Sire or Sterling by music man?

[Cheeto726]

Not sure if this has been asked before but I wanted to ask some experienced people for their honest opinion. I have a sire V7 base that I absolutely love. I just bought a sterling by Music Man Stingray RAY4HH. I've been seeing a lot of videos about the music man bases and I really like the way they sound but didn't want to spend the money it cost to get one just yet so I got a sterling. It's in mint condition so it's pretty good quality and it sounds pretty nice but I still don't know that much about them. Anybody have any opinions on them? Do you prefer sire over Sterling or vice versa? Everything I've read online is pretty split down the middle or it's one extreme or the other so can't really get any straightforward opinions

Edited April 26 by Cheeto726

[gjones]

I've just recently bought a Sterling Ray4 SUB, with a 2 band EQ and I really like it. I especially like the Jazz Bass like neck. I own a USA built Musicman Stingray and the neck is significantly chunkier. The only difference in sound between the Sterling and it's more expensive big brother, is that the USA built Stingray has a mid control. Luckily I like the 2 band EQ.

[TheGreek]

This probably isn't going to help.

I owned a Sire v3 and a SUB at the same time. 

Though different I felt that they were also very similar and "stood on each others feet" in many ways - tonally and playability.

I can understand why you are unsure which you prefer. 

Play them both and let time help you decide. 

[Bassfinger]

In terms of fit and finish they're an even match, although the Sire typically does so for less cash.

 

That being the case it's going to come down to budget and your tonal preferences, and only you know where the needle lies on your own particular scale. You're going to have to try them, if you can.

 

I personally use a Sire P5 and D5 as my tools for live work. Reasonable finish, the tone suits my needs, they each set up well, and if one got stolen or damaged it wouldn't be too painful to replace. A nice Goldilocks choice - just right,

[Cheeto726]

13 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

In terms of fit and finish they're an even match, although the Sire typically does so for less cash.

 

That being the case it's going to come down to budget and your tonal preferences, and only you know where the needle lies on your own particular scale. You're going to have to try them, if you can.

 

I personally use a Sire P5 and D5 as my tools for live work. Reasonable finish, the tone suits my needs, they each set up well, and if one got stolen or damaged it wouldn't be too painful to replace. A nice Goldilocks choice - just right,

I've actually been working my way towards one of Sire's precision basses! I have a sire l7 and the v7 and I have wanted one of the precision basses since the last time I used one about 3 months ago. For me, I like both my v7 and the sterling pretty evenly at the moment but eventually I wanted an actual music man. They are about $2,000-$3,000 USD but I didn't want to spend that much just yet before I did more research and asked for some professional opinions lol

[uk_lefty]

I think there's a HUGE difference between the real US made Musicman and the Sterling/ Sub/ Sterling Sterling by Ray Sterling or whatever they want to call it. IMO the Musicman three band EQ is fantastic, rolling up the mids really changes the bass when playing live, though a lot prefer the two band. I love the EQ on the Sire V7s also but it's far more subtle and tame. From reading your post you already have both basses so.... What's your view?

 

I would think the two, while having some overlap, probably have a lot of difference either way. Then there's what you can do if you use flatwound strings on one or other. What is it you want out of the Musicman that you're not getting from the Sire?

 

 

[neepheid]

Let me get this straight - you already have the Sterling? Then the only thing that matters is if you like it. I don't concern myself with the opinions of others about a bass I have in my hands.

 

I own basses that I know some people can't stand. So what? If you like it, you're not wrong.

 

 

Edited April 26 by neepheid

[asingardenof]

2 hours ago, neepheid said:

Let me get this straight - you already have the Sterling? Then the only thing that matters is if you like it. I don't concern myself with the opinions of others about a bass I have in my hands.

 

I own basses that I know some people can't stand. So what? If you like it, you're not wrong.

 

 

This is what I don't understand about this kind of post. If you want opinions about it why not ask before you buy it, not afterwards. This seems to be a common theme in various FB bass groups but there it often seems to be a humble brag as the question is often asked about a high-end bass.

