Bass Guitar
Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4 H (1993 - 2018)
Price: 1.351 EUR – 2.249 EUR
Price history
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Availability: 4/10 (Common)
A slimmer-bodied, smaller-bout companion to the StingRay, built by Ernie Ball Music Man in the US with a single humbucker and the same active preamp philosophy.
About the Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4 H (1993 - 2018)
Introduced in 1993 and named after Sterling Ball, this model takes the StingRay's electronics concept and applies it to a smaller-bodied, lighter, slimmer-necked instrument aimed at players wanting the StingRay tone in a more compact package. The '4 H' designation indicates four strings with a single humbucking pickup, feeding Music Man's signature 2- or 3-band active preamp depending on production year, delivering StingRay-adjacent punch with a snappier top end from the smaller body and neck dimensions.
Built at Ernie Ball Music Man's San Luis Obispo, California facility throughout its run, the Sterling occupied a distinct niche from the StingRay for over two decades: same core electronics philosophy, different ergonomics, aimed at players who found the StingRay's body and neck profile too large or heavy for their preference.
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Sound character of the Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4 H (1993 - 2018)
The Sterling shares the StingRay's single bridge humbucker and active EQ, but on a smaller, thinner ash/alder body - the pickup still drives that punchy, aggressive humbucker growl, though the lighter body tends to sound a touch brighter and less bottom-heavy than the full-size StingRay.
Technical data for the Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4 H (1993 - 2018)
| Strings | 4 |
|---|---|
| Pickups | 1x humbucker |
| Preamp | 2- or 3-band active (year-dependent) |
| Origin | USA (San Luis Obispo) |
| Production | 1993-2018 |
Price history for the Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4 H (1993 - 2018)
Cheapest seen: 1.351 EUR · Most expensive seen: 2.249 EUR
Cheapest seen
Most expensive seen
The history of the Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4 H (1993 - 2018)
Introduced in 1993 and named for Sterling Ball, the Music Man Sterling paired StingRay-style electronics with a smaller, slimmer body until the model's 2018 discontinuation.
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