EBMM price - ouch!

[LBS-bass]

The good news about all this (if you own one) is that, looking at Reverb.com, it seems the prices for used basses are creeping up. A few weeks ago I could have bought a used Sterling 4h for under a grand, easily, but now they are listed around the $1200 mark, with a few dinged up exceptions. This doesn't address the fact that there are still too many used ones on the market to achieve a quick sale at that price, but it helps me feel better about the possibility that I'll get out of mine what it is worth.

 

[cchorney]

The good news about all this (if you own one) is that, looking at Reverb.com, it seems the prices for used basses are creeping up. A few weeks ago I could have bought a used Sterling 4h for under a grand, easily, but now they are listed around the $1200 mark, with a few dinged up exceptions. This doesn't address the fact that there are still too many used ones on the market to achieve a quick sale at that price, but it helps me feel better about the possibility that I'll get out of mine what it is worth.

That is good news for me. I have a Bongo 4HH that I promised I would sell after I bought my Bongo 5HH. I really need to put that up for sale. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[mtdkingstonheir]

Seems to me that my wage is the only thing on earth that doesn't get adjusted for inflation.

I'm now making what I made in 1997. I feel your pain, DB.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Ok, I was looking for a Sterling, but found a Caprice today at a close out price that I could pass up. It was about half of the new, new price. So, I did put my money where my mouth is, just in a little different way.

 

[LBS-bass]

That is good news for me. I have a Bongo 4HH that I promised I would sell after I bought my Bongo 5HH. I really need to put that up for sale. Maybe tomorrow.

Yeah, I know. Now that I have the Caprice in my hands, I have no excuse for not letting go of my Sterling. But... she's the love of my life. How can I let her go?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

The Caprice has the least “getting between me and the notes coming out of the amp” factor of any bass I’ve played. Part of that is because I’ve played four strings for the first 15 years that I played bass, part is because the Caprice is a kick &&& bass.

 

[sigterm]

I played a caprice and I was thrilled by it. EB nailed it. So good. I just played an American original P, and wow that neck! I'd have a hard time between the two. Both have their own feel, but true to intent. I do feel like EB pours a little more love in, but I'm really into that new AO fender vintage.


Im pretty much over swype and autocorrect.

 

[maplenecked]

The Caprice has the least “getting between me and the notes coming out of the amp” factor of any bass I’ve played. Part of that is because I’ve played four strings for the first 15 years that I played bass, part is because the Caprice is a kick &&& bass.

Yeah man Caprices are awesome, come join the Cutlass/Caprice club.

And really it’s kind of sterling-esque being a (technically) HH bass with a jazzish profile neck. Congrats!

 

[LBS-bass]

The Caprice has the least “getting between me and the notes coming out of the amp” factor of any bass I’ve played. Part of that is because I’ve played four strings for the first 15 years that I played bass, part is because the Caprice is a kick &&& bass.

That's a great way to put it. Something about these MM necks, they don't fight with you at all. My Fender is pretty sweet, but it doesn't feel like this.

 

[LBS-bass]

Ok, I was looking for a Sterling, but found a Caprice today at a close out price that I could pass up. It was about half of the new, new price. So, I did put my money where my mouth is, just in a little different way.

You're going to love that Caprice. I think you'll be able to get everything out of it that the Sterling would offer, and a lot more. Every time I plug mine in I am just in awe.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

You're going to love that Caprice. I think you'll be able to get everything out of it that the Sterling would offer, and a lot more. Every time I plug mine in I am just in awe.

If they do a PDN that I love, I may just suck it up and pay the $500 jacked up price to get another one. I’ve had four or five other MM basses over the years and sold them all. This one seems to bond, although I should have kept that super lightweight SR5.

 

[Wyo Bass Junkie]

When I picked up my HH4 Stealth it was $1949. Sweetwater.

 

[Giffro]

The "Sterling by MusicMan" thing singlehandedly destroyed the resale value of the Sterling H and HH, and that is why there are so many used ones on the market right now- people can't sell them because casual buyers don't understand what they're looking at. They can't be sold for anywhere close to what they are worth. The names are confusing. And who would buy a new "MusicMan Sterling" when you can buy a "Sterling by MusicMan" for a fraction of the price? You have to know what you're looking at, and most people don't. It's never been their best seller but they've destroyed it with this move, and that's a shame because my Sterling has the best neck of any bass I've ever played.

I went into a music store recently to play a Caprice that was on clearance. The guy helping me wanted to put an active SBMM in my hands because it was "just as good" and not as expensive. The SBMM was an acceptable bass, but the neck on the Caprice was lightyears away from it. I bought the passive Caprice on sale for twice the money. At $1200 it was more than reasonably priced. I would not have bought it for $2300 because I was not really looking for a new bass, and apparently no one wanted to buy it for $1800 either, which was its original ticket price. Apparently there were quite a few of these on clearance at Guitar Centers all over the place. Why would they raise the price on something that's not selling? I don't know.

USA-built MusicMan basses are well-made, better by far than the high-end Fender that is currently my main player. But they've done themselves a lousy turn with some poor marketing decisions.

I agree with the naming confusion regarding Sterling / MusicMan basses. If you have no idea what you are looking for as such you could easily get roped into buying a cheaper inferior bass online than what you intended if you don't know anything about EBMM or Sterling products.
I really had to study the EB website years ago and make notes on the different models and brandings etc. Having said that I did buy a Sterling by MusicMan SUB bass (Indonesian made) for my son to learn bass on, but in hindsight I would have been happier buying an actual Sterling H or HH for him instead when the prices weren't as high as they are, or will be now. I agree wholeheartedley with you that you need to know what you are looking at with the naming conventions of these instruments as they are. It is very confusing even for a hardened pro muso like myself. Distance from the product here in Australia doesnt help either when you simply cant pop down the music shop and check out the differences and prices of the basses, when the shops dont stock a lot of them here as they are so expensive. I had to order my EBMM SR5HH from the US as I wanted a certain colour with double pups that at the time werent available anywhere in Australia. The price in early 2017 was over $4000AU as it was and thats quite an expensive bass guitar. I wouldnt want to be paying more with the coming increase.
Pics included are the Sterling by MusicMan S.U.B. next to my Ric and my EBMM SR5HH I had specifically ordered last year.

 

[Bassist Jay]

Have you gone to a car dealership and priced new things lately? full size pickup trucks now 60k and some 70k.

I think the big difference in vehicles is technology constantly gets better. Instruments for the most part have smaller changes but never major technological leaps.

Like someone else said, this price hike across the board is price gouging in my opinion and the EBMM instruments aren’t worth it. Over the next 2 years, I planned on buying 6 to 8 more basses and at least 2 guitars. Now, I’m considering selling all of the EBMM’s that I own and going custom shop.