I think it was...2017? maybe? the Sterling Sub 5 (classic black and maple neck) I bought off the rack at the local GC because for 299. it was a Best Buy for whatever it was, but it's had the lowest action of any 5 I own. The neck is just superb. I left that bass in a un heated studio in an unsafe part of town with no fears at 299. (I value it more now that I know it's unique) So then I got the step up in Classic 5, caramelyellow/mahogany body, again maple. It took two tries, but that bass is excellent too, has been my travel bass. Then last year I bought the shortscale (always with maple neck from them) and It's excellent too. And passive, a cool circuit, with the boost as the actual output, nice tone control too. Last time I looked at them at GC, the necks were not the same, they were unfinished, looks like balsawood now.
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Sterlings Great value or excercise in futility?
- Thread starter Omega Monkey
- Start date
Customer service is good. I pre-ordered a Sire fretless a few months back and when I received it, the finished fingerboard had a couple low spots that buzzed like a hornets nest. They took it back hassle-free.
I popped in my local G.C. cause I was in the neighborhood. Bass stock was a joke. Almost all low-end Ibanez and Sterling, an Epi Embassy, Beatle Bass, and 5 Jacksons. Top shelf had about 4 Fenders. Everything else was used. At one point I was interested in an Embassy, so I took it down. Action sky high. Paint chipped by neck joint. Almost no sound coming from the G string even though the pickups were jacked up high on the treble end. Looked like the bridge was misaligned. Full list price. The whole store looked like it was some sort of mafia hot goods warehouse--boxes and cords all over the place. Only one dude behind the counter and one dude on the floor. Another shopper wanted to buy a TMB, but the sales guy said the computer wouldn't let him sell it, even though it had not been purchased by someone else. Total sketch. Would never buy from there.
I own a Sterling Ray35. Top of the Line Sterling Ray with Quilt Maple Top
Awesome in every way, except one. (not to be confused the low end SUB models)
The Good
Bulid quality - same CNC program cuts body parts as USA version. Wood quality is excellent, mahogany body, rosewood FB, maple neck. Finish is excellent. Hardware is servicable. it works well but not the same quality as the USA version (specifically the tuners)
Electronics, I think are identical to previous USA versions (not the Neo Pups and New Preamp) Aggressive, Stingray tone.
Neck & Frets - the shape of this neck is a little more like a Modern C compared to the American version. It is way more comfortable for my hands. Frets- prefect.- low action.
Cost - This is a Stingray, through and through. it is 1/3 the cost of a Stringray Special 5. Its a lot of bass for the money. If you don't need the Ernie Ball Logo on the headsock, this is a great value.
Not so Good
If weight is an issue, be careful and make sure to check the weight of the bass you plan to purchase. Mine is 9.5 Lbs which is at the top of what I would consider for a bass I own and play. I have seen reviews the the bass was 11.25 Lbs. Just be careful to find one that has reasonable weight. Not all retailers post that info, especially on non-premium instruments.
Awesome in every way, except one. (not to be confused the low end SUB models)
The Good
Bulid quality - same CNC program cuts body parts as USA version. Wood quality is excellent, mahogany body, rosewood FB, maple neck. Finish is excellent. Hardware is servicable. it works well but not the same quality as the USA version (specifically the tuners)
Electronics, I think are identical to previous USA versions (not the Neo Pups and New Preamp) Aggressive, Stingray tone.
Neck & Frets - the shape of this neck is a little more like a Modern C compared to the American version. It is way more comfortable for my hands. Frets- prefect.- low action.
Cost - This is a Stingray, through and through. it is 1/3 the cost of a Stringray Special 5. Its a lot of bass for the money. If you don't need the Ernie Ball Logo on the headsock, this is a great value.
Not so Good
If weight is an issue, be careful and make sure to check the weight of the bass you plan to purchase. Mine is 9.5 Lbs which is at the top of what I would consider for a bass I own and play. I have seen reviews the the bass was 11.25 Lbs. Just be careful to find one that has reasonable weight. Not all retailers post that info, especially on non-premium instruments.
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I'm surprised the misaligned bridge issue doesn't come up more often. 2 basses I got in this year had misaligned bridges. Before anyone chimes in about reseating bolt-on necks, I can assure you that was not the problem. I've had so many lemons come my way in the past couple calendar years that I should be employed as a forensic photography examiner of sweetwater/reverb photos. Misaligned bridges are happening a lot. I've seen it on Fenders, Squier, SBMM, Yamaha, MTD Kingston, and probably a couple others. Good factory instruments are not immune even if they're well regarded by others and I'm a little revved up about it because I've seen a LOT of junk lately. There's plenty of good stuff out there, but the amount of Friday guitars are increasing.
