Stingray or Sterling?

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Yep, early bird and all that CamdenRob. They had a cream too. Just the 2 I think. Just to rub it in, Leland Sklar signed it for me at the end of the show on the Sunday. It's a keeper, love it :-)

[CamdenRob]

I didn't end up buying anything in the end... nearly bought a roscoe sixer but decided against it.

I spent most of the day trying to chew through the vegetables that came with the Sunday Lunch i bought at the pub down the road....

Edited June 19, 2014 by CamdenRob

[Dingus]

I like a Stingray, and I like a Sterling. Don't know too much about Sterling by Music Man, but on You Tube demonstration videos the do sound remarkably similar to a full-blown American -made EBMM bass.

To be honest with you , once you switch a Sterling into parallel mode, it sounds virtually identical to a regular Stingray, to my ears anyway , ceramic magnets or not. In light of that, I think it is fair to say that a Sterling can sound like a Stingray, but a Stingray can't emulate the sound of a Sterling in series mode, so the Sterling is more versatile in that respect. .

Edited June 19, 2014 by Dingus

[stingrayPete1977]

Nobody going to mention the (looks discontinued?) S.U.B 14 which is/was the SUB version of the USA Sterling but a Sterling made by musicman version of the EBMM Sterling or something similar......Lol what a bunch of idiots the marketing dept are

My go to bass is a ceramic loaded Ray 5, thats the got the selector switch and pickup of the Sterling (USA ones!) but the preamp of a 3 EQ ray, it weights a shade less than my Transit van I use for work, it was a fretless 2007 model and now has a 2004 fretted neck but I love it! The as new 2011 Alnico equipped one and the stunning Classic 5 with a John east preamp are my backups, not a bad situation really

[BassTractor]

My 35-string Ray by Sub by Sterling by Music Man by Ernie Ball is good though.

[Bolo]

Get one of each. Happy times

[ubit]

[quote name='Bolo' timestamp='1403285621' post='2481552']
Get one of each. Happy times
[/quote]

Damn you man! You have just released the GAS monster in his entirety !

[Fellrunner]

[quote name='Iain' timestamp='1403028075' post='2479049']
I've got a Sterling (proper, not sub or 'by') and I played it back to back with a Stingray (and a lot of other basses at Manchester Bass Lounge). Necks seemed very similar i.e. excellent. Body is smaller and lighter than the Stingray but it's not a light bass by any stretch. It's got seriously hyped actives. Mine's the 4H - single noise cancelling Humbucker with a 3-way switch for various modes.

Pretty flexible tone between the pickup selector and the 3-way tone. I generally play with them in middle position, just rolling back treble if the room is very bright. The bass-boost is huge. I absolutely love it and the red body with black scratch looks great.

I went into MBL looking to pick up a Jazz or similar and came out with this - one of the last basses I picked up in the 3 hours I was there and it was love at first riff.

Original photos...


[/quote]


Thats my old bass!

I traded it with Drew for a Thumb a while back, the Thumb is long gone and i was planning to go and rescue the precious red Sterling at some point until i saw it was gone (i live round the corner from Drew and his "lounge")

Nice to know its not gone far....

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='BassTractor' timestamp='1403261522' post='2481225']
My 35-string Ray by Sub by Sterling by Music Man by Ernie Ball is good though.
[/quote]

I'm sure it's good, but sounds more like a harp to me!

[Jabba_the_gut]

And not to forget the USA made SUB Sterling.....in the same way the USA SUB is a cheaper version of the 'ray, the USA SUB Sterling is a cheaper version of the Sterling. Same sort of differences as the other USA SUB basses (no contouring, textured finish) but has 3 band eq but no pickup switch.

You don't tend to see many USA SUB Sterlings around. I really like mine - sounds great and I prefer the thinner neck on the Sterling. I got GAS for USA SUB basses a few years ago and bought three; 4 string, 5 string and the Sterling!!

Watch the 'for sale' section in the near future, I'm considering selling the 4 string USA SUB (blue one in my profile picture) because I always use the Sterling and it doesn't get used. I was going to sell it a year or two back but when I played it again, I really enjoyed it. That might well happen again!!!

[Iain]

[quote name='Fellrunner' timestamp='1403303016' post='2481774']
Thats my old bass!

I traded it with Drew for a Thumb a while back, the Thumb is long gone and i was planning to go and rescue the precious red Sterling at some point until i saw it was gone (i live round the corner from Drew and his "lounge")

Nice to know its not gone far....
[/quote]

Wow, small world. Glad I don;t live any closer to Drew to be honest - I'd be bankrupt by now if I did.

[Iain]

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1403286423' post='2481560']
Damn you man! You have just released the GAS monster in his entirety !
[/quote]

Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!

Then sell the 'ray because the Sterling is all the bass you'll want

[JTUK]

I brought mine new late 70's, early 80's and it was bomb proof so therefore I measure
MM by that standard..and I don't feel they make them like that anymore.
They were pretty basic workhouses but now I would ask, are you sure you want a MM and why..?

Plenty of people round here use them thru a classic sealed rig and they all lack bottom in the band mix.
I blame the humbucker and EQ stage as much as the rig and the guys using it....but I know that view isn't going to go down well here.
They, however will point to lots of 'likes' and 'positive comments', so ..???

If you want constructive comment, I'll embellish, or if you want a MM love-in... carry on without me

[stingrayPete1977]

I use a PA for a band mix, pre EQ on my DI to the desk, middy cutting sound by myself from my amp and a great bottom end to die for out front, I left the ranks of "my sound" and wanting a mic to collect it for a bigger venue long ago. The one thing most MM users will tell you is that almost every venue or recording studio you turn up at with one the sound engineer, will say "cool a Stingray, I always get a good mix when the bassist uses one"

[KingChrome]

I started with a MM Stingray, but after 25 years guitar playing the neck felt a little to big.
So I traded the Ray.
Since than I always had to think about a MM Sterling.
I got the chance to buy a SUB Sterling (US) and I love the Bass.
It got some bodyshaping, some black Schaller tuners and a nice matte black finish.
Now I´m Sterling addicted and next week I will get my first, real MM Sterling!

Cheers,
Sascha

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1403359128' post='2482104']
The one thing most MM users will tell you is that almost every venue or recording studio you turn up at with one the sound engineer, will say "cool a Stingray, I always get a good mix when the bassist uses one"
[/quote]

I appreciate this is an old thread but the comment above rings true with me; yesterday we did our first studio session since I got the Stingray and the engineer said exactly that ^. He wasn't lying, I'm already mega impressed with my 'Ray (I've had it for a couple of months now) but hearing it DI'd into the desk, flat eq and just a touch of compression I was blown away with how it sounded and how it sat in the rough mixes. Very happy!

[Wonky2]

I use a eb mm sterling ( usa) .....
It is bar non the best bass ive ever owned, playable beyond belief with a wicked tone range.

Its smaller than the stingray lighter by a fair bit too, same scale length, slimmer neck.

Not to be confused with MM's equivelent to a fender/squire type affair, the sterling .

The genuine article can be picked up at some great prices, between £6/900 and are worth every penny.

This is my beauty....

Edited March 21, 2016 by Wonky2