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MYSTERIOUS: Sterling by music man - What They Never Told You

No knobs? No problem – Sterling By Music Man takes bass guitar design minimalism to its logical conclusion with the super-cool Joe Dart Vision

The new Joe Dart signature bass has one pickup, no controls whatsoever, and it is available now in a timed release alongside his original SBMM bass. Order by end of May or miss out

MusicRadar

“It does those Spaghetti Western sounds just as well as it does the crushingly heavy stuff”: Sterling by Music Man Stingray Baritone review

The iconic Stringray shape makes its debut in the new world of baritone guitar with some seriously impressive results

Guitar World

“They’ve revived B.B. King’s first-ever guitar and made it $349. I know what my next acoustic is going to be”: All the new guitar gear that caught my eye this week – including Chase Bliss’ “most foolish” pedal yet

The rebirth of B.B. King's first acoustic, a leading Dumble clone in plugin form, another spin-off of the famed Big Muff – all that and more in this week's round-up

Guitar World

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“I got to design a guitar that gave me exactly what I was looking for in contrast to my Strats”: How Cory Wong embraced humbuckers to reimagine Ernie Ball Music Man’s iconic bass for a signature electric with “that George Benson sound”

With the funk guitar maestro’s signature StingRay II now available in an affordable Sterling By Music Man version, Wong checks in to talk about the making of a dual-humbucker doozy and what it gives him that the Strat can't

MusicRadar

“Can do everything the Strat doesn’t do”: Sterling by Music Man rolls out a more affordable version of Cory Wong’s signature StingRay II – plus the brand’s first-ever baritone

Cory Wong's Music Man StingRay II launched at last year's NAMM, and, just one year later, we're getting a Sterling by Music Man version that's a fraction of the original's price...

Guitar World

“Designed to meet the technical demands of Jason Richardson”: Sterling by Music Man offers scaled-back, but equally versatile, versions of the former All That Remains guitarist's signature Cutlass

Some minor tonewood and pickup tweaks help reduce the cost, but there’s still shredability aplenty, alongside push-push controls for coil splits and volume boosting

Guitar World

“A deeper low-end presence within the StingRay lineup”: Sterling by Music Man launches its first ever baritone electric guitar

NAMM 2026: Sterling by Music Man reveals the company’s first-ever baritone electric guitar, refreshes its popular Luke series and we get two new signature models

MusicRadar

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“Jacob Collier’s 5-string guitar revolution is here to stay”: All the guitar gear that caught my eye this week – and the new launches you might have missed

Johnny Marr's latest reinvention of the Fender Jaguar, another pedal inspired by Mk.gee's oddball rig choices, the ultimate evolution of the Tube Screamer and so much more...

Guitar World

“This is the bass I’ve wanted to make for years”: Sterling by Music Man releases signature bass with two dummy knobs that do absolutely nothing for MxPx bassist Mike Herrera

The punk rock icon is serving his go-to wiring setup without harming the heritage of the StingRay design

Guitar World

“All the same comfort and playability as their American counterparts”: Rabea Massaad’s Sterling by Music Man Sabre has been one of the firm’s most anticipated builds – and now it’s finally here

A year and a half after the highly refined $4,000 Ernie Ball Music Man model arrived, a sub-$1k version has landed

Guitar World

“Scoring especially highly for its superb ergonomics”: Sterling By Music Man Kaizen 7 review

Progressive guitar icon Tosin Abasi's dramatic Music Man custom seven-string, re-imagined for those with lighter wallets

Guitar World

“It’s taken 3 years, but a more affordable spin-off of one of the 21st century’s most advanced guitar designs has finally landed”: All the new guitar gear that has caught my eye this week – including the most extravagant acoustic you will see all year

A $99,999 SJ-200, two Randy Rhoads tributes, and some visionary electrics from Ibanez – here are all the gear launches that you might have missed from the past seven days

Guitar World

“I want the guitar to play fast, to wear close to the body, and communicate a degree of aggression”: Sterling by Music Man and Tosin Abasi bring the futuristic Kaizen to a new low price point – slashing nearly $3k off the original

