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Fender American Deluxe or Stingray/Sterling

R

rhause

Guest
Jul 24, 2013
6
1
#1
Hi guys , im gonna change my bass and i cant decide between three guitars i said above . Which one do you prefer ? Im looking for a comfortable neck,good slap tones and compatible for all kinds of music but actually i play most blues,rock and sometimes kinds of metal . And i couldnt decide should i prefer other guitars of fenders vintage series , or another brand ? Thank you all :) (sorry for bad grammar )
 
#2
My personal preference would be a EBMM Sterling. Many people will chime in (I'm sure) and say a J (assuming that's what you're considering for your Am Dlx) is just as good for slap, blues, and rock. Personally, I think the Sterling H (in Parallel mode) gives the best slap tone of any bass made. And I DEFINITELY think a Sterling gives a better sound for metal. :-)
 
#3
everyone has their own taste i guess. i played a stingray and a sterling side by side before. the stingray sounded so much better than a sterling. it just has more growl to it which i like.

i also like the sound of a fender jazz bass too.

i guess it's just personal taste. i like the sound of a jazz bass more than a p-bass and i like the sound of the stingray more than the sterling.
 
#4
I tried the Deluxe jazz today & hated it... i was shocked! I thought I'd love it. My vote is Sterling, so versatile. If you really want a J. Modding a jazz is easy & completely awesome, much cheaper too

Audere Pro + Hot Jazz pickups... you will thank me later
 
#6
rhause said:
thanks so much guys . i tried am.dlx and i liked it but i havent tried ebmm model yet .
Click to expand...

IMO Fender! The neck is more comfy. Lots of sounds. I have a fender dlx 5 and an EBMM SR5 HH and the Fender seems to play a bit easier. The SR 5 does sound good though. If had the choice in a new one now it would be the fender american deluxe 5.
 
#7
kilgoja said:
everyone has their own taste i guess. i played a stingray and a sterling side by side before. the stingray sounded so much better than a sterling. it just has more growl to it which i like.

i also like the sound of a fender jazz bass too.

i guess it's just personal taste. i like the sound of a jazz bass more than a p-bass and i like the sound of the stingray more than the sterling.
Click to expand...

Funny, I played a SR5 and Sterling 5 (both single H) back to back at a GC and I thought the Sterling sounded much better. Like you say, personal tastes and all.

I guess it makes sense then that I prefer the sound of a P to a J. :D I should say, played by themselves, I like a J better. But, when played in a band mix, I think the P sounds better. I think it cuts through better, so it's easier to hear.

jmcorn said:
IMO Fender! The neck is more comfy. Lots of sounds. I have a fender dlx 5 and an EBMM SR5 HH and the Fender seems to play a bit easier. The SR 5 does sound good though. If had the choice in a new one now it would be the fender american deluxe 5.
Click to expand...

I LOVE the EBMM 5 string necks. I love that "bare wood" feel that they have. I have only ever seen Fenders with a glossy, sticky (with a little sweat or humidity) neck finish. I hate that! Unless, of course, it's so old that the neck finish is worn down to the wood. My '66 P had a fantastic neck!
 
#13
In looking for a good active bass. I've tried several Am Dlx Jazz basses.The quality was there, but for me the sound was not making me happy. That was until I found a MM SR HH w/SLO neck hanging on the wall at GC. After playing it for a long time, I knew that this was what I have been looking for. A few years have passed and I still stand behind my decision.

IMG_1001.jpg
 
#14
You should go to as many shops as you can, and play as many basses as possible until you find one that plays and sounds good to you. I was in Guitar Center about 5 years ago, and I played several basses, and the best one there was a Fender Aerodyne. They had a lot of basses that were more, but the neck on that one was perfect, and it sounded great.

You never know what you might find that you will fall in love with.

Having said that, I like MM's and J's. My main bass is a Warrior with a MM/J pickup configuration . . . so you could always do that and get the best of both worlds!!! ;-)

WHATEVER YOU DO, TRY TO BUY A USED BASS . . . YOU WILL SAVE A TON OF CASH!!!!
 
#15
When I was about to buy my first real bass I was stuck between a Warwick Corvette, A P deluxe, and a Stingray or Sterling. This was before the days of the internet, or at least before I had access to it. Nothing to go by except the awesome sales dude in Rudy's, the idiot sales dude in Sam Ash, and my own preference. I wound up going with the Warwick.

I never quite connected with that particular Warwick (too heavy, and too clangy) and 1 year later, I believe it was 1999, I bought a P deluxe.

6 months later I hated the P deluxe more than anything I ever owned in my life. It had tons of issues, and sounded nothing like I hoped it would. Felt and sounded like a toy in comparison to the Warwick. Wasn't nearly as versatile as it looked on paper, and the bridge pickup was useless if soloed.

Shortly after that, I bought a Sterling, and immediately sold the other 2. I was happy... finally. Add a couple more years... ya know what... I'll save the long boring story... went through a bunch of basses looking for punch, thckness, cut, and versatility and wound up completely in love with a Stingray H/S. That love has not left me, nor has that bass, and I go through lots of basses. Not too long after I got my Stingray, I bought a Big Al, and I believe that even outdoes the Stingray in a handful of ways. You might want to have a look at some of them. I'm on the fence as to which is my fav. I LOVE the Stingray/Sterling sound, and while the Big Al has some of that character, it doesn't nail it. I love that the Big Al can go passive, and if there are 1000 tones you can get out of the Stringray H/S, then I'd say there are 2000 you can get out of the Big Al. The Big Al has a Sterling neck, but I've learned not to make neck profile a big deciding factor to me. Anything that ever felt uncomfortable for me felt like home after a few months of playing it.

Anyhoo... for some inspiration....

M116-01-2001.jpg


M940+01+1001.jpg


If you go Stingray/Sterling I highly recommend getting an H/S or H/H as it adds an incredible amount of versatility, and low end to what the bass can do. After several HHs and HSs I've found the HSs to be a little more versatile, and add a slightly different character to the bass. That's my preference.
 

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