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Official EBMM club thread!

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#603
i_got_a_mohawk said:
Wow, a Bongo i like!

Is that fretless sparkle one without the PG a limited edition one?

What is the inlay?
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http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=349100 (It's the 2007 LE, I took the pickguard off)


Eggman said:
Eric - did you get a clear pickguard for the BD or just take off the pickguard? Either way it looks great. The sunshine makes the BD real sparkly!!!
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I just took the guard off, I didn't really like it. I want to get a clear guard for it. It'll cost me $44 and take about a month to get here (and I don't know if I'll be here still in a month, so I'll probably wait until I get to England and have one made then).
 
#609
I'm really excited as I just picked up this Sterling from eBay. I just hope it gets to me unharmed! I used to have a Stingray about 4 years ago which I returned to the shop - I couldn't get used to the string spacing, and for some reason the E string was weirdly unresponsive compared with the rest. I still prefer the sound of the 'Ray though, but find the Sterling neck a joy to play.

@Homerplaysbass: Man, I audibly gasped when I saw the grain on the back of your Sterling, it's sooo beautiful! BTW how does the Nordstrand pickup sound in your Sterling compared to your Stingray? Does it make the Sterling sound more like the 'Ray? I'm curious because ideally I want the tone of the 'Ray but with the comfort of the Sterling, so if this comes some way towards that I'd be keen to try it out.
 

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#610
Quatschmacher said:
@Homerplaysbass: Man, I audibly gasped when I saw the grain on the back of your Sterling, it's sooo beautiful! BTW how does the Nordstrand pickup sound in your Sterling compared to your Stingray? Does it make the Sterling sound more like the 'Ray? I'm curious because ideally I want the tone of the 'Ray but with the comfort of the Sterling, so if this comes some way towards that I'd be keen to try it out.
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Hello Quatsmacher, thanks for the kind comments about my Sterling, it really is a looker in the flesh and there's not a single mark on it.

All I can say about the Nordstrand pup and the Sterling is that it's quite a bit louder than the Ray and a little bit brighter too. It's more 'middy' and punchier than the Ray inasmuch that you feel the notes on the back of your legs much stronger at any given volume.

I would say the balance across the strings volume-wise is more even on the Sterling, certainly none of that weak G string stuff that some 'Rays (including mine) seem to suffer from.

With the pup selector switch closest to the bridge, it sounds like a 3 band 'Ray to my ears. Hope that helps.
 
#611
Hey Homerplaysbass,

thanks for the reply, it is helpful to get info from people with a bit more experience of this, such as yourself. So far I've only managed to play one Sterling as they're nowhere near as common as 'Rays. I did manage to do an AB on a Stingray and a Sterling but that was just one example of each so I wasn't sure whether any perceived differences were just to do with those particular ones.

Did you have the stock pickup in when you bought the Sterling? And was there a marked change in the sound when you swapped it with the Nordstrand? What I suppoese I'm asking is, did it make the Sterling sound MORE like the 'Ray than it did when it had the stock pickup in?

Thanks
 
#612
The Sterling came with the Nordstrand fitted when I bought it (used) so unfortunately, I can't really answer your question and I have played other Sterlings in stores but it isn't a proper comparison. The guy I bought it from told me that the bass had a lot more 'kick' to it after he'd put the Nordstrand in and it certainly is loud and punchy.
 
#613
homerplaysbass said:
The guy I bought it from told me that the bass had a lot more 'kick' to it after he'd put the Nordstrand in and it certainly is loud and punchy.
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Go to basstasters.com and listen to the difference between the stock pup and the nordstand. I love the sound of the Nordstand fat stacks, but the MM replacement pup flat out neutralizes the aggressiveness of the ray, IMO. It sounds far more mellow than the stock pup to my ears, and I feel the changes the character of the instrument.

Personally, I want my stingrays to sound like stingrays!
 
#614
PocketGroove82 said:
the MM replacement pup flat out neutralizes the aggressiveness of the ray, IMO. It sounds far more mellow than the stock pup to my ears, and I feel the changes the character of the instrument.

Personally, I want my stingrays to sound like stingrays!
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I agree, I checked that out and thought the stock pup sounded way better. I absolutely LOVE the stock Stingray tone, it's the neck I can't get on with. What I want is my Sterling to sound like a Stingray (if such a thing is possible)!
 
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