Sterling by MusicMan Ray34CAFL Bass Review

Aloha!

Today we are looking at a very nice Sterling by MusicMan Ray34CAFL fretless bass guitar. For those of you that are not familiar with the brand, here is a little background of this MusicMan bass copy:

If you have been shopping lately you know that MusicMan instruments are pretty expensive, and are financially out of reach for many beginning musicians. In an effort to provide reasonably priced quality instruments to this crowd, the Ernie Ball Company made a deal with Praxis to sell imported versions of popular MusicMan guitars and basses. They named the brand “Sterling by MusicMan”, which is confusing as there was already a MusicMan Sterling bass on the market. Oh well!

Sterling instruments are very good and are made from nice woods, and are equipped with good quality hardware and electronics. They are made in Indonesia, and are inspected and set-up by Praxis in Orange, California.

The bass we have here today is a copy of the MusicMan Stingray. Thank god it is not a copy of the Sterling, because then it would be a Sterling Sterling, if you will. See what I mean about the brand name being confusing?

This one is a recent production Ray, and it is finished in glossy black over its ash body. The body has the same shape and contours as its MusicMan cousin. The paintwork is first rate and the neck and body fit very well together.

All of the hardware is heavily chromed, and is heavy duty, but lacks the MusicMan logos. The tuners hold well, and the high-mass bridge is bolted to the body, just as it would be on the MusicMan version. The 2-band pre-amp and electronics are very good. There is a genuine MusicMan alnico magnet humbucker and this is a very loud bass with an edgy tone, leaving nothing on the table. The 6-bolt neck is good, and it has the Stingray feel down. Of course this one if fretless, so I cannot play it worth a hill of beans, but it is nice. Sterling has adopted the truss rod wheel too, so adjustments are a snap.

This bass is growly as all get out, and it has a smooth and playable neck and action, making it a true winner. The only reason I sold this bass was that right now I prefer narrow jazz-width necks (plus there is that whole fretless thing), so this was not really working for me.

The Sterling Ray34CAFL basses have a list price of $1143 and a minimum advertised price of $720, which is pretty reasonable for a nice bass. But they do not do very well on the resell market, and this is not a lot less than you will pay for a used American-made Musicman that will hold its value forever. So, the choice is yours…

Mahalo!

Sterling AX20 Guitar Review

Como estas?

Today we are looking at the ugliest guitar I have ever owned, a Sterling by MusicMan AX20 electric guitar.

Before we go any further with the review, let us address its appearance first. It still has the original Rockstar energy drink graphics, which are breathtaking (and not in a good way). I might eventually strip the top down, but for now it is what it is. I picked this guitar up in new condition from a 7-Eleven owner for $100; he told me that he won it for selling a metric ton of energy drinks.

The basswood body shares the MusicMan Axis profile and shape and should be as well balances as its MusicMan cousin, but it is not. It has a bit of neck dive actually, which is not usually something I complain about, but it seems worse on this one.

The neck is good. The nut is 1.65-inches wide and it has an asymmetrical carve so that it plays fast but is still strong. The five bolts really hold this thing solid. It is true, and the truss rod works freely. Aside from some fret sprout, the 22 medium jumbo frets and the fingerboard are in great condition.

The hardware is adequate. The locking tuners are capital C Cheap, and I would prefer non-locking tuners of a higher quality if given the choice. It has a hardtail string through the body bridge, which is nicer than the tuners.

This AX20 has its two original humbuckers, and I have not been able to figure out who made them. They look and sound like Dimarzios, which is a good thing, but they probably are imitations at this price point.

This one even came with the original padded gig bag and shipping box. No energy drinks were included, though.

So how does it play? If you can get past the neck dive and the logos it is pretty much ok, and would be a good guitar for a travelling or for a beginner. It is playable and can make crunchy tones, plus it is not terribly heavy.

I see these Rockstar guitars online often and they are a great value. You can buy one from eBay or Craigslist for $100 to $200 and save big! Keep in mind that hardtail AX20 guitars have been discontinued and SBMM is only making these with tremolos now, and MSRP on these was $749, with a street price of $499.

Mahalo!

Sterling by MusicMan SB14 Bass

Hi there!

Today we are looking at a very nice Sterling by MusicMan SB14 bass guitar. For those of you that are not familiar with the brand, here is a little background of this MusicMan bass copy:

MusicMan instruments are expensive, and are financially out of reach for many beginning musicians. In an effort to provide reasonably-priced quality instruments to this crowd, the Ernie Ball company made a deal with Praxis to sell imported versions of popular MusicMan guitars and basses.

They named the brand “Sterling by MusicMan”, which is confusing as there is already a MusicMan Sterling bass. Oh well.

