Colin Greenwood from Radiohead was an early adopter of the Sterling and used them a bit around the time of the first album - the Sterling was launched in 93 and came with the mutes on the bridge
 
	My wife thinks there are so few to be found because i have too many!
 
	
		2005 blue pearl 4H weighs about 4.5 kilo/ 9.9lb
	
	
		2012 Classic with mutes, slab body, string through body, 2 eq, no switching, 4.6 kg/ 10.1lb
	
	
		2019 post box red (recent bday pressie to myself to celebrate LFC triumphs!), roasted maple neck and headstock, 4.0 kg/ 8.81lb
	
	I've been playing these since 2008 - I intended to buy a stingray but tried the Sterling next to it and was instantly converted.  The selling points for me are:
 
	
		the neck profile is the most comfortable of any bass for me - if you prefer jazz to a P bass neck then you will undoubtedly prefer the Sterling to a Stingray
	
	
		I like the smaller body shape, much more elegant and comfortable
	
	
		smaller headstock than stingray - I like to smash drummer's cymbals with it!
	
	
		The three way switching and eq options are extremely versatile  
	
	
		can be a very aggressive sound - I usually prefer to  tame it with flatwounds
	
	The Classic is extremely rare and they were only made for about 6 years - I love the mutes, the neck is high gloss and amazing figured maple. The neck feels different and nicer somehow to the standard 4H to me but I can’t work out why, it seems to be the same profile. I've heard people say that gloss makes the neck sticky but I’ve never had a problem under stage lights. Not as versatile without the switching and only 2 band eq but it does what it does very well.
 
	I’ve never encountered a lightweight one. 
 
	My new one is the lightest I’ve ever heard of at 8.81lb - can anyone beat that?