I've collected a few nice Ibanez basses through the years but always had a yen for a Music Man bass. As I'm now a weekend warrior, I no longer want to spend $2,400 for a lefty MM bass. So when I found a lefty Sterling on Amazon for $329 with free Prime shipping, I grabbed the last one.
The bass arrived boxed well and wrapped in an insulating foam-type wrap. Since I play righty I had to shave down two slots on the string nut to restring righty. I was impressed how large the parts were-- as in heavy weight and easy to use. Kind of reminded me of the M-16's I used in the Army-- powerful but easy to assemble and dis-assemble.
I'm used to my Ibanez basses being troublesome keeping the necks properly maintained-- they're so thin that they need pretty regular adjusting. The Sterling just felt more sturdy and a bit thicker in the neck from the middle to the body. I should mention that the string nut is 38mm or 1.5." It's a perfect size to me, an easy transition from Ibanez or a Fender Jazz bass. A nice smooth, fast neck.
It literally took me 15 minutes to adjust the strings so low I had to raise them due to excessive clacking. Capable of very low action. The controls are active--volume, treble, and bass, with treble and bass center detent. I played it through a small GK MB108 along with YouTube and the bass just sang to my ears. Nice midrange and a crisp high end and punchy lows. Imagine that for a Chinese authorized copy!
The bass looks nice enough that I'll probably use him for on call gigs I get on a semi-frequent basis. The finish on the body and neck are absolutely flawless. The hardware is heavy duty and looks much more expensive than the bass should. The neck is a beautiful light blonde fretboard and maple neck. All in all a very nice looking bass. I'll bet my friends will compliment me on my new bass-- but I'll never let them know how much it cost!
If you're just starting out, lefty or righty, these basses are widely available and affordable and deliver a lot of bang for the buck. And they have that famous Music Man sound. I'm glad I got it for Christmas-- thank you wife Carey. I plan on getting some good mileage out of this bass this year. Highly recommended.
The bass arrived boxed well and wrapped in an insulating foam-type wrap. Since I play righty I had to shave down two slots on the string nut to restring righty. I was impressed how large the parts were-- as in heavy weight and easy to use. Kind of reminded me of the M-16's I used in the Army-- powerful but easy to assemble and dis-assemble.
I'm used to my Ibanez basses being troublesome keeping the necks properly maintained-- they're so thin that they need pretty regular adjusting. The Sterling just felt more sturdy and a bit thicker in the neck from the middle to the body. I should mention that the string nut is 38mm or 1.5." It's a perfect size to me, an easy transition from Ibanez or a Fender Jazz bass. A nice smooth, fast neck.
It literally took me 15 minutes to adjust the strings so low I had to raise them due to excessive clacking. Capable of very low action. The controls are active--volume, treble, and bass, with treble and bass center detent. I played it through a small GK MB108 along with YouTube and the bass just sang to my ears. Nice midrange and a crisp high end and punchy lows. Imagine that for a Chinese authorized copy!
The bass looks nice enough that I'll probably use him for on call gigs I get on a semi-frequent basis. The finish on the body and neck are absolutely flawless. The hardware is heavy duty and looks much more expensive than the bass should. The neck is a beautiful light blonde fretboard and maple neck. All in all a very nice looking bass. I'll bet my friends will compliment me on my new bass-- but I'll never let them know how much it cost!
If you're just starting out, lefty or righty, these basses are widely available and affordable and deliver a lot of bang for the buck. And they have that famous Music Man sound. I'm glad I got it for Christmas-- thank you wife Carey. I plan on getting some good mileage out of this bass this year. Highly recommended.
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