Three years after the boundary-pushing build was first unveiled, the long-awaited Sterling spin-off has arrived

Guitar World

“I want the guitar to play fast… to communicate a degree of aggression and forward-thinking”: Sterling By Music Man unveils affordable version of Tosin Abasi’s groundbreaking EBMM Kaizen signature model – and yes, there's a 7-string

A Kaizen for under $1,000? SBMM might have a smash hit on its hands with the Animals As Leaders' signature electric – available now in Firemist Purple Satin and Stealth Black

MusicRadar

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Guitar World

“It’s built to reflect how I play”: Ryan “Fluff” Bruce’s Sterling by Music Man signature is finally here – and it’s more than $2k cheaper than the premium model

Fishman Fluence humbuckers make way for “do-it-all” Seymour Duncans, but otherwise, it’s a faithful recreation of the YouTuber’s Swiss Army riff machine

Guitar World

“Affordable versions of the three best basses I've ever held in my hands”: Sterling by Music Man completes its trilogy of Joe Dart signature models with a trio of made-to-order basses that cost less than $500

The Vulfpeck funk maestro has unveiled two all-new models that slash more than $2k off the price of his Ernie Ball Music Man basses – and revived the OG Sterling Dart I that proved such a hit last year

MusicRadar

“Every time I put one of these guitars on it’s just a reminder of the relationship with my friends”: Ernie Ball Music Man shakes up Steve Lukather’s L4 signature series with new pickup options, finishes and a BFR HSS dream machine

But if these high-end electrics are a bit out of your price range, Sterling By Music Man has you covered with its $649 Lukather signature model in all-new finishes

Guitar World

“Any bass guitar for under $250 with this sort of pedigree…how can you go wrong?”: Sterling By Music Man Intro Series StingRay Ray2 review

As a budget-friendly version of the US-made original, can this wallet-friendly StingRay really do the business?

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Guitar World

“Everything a great beginner guitar should be”: Sterling By Music Man Intro Series Cutlass review

The refreshed Cutlass is a sweet-looking vintage-ish S-style, but could this be the next apex predator in the market for entry-level electrics?

MusicRadar

NAMM 2025: “The highly anticipated Sterling version of the original EBMM Kaizen has arrived”: Sterling By Music Man adds Tosin Abasi’s Kaizen, Rabea Massaad’s Sabre and Ryan “Fluff” Bruce’s StingRay to artist lineup

Three creatively spec'd classics from the Ernie Ball Music Man signature series remixed for a more affordable price point – and you can get the Kaizen with six or seven strings

Guitar World

“The highly anticipated Sterling version has arrived – now with a standard scale”: Sterling by Music Man serves up an affordable take on Tosin Abasi’s Kaizen, plus Rabea Massaad and Fluff signature guitars

The wait for mid-priced versions of some of Ernie Ball Music Man’s most innovative signature models is now over –although not without some significant tweaks...

Guitar World

“Blends style and performance, and modern features with classic appeal”: Sterling by Music Man brings six high-end builds to affordable price ranges – covering guitars and basses

From the EVH-rooted Axis and the Cutlass, to a collaborative Darkglass bass, the Ernie Ball-owned firm is serving up cut-price versions of fan favorites

Guitar World

“In terms of sheer value for money, it’s hard to beat”: Sterling by Music Man Joe Dart Artist Series Bass review

On paper, the Sterling Joe Dart model looks like a remarkable reproduction of Music Man’s pro-standard version. Could this be as good as it gets for a $399 bass?

MusicRadar

“A collection designed to offer exceptional quality and player-friendly features at an accessible price”: Sterling By Music Man unveils entry-level Intro Series, offering a Cutlass for $199 and a StingRay for $249

And you've got four sweet finish options on each model... How’s that for beginners’ luck?

Guitar World

“Brings the all-in-one workhorse to more players than ever before”: Sterling by Music Man disrupts the entry-level guitar market with new Intro Series – debuting $199 Cutlass and $249 StingRay models

The firm looks to take on the beginner gear market's more established models with a range of nicely spec'd – and nice-looking – affordable electric and bass guitars

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