[asingardenof]

13 hours ago, TheGreek said:

This probably isn't going to help.

I owned a Sire v3 and a SUB at the same time. 

Though different I felt that they were also very similar and "stood on each others feet" in many ways - tonally and playability.

I can understand why you are unsure which you prefer. 

Play them both and let time help you decide. 

This is why I'm potentially eyeing up a Sub Ray5 when I get a 5er so I can have both and they'll both do slightly different things.

[BassAdder60]

I had years back a USA EB Musicman 2 EQ and it was a lovely bass 

 

More recently I had the Sterling Ray34  in hope it would sound close ?? It didn’t I found it disappointing on most points and sold it on. 
 

I still prefer a basic PBass ( passive ) that  just seems right for everything!

 

So sadly I don’t rate the Sterling Sub series albeit they are a low cost bass and a good bass for some just not for me 

[gary mac]

Having worked on a Sire bass for a customer and trying to source parts for it, I wouldn't personally ever buy one.

[Cheeto726]

4 hours ago, asingardenof said:

This is what I don't understand about this kind of post. If you want opinions about it why not ask before you buy it, not afterwards. This seems to be a common theme in various FB bass groups but there it often seems to be a humble brag as the question is often asked about a high-end bass.

That was what I was TRYING to do lol but the sterling fell into my lap so I jumped on it and purchased it. I had a day to make the decision too and since I played an actual music man, I made the quick decision to purchase it. 

[Cheeto726]

7 hours ago, uk_lefty said:

I think there's a HUGE difference between the real US made Musicman and the Sterling/ Sub/ Sterling Sterling by Ray Sterling or whatever they want to call it. IMO the Musicman three band EQ is fantastic, rolling up the mids really changes the bass when playing live, though a lot prefer the two band. I love the EQ on the Sire V7s also but it's far more subtle and tame. From reading your post you already have both basses so.... What's your view?

 

I would think the two, while having some overlap, probably have a lot of difference either way. Then there's what you can do if you use flatwound strings on one or other. What is it you want out of the Musicman that you're not getting from the Sire?

 

 

I wanted to get more of an aggressive, punchy tone. My sire is very warm and I love it too though. I played an actual music man at a music store near my house and loved it but the price tag was more than I wanted to spend. I'm by no means trying to get rid of my sire. I just wanted to add a music man and wanted some opinions on them 

[uk_lefty]

4 minutes ago, Cheeto726 said:

I wanted to get more of an aggressive, punchy tone. My sire is very warm and I love it too though. I played an actual music man at a music store near my house and loved it but the price tag was more than I wanted to spend. I'm by no means trying to get rid of my sire. I just wanted to add a music man and wanted some opinions on them 

My opinion: Musicman basses are amazing.

[LITTLEWING]

Play a whole day with each one along with your favourite music or band rehearsal and see which sound makes you smile. Nothing worse than trying to get a decent tone with something that just won’t do it. 

[Norris]

You have a Sire and you've just bought a Sterling and you want other people to tell you which one you prefer?! Use your ears!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...and then keep the Sire. I much prefer my P7-5 to my Sterling sub 5 - much more punchy and articulate 🤪😂

[Mykesbass]

Enjoy your basses. Don't ask others to validate your choices.

[spencer.b]

I really rate sire V7s for the money and way more versatile than a stingray , I'm not really a stingray guy but based on some of the comments on here maybe it's worth upgrading the pre amp in the sterling to get closer to the musicman tone ?

[SteveXFR]

I've owned a few Sterling Stingrays and played a Sire V7.

I don't think it's a case of one being a better bass than the other, they're different basses which are intended to sound different. 

The Sire V7 is more comparable with the Sterling Ray34 in terms of quality although closer to the Ray 4 in terms of price. 

The Ray HH models do sound different to the Ray H even when you select just the one pickup. Personally I prefer the single pickup H models.