SBMM Stingray Short scale

[AjCalderon]

That Sunburst with roasted maple neck is gorgeous! That would be my pick if I had the extra money. I'm loving my Daphne Blue color though. Really interested to hear your thoughts on how the Sterling version stacks up, particulary soundwise.

I haven’t gotten a chance to do a deep test yet but both out the box sound very similar. I need to set them up and adjust the pickup heights so that they’re similar to really know if the differences I’m hearing are just due to the pickup and string heights being quite a bit different from each other at the moment. I was supposed to have them setup today but had to reschedule so I’ll probably just adjust the pickup height myself in the morning to better describe the differences.

Unplugged you can definitely hear how differently the Basses voice themselves. The EBMM rings clear and louder unplugged than the SBMM. The SBMM sounds a bit warmer and duller than the EBMM unplugged.

The tuners on the EBMM feel so much better. I wonder if they’re able to be fitted onto the SBMM model because they’re way lighter and help the EBMM achieve perfect balance. My first SBMM that had to be returned due to a twist in the neck was way more balanced than the replacement I received. My SBMM definitely has some neck dive. I purchased Hipshot HB7’s which I read were a direct replacement since I wasn’t worried about neck dive at the time but now I’m thinking about selling them off for either US musicman tuners or Ultralites to help with dive.

the neck heel is also much nicer on the EBMM and the ease of access to the upper frets is very noticeable. The roasted maple neck of the EBMM feels amazing of course but you do have to get used to your hands smelling like campfire after playing for even a few mins. The SBMM neck feels really close and doesn’t leave your hands with a smell.

Honestly they’re really close all things considered and the SBMM is a great instrument but you can definitely feel a difference in price playing them back to back but if I’m being honest I’d guess the difference was more like $1100-1200 difference than a $1550 difference between the two. I think the SBMM would still be a great priced instrument at $750 especially if that afforded them to put better tuners on it. I think the EBMM should have stayed at the $1999 price point they started at but exclusivity of low production numbers makes the price make more sense. I’d love for them to offer a non roasted maple option again especially if it took a couple hundred off the price lol.

 

[Moonskunk]

Nice assesment. I had to laugh about the hands smelling like a campfire on the roasted maple. I'm wondering if part of the reason that when unplugged the Sterling sounds warmer and duller is because of the fret board wood differences of the 2 basses, one being maple and other rosewood? Maple normally has a brighter sound. I'm thinking of replacing my tuners also. I put HB7's on my Squier P bass but they were not a direct fit. Let us know what you find out about Music Man tuners being able to fit on the Sterling. Looking forward to your sound evaluation between the two after you get them set up. Also, I believe the EBMM version comes with a case which accounts for part of the price difference.

 

[minronnee]

I posted this in the other forum not sure how to link the two:

Sorry for the delayed Response. Had a death in the family and needed to sort stuff out with the sweet20 before posting anything.

So the starry night is my friends. The other two are mine. My friend discovered these...he wanted the starry night so I got the other. I really like rosewood but took a chance on the roasted maple...smartest/luckiest move I could have made. This neck out of all the wonderful instruments that I have been fortunate to play in my life, this Neck and Bass are above anything else. I have nothing but respect for Roasted Maple now.

Nothing I can say about the sound between the three. Joe Nerve did reviews a few months back and some videos as well.. I can't think of anything better than he said.

As for the feel, The white one as others have said just seems underpriced for what we get that bass other than the tuning keys is pretty much flawless and a dream to play.

The Starry night vs. The Burst... if my eyes are closed I can't really tell the difference. Maybe, a tiny maybe and its probably in my head but maybe I like the neck on the burst 1% better ... but then again thats the one I own and I think my dog is better than the other dogs so take that 1% with a grain of salt.

I never really understood the ernie ball/musicman fans. Nothing wrong with them in anyway but just were not as comfortable as my PBASS or G&L SB1 but I get it now... these Short scales from every possible angle have me apologizing this is some amazing quality and I am nothing short of grateful for being in a place that I can buy mine and a such a close friend of 30 years so close by with the starry night is pretty fantastic as well.

 

[AjCalderon]

Nice assesment. I had to laugh about the hands smelling like a campfire on the roasted maple. I'm wondering if part of the reason that when unplugged the Sterling sounds warmer and duller is because of the fret board wood differences of the 2 basses, one being maple and other rosewood? Maple normally has a brighter sound. I'm thinking of replacing my tuners also. I put HB7's on my Squier P bass but they were not a direct fit. Let us know what you find out about Music Man tuners being able to fit on the Sterling. Looking forward to your sound evaluation between the two after you get them set up. Also, I believe the EBMM version comes with a case which accounts for part of the price difference.

