Paul S

Selling my Musicman Sterling 5. This is one of the expensive and hard to track down USA models and an utterly fab thing it is too. Smaller bodied and lighter than a Stingray with a narrower neck, which was the appeal for me as lightweight narrow string spacing 5ers are few and far between. Black with BWB scratchplate and a maple neck. Neck has a natural finish and is as smooth a silk. Serial number dates this to 2010 and I think I have had it for 4 years, maybe 5, mainly as a back-up bass. Scratchplate shows marks from wear but the body is surprisingly free of dings or marks - just one slight ding near the input jack. Very little else, hardly any buckle rash, surface scuffs or swirls. The electrics are active with a 3 band eq and a 3-way switching on the twin coil humbucker that give series/parallel/phantom coil to avoid hum. Not entirely sure of the technicalities but they each have a different voice. Really punchy Musicman tone. Stats - weighs just 3.8kg. String spacing at the bridge is 17.5mm according to my ruler, shaky hands and poor eyesight. 43mm across the nut. Action at the 12th fret is roughly 3mm on the B string and 2mm on the G. Currently strung with whatever roundwounds it came with - I'd take a wild guess at some type of EBMM string - which, as primarily a flats kind of guy, to my ears still sound nice and zingy. It comes with the original fitted SKB hard case with Musicman embossed on the front. Full disclosure, the inside smells a bit like a charity shop - it came like it and several attempts to deodorise with Febreeze haven't got rid. Just to manage expectation when opening the case 😁 I had modded this to take, initially, an additional split coil P pickup* and, subsequently, just the P pickup. To sell it I have had it returned to stock with everything put back in place. The only evidence is under the scratchplate where the routing for the P pickup was undertaken (by our very own Andyjr1515, so beautifully neat not butchered ) I am selling it as all my 5 string duties are shouldered exclusively by my Maroos-chick Jake 5 meaning that this has just sat in the case as back up, unplayed. It occured to me that I may as well buy a cheaper 5 string as back up to leave in the case unplayed and release some funds to fuel more frivolous schemes. 😂 I am asking £1000 for this, firm, collected from South Benfleet on the Essex Riviera. I will courier this as the case is rock solid, UK mainland and to Europe via Eurosender. No idea how much but it will be researched and charged at cost. Not interested in any trades at the moment, thanks. *I have the 5 string Delano PC 5AL/M2 pickup (and also the scratch plate) available, should anyone want to try this mod, at a friendly discount if all bought together .