Sterling by Music Man®

My review on the JP-50.

Yea so this is the review of the musicman sterling JP50.

I paid $880 from BGW guitars . they import other guitar and give extremely good services. when you purchase their guitar , you can have unlimited guitar setups to your preference and a year warranty.

I decided to buy the sterling jp since its ridiculously expensive to buy the musicman JP6 for me.

Firstly , its gigbag is padded. It’s the version off the musicman guitars . basically they just took off the musicman name’s and put sterling instead.

Once you hold the guitar , you would know this is a no kidding guitar. Basically , its finish is superior and well crafted . no worries off the neck joint and the frets . the frets are perfect that you can’t ask for more. However , the back of the headstock is finished in a glossy clear coat leaving the back of the neck with satin finish. Means that the back of the neck has 2 different finishes. Behind the headstock , a clear coat , the remainding neck is a satin finish which is very comfortable to play.

The neck is also thinner then usually due to the specifications of Mr. John Petrucci as this is a custom guitar for him although he do not play it at times , well most of the time .

Moving on to the Electronics. The pickups are very decent . No way you would think of replacing it. It’s a high output humbuckers . the pots are doing fine and is not been giving me any trouble. Its wiring looks decent and neat and its solder work is very neat too.

Hardware . The tuners are Locking tuners which is very reliable. You basically do not have to tune your guitar . but if you’re a hardcore whammy player , then it’ll be a different story then. It comes with a solid bridge which is custom made from sterling if I’m correct. Very stable , not giving any problems too.

Overall , the guitar playability is superior compared to other mid range guitars. If you’re a shredder , you may considered having this guitar . it is finished in a glossy pearl red but it seems to me more like a maroon colour when it get old.

Lastly , the guitar has its CUSTOM forearm contour. Yea so it really help me to play easier. However , this guitar is a little smaller then others . but for me , it fits me perfectly.

And sorry I have no photos as I do not know how to post! Haha! Free feel to ask me any questions!

Specs given by sterling ;
* Basswood Body w/ Custom Forearm Contour.
* Maple Neck w/ Rosewood Fingerboard
* Custom Sterling Petrucci Neck carve
* Locking Tuners
* 24 Medium Jumbo Frets
* Sterling Modern Tremelo Bridge Recessed
* 25.5" Scale
* 5 Bolt Music Man® Designed Neck Joint
* 2x Sterling Modern Humbuckers (body mounted)
* 3 Way Selector Switch
* 42mm Nut Width (1.65")
* Spoke Wheel Truss Rod Adjustment
* Heavy Duty Gig Bag Included
* Glossy Pearl Red Burst Finish
 
SB14 Blue REVIEW!

Thanks to Brendon's wonderful and efficient service, I got my hands on a blue SB14 within two weeks. This is just my honest personal response regarding the SB14, in relation to a Musicman Sterling that I already own. Bearing in mind the huge price difference, it's not quite fair to do a direct comparison but I'll just briefly state some resembling points and differing aspects.

Appearance
The SB14 came in a pretty good and sturdy condition, with a hardy and tough gigbag. Mine came with a few hairline scratches but that could be due to shipping. Screws on the pickguard were not really properly and tightly screwed, and there was little ding behind the upper portion of the neck. However, these are just the really minute flaws that I scrutinized. Nobody is probably going to noticed them on first glance. The paint job and finishing were well done, the blue comes with a little shine that the picture doesn't justify. It looks much better in reality. It is also rather light, possibly because of the basswood body.

Sound
The SB14 comes with a Music Man® designed pickup that utilizes a 3rd hidden coil for noise cancellation. The 3 way switch offers much versatality with 3 distinct voices, series, parallel and single coil with hidden coil offers great bass tones with low noise. The switches offer different voicing which does make a different when it comes to selecting a suitable tone for different playing styles or genres. The 3 Band Active Preamp is based on Music Man's design and offers boost/cut for bass, mid and treble frequencies. I must say that I was indeed impress with the active preamp, lots of punch and tightness. Controls are very tweakable and a slight turn will make an impact. Reminds me of the controls on the EBMM Sterling. The SB14 is capable of producing the sound of a single H EBMM Sterling when tweaked properly at certain settings, this again proves how versatile it is in terms of sound.

