Oh bloody! Now you’re making me think I might want to chase down a SLO Sterling!
And thank you for that info. I’m now much more up on the various manifestations of Sterling basses than I was this morning. Greatly appreciated.
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Sterling (Red Head Stepchild Syndrome)
- Thread starter Snakeman1066
- Start date
Oh bloody! Now you’re making me think I might want to chase down a SLO Sterling!
And thank you for that info. I’m now much more up on the various manifestations of Sterling basses than I was this morning. Greatly appreciated.
Dang, the retail price of a new EBMM Sterling sure is way up there! I’m glad I scored my 2001 EBMM Sterling 4H used.
I always preferred the Big Al 5 SSS myself when it came to MM coolth. A face only a mother could love.
But man! Talk about a tone machine!
Interesting, I'd say he's made some pretty cool basslines and contributions over the last 30 or so years. Not sure why you don't think he's made anything cool.
*sigh* it's a joke...
(I agree he's made some cool basslines, but my tongue-in-cheek argument/joke is that he doesn't make the Bongo, or any bass for that matter, cool by association)
My Sterling 4h fretless will go to the grave with me. It can thump, bring the funk, do the sweet mwah fretless thing and with some distortion...watch out. It's an absolute beast. Also, up until the recent Stingray special, the ergos of the Sterling neck, neck joint and body are far more streamlined than that of a Stingray. For me that's a huge plus, but people also choose to play Rickenbackers, so I don't know how important that is to others lol
well, since you said "red headed" i had to reply. hope this works, i'm terrible with photos... so i picked this up used from another TB'r (peabody's GAS station) and it has just such a great neck. much better for my hands than a stingray. although my main basses are j or p/j (and an RB IV) this thing gets sounds that nothing else can. i'm not sure i'm going to keep it forever but it really is a unique and great playing bass. and as everyone else has mentioned, confusing due to labeling/marketing. but the red logo is cool...
I don't like that mirror guard at all, but besides that I think the bass is cool! I actually just discovered the Sterling Classic a week ago and now I want one.
Sterlings are great basses. Just different enough to distinguish themselves from stingrays while still being unmistakably EBMM. Different neck profile, different body size - same general look.
I don't see what the F$%# the problem is. tell those bastages to go pound sand.
I don't see what the F$%# the problem is. tell those bastages to go pound sand.
Sterling’s are cool man, I’ve always wanted one. Every once in awhile a SBMM sterling will pop up on Reverb and I shoot myself for not buying it. If you like it, play it. “Those people” are the same ones who think the last name on a headstock determines a bass’ value. If you like it, play it. Jam on man
Wow, that looks an awful lot like "the one that got away." Same vintage, too. I had to sell it to finance a move. That Sterling was my favorite, the Blue Dawn one I bought after I got back on my feet was also awesome.
I have always considered my 94' Stingray5 with ceramic pickups to be a Sterling, and if I ever have to replace it it''ll be with a Sterling5.
One of my favorite bassist plays a Sterling (Roger Lima from Less Than Jake). For my own playing I prefer the Ray, but nothing wrong with the Sterling.
Personally I think the Sterling is one of the most comfortable basses I’ve ever played. Build quality is great, balance is great, weight is great and the preamp kills. What’s not to like? I just wish EBMM kept the name “Sterling” to the US model and didn’t spin off a subsidiary. It caused tremendous confusion and I’m afraid it likely put off a lot of players who would otherwise give one a spin. It’s a fabulous instrument. I’ve had my ‘95 now for almost 20 years and it is a lifetime keeper.
I honestly don't think EBMM cares much about the US made Sterlings, which is a shame. If they had, they wouldn't have shot themselves in the foot like that.
Their one and only iconic product is the StingRay, and that's where their focus is. My guess is that the EBMM Sterling only exists because J-bass players wanted something with a more streamlined neck, so they threw those players a bone. They're great basses, but they are not EBMM's focus.
Other great instruments they make come and go without much opportunity to grab any market share because the market is all about the StingRay.
As far as what I've heard, it wasn't their choice the name the line Sterling by Music Man but they probably could have done something to at least encourage Praxis to choose a different name for that line of instruments.
In regards to the Stingray being their only iconic product, I would beg to differ. The JP guitars are pretty iconic and I wouldn't doubt if those are their best-selling product over the last 20 or so years.
What would be really interesting is to see what the sales of the Sterling basses were in the 90's up to the time the SBMM brand was created and to compare that to the sales of the Sterling basses post SBMM. That could actually provide a bit of insight to see if the SBMM is negatively impacting the sales of the EBMM Sterling.
