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SBMM Stingray Short scale

#2,461
mrpackerguy said:
I just pulled the trigger on a 7# Daphne Blue on Reverb. Had played a new sunburst Sterlin SS in GC last week and couldn't believe the fit, finish and sound. Really blew me away. I have a '71 Musicmaster SS but cannot get a decent sound out of it despite a new Novak drop in replacement pup. The Sterling SS Ray has all the punchiness and tone I remember from full scale rays I've owned. And at 7#, should be a dream to play.

I certainly would prefer a rosewood neck. Anyone with a white Sterling SS wanna consider swap their rosewood neck for my maple neck? My Daphne won't be here until next week, maybe I'll like the maple neck, just like the sunburst one I tried. The only maple necked bass I currently have is my '79 pre-EB MM Sabre.
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I have the dropped copper SBMM SS,and I bought a white SS,and switched necks,because I prefer the rosewood neck. Then flipped the white one with maple fretboard. Here is a picture showing the difference. I also prefer the vintage sunburst,over the dropped copper finish,so in process of getting the vintage sunburst and switching necks again. I have Schaller tuners on the rosewood fretboard neck. Sorry for lengthy story! I am planning on getting a vintage sumburst,and switch the necks,with it when it arrives,I prefer the rosewood neck,over the maple.
IMG_0949.jpg
 

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#2,462
Chrome Dome said:
I have the dropped copper SBMM SS,and I bought a white SS,and switched necks,because I prefer the rosewood neck. Then flipped the white one with maple fretboard. Here is a picture showing the difference. I also prefer the vintage sunburst,over the dropped copper finish,so in process of getting the vintage sunburst and switching necks again. I have Schaller tuners on the rosewood fretboard neck. Sorry for lengthy story!View attachment 4660311
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I’ve played a dropped copper and compared it with my Daphne blue SS and I like mine much better. My blue SS has a mahogany body and the copper has a nato body. The mahogany is lighter and more resonant. According to the sbmm site the white and blue basses have mahogany bodies. It doesn’t list the wood found on black or sunburst. I would assume basswood on the SB because of the grain you’d see through the finish. I’m curious why the different body wood material according to the finish, unless they are sourced from different factories, I can’t figure the reason.
 
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#2,463
Hey everyone, I'm getting the short scale SBMM in Daphne Blue with that guitar center sale, and I think it'd look really nice with a black pickguard. Does anyone know where to get a replacement pickguard? Do the pickguards for the US short scales fit?
 
#2,464
laklandplayer said:
I’ve played a dropped copper and compared it with my Daphne blue SS and I like mine much better. My blue SS has a mahogany body and the copper has a nato body. The mahogany is lighter and more resonant. According to the sbmm site the white and blue basses have mahogany bodies. It doesn’t list the wood found on black or sunburst. I would assume basswood on the SB because of the grain you’d see through the finish. I’m curious why the different body wood material according to the finish, unless they are sourced from different factories, I can’t figure the reason.
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On the guitar center website, the Sunburst is listed as Nyatoh, while the black also doesn't have the wood listed there.
 
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#2,465
laklandplayer said:
I’ve played a dropped copper and compared it with my Daphne blue SS and I like mine much better. My blue SS has a mahogany body and the copper has a nato body. The mahogany is lighter and more resonant. According to the sbmm site the white and blue basses have mahogany bodies. It doesn’t list the wood found on black or sunburst. I would assume basswood on the SB because of the grain you’d see through the finish. I’m curious why the different body wood material according to the finish, unless they are sourced from different factories, I can’t figure the reason.
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Natoh and “mahogany” are the same thing insofar as the Indonesian manufacturers are concerned. It’s just a renaming of the same wood. Natoh is what they have been naming “eastern mahogany “ or “Asian “ mahogany for years.
It’s not actually mahogany but is a similar wood.
I don’t think actual mahogany is often used on mid/lower import instruments. It’s a marketing term.
I’m pretty sure that both your basses are the same. One simply has a lighter piece than the other.
 
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#2,466
Oneud said:
Hey everyone, I'm getting the short scale SBMM in Daphne Blue with that guitar center sale, and I think it'd look really nice with a black pickguard. Does anyone know where to get a replacement pickguard? Do the pickguards for the US short scales fit?
Click to expand...
There was a shop on reverb that sold pickguard for the SBMM shorty. I’ll try to find the link for you.
I bought one a few months ago. It was good.
Replacement pickguard for Sterling StingRay Short Scale Bass SS - MANY COLORS! | Reverb
 
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#2,469
Lesfunk said:
Natoh and “mahogany” are the same thing insofar as the Indonesian manufacturers are concerned. It’s just a renaming of the same wood. Natoh is what they have been naming “eastern mahogany “ or “Asian “ mahogany for years.
It’s not actually mahogany but is a similar wood.
I don’t think actual mahogany is often used on mid/lower import instruments. It’s a marketing term.
I’m pretty sure that both your basses are the same. One simply has a lighter piece than the other.
Click to expand...

When we installed the battery compartment on mine, it was pure red mahogany.
 
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#2,472
laklandplayer said:
The mahogany on my bass didn’t look like that. I owned a music store for 25 years and I do know the difference between nato and real mahogany.
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If you say so I believe you.
I don’t know the reason for building with two different woods but it seems they do.
maybe they went to nato on the copper ones due to a supply issue at the time
 
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#2,473
I'm a dropped copper owner. When I looked in the neck pocket (I had to clean out some sawdust for a better fit), the wood looked very white in color. Did not look anything like mahogany (I am very familiar with mahogany having worked with it for decades). The wood my bass body was used in is probably Naytoh.
 
#2,474
Nyatoh is a trade name for wood of a number of hardwood species of the genera Palaquium and Payena growing in rainforest environments in southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia and the Philippines. Nyatoh wood is reddish and most species are easy to work with and takes to stain and polish well.
 
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#2,475
Kubicki Fan said:
I'm a dropped copper owner. When I looked in the neck pocket (I had to clean out some sawdust for a better fit), the wood looked very white in color. Did not look anything like mahogany (I am very familiar with mahogany having worked with it for decades). The wood my bass body was used in is probably Naytoh.
Click to expand...

If it was white, it wasn't natoh. Maybe basswood?
 
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#2,480
My sunburst SBMM short scale arrived today. I know, no pictures it didn't happen so they will come later ;-)

observations:
It is significantly heavier than my white defretted one. I don't have a scale that works well enough to get accurate numbers, but it feels like a pound or so more. The different wood variety? My gut says "yes."
Set up had some issues. Action was very high at both saddle and nut. I spent some time with it and it is better but still not perfect. I didn't mess with the nut since I'm not sure I'll keep it. Intonation was good and the truss rod was well adjusted.
Frets seem to be well leveled but the edges above the 12th fret are really bad, especially on the treble side.
The neck shape feels a little different.
One pickguard screw was not completely installed.
All three of the knobs were loose to the point of being useless. They weren't quite ready to fall off but turning them didn't turn the pots at all.
Finish looks very nice.
After some pickup adjustment, it sounds great (and probably after some new strings of my choice even better).
Most curious, there was no packing slip. It came directly from the nearest store. I don't think it had been on display, but I don't believe it was in the factory packing. Just wrapped in bubble wrap and paper in a plain brown shipping box.

I got my white one used so it is possible that at least some of these issues were present on it when it was new and the previous owner addressed them. I don't know... Of the two examples, the white one is a better bass. Still, the SBMM is a great bang for the buck instrument. I'm just not sure I really need another one... we'll see.

I need to sit with it for a bit before deciding whether to keep it or not.
 

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