Has anyone played on a Musicman Sterling SB14..Lefty? (Righties feel free to post to)

Recently bought one (right-hand) and it's the best bass I've ever owned, and one of the best that I've ever played, only being surpassed by a real Musicman Sterling and a few MIA Fenders (which, seeing as they cost more than twice as much, is understandable). It plays, sounds, and looks spectacular, and it's replaced my more expensive ESP F-404, which cost £750 new, as my main bass. In fact, I'm selling the ESP to fund a holiday with my mates this summer because it just never gets played anymore.

I paid £535 for mine, brand new off eBay (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/T-T-Music-Supplies). This was the cheapest I could find it for, only £15 postage too. It was very well packaged and comes with a thick, fur-lined gig bag which protects it well. However, it's a bit odd as it only has one shoulder strap. I think you're supposed to wear it like a satchel, but it sticks out oddly on each side so I just use the carry handle, which is no problem because the bass only weighs 9lbs. The accessory pocket leaves a bit to be desired too.

Anywho, back to the bass. It's made in Indonesia and uses different hardware and body wood (bass wood) to the USA made Sterling. Despite all this, it's incredibly like the EBMM model. My bass teacher who has owned an EBMM Sterling for several years now, claims that he can't tell a difference between the two aside from a few aesthetic variations. The sound and feel are exactly alike and the preamp is just as versatile as the EBMM model too. It seems like I can make this bass sound however I want, simply by changing the on-board controls.

In conclusion, this is an excellent bass. Especially for the price. I reckon they could set it's RRP about £200 higher and it would still be a very good deal.

This is all IME of course.

Also, if you tell your local music shop that you want to order a bass to try out and put down a small deposit, they will usually order it in for you. If you don't like it, you simply spend the deposit on something else in store. At least, this is how it has always worked for me.

Well the SB14 is part of the Sterling by Musicman range (http://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/) which is basically Musicman's new budget line of instruments. It is esentially a copy of an Ernie Ball Musicman Sterling but it's made by the same company. If you get me? Like Warwick and their Rockbass line.

To reword my poor reply ; "The Sterling by Musicman SB14" (SBMM) is the budget version of the "Ernie Ball Musicman Sterling" (EBMM). It's made by the same company in a different factory (Indonesian instead of American) using almost identical parts. The quality on the SBMM version isn't quite the same as the EBMM version but it is almost 3 times cheaper (a brand new EBMM Sterling in England will set you back round about £1300).

Hope this answers your question, this link might help explain it a bit better:

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