They are hit and miss. I've owned a Ray5 and two Ray35s. One of the Ray35s was superb in tone and setup. The other I didn't keep as it wasn't as nice in either department. The Ray 5 was pretty good overall but could use some fret work.
All of them pale in comparison to my EBMM Stingray Special 5.
Get the real thing if you can afford it. If not shop around and find a good Sterling
Or get something similar in the price range like a used Ibanez ATK
All of them pale in comparison to my EBMM Stingray Special 5.
Get the real thing if you can afford it. If not shop around and find a good Sterling
Or get something similar in the price range like a used Ibanez ATK
I had the exact same bass and this was my experience as well (minus the pickup wiring I guess?). Tone wasn't for me, but the bass felt and played AMAZINGLY. I would have liked a 3-band pre and maybe a neck humbucker would have done it for me? Either way, phenomenal playing bass IME.
I agree and am very sensitive [OCD] about it; Why not many mentions? Most don't notice or don't think it matters my experience here. [many even for sale/sold here with obvious problem]
Also lots of recommended 'Jerry Rig' fixes that don't include getting one with properly aligned Bridge
I got the same bass for a stupid deal of 499 last week and the thing absolutely rips. Tuners and truss rod function and it sounds and feels funktastic. Glad I'm one of the lucky ones that got a good one. The tuners seem a bit on the cheap side, but I'll gladly replace them if needed. However, I hear Sterling will replace them if they break. I have had a couple Ray4s and they were also great quality and a heck of a lot of fun to play. The ray 34 is a step above though for sure.
Bought a Sterling Stingray 4 in blue burl from a private seller. Liked the looks, liked the sound. Action was a bit high but I've done my own setups for decades so no biggie. He did mention that one of the tuners "skipped" but the price was nice, so I bought it. The tuner issue was more of a nuisance than I originally thought so I contacted EB. They don't have any Sterling parts. They gave me contact info for Sterling. Black tuners were back ordered and I'd have to buy a full set. $40. That tells the story quality-wise. Ordered the tuners. Replaced the hinky tuner. The new tuner started to shred metal (in a bad way 
) almost immediately! Good thing I had more! Anyway, got that sorted.
Meanwhile, back at the truss rod... Neck was a bit bowed for my taste so I grabbed an appropriate sized Allen wrench from my extensive collection, popped it in the adjustment wheel and - nothing! WOULD NOT BUDGE! I'm not the kind of fella who likes being bested by inanimate objects so, when in doubt, apply more force! The end of the wrench BROKE OFF! Another wrench - SAME RESULT! Now I'm p*ssed. Sprayed WD40 in the truss wheel hole. Removed the neck. Laid the neck between two chairs, fingerboard down. SAT ON THE NECK. Inserted Allen wrench #3. Turned a little. Then a little more. Enough to actually adjust the truss rod. That was over a year ago.
Just pulled the bass out to check it. Truss rod needed a tweak so I did that. Still works fine, albeit tight. My SUB has a tight truss rod as well, but not THAT tight. I have noticed many new basses have issues that seem commonplace now but were unheard of maybe 20 or 30 years ago. No "in the good old days" rant, just a casual observation...
The Bar Band Bassman
) almost immediately! Good thing I had more! Anyway, got that sorted. Meanwhile, back at the truss rod... Neck was a bit bowed for my taste so I grabbed an appropriate sized Allen wrench from my extensive collection, popped it in the adjustment wheel and - nothing! WOULD NOT BUDGE! I'm not the kind of fella who likes being bested by inanimate objects so, when in doubt, apply more force! The end of the wrench BROKE OFF! Another wrench - SAME RESULT! Now I'm p*ssed. Sprayed WD40 in the truss wheel hole. Removed the neck. Laid the neck between two chairs, fingerboard down. SAT ON THE NECK. Inserted Allen wrench #3. Turned a little. Then a little more. Enough to actually adjust the truss rod. That was over a year ago.
Just pulled the bass out to check it. Truss rod needed a tweak so I did that. Still works fine, albeit tight. My SUB has a tight truss rod as well, but not THAT tight. I have noticed many new basses have issues that seem commonplace now but were unheard of maybe 20 or 30 years ago. No "in the good old days" rant, just a casual observation...
The Bar Band Bassman
I agree and am very sensitive [OCD] about it; Why not many mentions? Most don't notice or don't think it matters my experience here. [many even for sale/sold here with obvious problem]
Also lots of recommended 'Jerry Rig' fixes that don't include getting one with properly aligned Bridge
Agree! Many misalignments don't cause sufficient enough playability concerns to be of concern to non-discerning players so long as the high or low isn't slipping off the board, but for me, if there's too much real estate on one end of the board, it does cause a comfort problem. And even realigning the bridge by a few mm's is kind of a bear due to dowel plugging correctly so your bit doesn't walk on you, etc.
