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Why are there so few Musicman Sterlings?

BassApprentice

By BassApprentice,
in Bass Guitars

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fretmeister Grand Master

fretmeister

Posted
Posted
20 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

I've also owned 4 Sterlings (and weighed 2 more belonging to friends) and NONE have been under 9lb 8oz and they have ranged from 2 basses from 1st year of manufacture through to a 2014.  The mystical 8lb Sterling is out there with the Unicorns rooting about for Hen's teeth.  ;)  

If anyone has an 8lb Sterling I'd love to see it on a set of accurate digital scales.  :)

Weird isn't it!

I've had 5 string Rays that have been lighter.

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martthebass Grand Master

martthebass

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, 4000 said:

Thing is, I’m not a fan of tapered necks (e.g. Jazz). They don’t feel right to me. Not just on basses; my mate has a couple of Faith acoustics with quite tapered necks and I don’t like those either. I think the only tapered neck I have really liked is the Peavey B Quad 4 (I suspect that may be something to do with it being stiffer, so feeling different). My preference is narrow all the way along, e.g. Rickenbacker, most Alembics. 

I can understand that, I like the lack of taper on my 4003, just wish it wasn’t so chunky at the headstock end....that’s where the Sterling excels 

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martthebass Grand Master

martthebass

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I do wish EBMM would update the Sterling to be lightweight like the ray.

OR at least make the SLO neck available on the Ray all the time.

I think it’s only the Ray specials that are lightweight? Not sure how lightweight they are now with the swamp ash shortage? I’m definitely on the lookout for an early, light, charcoal sparkle special 4H

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warwickhunt Grand Master

warwickhunt

Posted
Posted
Just now, martthebass said:

 I’m definitely on the lookout for an early, light, charcoal sparkle special 4H

Is that Sterling or Ray?

I'd throw down the challenge/offer that I'd buy any Sterling (USA proper jobbie) at more than market value if it weighed 8lb (or as near as)... with the caveat that if it didn't weigh the stated amount the seller refunded £100 for every ounce over 8lb!  😂

That should sort the walkers from the talkers.  ;)  

 

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martthebass Grand Master

martthebass

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, warwickhunt said:

Is that Sterling or Ray?

I'd throw down the challenge/offer that I'd buy any Sterling (USA proper jobbie) at more than market value if it weighed 8lb (or as near as)... with the caveat that if it didn't weigh the stated amount the seller refunded £100 for every ounce over 8lb!  😂

That should sort the walkers from the talkers.  ;)  

 

Ray special, I’d definitely keep the Sterling though, love the sound and the neck.

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Deedee Mentor

Deedee

Posted
Posted

I'd love a Stirling if I could get one with a Stingray neck. Love the sound of a Stirling but the necks are a little too skinny for me.

Over on TB a chap has fitted a Status MM neck to a Sterling 5 string but as another member on there quite rightly reminded me, the necks on the fives are interchangeable (both 22 frets) whereas the four string necks aren't due to the 'Ray only having 21 frets and the Sterling 22. ☹️ 

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drTStingray Mentor

drTStingray

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, warwickhunt said:

Is that Sterling or Ray?

I'd throw down the challenge/offer that I'd buy any Sterling (USA proper jobbie) at more than market value if it weighed 8lb (or as near as)... with the caveat that if it didn't weigh the stated amount the seller refunded £100 for every ounce over 8lb!  😂

That should sort the walkers from the talkers.  ;)  

 

There was a US Sterling mentioned a few years ago (on the EB forum) that was 7lb 9oz - as with Stingrays (and Stingray 5s), they are out there. The more general weight for the 4 string pre Stingray Special is 9.5 lbs. 

My SR5 is very heavy (10 lbs+) but it sounds absolutely great. That said the SR5 is a bigger instrument  than the SR4. 

I have an SR4 Special and an SR5 Special from the first year they were built - they are both noticeably lightweight. 

 

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Ramsay777 Collaborator

Ramsay777

Posted
Posted (edited)

Juat returned to the forum for a wee look after playing guitar for the past few months and letting bass take a back seat...  I've been playing my Sterling 4HH USA a fair bit this week and it is a belter.

Ordered through bassdirect back in 2014 having never even seen a EBMM bass in the flesh let alone played one, I just liked the look of them! Like I said I go between bass and guitar and my other bass is a USA Jazz so this fitted the bill on paper with everything I read about the neck profile.

Still not a ding on on it, the maple's starting to age a touch and the hardware's gone slightly dull in places, love how it looks. Im not one for playing about with EQ too much to be quite honest but there's plenty sounds on tap. Currently sitting with a P-Bass(ish) tone in position 4. Feels a fair bit lighter than my Jazz too.

20200926_210932.jpg

Edited by Ramsay777
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Marti T Community Regular

Marti T

Posted
Posted

Colin Greenwood from Radiohead was an early adopter of the Sterling and used them a bit around the time of the first album - the Sterling was launched in 93 and came with the mutes on the bridge

My wife thinks there are so few to be found because i have too many!

  1. 2005 blue pearl 4H weighs about 4.5 kilo/ 9.9lb
  2. 2012 Classic with mutes, slab body, string through body, 2 eq, no switching, 4.6 kg/ 10.1lb
  3. 2019 post box red (recent bday pressie to myself to celebrate LFC triumphs!), roasted maple neck and headstock, 4.0 kg/ 8.81lb

I've been playing these since 2008 - I intended to buy a stingray but tried the Sterling next to it and was instantly converted.  The selling points for me are:

  • the neck profile is the most comfortable of any bass for me - if you prefer jazz to a P bass neck then you will undoubtedly prefer the Sterling to a Stingray
  • I like the smaller body shape, much more elegant and comfortable
  • smaller headstock than stingray - I like to smash drummer's cymbals with it!
  • The three way switching and eq options are extremely versatile  
  • can be a very aggressive sound - I usually prefer to  tame it with flatwounds

The Classic is extremely rare and they were only made for about 6 years - I love the mutes, the neck is high gloss and amazing figured maple. The neck feels different and nicer somehow to the standard 4H to me but I can’t work out why, it seems to be the same profile. I've heard people say that gloss makes the neck sticky but I’ve never had a problem under stage lights. Not as versatile without the switching and only 2 band eq but it does what it does very well.

I’ve never encountered a lightweight one. 

My new one is the lightest I’ve ever heard of at 8.81lb - can anyone beat that?

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6204.JPG

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horrorshowbass Mentor

horrorshowbass

Posted
Posted
23 hours ago, Marti T said:

Colin Greenwood from Radiohead was an early adopter of the Sterling and used them a bit around the time of the first album - the Sterling was launched in 93 and came with the mutes on the bridge

My wife thinks there are so few to be found because i have too many!

  1. 2005 blue pearl 4H weighs about 4.5 kilo/ 9.9lb
  2. 2012 Classic with mutes, slab body, string through body, 2 eq, no switching, 4.6 kg/ 10.1lb
  3. 2019 post box red (recent bday pressie to myself to celebrate LFC triumphs!), roasted maple neck and headstock, 4.0 kg/ 8.81lb

I've been playing these since 2008 - I intended to buy a stingray but tried the Sterling next to it and was instantly converted.  The selling points for me are:

  • the neck profile is the most comfortable of any bass for me - if you prefer jazz to a P bass neck then you will undoubtedly prefer the Sterling to a Stingray
  • I like the smaller body shape, much more elegant and comfortable
  • smaller headstock than stingray - I like to smash drummer's cymbals with it!
  • The three way switching and eq options are extremely versatile  
  • can be a very aggressive sound - I usually prefer to  tame it with flatwounds

The Classic is extremely rare and they were only made for about 6 years - I love the mutes, the neck is high gloss and amazing figured maple. The neck feels different and nicer somehow to the standard 4H to me but I can’t work out why, it seems to be the same profile. I've heard people say that gloss makes the neck sticky but I’ve never had a problem under stage lights. Not as versatile without the switching and only 2 band eq but it does what it does very well.

I’ve never encountered a lightweight one. 

My new one is the lightest I’ve ever heard of at 8.81lb - can anyone beat that?

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6204.JPG

Lovely

Best trio since Salah, Firmino and Mane? :) Coming from a Utd fan btw

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Marti T Community Regular

Marti T

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, horrorshowbass said:

Lovely

Best trio since Salah, Firmino and Mane? :) Coming from a Utd fan btw

Thank you our kid, very gracious!

Like football, the 2 on the flanks catch the eye and take all the plaudits but Bobby in the middle there is a workhorse and genuinely brilliant! 

 

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Ramsay777 Collaborator

Ramsay777

Posted
Posted

Was just having a look on the Ernie Ball website there - the HS config is no longer available? Only two colour options too... But the roasted maple does look class.

I haven't been paying much attention but it looks like they've shot up in price since I bought mine just over 6 years ago. There was a lot more colour options too.

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted

They have indeed. Yes, the HS is gone, only H or HH. I too wish they’d update with the Stingray Special spec and some more colours. It does feel like it’s a bit like the poor younger brother. A slightly smaller headstock with lighter tuners would helps the balance, too. Still my favourite MM, but do hanker after an HH Stingray V, if only to have the contrast of the 5 pickup positions in parallel.

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  • 4 months later...
Graham A Proficient

Graham A

Posted
Posted

Hi there, 

Thought i'd ask this question on here as there appears to be quite a few Sterling owners on here.

I've just taken delivery of a brand new USA Musicman Sterling, one thing i noticed when i took it out of the case was it sounded like there is a loose part in the body. When you rock the bass you can here a clunk as if something is loose in the body cavity. I've checked the back plate & battery compartment, they appear fine. 

When you plug it in & rock the bass you get the noise amplified, so i've come to the conclusion it's the pickup. 

Anyone experienced the same, can the pickup be easily damaged in transit?

Cheers 

 

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