http://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/

[hunter]

check it out
http://www.sterlingbymusicman.com/

[Philly Q]

Interesting, but I get the feeling they started with the basses then added the guitars almost as an afterthought.  Bass players even get a choice of colours!

I quite like the idea of getting a budget Axis, and the AX20 looks good apart from the nasty orange colour.  If they decide to introduce an Albert Lee model in future I'll definitely be interested.  :)

Wonder what price range they'll be in?

[elijen]

wow...took forever to download...

hmmm... a choice of colours would not kill them and why such ingenious names for particular models :? I guess the quality/price ratio will have the final word...

[hunter]

Interesting, but I get the feeling they started with the basses then added the guitars almost as an afterthought.  Bass players even get a choice of colours!

I quite like the idea of getting a budget Axis, and the AX20 looks good apart from the nasty orange colour.  If they decide to introduce an Albert Lee model in future I'll definitely be interested.  :)

Wonder what price range they'll be in?

I heard 600US$

Guess they are bad then, ay Dave?

<rotfl>

[Philly Q]

I found a thread about them on the EB/MM forum:

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/35943-introducing-sterling-music-man.html

It doesn't say very much about the actual instruments unfortunately, because it turns into a huge argument about whether it's confusing to have a range of instruments called "Sterling by Music Man" when you already make a top-line bass called the "Music Man Sterling".  Sterling Ball keeps telling posters not to comment on the name, then he goes mental every time someone does.  :lol:

[nfe]

I think the JP will do really well, other than that I don't think the guitars are likely to be massive sellers in the UK, since musicman simply don't seem to have that big a profile here.

I'm sure the basss will do great though, anything that looks like a stingray but costs half as much will fly out.

I'll look forward to getting to see them first hand.

[maverickf1jockey]

Is this a replacement for OLP or are they going to exist side by side (like Squire by fender, Mexican Standard, Japanese standard, American standard, American Deluxe and Custom Shop branches of Fender)?

[Dmoney]

I've never liked the look of MM guitars, i cant believe that naming though that does seem to be deliberatly confusing. i like the basses though. could always go for a feline manta ;)

[Philly Q]

Is this a replacement for OLP or are they going to exist side by side (like Squire by fender, Mexican Standard, Japanese standard, American standard, American Deluxe and Custom Shop branches of Fender)?

It's a replacement for OLP and the SUB range.  They're being built in Korea and/or Indonesia, then checked and set up in the USA.

[maverickf1jockey]

Hopefully they won't be like OLP and look incredibly cheap and nasty, even from a distance.

I have a friend with the John Petrucci signature Music Man and it might be interesting to see how they compare (especially seeing as one of my local shops has become a minor Music Man dealer).

[noodleplugerine]

Even cheaper than OLP?

[Philly Q]

According to Sterling Ball they're closer to SUB quality than OLP.  I'd expect them to be £600+ in the UK, but that's a wild guess.

[ChunkyMunky]

If they do a Luke model, I'd be interested. :)

Does anyone remember the quality of the SUB's?

[Philly Q]

I never got to try a SUB, but in Fender terms I think they were like Highway One compared with American Standard:  still a US-made neck and body but with various cost-cutting measures like cheaper hardware and a matt, textured finish instead of the normal gloss body and oil/wax finished neck.  So the playability was there, but on a much cheaper guitar.

But that's from memory, I may have it all wrong!

[ChunkyMunky]

I remember trying Sub when they came out. From what I remember some of them were just as good, if not better than some of the musicman range. Maybe the matte finish on the neck won me over. :lol: