NBD: Sterling Stingray Short Scale

[ezbass]

41 minutes ago, whave said:

@ezbass is the pickup standard size? In case I'd want a white stingray pickup cover  

Yeah, measures the same as my Delano MM.

[ots]

Quote

Ordered one finally as I found stock in one single shop, Project Music in Exeter,

That's where I got mine from - good service.

[BabyBlueSound]

24 minutes ago, ots said:

That's where I got mine from - good service.

 

Good to know! They promised a Tue or Wed delivery, can't wait  I think they're down to the last piece, I almost needed 2 (for a friend) and had them confirm they actually had only 2 left. Ultimately I only needed one, so the other is still up for grabs  

[BabyBlueSound]

Got it this morning, what a beauty! Still getting to know it. Small issues: the nut s a bit slant, has a gap behind it and does not look very clean overall. And two of the knobs are not straight at all. Minor stuff but a bit annoying.

 

One serious question to fellow owners: don't you find the action very high? I just LOVE a very low action, but out of the box my E string is already on the lowest possible setting (see pic, it's already touching the bridge plate) so there's no more wiggle room at all, and it's still crazy high for me. 

 

[ezbass]

Are the nut slots too high, mine were. Maybe a truss rod tweak too?

[BabyBlueSound]

5 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Are the nut slots too high, mine were. Maybe a truss rod tweak too?

 

Yeah nut is a bit high but not terrible. Truss rod is almost alright, and I could tighten it a bit, but I was once told truss rod adjustments should never be used for adjusting action  So I looked into this more and if I will decide to keep it, I'll get it to a luthier to shim the neck I guess.

[ezbass]

25 minutes ago, whave said:

 

Yeah nut is a bit high but not terrible. Truss rod is almost alright, and I could tighten it a bit, but I was once told truss rod adjustments should never be used for adjusting action  So I looked into this more and if I will decide to keep it, I'll get it to a luthier to shim the neck I guess.

I remember reading somewhere where Sterling Ball said this should be the starting point for MM basses, sounded weird then, still does. 
 

My action is a hair over 2mm at the 12 fret, there is minimal relief (no rattles though) and I have this amount of adjustment left (I did lower the nut slots, however).

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by ezbass

[BabyBlueSound]

6 minutes ago, ezbass said:

My action is a hair over 2mm at the 12 fret, there is minimal relief (no rattles though) and I have this amount of adjustment left (I did lower the slots, however).

 

Thank for checking, I could work with THAT. But I don't have any adjustment space left and it's still between 2.25mm and 2.5mm... very very high for me, even when fretted (so lowering the slot won't be enough).

 

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, whave said:

 

Thank for checking, I could work with THAT. But I don't have any adjustment space left and it's still between 2.25mm and 2.5mm... very very high for me, even when fretted (so lowering the slot won't be enough).

 

Send it back, get another one, it’s not right IMO.

[BabyBlueSound]

13 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Send it back, get another one, it’s not right IMO.

 

I am considering that, but it's not in stock anywhere, so might go down the luthier way. We'll see, it's still very new, got to know it first  

[ezbass]

13 minutes ago, whave said:

 

I am considering that, but it's not in stock anywhere, so might go down the luthier way. We'll see, it's still very new, got to know it first  

If you don't mind the colour, Anderton's have one in dropped copper.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/short-scale-bass-guitars/sterling-musicman-short-scale-ray-4-bass-in-dropped-copper

[BabyBlueSound]

33 minutes ago, ezbass said:

If you don't mind the colour, Anderton's have one in dropped copper.

https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/short-scale-bass-guitars/sterling-musicman-short-scale-ray-4-bass-in-dropped-copper

 

Unfortunately I don't like that, really need the blue beauty  Anyway I have contacted Project Music to see what can they do. Shim it for me, or replace with the other one in stock, or cover the costs of a luthier, I'm down with anything... don't tell me I'm not flexible  Let's see how they handle it. I will only return as a last resort. Thanks for all your help and checking the saddles, action etc, really helpful!

[BabyBlueSound]

Ok, so just to sum up, I had:

 

1., A bent tone knob

 

2., Visibly ugly glue job between the neck and the fretboard near the body

 

3., A terribly looking nut with a gap behind it, seriously, the nut on my £150 Talman is an ivory masterpiece compared to this one  

 

4., Some small glue spots on the neck that you can feel when sliding your hand around

5., Tiny paint job chip where the neck joins the body

6., And of course the string saddle that does not allow the E to go lower than 2.5mm, directly impacting playability

 

 

I'd expect a much shorter quality issue list from a £600+ bass to be honest. I could roll with most, but the high action I can't accept. 

 

Checking Talkbass, I see a lot of people have similar issues (some say quality noticeably dropped when Covid started), and they either return the bass, or shim and change the nut, etc.

 

For now, I'll try to get mine replaced if they still have that other one in stock, or just get a refund for now and will try later  Really wanted this bass but not at any cost, like shimming the brand new instrument etc.

