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EBMM Music Man Basses...why so much $?

Yaaaay, Jeff Bonny gets it.

The further point is that there nothing special or even significantly different about the basses from the 90s. I am specifically talking about my trans teal, maple fretboard, clear pickguard Stingray from the mid - 90s that I bought brand spanking new at the New Jersey Guitar and Bass Center for $750. I have seen the exact same bass from the exact same era going for $1200 used. That is what I am saying is silly. The manufacturing costs and all the rest of the business related comments that are being made here are irrelevant when the discussion is specifically about USED instruments that are non vintage, non collector pieces.

Keep in mind, just because someone is ASKING $1200 doesn't mean it SOLD for that much. I do think that EBMM SR5s hold their value quite well though.
 
Indeed, it is against my personal beliefs to pay several hundred dollars more for a used instrument than I paid new for the exact same instrument a mere 15 years ago. As I said, these are not rare or vintage collector grade instruments.

I understand the business economics of raising the prices on new instruments to keep up with the times. If they can get what they're asking, more power to them. I personally would never pay $1500 for a new Stingray and having bought these new in the not so distant past, I exercise my right as an old fogey to bitch about it. Especially when the SBMM versions are, in my opinion, every bit as well made for the price (and virtually identical sonically). Of course, I also refuse to spend more than $20 on a new pair of jeans, so maybe I'm just old fashioned.

I have actually owned an OLP, a Sterling Ray35, and still own two EBMM Sterling 5s. I played them all in live band situations, using the same bass rig and the same bands in same the buildings. The imports are not every bit as well made, and not even close sonically, in my real-world independent test. I am considering buying one of the $199 Imports so I could have a beater to leave at church for emergency use.
 
It is inflation. The asking or selling price will not be based on the purchase price 25 years ago, especially if the bass is relatively the same as newer ones. The price will be based on new ones today.

EBMM's do tend to keep good resale value as you can see! EBMM has been known to have consistent quality over the years.

While you mention that a 90's bass is not vintage, you are seeing the often (at the time) loathed 70's Fenders going for decent amount these days. Sometimes just the fact that they are old will increase the value in some buyers minds (obviously not yours!).
 
It's basic economics. A rising tide raises all boats. If prices on used EBMM's go up, and the used items are popular and high quality, used prices go up. Don't know what's so hard to comprehend.

I stand by what I said. I would never pay that kind of money for a off the shelf EBMM. I bought a 1978 Precision Bass new old stock for $300...in 1980. Of course I would not expect to pay the same money today. The new Stingrays are worth what ever people are willing to pay for them. They could charge $3000 for them and if there's a market, then I guess they're worth it. I still think a used run of the mill, mass produced, non vintage Stingray should be more in the $500 range. But again, they're worth what people are willing to pay. But, out of sheer principle, I wouldn't pay more for a used bass than I paid for the exact same bass new.
 
I stand by what I said. I would never pay that kind of money for a off the shelf EBMM. I bought a 1978 Precision Bass new old stock for $300...in 1980. Of course I would not expect to pay the same money today.

Mike, with all due respect, how is the Fender you bought in the 80's in any way whatsoever different than the Stingray you bought in the 90's?

You bought a Fender in 1980 and it is now worth more used 33 years later...
You bought a Stingray in 1990 (or whenever) and it is now worth more used 23 years later...

Sorry, I don't get the point made in your OP unless you just hate used Stingrays or hate 90's Stingrays.
 
You're not getting it. A vintage Corvette from the early 60s is going to demand more than it cost new to a collector of vintage cars. However, a 1995 Corvette is probably not going to be as in demand, won't be as rare, and shouldn't fetch much more than it cost new and should probably go for less. Why? Because it's nothing special. A vintage 60s Fender in pristine condition is a rarity and people will pay for a rarity. A mid 90s Stingray bass is, say it with me, nothing special.

Your turn.

I do not think you are getting it. Used stingrays never had a selling price per se, they sell for a portion of what a new one costs, the more a new one costs, the more a used one will cost proportionally. A used car is an awful comparison quite frankly because cars require considerably more maintenance with ago so they depreciate more quickly than practically anything and everything on the used market.

I honestly do not think I can clarify this any better than anybody here has.
 
I've always been a fan of Music Man Basses and would love to buy a new Stingray, but I just can't justify spending in the ballpark of $1500. I once bought a brand new, trans teal and maple fingerboard with a transparent pick-guard Stingray for around $750. It was a gorgeous instrument and reasonably priced at the time, but I see the same bass on eBay going used for more than I paid new. These are not vintage instruments, they are Stingrays from the 90s. Why are EBMM Basses so expensive...I'd say overpriced? I mean, I see some of the Indonesian SBMM versions going for what I paid for a new EBMM. I understand inflation, but double? Seems ridiculous to me. What do you say?

Here in Australia you'd be lucky to find a new 'Ray for less than 2K.

Several years ago, when the Aussie dollar was running low against the greenback, that would have been 3K

Believe me, American musicians are well off in comparison to what some of us have to pay elsewhere in order to get a quality instrument.

My view ? If you are a working musician doing lots of gigs...3k is not too much to play for a quality bass if you can afford it.
 
they're the type of bass where if you had to only have ONE then you'd always feel that you had a solid, vibrant and effective instrument.

even played totally clean they're almost everything you'd want in a bass guitar, at least to me. it is a winning design (and to be fair, their own) so they charge a premium.
 
Yup - what a stupid thread...


- georgestrings

George, with all due respect, you're a jerk. As for the rest of this discussion, I thank you for your responses, snarky and rude though some of them may have been. I just wanted to see if anyone else thought the price of used Music Man basses was too high like I do. I guess I'm in the minority, but I'm still not going to shell out over $1000 for a used 20 + year old bass. Just one man's opinion.

Last question. If 20+ year old Stingrays are going used for north of a grand, why wouldn't a buyer just spend the extra few hundred and buy a new one with a warranty? Go ahead, the righteous among you are free to cast your stones.
 
Back in 2000 I bought my Stingray 5 for $1200. Now they are retailing at $1575

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so going on 14 years later they retail at only $375 more. given inflation I'd say that's not so bad.

I mean really, ~$1600 for a brand new, high quality American made instrument built to last a lifetime, pays for itself after a handful of gigs. WTH is the real issue here??
 
I don't think those words "plain old" mean what you think they do - try again...


- georgestrings

Ahh, the trusted 'that does not mean what you think it means' joke at my expense. That was hilarious...back in 1987 when the Princess Bride did it.

But that being said, you're right. My bad.

It's a 'plain, new' Jazz bass for $2400. Didn't mean to imply that it was an old, used bass.

Oh. And by the way. NEVER get involved in a land war in Asia.
 
George, with all due respect, you're a jerk.

IMO, that was inappropriate and unnecessary to say. It actually reflects poorly on you. Please refrain from calling people names on Talkbass. George said the thread was stupid (he is entitled to his opinion). He did not call you stupid. There's a difference.

If 20+ year old Stingrays are going used for north of a grand, why wouldn't a buyer just spend the extra few hundred and buy a new one with a warranty? Go ahead, the righteous among you are free to cast your stones.

I don't know anything about being righteous, but my answer to that question is, it depends on which bass the buyer wishes to own.

Also, if you are going to post on an Internet forum and ask people in your original post what their opinion is (which is what you did), you need to be open minded enough to accept all opinions, even if some of them differ largely from yours.

Just sayin' ;)