I have the Starry Night and Olympic white so they’re both Rosewood fret boards so it’s probably more a difference of the Mahogany vs Ash body and potentially even the roasted vs non roasted maple even. Yea since I’m replacing the EBMM music man tuners with black EBMM tuners I’ll have an opportunity to see if they can be fitted. If not I’ll live with the HB7’s probably.

 

[Cntric]

I have the Starry Night and Olympic white so they’re both Rosewood fret boards so it’s probably more a difference of the Mahogany vs Ash body and potentially even the roasted vs non roasted maple even. Yea since I’m replacing the EBMM music man tuners with black EBMM tuners I’ll have an opportunity to see if they can be fitted. If not I’ll live with the HB7’s probably.

So if I wanna upgrade the tuners for my SBMM should I get the lightweight clover tuning keys? I’m assuming a should get a luthier to fit them on right?

Lightweight Clover Bass Tuning Key for B, E, A or D Strings

The tuning key on my D string is wobbly and can be pulled off, so I thought I might as well replace them.

 

[AjCalderon]

So if I wanna upgrade the tuners for my SBMM should I get the lightweight clover tuning keys? I’m assuming a should get a luthier to fit them on right?

Lightweight Clover Bass Tuning Key for B, E, A or D Strings

The tuning key on my D string is wobbly and can be pulled off, so I thought I might as well replace them.

I’m not sure if those fit yet but my gut instinct is that the ferrule sizes are different. HB7s from hipshot are a direct replacement. HB1’s (look like the classic EBMM tuners minus The Music Man name) cover the holes but need the ferrules from the HB7’s to fit right, but according to what I’ve read in other users posts hipshot will send you the right ones if you contact them. So since the HB1’s are direct drop in’s on the old EBMM’s but require a different ferrule for the SBMM I imagine something similar with the new light weight clover bass tuners. I could be wrong tho since the new light weight EBMM tuners say they aren’t a direct replacement for older EBMM Basses.

I’ll find out sometime after Friday when both these babies go to my luthier!

 

[Moonskunk]

If the HB7's are a direct replacement that's not a bad choice.However do we really know they are a direct fit? I was told the HB7 was a direct fit for the Squier CV P bass by someone on TB but when I got them the holes overlapped part of the old holes a bit so I had to fill the holes and drill new ones, a real pain. I would have been better off just getting one of the Hipshots that were a bit larger that covered the existing holes and I would only has to drill new holes, no need for refilling old holes. Those EBMM tuners look awesome though. If they fit the SSMM I'd be tempted. Please let us know what you find out.

 

[RodRy]

So if I wanna upgrade the tuners for my SBMM should I get the lightweight clover tuning keys? I’m assuming a should get a luthier to fit them on right?

Lightweight Clover Bass Tuning Key for B, E, A or D Strings

The tuning key on my D string is wobbly and can be pulled off, so I thought I might as well replace them.

Don't know how much of a drop-in they are, but I'd go with some Gotoh Res-O-Lites. Looks like maybe the GB528s would work.
RES-O-LITE Series アーカイブ - G-GOTOH

 

[AjCalderon]

If the HB7's are a direct replacement that's not a bad choice.However do we really know they are a direct fit? I was told the HB7 was a direct fit for the Squier CV P bass by someone on TB but when I got them the holes overlapped part of the old holes a bit so I had to fill the holes and drill new ones, a real pain. I would have been better off just getting one of the Hipshots that were a bit larger that covered the existing holes and I would only has to drill new holes, no need for refilling old holes. Those EBMM tuners look awesome though. If they fit the SSMM I'd be tempted. Please let us know what you find out.

honestly I don’t know for sure and holding them up to it they look like at least on the bottom they line up right but it’s hard for me to tell without taking the tuner off if it’s lines up perfect on the top or if there is a tiny overlap like you experienced. I hope not cause if I’m gonna have to redrill anyways I’d rather it be for a much lighter tuner since my SBMM has some dive.

 

[Moonskunk]

I have two different sets of short scale strings ordered for this bass. D'addario Prosteel's and GHS Bass Boomers. I like the stock Slinkys but they do have this peculiar characteristic of sounding like water running through a plastic pipe or hose as it empties out. I noticed this also when I had the long scale version of these same Slinkys on my P bass a few months ago. I know that sounds like a weird description but that is what they sound like to me.

