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Sterling (Red Head Stepchild Syndrome)

Snakeman1066

Snakeman1066

Sep 17, 2007
6,331
6,357
Central Valley
#1
so a couple years back i managed to snag a U.S.A. made Sterling HS-4 from a collector who basically didn't play them (he had two)

I for one like the smaller neck profile and the smaller body vs, the other models (which actually kept me from buying them for years)...but it seem to run into a lot of indifference or flat out hate for Sterlings vs. Stingrays....what gives?

Are Sterlings the Red headed step child of EBMM family?

but honestly i get a lot of nasty comments about my wanna-be Stingray


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#4
It seems to me that EBMM hasn’t advertised the U.S. made Sterling like they have the StingRay. The StingRay absolutely has earned it’s accolades, IMO the StingRay is an iconic bass.

I feel the Sterling is also an excellent bass. I really like it’s 3-way pickup wiring switch. My Sterling is a single pickup model, and along with it’s 3-band EQ, it’s incredibly versatile.

At one time, I owned three of them, here’s the one I still have.
E6BAFD6C-40A3-4563-AF4D-486602B68642.jpeg
 
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#5
Snakeman1066 said:
so a couple years back i managed to snag a U.S.A. made Sterling HS-4 from a collector who basically didn't play them (he had two)

I for one like the smaller neck profile and the smaller body vs, the other models (which actually kept me from buying them for years)...but it seem to run into a lot of indifference or flat out hate for Sterlings vs. Stingrays....what gives?

Are Sterlings the Red headed step child of EBMM family?

but honestly i get a lot of nasty comments about my wanna-be Stingray


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Not among people who know better. The two best playing basses I've ever owned were EBMM Sterlings. I'd much rather have something a little esoteric that worked for me than something common that works for other people but not me. Not sure why anyone else is judging your choices.
 
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#7
LBS-bass said:
Not among people who know better. The two best playing basses I've ever owned were EBMM Sterlings. I'd much rather have something a little esoteric that worked for me than something common that works for other people but not me. Not sure why anyone else is judging your choices.
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you know how it is...SSDD P vs. J etc. etc.

at one point i had over 30 basses and i had a massive sell off and got it down to less than 10 (my Laklands got most of the play time and all of the stage time)...but i do a lot of studio stuff and after a poll i posted everybody agreed the Stingray sound was the one thing i was missing from my arsenal....i tried many including the SLO special HH but i absolutely hate the big round body on Stingrays and the baseball bat like necks on most models....and then i found this...it ticked off all the boxes for me....and is usually my go to for band practice

meh whatever...i just found it interesting that there is a subset of players than find Sterlings inferior to Stingrays and was just curious if anybody else has run into this attitude

perhaps the confusing naming conventions the EBMM company seems to have in place are contributing to this in some way?
 
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#11
There will always be snobs. Shrug it off and play your arse off. Show 'em how damn good you are with that bass.
If that doesn't work, you look like a strapping young man.. Just show 'em the size of one of those fists and remind them that dissing another person's gear or passion is not a very good way to make friends, and maybe an apology is in order.

p.s. I've run into that issue, but on a different front.. lined vs. unlined fretless fingerboard.
My opinion is that most people who waste energy dissing someone else's gear are envious of something. Either your bass itself, your sound, your superior sense of groove, your or your band's popularity (Probably the most common one), or even just your looks.
 
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#14
Snakeman1066 said:
nobody else has run into this issue? I'm the only one?
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I ran into the issue with a guitar player who didn't know what he was talking about. I think EBMM maybe shouldn't have used the "Sterling" name on some of their budget models....I can't keep them all straight! BUT, my primary bass since 1995 is a 1995 Sterling. Great pre-amp. Great bass.
 
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#20
fu22ba55 said:
People could be thinking of the "Sterling by MusicMan" brand of entry-level instruments. Naming their outsurced brand "Sterling" has caused a lot of confusion. Whenever I walk into a Guitar Center or Sam Ash and ask if they have any Sterling basses, there is much confusion.
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Those are great basses as well. Not expensive. Sure there are a few compromises made to keep the price low, but they still play and sound really good.
Music should not be just for the rich. Every single person who wants to make music ought to be able to get an instrument that plays well. Sure, Ernie Ball perhaps should have just used a different name for the imports, but IMHO, they have done a superb job of providing budget instruments that genuinely feel and sound great.
 
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