I haven't seen a whole lot of discussion about the (unfortunately discontinued) Music Man Sterling Classic Bass. I thought it might be kind of nice to have owners, or those who have had them in the past, share their experiences (and hopefully, love) of the bass here. Also, maybe some facts like colors, production years, variations, etc, for those who might be looking into finding one.
Here's my experience with the Sterling Classic:
I've been in love with the "regular" Sterling 4H since my first one in the early 1990s. I've owned maybe ten different Sterlings off and on over the years.
I got my first Sterling Classic maybe five or six years ago. The thing that drew me in was the gloss finished neck--I've always preferred that. It was a gorgeous bass--sort of a medium blue with maple board--but to tell you the truth, I didn't connect with it at the time. I was a bit bugged because the hard-wired series pickup didn't have the options of a regular Sterling and series is the setting I use least on a regular Sterling. Also, the neck was slightly twisted. Not enough to make it unplayable or affect it all that much, but enough to flare my OCD up. So I traded it away.
Cut to now: I just recently picked up another one. I had to do a bit of setup and nut work on it, but I can tell you, it was love at first pluck. Even though I'm not a fan of series wiring in general, it seems that two-band EQ does something magical for this bass that I really, really like. I don't know why I didn't notice this with my first one, but the thing sounds absolutely incredible, coil switching be damned.
For the style I play 95% of the time (typical fingerstyle), it gets a tight, warm punch that my other Sterlings or Stingrays just don't. And the Stingray Classic that I had awhile back didn't either.
When I bought this Sterling Classic, I had planned on changing the pickup; but NO WAY am I going to do that now. I'm in love with this thing as is. So much so, that I'm seriously considering buying another as a backup since they ain't makin' 'em anymore (hopefully I'll score another winner). The only thing I don't see me using this bass for is slap. It doesn't get that "Stingray/Sterling parallel slap tone" that I love. But that's okay, it's going to be great for pretty much everything else and there isn't much call for slap bass in what I am doing right now, anyway (one song out of 40 and I can use my regular Sterling for that).
So... the Music Man Sterling Classic: a winning design that has, unfortunately, gone the way of the dinosaur, but is presently loved by at least one person. And I'm sure by a few others, no?
Here's my experience with the Sterling Classic:
I've been in love with the "regular" Sterling 4H since my first one in the early 1990s. I've owned maybe ten different Sterlings off and on over the years.
I got my first Sterling Classic maybe five or six years ago. The thing that drew me in was the gloss finished neck--I've always preferred that. It was a gorgeous bass--sort of a medium blue with maple board--but to tell you the truth, I didn't connect with it at the time. I was a bit bugged because the hard-wired series pickup didn't have the options of a regular Sterling and series is the setting I use least on a regular Sterling. Also, the neck was slightly twisted. Not enough to make it unplayable or affect it all that much, but enough to flare my OCD up. So I traded it away.
Cut to now: I just recently picked up another one. I had to do a bit of setup and nut work on it, but I can tell you, it was love at first pluck. Even though I'm not a fan of series wiring in general, it seems that two-band EQ does something magical for this bass that I really, really like. I don't know why I didn't notice this with my first one, but the thing sounds absolutely incredible, coil switching be damned.
For the style I play 95% of the time (typical fingerstyle), it gets a tight, warm punch that my other Sterlings or Stingrays just don't. And the Stingray Classic that I had awhile back didn't either.
When I bought this Sterling Classic, I had planned on changing the pickup; but NO WAY am I going to do that now. I'm in love with this thing as is. So much so, that I'm seriously considering buying another as a backup since they ain't makin' 'em anymore (hopefully I'll score another winner). The only thing I don't see me using this bass for is slap. It doesn't get that "Stingray/Sterling parallel slap tone" that I love. But that's okay, it's going to be great for pretty much everything else and there isn't much call for slap bass in what I am doing right now, anyway (one song out of 40 and I can use my regular Sterling for that).
So... the Music Man Sterling Classic: a winning design that has, unfortunately, gone the way of the dinosaur, but is presently loved by at least one person. And I'm sure by a few others, no?
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