Sterling By MusicMan 6 String Solid-Body Electric Guitar, Right, Stealth Black (SR30-SBK-R1)

Just received today and it's probably my new favorite guitar. Love the matte black finish. I changed out the strings to some Ernie Ball Super Slinky once I received it. Plays really easy and has a great action. I love their Music Man guitars but it's too much for my price range right now. For a more affordable Ernie Ball guitar, I don't think you can beat this. Would definitely get another one.

The guitar came to me with some scratches like it was used by a beginner. Since I'm only using it as a practice guitar I'm not letting it bother me, trying to.

It came so poorly set up that it is not possible to play. Quality Control at the musicman factory is obviously garbage. I will be taking Guitar to the shop and paying for a set up… depending on what the tech tells me I may return this guitar.

I bought this for my fiancé for Christmas, and it was exactly what he was looking for. Unfortunately for me, he loves it so much that he plays it all of the time. I will never escape Enter Sandman. Also, the guitar is super cool looking with the matte black. Make sure you invest in a good amp.

So, I've been eyeballing the Music Man Dusitn Kensrue signature model, the other MM Stingrays and a few other models, but I've always played Explorers and wasn't sure about getting something with such a "traditional" body shape. Rather than blowing $2k to test something out, I opted to grab the same body shape from Sterling, and man I am glad I did.First of all, this thing is a tank. It is surprisingly heavy for a poplar body and being made of "cheaper" materials than MM's African Mahogany bodies for this shape. The next comes unfinished, which I prefer to a glossed neck. Would have been nice to have dark satin finish or something, but it still feels really nice in the hands. The fretboard is Laurel wood, which I've never really hear of, but looks like a grainier looking rosewood. I don't feel any difference anyways.I upped the string gauge from the normal 10-46 up to a set of 11-52 for a drop C tuning. Had to really tighten the tremolo in the back to lock the bridge for a bit more stability, but otherwise, it's rock solid. Tuners are cheap, and obvious place where they cut some corners, but that can easily be swapped out for some better parts. The tuning machine on the low E kind of sticks, but it might just be the one. All the others are smooth and not an issue.As for the sound... Well... I've always played an Explorer with a Jazz (n) and JB (b), and whatever the heck "Music Man spec'd" pickups are, they sounds freaking awesome. I expected to have to swap all the electronics out, but this guitar sounds incredible! I couldn't believe what I was hearing out of a little $300 guitar.So, this was my little tester guitar - just to get the idea of the feel of this body shape and playability for a higher end model - and I can say with confidence, if this is the quality of their suuuuuper affordable line, I have no worries about ordering a higher end American-made instrument from Ernie Ball. AND, I think this guitar would have no problems surviving rough and roudy gigs.4 stars just due to the cheap hardware. Otherwise, this guitar is amazing.

There is nothing to dislike about this guitar.