Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling
Year: 1998
Finish/Color: Red Translucent
Made in: USA
Factory/Plant: San Luis Obispo, CA,
The sleek StingRay sibling Introduced in 1993, the Sterling is often described as the StingRay’s more refined, high-performance sibling. While it retains the iconic humbucker punch, the Sterling features a slimmer, contoured body and a narrow nut width (similar to a Jazz Bass), making it incredibly agile for fast passages. This 1998 model is a prime example of the San Luis Obispo ’90s era, featuring a 3-band active EQ and a 3-way ceramic humbucker. The 3-position switch allows you to toggle between parallel, single-coil (with a phantom coil to prevent hum), and series modes, offering a versatile range of tones from classic Ray growl to a thick, modern grind.
Reported sighting
The Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling, Red Translucent have been spotted on a journey.
Picked this one up in 1998
…and used it exclusively for a couple of years. I play the Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling bass on this live recorded medley from Musikhuset Posten aka. Rytmeposten (Odense, Denmark).
It can also be seen in this historic Youtube video from the same concert.
Small body, big round bass sound
First introduced in 1993, the Sterling electric bass is renowned for its slightly smaller body and neck profile. 9 volt active 3 band EQ preamp, 3 position pickup selector switch.
Other iconic basses to explore next
All about that bass, no treble
You’ve come to the end of the page, but don’t worry! This bass collection is meant to be played and seen and there’s more low-end rumble from Fender bass, Gibson basses, Epiphone, Lakland and many more for you to discover in The Bass Vault.