Sterling instruments are very good and are made from nice woods, and are equipped with good quality hardware and electronics. They are made in Indonesia, and are inspected and set-up by Praxis in Orange, California.

The Sterling SB14 we have here today is a copy of the MusicMan Sterling. A Sterling Sterling, if you will. See what I mean about the brand name being confusing?

As this bass is sold at a lower price point, there are not as many configurations or color choices as you will find on MusicMan basses. For 2011 the SB14 is available in black with a rosewood fretboard, or tobacco burst with a maple fretboard. They are only available as a 4-string with a single pickup.

This one is a 2009 Sterling SB14, and it is finished in Candy Apple Red over its basswood body. The body has the same shape and contours as its MusicMan cousin. The paintwork is first rate and the neck and body fit very well together.

The hardware is heavily chromed, and is heavy duty, but lacks the MusicMan logos. The tuners hold well, and the high-mass bridge is bolted to the body, just as it would be on the MusicMan version.

The 3-band pre-amp and electronics are very good. There is a MusicMan designed ceramic humbucker with a phantom coil underneath to quiet the circuit down. This is a very loud bass, and it has an edgy tone, leaving nothing on the table.

The 5-bolt neck is good, and the fretwork is well done. The frets are level and the edges are smooth with nice bevels to them. Sterling has adopted the truss rod wheel too, so adjustments are a snap.

The SB14 is growly as all get out, and it has a smooth and playable neck and action, making it a true winner. The only reason I sold this bass was that I no longer prefer narrow jazz-width necks, so I am more of a Stingray bass guy.

The Sterling SB 14 basses have a list price of $849 and a minimum advertised price of $599, which is the same price as they were in 2009 when they were introduced. They are a great value, and if you are not label conscious you will get a great bass for not much money.

Mahalo!

Sterling by MusicMan RAY34 Silverburst Bass

Como estas?

Today we are looking at a Sterling by MusicMan Ray 34. This is a limited edition bass finished in Silverburst that they made for 2010.

The Sterling brand was introduced in at the 2009 Winter NAMM show, after the Ernie Ball Company made a deal with Praxis to sell imported versions of popular MusicMan guitars and basses at an affordable price.

If you are not familiar with these guitars, here is a little background for you.

Overall their products have been impressive, and these are very good instruments. They use nice woods, and good quality hardware and electronics. Best of all, they play very well and sound good too.

Sterling by MusicMan instruments have a more basic model line and choice of colors than you will find with MusicMan instruments. They include (with rough street prices):

As I said, this is a RAY34, meaning it is a Stingray bass with a 3-band equalizer and 4 strings. It has the limited edition Silverburst finish (mode code 34SVB). The finish is beautiful, and I wish Ernie Ball MusicMan would offer it on their instruments as well.

Other than the color, this thing has a lot of Stingray in it.

It has a contoured swamp ash body with a single pickup. The bridge does not have the MusicMan script on it, but it looks the same with the beefy bolts into the body. The battery box on the back is a little bigger too.

The RAY34’s six-bolt neck feels like it has exactly the same profile as the ones on the Ernie Ball Stingrays. These are only available with rosewood fretboards, as far as I know. The tuners seem a little lower quality than the ones on EBMM basses, but they hold tune well enough.

And, the overall quality is very good. The finish is smooth, the frets are well-done, and it came to me without a single flaw. And, by the way, it is pretty light for a Stingray, coming in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces.

When I plug it in, it sounds exactly like any other 3-band Stingray I have ever played. It has plenty of growl and is very aggressive.

The RAY34 is quite a bit cheaper than an Ernie Ball MusicMan Stingray, with a list price for the Silverburst bass of $979, and a street price of $689. This price includes a nice padded gig bag and a one-year warranty.

The Sterling by MusicMan basses are a great value, and if you are not hung up on having a “real” MusicMan, you will not be disappointed if you pick up one of these.

Mahalo!

Ernie Ball MusicMan SLO Special Stingray Bass

Como estas?

Today I have dragged out some photos of a 2009 MusicMan Stingray SLO Special bass. You may ask: “What’s so special about it?” In a nutshell, it is the neck.

The Stingray Bass has been made since 1976, with numerous improvements and refinements over the years, particularly after Ernie Ball bought MusicMan in the early 1980s. But, one thing that never changed was the neck profile.

And this was a problem for some bassists who did not care for the Stingray’s beefy P-bass neck profile. MusicMan does make the Sterling bass, which has the narrower Jazz Bass profile neck with a 1.5-inch nut. But the Sterling is a smaller bass that does not sound like a Stingray, so what to do?

How about taking a Sterling neck and putting it on the Stingray body? Wouldn’t that be special?