Neck
The neck is considerably thin and fast. I don't quite fancy the satin finish as compared to the gun oil finish on the EBMM Sterling. It's a tad wider and sharper on the edges I feel, especially when playing the 9th fret onwards. The EBMM Sterling is rounder and hence an easier grip. Still, the SB14 has a fast neck that does not impede movement. Although the frets are just slight wider than the average EBMM Sterling, it still has good playability and it is not that a big stretch from fret to fret afterall

Thoughts
Is it as fantastic and marvellous as the EMBB Sterling? Well, not quite but for its price though, it is a fantastic and marvellous buy. It's as close to an EBMM Sterling as you can get at a very reasonable price. I really enjoyed the preamp, its switches and even the entire feel of the bass. The blue is stunning, almost like the blue pearl but with a subtle sparkle.


*If you'd like a more detailed and direct A/B between the SB14 and EBMM Sterling feel free to drop a PM, I'll be happy to help if I can!


Disclaimer:
Again, this is just another review. It is better to hear and feel it yourself in any case.

Cheers! And once more, kudos to Brendon for BGW's excellent service and hospitality!
 
I have recently bought a Sterling Ray34 White from BGW Guitars under Brendon’s sound recommendation. I am glad that Sterling’s brochure regarding the capabilities and specifications of the Ray34 are not overstated, unlike many other brands. Here’s what I feel about my new toy:

Weight, Finish and Action
As mentioned in the Sterling brochure, the body is made of lightweight ash. It is slightly lighter than some of the basses I have tired. I like the maple neck, which has a smooth finish, as it makes playing up and down the fretboard effortless. Personally, I prefer slightly higher action and the factory set-up feels just right for me. In addition, I find it easier to do slap n pops due to the wider fret spacing.

Sound
I love the ‘seemingly endless tonal variations’ powered by the Music Man designed humbucker pickups and 3-band active preamp. It sounds very much like a Stingray and this is the winning point which convinced me to purchase the Ray34. For slightly more than a grand, this bass is a steal. I have tried both versions of Ray34. I find that the maple fingerboard version produces a punchier and brighter tone as compared its rosewood counterpart, making it a more attractive tone for slap and pop. However, I have chosen the rosewood version due to its warmer tone and after considerations on band settings.

Customer Service and Shopping Experience
The level of service provided would have easily qualified BGW Guitars for the Singapore Service Star Award. I have enjoyed my shopping experience with BGW Guitars and am certainly delighted by Brendon. Personalised service, good product knowledge coupled with sound recommendation and the willingness to put the interest of the customer at heart makes BGW a winner.

Great Product and Excellent Service at a Reasonable Price, what more can you ask for?
 
Gibson has Epiphone, Fender has Squier, PRS has PRS SE and now EBMM has Sterling! I purchased this guitar from Brendon of www.bgwguitars.com and I can only applaud the excellent customer service he provides. I purchased this guitar for $1000. I have been looking around for a new guitar and was contemplating between a 2nd hand PRS SE Torero and this, and of course you know what I settled for.

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Features: This is a new 2011 model from Sterling. 1 Volume 1 Tone knob and a 3 way selector switch. The finish is a quilted flame maple top and the classic EB 5 screw bolt on neck. The rest of the specs are as follows:
- Deluxe quilt maple top w/ Custom Forearm Contour
- “BFR” style body shape
- Maple Neck w/ Rosewood Fingerboard
- Custom Sterling Petrucci Neck carve
- John Petrucci “Shield” Inlays
- John Petrucci “Dome” knobs
- Locking Tuners
- 24 Medium Jumbo Frets
- Sterling Modern Tremelo Bridge Recessed
- 25.5" Scale
- 5 Bolt Music Man® Designed Neck Joint
- 2x Sterling Modern Humbuckers (body mounted)
- 3 Way Selector Switch
- 42mm Nut Width (1.65")
- Spoke Wheel Truss Rod Adjustment
- Heavy Duty Gig Bag Included
- Transparent Black Finish

This guitar is MII but nevertheless, Sterling sends their guitars back to their US factory for a final inspection and set up before shipping out to the distributors, a sign of their high regard for quality control and standards.

Sound: The sound is decent enough for stock pickups, sounds clear and responsive. They are a high output set by Sterling. I will probably swap them out for dimarzios in the future, but right now these will do.

Action, Fit & Finish: No flaws on my guitar. Finish is perfect and no shoddy work to be found anywhere, well except for a small paint chip I noticed when I changed out the stock strap buttons to Dunlop straploks but it isn’t an issue anyway because the strap buttons covers it. The neck is unfinished, only the head is. The quilt maple top looks even better in real life!

