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Sterling or Stingray

T

tcbassist

Mar 16, 2011
15
0
#1
So I need a new bass, and Stingray being the king of slap (so I've heard), I am looking at music man basses

But really, is the $500-1000 price increase from a Sterling to a Stingray worth it?

Either way, I am going with a maple neck. Is this the thing to do? What is you preferable neck on a music man?

Any comments and opinions are appreciated
 
#3
I think the Stingray rocks.. I've owned several over the years and actually have one listed for sale in the marketplace. Check my sig line for the link... Natural ash, black pickguard, 2003, maple board, original EB/MM hardcase. What's not to love? :hyper:
 
#10
tcbassist said:
That's what i meant, too confusin to call them both stingray. My bad
Click to expand...

Actually, I believe what he means is that the confusing part is the fact that there is:

1) Sterling By Music Man Ray34, Ray35, SB14 (and now a few others). Licensed product made in indonesia.

and

2) Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling (Made in US by Ernie Ball, just like the EB MM Stingray)

Since you say the price difference is $500 to $1000, I'm betting that you are talking about the Sterling by Music Man Stingray vs an Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray (new prices being ~$1500 vs ~$650). Ernie Ball ALSO makes a bass called the Sterling which is similar to the Stingray in that it is Made in the US, but with a thinner neck and slightly different wiring (I think).

So if this is the correct assumption, you might want to clarify, because a lot of people think you mean EB MM Stingray vs EB MM Sterling (which are fairly similar in price, I believe).

Personally, I am looking at both a EB MM Stingray and the Sterling by MM. Not sure which I am going with yet......Going to go try them both out tomorrow, hopefully.

HTH
 
#11
I have a Stingray 4 H and Sterling by Music Man Ray35, both are great basses. I like the Ray35's 3 way selector for wiring in series/series(filtered)/parallel. If you upgrade the pickup to a Nordstrand the difference in tone becomes even less discernible. I also think the Stingray 4's neck feels a lot better.
 
#12
I did a lot of research before buying my bass last month. I wasn't considering the Sterling or a Musicman, but I got the Sterling Ray 34. From my research, I can tell you that the Sterling line is basically what a Fender Mexican bass would be as opposed to buying an American made. It really depends upon you and your budget as what to get.

I'm very happy with my Ray 34. The range of tones is amazing. Good luck selecting a bass.
 
#16
Ray 34 (as with all original SR's) come with 1 5/8"

Classic Ray34 is 1 1/2" (huge mistake IMO)
SB14 is 1 1/2"
SR SLO is 1 1/2"
Sterling is 1 1/2"

Either the masses want smaller necks or the folks at MM think they do
 
#17
tylerwylie said:
I have a Stingray 4 H and Sterling by Music Man Ray35, both are great basses. I like the Ray35's 3 way selector for wiring in series/series(filtered)/parallel. If you upgrade the pickup to a Nordstrand the difference in tone becomes even less discernible. I also think the Stingray 4's neck feels a lot better.
Click to expand...

Just curious, which pickup did you upgrade to a Nordstrand- the 4 or the 5?
 
#18
What a confusing mess of names. If it weren't for this thread, I wouldn't have a clue!

I have to say this seems to be an alarming trend to intentionally confuse the buyer. Peavey is doing the same thing. They say that their overseas made product is "supposed" to say BXP on it. But some companies are advertising Milleniums at a low price and not mentioning the BXP. And of course, when all of these Sterlings and BXPs hit the used market there will be plenty of people who will try to sell the cheaper ones at a higher price to an uninformed buyer. (I've already seen this happen.)

And with new ones it makes comparing prices from one store to the other more difficult.

I think this is bad business and doesn't endear me to companies who use this practice.

Rant over.
 
#19
I have played both thoroughly and here's my report:

The Sterling Ball basses are amazing for the price. They sound and feel and look just like the real deal. It's not until you pick them apart that you see the differences.

The wood quality of the neck is my major beef with them. I had one that was good. The grain didn't look bad or anything, didn't look great. It held the neck true and was all good.
I had another which kept back-bowing and it was essentially defective. The fretwork was also not great.

If you look into the used market for the US basses, you can find instruments that aren't much more than a new SBMM, but have:
a) better woods
b) no build issues (because faulty ones were warrantied), and
c) instruments whose value isn't plummeting.

Plus, the older ones are starting to appreciate in value. The days of going to GC and finding a used MM for $500 are over, so that is good news for the future of their used gear.

If you did get a new SBMM Ray 34, let's say, and it wasn't perfect, it does have a warranty, so if you have issues, they'd be responsible to make it right. And I do believe that you could get one and have a good tech make it play perfectly, if you spent the money with the right person...
But why do that if a good used USA model can be had for the same money?
 
#20
rojo412 said:
The fretwork was also not great.
Click to expand...

This is the thing i've noticed about almost every Sterling by MM i've played. The fretwork has NOT been good. rojo, there's one at the Mayfield GC that's just dangerous:p Seriously, the frets are so sharp, I couldn't believe GC would actually put it on display without at least filing the frets. But even the other one's i've played, they have all had shoddy fretwork. Could it be the weather here in Cleveland? Other than that, they seem like great basses.
 

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