Well, that is exactly what they did. The named it “SLO Special” as homage to San Luis Obispo, California where MusicMan guitars and basses are built. They were introduced in 2009 with little fanfare and no advertising support, so chances are good that not many bassists even know these exist, which is a shame.

Other than the neck, everything else on the bass is pure Stingray. It has all of the high-quality appointments you would expect from MusicMan, including Schaller tuners, the solidly attached bridge, a 6-bolt neck joint, quiet electronics and tons of craftsmanship.

The SLO Special pictured here was made in 2009, and is all original. It is finished in glossy black poly (with a tort guard!) and there are no finish flaws that I could find. The neck pocket fit is very tight and the fretwork is perfect.

This one has a single humbucking pickup and the 2-band equalizer, which is my preferred configuration for the Stingray.

An unexpected surprise with this bass was that it came in at around 8 ½ pounds, which is very light for a Stingray.

I had it set up with Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinkies (.045 to .105), and it was a really smooth player but I eventually traded it off so I could get one of the new Stingray Classic models. I actually prefer the beefier neck of the regular Stingrays…

If you want to buy one of these new, you had better start saving up. New Stingrays have a list price of $2300 and a street price of $1645. Or if you are not super picky about condition, you can buy them used on eBay all day long for $900.

Mahalo!

MusicMan Month: Sterling by MusicMan

After the demise of the SUB line of instruments in 2006, there was a void of low-priced instruments in the MusicMan line-up.

To fill this void and provide quality instruments to musicians, the Ernie Ball company made a deal with Praxis to sell imported versions of popular MusicMan guitars and basses at an affordable price.

They decided on the brand name “Sterling by MusicMan”, which could be a little confusing as there is already a MusicMan Sterling bass. Anyway, the brand was introduced at the 2009 Winter NAMM convention, and their products have been impressive.

Do not mistake these guitars with the miserable chunks of crap that were sold by OLP a few years back. These are very good instruments. The use nice woods, and good quality hardware and electronics. Best of all, they play very well and sound good too.

The guitars are made in Indonesia (where the weather is warm, and the boys look like girls), and are inspected and set-up by Praxis in Orange, California. They come with nice padded gig bags too.

Sterling by MusicMan instruments have a more basic model line and choice of colors than you will find with MusicMan instruments. They include (with rough street prices):

SB14: single-pickup Sterling bass with a basswood body and a 3-band EQ ($599)

RAY34: 4-string single-pickup Stingray bass with an ash body and a 3-band EQ ($649-$689)

RAY35: 5-string single-pickup Stingray bass with an ash body and a 3-band EQ ($699-$729)

SILO30: 22-fret tremolo HSS Silhouette Special guitar ($499)

SILO20: 24-fret hardtail HSH Silhouette guitar ($399)

AX20: HH hardtail Axis guitar ($499)

AX40: HH tremolo Axis guitar ($549)

JP50: John Petrucci Signature model guitar ($549)

These guitars are a great value, and if you are not hung up on having a “real” MusicMan, you will not be disappointed if you pick up one of these.

MusicMan Month: Sterling Bass

Obviously I am a big fan of the Ernie Ball MusicMan guitars and basses. One complaint that I have heard from bass players is that the Stingray bass necks are too fat, and that they wish they had more of a Jazz Bass neck profile. Haven’t these guys ever heard of the MusicMan Sterling bass? I guess not.

The Sterling bass was introduced in 1993, about 10 years after MusicMan was bought by Ernie Ball. These basses have a slightly smaller body than a Stingray, and a Jazz Bass profile neck with a 1.5-inch nut. They use a 5-bolt (instead of 6) to join the neck to the body, so there is a little better access to the higher frets. Who uses those frets, anyway?

The hardware is comparable to that of a Stingray, with Schaller tuners, and the high-mass MusicMan bridge.

With a Sterling you can get almost the same electronics choices as you would with a Stingray: single humbucker, dual humbucker, humbucker/single coil, and a piezo option. They are all ceramic magnet pickups. On difference is that if you get a single humbucker bass, there is a hum cancelling phantom coil underneath the pickup (not that I have ever has a super-hummy Stingray). All of the basses come with a 3-band preamplifier with cut and boost.

The one we have here today is a limited edition. It is finished in Copperhead Bronze with an anodized aluminum scratchplate. These were only available in 2004 from Guitar Center, and you could get a Stingray, Sterling or Stingray 5 in this finish.

This one weighs in at almost 10 pounds, which is a little heavy for my taste. Of course, it played well (like all of their instruments), and the craftsmanship is superb.

By the way, if you do prefer the Stingray shape and tone, but want a thinner neck, you are in luck. Last year they instroduced the SLO special, which will give you a Sterling profile neck on a Stingray body.