stingray should be, wider spacing with an egg shaped pg. I know that would have things backwards, but at this point its my best guess. Whatever it is, its most likely at least a year out from ending up in any of our hands and it will rock.

 

[Figjam]

Your confusion is the same as mine.

Either way, i dig the SR5 and think ill go with that, when the time comes.

 

[Bill]

Can a photoshop person maybe show me that bass ^ with 2 humbuckers?

Like this?

 

[MingusBASS]

Like this?

Don't get too attached to those white pickup covers, you can't get them on the dual pickup Stingrays/Sterlings.

Andrew

 

[Figjam]

Could you photoshop a pic of a pacific blue burst, maching headstock, black pickguard, rosewood...with 2 pups?

 

[Golem]

So slapping is a concern? Maybe you want the old dual PU system, which is no neck PU, one MM humber in the MM position, and a piezo bridge system. Spanky wanky.

 

[Dr Stankface]

I had no problem at all slapping on the HH SR5.

Andrew