When I first tried the guitar, the bolt-on screws were not tightened properly but this was easily solved with a few twists of the screw driver. The guitar action was not at its lowest when I first tried it at BGW Guitar’s showroom, but Brendon commented that he will be able to lower the action a little more, and true to that, when I went back again a few days later he already lowered the action and it was great! The forearm contour works great too; it’s really comfortable to play sitting down, and even more so standing up. I’ve been using an odd shaped guitar, an Ibanez Iceman, for the past 2 years and trust me, I’ve never felt anything like this. This weight on this guitar is really light as compared to my heavy-ass Iceman. Its really a pleasure to play while standing up.

The neck is chunkier as compared to the JP60 or JP50, if you prefer faster necks you could try the JP60. No problem for shredders here though. Although stock, the locking tuners keeps the guitar well in tune.

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Impression: Its a great guitar for this price range, nothing to have to worry about. Quality finish and construction. Simply wonderful! It feels durable enough to last for a long time.

Lastly, I would like to comment on the level of customer service the BGW Guitars provide. When they state "personal, informative and attentive buying experience" in their website, they really mean that. I feel better parting with my $1k as compared to other guitar shops where you feel that the salesman/women doesn't really bother. Cheers to them!
 
I acquired a Sterling Ray34 just less than a few months ago from Brendon at BGWguitars, and I must say that its worth every bit of its price.

First of all I'd like to commend Brendon for his service excellence. It was a very pleasant shopping experience in warehouse, a very cordial and honest 1-1 service without distractions or nosey shoppers, possible through his "please make appt before visiting" policy. He was also very patient with me taking 2-3hours (haha) of trying before deciding on a purchase.

Review:
I was considering between 3 models, the sb14s, ray34 rosewood and maple necks. The sb14 was the first to be out, because of its similarity to a jazz bass (I've been a Jbass user and want a change) in terms of its tone and slimmer neck profile (very comfortable to play). Tone wise it sings, and its very versatile with its 3-way pickup switch thing, and punchier (active pickups). However it doesn't have as much low end growl as compared to the ray34s, which was the sole criteria for me.

This brings me to the ray34s. Absolutely LOVE the fat rolling low end rumble especially on the e string, much like a p bass but tighter. Powerful humbucking sound I like. The highs are decent with fingerstyle, but I think they only sounded better with my compressor on. The slap sound on this bass is amazing, especially after you scoop the EQ with the onboard pre-amp (master vol, treble, mid, bass boost/cuts) which is uh, subtle but significantly awesome. Addictive. The neck is thicker than sb14, but still fast, and string action is decently low.

The maple necks come with natural colors, and I really love them cos they looks like marcus millers. They sound brighter and punchier than the rosewoods, very outstanding, but I eventually bought a rosewood for its warmer tone.

The difference between all 3 are bigger than I expected, you have to go and try for yourself but most likely you'd end up with one of them. The 5 strings are absolutely gorgeous, especially the matt black one, but I don't play 5s

Summary: Awesome tone, fat lows, and damn heavy to carry.
 
A simple Sterling Ray34 Review

I bought this bass couple month ago from a great service guy, Brendon. I have done a few gigs and I am satisfy with this amazing bass so much.

The active pick up which provide me rich, fat tone is suitable for ANY genre of songs includes metal and funk. I like the adjustable pre-amp which has a difficult touch when turning on half. So I easily know how much I turn. Either playing with a pick, fingers or slapping, it sounds great.

The white body finished great but not perfect. Although it has a little black dot on it, it will not be a big problem for me. Besides that, other parts are good.

Conclusion, this Sterling Ray34 bass is suitable to all level of players who are looking for an affordable bass guitar. Just simply try this bass guitar to feel the awesomeness of it.
 
A little review on Silo30 I recent got off BGWGuitars

Based on the classic musicman silhouette guitar, the sterling silo30 is a cheaper alternative packing many of the great features of the original. With proper setup, this guitar plays like a dream. Its compact size makes handling it super easy and enjoyable. Neck is smooth and fast. Locking tuners and musicman bridge means that the guitar will stay in tune even when you use the whammy bar often. Pickups are extraordinarily crisp for its value.

Personally I play a strat and this feels like a strat, if not better. Great sound and it's even open for modifications, easy to work with for all you peeps who live modding ur guitar. it's REALLY neat inside and easy to figure out which wire goes where, etc. Neatly soldererd wires as well. Not just splendid on the outside, but in the inside too. Great buy, definitely NO regrets!

