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For sale 2003 (I think) Sterling 4 string w/clear pickguard; $850

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Status
This item has been sold and is no longer available!

Details

PRICE DROP: $800+shipping



For sale is my very nice looking Sterling 4. Has an after market (looks home made, but nice) clear pickguard. I really like the look of the bass this way. Was drilled for a thumb rest; see pics.

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One minor nick and a missing input jack screw pretty much sums up the imperfections. Plays like a dream. Very lightweight and lots of tonal options. The thumb rest holes are easily concealable with a replacement pickguard; I won't due that on Talkbass though. :D Comes with a very nice Gator hard-bag/soft-case kinda thing. Very lightweight yet far stronger than any bag. I really like it.

Check my ebay handle "drdrunk" for positive feedbacks on dozens of high end transactions. I prefer this sight though, so here I am. Only partial trade I'm interested in is a Tonehammer.

Thanks for looking.

Comments

bdgotoh

Supporting Member
Aug 6, 2002
2,524
5,177
Pacific NW
I don't think the HS models were released until the end of 2005, I assume the neck pickup is original? How heavy is this bass?
 

LCW

Inactive
Mar 2, 2009
3,895
11
36
OREGON!
dang if i sell my ray i would really be interested in it, could i pick it up in person if i did buy?
 

BadJazz

Totally Elite Hyper-Member
Nov 29, 2007
1,351
113,440
Eugene, Oregon
Local pickup is totally great. I'd discount even due to lack of shipping and handling hassle. Let me know.
 

BadJazz

Totally Elite Hyper-Member
Nov 29, 2007
1,351
113,440
Eugene, Oregon
I don't think the HS models were released until the end of 2005, I assume the neck pickup is original? How heavy is this bass?

I don't have a scale, but it is certainly a bit lighter than my Stingray. I estimated the date due to a webpage with a list of serial numbers, but I'm not entirely certain how old it is.

Take care,
Mike
 

73jbass

Supporting Member
Apr 17, 2004
6,045
1,105
65
Ellenwood,Ga.
I think the HS has a dummy single coil mounted between the main pickups.It's there to cancel hum when using the neck pickup by itself. This might be an aftermarket job. Clean looking job though..
 

BadJazz

Totally Elite Hyper-Member
Nov 29, 2007
1,351
113,440
Eugene, Oregon
Now i'm intrigued. Obviously the pickguard and thumb rest holes are after market but I had no inlination the neck pickup was possibly a mod. (This is my first Sterling.) Anyway, the Serial number is F14780. I could only find a page with approximate dates and nothing very official. I certainly don't want to surprise anybody with a miss-represented bass so I'll do more research in the meantime.

And feel free to chime in with any expertise; i'm all ears.

Thanks all for the comments.
 

BadJazz

Totally Elite Hyper-Member
Nov 29, 2007
1,351
113,440
Eugene, Oregon
Upon close inspection, I cannot tell the difference in the routing for the pickups; if the neck pickup is aftermarket, it appears to be done by an Ernie Ball luthier. Sonically, the neck pickup by itself is a bit quieter than the other four switch settings, but sounds just fine. I'd be very surprised to find out this was aftermarket.

Just a note.
 

bdgotoh

Supporting Member
Aug 6, 2002
2,524
5,177
Pacific NW
The Sterling HS neck pickup is a stacked humbucker, only the Stingray HS has the second coil under the pickguard. The Bongo HS does it a third way with an adjustable humcancelling coil in the control cavity.

Any volume differences in the pickups is due to adjustments in distance from the strings (pickup height). If you jack up your neck pickup or drop the bridge pickup a bit it should all balance out nicely. It can even improve the overall tone a bit.

I'm quite certain you have an all-original Sterling HS, it's completely impossible to find those stock neck pickups anywhere. I just wanted to point out that it was probably made in 2005 or later.

Good luck with the sale, it's a beautiful bass!
 

BadJazz

Totally Elite Hyper-Member
Nov 29, 2007
1,351
113,440
Eugene, Oregon
Thanks for the info. It is a damn fine bass but I must downsize and I'm a full on G&L L-2000 convert.
 
Mar 10, 2009
1,318
358
Las Vegas,NV
Now i'm intrigued. Obviously the pickguard and thumb rest holes are after market but I had no inlination the neck pickup was possibly a mod. (This is my first Sterling.) Anyway, the Serial number is F14780. I could only find a page with approximate dates and nothing very official. I certainly don't want to surprise anybody with a miss-represented bass so I'll do more research in the meantime.

And feel free to chime in with any expertise; i'm all ears.

Thanks all for the comments.

This bass was manufactured between July-Aug. 2006 and more than likely a factory H/S Sterling.
 

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BadJazz
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For Sale: Bass Guitars
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