 

[Moonskunk]

As promised here is my Sterling SS Stringray in its new case. It's a Gator Deluxe Hard Wood Tweed case. I spotted it on the Sweetwater site $109.99 and though it's not advertised as being for a short scale bass I took careful measurements from the spec sheet and it looked like a great candidate. I couldn't be happier, fits like a glove! Came with a bag of candy too .

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I'd say that's about as perfect of a fit as anyone could have.

 

[minronnee]

As promised here is my Sterling SS Stringray in its new case. It's a Gator Deluxe Hard Wood Tweed case. I spotted it on the Sweetwater site $109.99 and though it's not advertised as being for a short scale bass I took careful measurements from the spec sheet and it looked like a great candidate. I couldn't be happier, fits like a glove! Came with a bag of candy too . View attachment 3978486

Thats a way better fit than my gator xl..and 30 bucks cheaper..thank you! I

 

[Aiden1382]

As promised here is my Sterling SS Stringray in its new case. It's a Gator Deluxe Hard Wood Tweed case. I spotted it on the Sweetwater site $109.99 and though it's not advertised as being for a short scale bass I took careful measurements from the spec sheet and it looked like a great candidate. I couldn't be happier, fits like a glove! Came with a bag of candy too . View attachment 3978486

Looks nice

 

[Aiden1382]

I can confirm the Gator ProGo Deluxe Electric Guitar Bag fits it as well. You just need to remove the extra foam pad at the bottom.

 

[Moonskunk]

I changed out the strings today you some GHS short scale 45-95 Bass Boomers I had ordered. It was not a good match for this bass at all. The tension was way too loose and I lost a lot of that top end sizzle I had with the Slinkys. I liked the long scale Boomers on my Squier P bass but not at all on this Stingray. I took them off an hour later and put the Slinkys back on. Yep way better! I did get a chance to clean up the nut a bit while I had the strings off with a little light sanding so it wasn't a total waste of time. I still have some D'ddario Pro Steel 45-100 short scales coming this weekend so I'll give them a shot next. If I don't like them I may as a last resort try some short scale Rotosound 45-90 Swing round wounds and then if that's a no go I probably just stick with the Slinkys. They are readily available, are cheap enough and pretty much made for this bass. But me being me I just have to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[AjCalderon]

I changed out the strings today you some GHS short scale 45-95 Bass Boomers I had ordered. It was not a good match for this bass at all. The tension was way too loose and I lost a lot of that top end sizzle I had with the Slinkys. I liked the long scale Boomers on my Squier P bass but not at all on this Stingray. I took them off an hour later and put the Slinkys back on. Yep way better! I did get a chance to clean up the nut a bit while I had the strings off with a little light sanding so it wasn't a total waste of time. I still have some D'ddario Pro Steel 45-100 short scales coming this weekend so I'll give them a shot next. If I don't like them I may as a last resort try some short scale Rotosound 45-90 Swing round wounds and then if that's a no go I probably just stick with the Slinkys. They are readily available, are cheap enough and pretty much made for this bass. But me being me I just have to satisfy my curiosity.

I have a feeling this is less do to choice of string type/brand and more due to gauge choice. Those sound way too light for a short scale but I could definitely be wrong here. I have some 55-110 string joys ready to go on if the luthier says she’s a keeper tomorrow and having it setup a full step down.

 

[AjCalderon]

So I’m gonna have my SBMM’s bridge replated in black chrome and the quote I got seems really reasonable except for the saddle height hex screws, intonation screws, and springs. The price seems a little high for those pieces that seem like I should maybe be able to find replacements that work that are already in black. Anyone with previous SBMM experience know where I might try for replacements? SBMM is of no help as they’ll only give chrome replacements if that’s what your instrument came with and offer no alternatives.

 

[Moonskunk]

I have a feeling this is less do to choice of string type/brand and more due to gauge choice. Those sound way too light for a short scale but I could definitely be wrong here. I have some 55-110 string joys ready to go on if the luthier says she’s a keeper tomorrow and having it setup a full step down.

I think you are likely correct but that was the only guage GHS had in short scale. Let us know what you think of your new strings.

 

[Moonskunk]

Looks nice

Thanks. I like the pearl pick guard on yours, where did you get it and was it a easy swap out?