Cheers!
 
What is possibly the main difference between the original and the Sterling Ray 35.......of course the tone. I bought it last week in natural colour, and the tone was awesome man. Good for slapping. Most stunning thing is the same sound as the original. Maybe the wood quality is less. Not as dense or hard. The hardware is probably not crafted quite as well as the US made. However, who cares! The bass plays great. Stays in tune. Sounds great too,thanks to Brendon......
 
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I have been playing the guitar but I decided to try out bass for fun. I called Brendon - whom I have known for a long time now - for advise and he listened to me list out my needs: not too expensive, the kind of music I like to play etc and he introduced me to the Sterling Ray34.

I got myself a bass amp at the Yamaha sale and I was away. The bass is real easy to play and sounds awesome. I have owned a few good guitars and I know good build quality when I see it - the Ray34 is very well made and the whole instrument especially the neck feels fantastic.

I strongly believe the future belongs to Asia be it in the Arts, Philosophy or Economy. I guess we can add manufacturing to that list too based on how well this instrument is made. Acronyms like MIA, CIJ will always be valued but I am amazed that this instrument was built in Asia. Brendon's great service is well known but I have the added advantage that he practically lives next door to me:)
 
Sterling by Musicman JP100 Review

Just got hold of the awesome axe from Brendon yesterday. Purchase service is the best I had experienced.

Overview
I was always told regarding the construction of guitars from subsidiary brand that the wood used and craftsmanship are inferior to the those of the actual brand, but not for this JP100 that I had bought….

Outlook/Construction
The JP100 is modeled after the "Ball Family Reserve" JP6. It comes with a 24 Jumbo Frets maple neck with rosewood fingerboards with JP shield inlays. The two high output humbucking pups are controlled by a single master volume and a single master tone JP dome style knobs. Excellent paint job, aggressive looking.

Ergonomics
The slightly chunkier BFR body feels more comfortable overtime (you'll only realize it after playing it for about one hour or so) as compared to the JP60. The custom neck ensures comfort when you play for long hours, fingers just won't feel tired. Comfort at its best.

Sound
The clean tones are crisp clear and the overdrive crunch is good, very responsive i would say. For now I am contented with the stock pickups as advised by Brendon, that it sounded and proven awesome.

Accessories
The guitar comes with a heavily padded Sterling by Musicman gig bag.

Conclusion
JP100 just sounds and look AGGRESSIVE! There are a lot more to talk about but it's not all about reading, you have gotta really experience the JP100! Thanks to Brendon, it's an enjoyable process from making appointment to trying the guitar and making the final decision get the guitar.

Rock on! \m/
 
Current Bass:Sterling by Musicman Ray 34
Previous Bass: Fender Mustang Bass
Amplifier: Fender Bassman 150

Built:
Alot of people are skeptical about guitar products made in China or Indonesia, The thing about the sterling brand is that it's made in Indonesia, But sent back to the states for an inspection and set up. When i picked it up to play, i can safely say the standard and the quality of the built is there. Its really solid, The neck is joined to the body via 6 bolts. If that isn't solid enough for you, then i don't know what is. With good maintenance habits, It definitely will last you a lifetime. The Bass comes in a heavily padded gig bag too.


Tone/Sound:
I've been playing bassline instruments, and what i like is the bass to stand out a little, The 3 band eq ( Bass, Mid, Treble ) is definitely a reason why i chose this over other brands which mainly have just a volume and a tone. Mine is the maple fingerboard and maple neck variation. The sound is different compared to the one with the rosewood fingerboard. Its a bit more outstanding, like Flea, if u get what i mean... If you've tried a Stingray before, u know the sound, its identical. Its in all honestly the most bang for buck bass guitar in the market!

Service:
Buying from Brendon is the best choice compared to other shops, Customized service and so much more from him. I bombarded him with questions as it was my first time buying a first hand guitar. He patiently answered them all. He also followed up on me 2 days after i got the bass. Buying from him is really a good experience, I'll definitely be buying more guitars from him in the future.
 
Hi, may I know how much is the maple neck sterling Ray35? I'm interested. Sorry for my stupidity, where is bgw? Thanks!
 
6 New models from NAMM are in !

- SBMM AX40-TBK
- SBMM JP60-PRB
- SBMM JP100-3TS
- SBMM Ray34CA-BK
- SBMM Ray34CA-VC
- SBMM Ray34-BLSP

High-Res photos available on our website.
 
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