There's a certain video on YT from a certain sea creature that shows a certain gold foil bass getting a bridge realignment. It's not super fun.
*edit- just wanted to toss in that I definitely feel I fall into the "OCD" camp of consumers. But on one hand, I don't think that expecting a factory instrument to be assembled to factory specifications is too much of an ask and I'd guess most consumers would agree. Between factories letting their QC slip to an unreasonable degree and the "I know what I have/this beat-up bass is set up perfectly!" indy sellers who are misjudging their wares knowingly or unknowingly, I've become just about exclusively a partscaster guy. Ok I'm done shaking my fist at the clouds now. Touchy subject lol
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For me personally I have had the same experience with San Luis Obispo made models. Almost every MM I have played at a music store has been set up poorly. That can happen but I have owned 5-6 and most were poorly set up. This includes 2 classics both of which couldn't get the action low enough even with the foam mutes removed. If you do take the time to get one set up the way you like it including one Ray model I had, pretty darn nice. I have never owned one though that felt like it played itself. I always feel like I am fighting the bass a tiny bit for finger and pick rock.
Owned a EBMM Stingray and didn't like it. Sold it and bought me a Ray 4. After changing to my preferred string and a setup, it was near perfect.
I've owned several new and old Sterling Ray 4's and all of them have been spot on. AND i like low action! Great basses after a few simple upgrades too. I only moved away because I found a soft spot for J Basses. In saying that, I'm still looking for a Sub Ray 4 in white to buy, mod and keep.......
I've owned several new and old Sterling Ray 4's and all of them have been spot on. AND i like low action! Great basses after a few simple upgrades too. I only moved away because I found a soft spot for J Basses. In saying that, I'm still looking for a Sub Ray 4 in white to buy, mod and keep.......
The necks on bass guitars are made out of wood, which moves with the weather - this time of year is when they move the most. The neck on a new bass will move more than one that's settled in. If you had someone who could do a setup for you, you'd probably find the bass is just fine. You said you changed the strings on one of the basses You received and the setup wasn't good. Changing strings on a bass (unless they're the same make and gauge) you should expect to have to have the thing set up.
I’m pretty hesitant to purchase instruments online these days, not out of fear of being burned/getting a lemon, but just because I want to make sure I really jive with an instrument before dropping any serious cash. I’ve had a couple of instances of ogling instruments online, pulling the trigger, and then finally getting it in the mail and realizing it just wasn’t for me. You can read as many reviews and anecdotes as you want, listen to records, watch YouTube videos, really love how something looks, really REALLY love the price, but at the end of the day, it’s your hands and your ears (and sometimes your back!) that are going to tell you if it does or doesn’t work for you.
I prefer EBMM to SBMM because the latter tend to be too heavy (in mass) for me and the overall quality is better in the former.
I bought a used Ray34 a few months ago from the TB classifieds and I love it. My only complaint was that the roasted maple neck was so dark I couldn't see the black inlays on a dark stage. I fixed that by having my local tech put in pearl inlays. It's become my favorite bass to play.
And just a few days I stopped into my local GC and ended up walking out with a used Ray5. It felt and sounded fantastic, and it was $279. Only issue on it is a knob that is a little loose, but I've checked and the pot itself is fine, just a shoddy knob. I'll probably upgrade the preamp at some point, so I'm not bothered by it.
I acknowledge that I've gotten deals on both of mine, but I think they are excellent values. I wouldn't spend close to $1k on a SBMM though. At that point, I'd save up a little more and get a used EBMM.
And just a few days I stopped into my local GC and ended up walking out with a used Ray5. It felt and sounded fantastic, and it was $279. Only issue on it is a knob that is a little loose, but I've checked and the pot itself is fine, just a shoddy knob. I'll probably upgrade the preamp at some point, so I'm not bothered by it.
I acknowledge that I've gotten deals on both of mine, but I think they are excellent values. I wouldn't spend close to $1k on a SBMM though. At that point, I'd save up a little more and get a used EBMM.
Instead of screwing around with MF why not contact SBMM directly? You can explain your situation and have them replace yours with one out of their warehouse which they will personally go over and set up before they ship it out to you. I know this because they did it for me.
See, I didn't like the 3-band on the EBMMs that I had played and wanted a 2-band. This one, after replacing the pickup and fixing the wiring, was a win for me.
