AX40
STeRlIng by
MuSIc MAn
BY BEn FRIEdMAn
PRODUCT REVIEW
Over the years Music Man, a company run by the Ball
family for three generations, has earned a solid reputa-
tion for producing finely crafted American-made guitar
and basses for the $1000+ instrument market. In an
effort to bring its highly regarded instrument designs
to the sub-$1000 guitar market, the company decided
to extend the family business overseas by teaming up
with Praxis Musical Instruments to create the Sterling by
Music Man guitar and bass line. With the support of
Sterling Ball and Music Man master luthier Dudley
Gimpel, Music Man supplied Praxis with sample
American-made models, CAD drawings and the
support from Music Man’s design team to create
each Sterling line model, which currently includes
four guitar and three basses. Each model features
Music Man-designed components fabricated in
Korea with assembly taking place in Indonesia.
Upon completion, every instrument is inspected
and setup at a Praxis facility in Orange, CA to Music
Man’s exacting specifications. The result is a wel-
comed value proposition in today’s environment, as the
sample Sterling instruments sent to PG were well-execut-
ed versions of their American counterparts.