 

p.s. the G string is flat dead, the others sound pretty good  but that's really just splitting hairs, I'd buy new strings anyway.

[ezbass]

That nut is horrific! 

[BabyBlueSound]

5 minutes ago, ezbass said:

That nut is horrific! 

 

My buddy suspected it's carved out of a toothbrush

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, whave said:

 

My buddy suspected it's carved out of a toothbrush

With a rusty penknife.

[Skin Lewis]

Disappointing as it is, I'd send it back pronto, each of those issues are unacceptable on a new instrument.

[ezbass]

The minor faults on mine seem very insignificant compared to that catalogue of errors masquerading as a musical instrument. Definitely a wrong ‘un. I feel bad for you, especially as I’ve been singing the praises of mine. This is the kind of thing that Sterling Ball needs to be made aware of, even though he has a history of defending his products, that one is indefensible.

[Obrienp]

1 hour ago, whave said:

Ok, so just to sum up, I had:

 

1., A bent tone knob

 

2., Visibly ugly glue job between the neck and the fretboard near the body

 

3., A terribly looking nut with a gap behind it, seriously, the nut on my £150 Talman is an ivory masterpiece compared to this one  

 

4., Some small glue spots on the neck that you can feel when sliding your hand around

5., Tiny paint job chip where the neck joins the body

6., And of course the string saddle that does not allow the E to go lower than 2.5mm, directly impacting playability

 

 

I'd expect a much shorter quality issue list from a £600+ bass to be honest. I could roll with most, but the high action I can't accept. 

 

Checking Talkbass, I see a lot of people have similar issues (some say quality noticeably dropped when Covid started), and they either return the bass, or shim and change the nut, etc.

 

For now, I'll try to get mine replaced if they still have that other one in stock, or just get a refund for now and will try later  Really wanted this bass but not at any cost, like shimming the brand new instrument etc.

 

p.s. the G string is flat dead, the others sound pretty good  but that's really just splitting hairs, I'd buy new strings anyway.

Funny the blurb on Project Music website says they give it a setup in their in-house workshop. Obviously forgot on yours, or is it just cursory? 
 

This has cured my GAS anyway! Project Music website says they still have a Daphne Blue one in stock, so it might be worth sending yours back now to bag the other one.

[BabyBlueSound]

18 hours ago, Obrienp said:

Funny the blurb on Project Music website says they give it a setup in their in-house workshop. Obviously forgot on yours, or is it just cursory? 
 

This has cured my GAS anyway! Project Music website says they still have a Daphne Blue one in stock, so it might be worth sending yours back now to bag the other one.

 

I guess setup-wise most was done that could be done, intonation looked quite alright. They could have carved the nut a bit (or just install a new one, this being dirty and looking horrible overall  ) but not sure if that's usually part of an on-sale setup or not as an industry standard.

 

Anyways, I'm sending back the bass tomorrow, and PM is very helpful about it, their tech will review if anything can be fixed, or if it can be exchanged, and in the worst case scenario they will just refund. No hassle dealing with them.  

[martthebass]

On 17/05/2022 at 12:49, ezbass said:

I remember reading somewhere where Sterling Ball said this should be the starting point for MM basses, sounded weird then, still does. 
 

My action is a hair over 2mm at the 12 fret, there is minimal relief (no rattles though) and I have this amount of adjustment left (I did lower the nut slots, however).

 

 

Ditto, on an EBMM as it's so easy to do a quick tweak I always adjust the rod before hitting the bridge.

 

I'm with others above, this wouldn't be acceptable on a £150 bass never mind a £600+ one.  Needs to go back.

Edited May 18, 2022 by martthebass

[BabyBlueSound]

Quick update, still waiting for Project Music. They're waiting for a replacement which they would review before sending off to me. They are still cool about this, just had some staffing issues, both techs were out.

 

I told them no rush, not in a hurry, I'd still rather get a replacement bass instead of a refund and happy to wait for it.

[ezbass]

On 31/05/2022 at 10:30, whave said:

Quick update, still waiting for Project Music. They're waiting for a replacement which they would review before sending off to me. They are still cool about this, just had some staffing issues, both techs were out.

 

I told them no rush, not in a hurry, I'd still rather get a replacement bass instead of a refund and happy to wait for it.

Any updates?

[BabyBlueSound]

On 09/06/2022 at 09:40, ezbass said:

Any updates?

 

I had some back&forth with them and they confirmed their replacement bass also had a few minor issues such as the weirdo nut, and the cost of living crisis kicking it up, so ultimately I asked for a refund for now.

 

Thomann started stocking it again, so hopefully I can look into buying it again in a couple months.  

[BabyBlueSound]

Has anyone tried to take the pickup apart yet?

 

I'd like to replace the pickup cover, but I heard most Sterlings actually have it glued/waxed on, so it's not an easy job.