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EBMM price - ouch!

#21
Go used! About 3 years ago here on TalkBass, I got a used USA Sterling 4HH for $850 or $950 (I can't remember.) and it was in near EX condition.

Sadly for sellers, the resale on used Sterlings is not very good. So, buying used is the way to go.

Here's one on Reverb.com right now. Good ole black with a maple neck for $1,025 + $75 shipping. He has a "Make Offer" clause so he'll probably take less and it's been up on Reverb for a month now.

Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling 4 HH 2008 Black

Go for it!

By the way. In my opinion, the Sterling 4HH is pretty much a Swiss Army Knife bass. It kind of does it all!

The wiring on the Sterling is so much better than the 4HH on the Stingray. The Stingray's p/up selections are all in parallel and the Sterling 4HH is in series. Series is best!

Be patient. Go for used. Don't buy new. It ain't worth it.
 
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#28
MultiScaleMale said:
I'm probably late to the game, but I'm looking for a four string "fun" bass. Not a P, I want sexy, slappy, tappy, happy. Looked at a Sterling 4 HH and noticed the price is up $500 from just a short time ago. More digging and found that they all went up $400-500. I thought that Bongo at GC was $2199 the last time I looked and is now $2699. A 25-30% increase at least taps the brakes. They know what they're doing, but that significant of a price increase seems to put all but the gotta have it purchases on hold. The killer is that Musicians Friend had the bass at the previous price, but now the same bass is $500 higher. Come on, it's like I'm buying a mattress or a used car now.
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I love Ernie Ball Music Man basses and guitars but with the price increase across the board and every instrument now having a MAP price of a minimum of $2,000.00 or more, it has really soured me to Music Man.

There instruments are excellent in quality and play great but I don’t think they are worth the drastic increase in price. Especially the Cutlass and Caprice basses that are purely passive. Why would anyone buy one of them new when a brand new MIA Fender Precision is several hundreds of dollars less. And used Cutlass and Caprice basses are going for max, $1,200.00 or $1,000.00 less than a new one.

With the new pricing of EBMM, they are now getting into custom shop prices but everything they sell is mass produced. I know that I will no longer buy another new one as long as they continue to sell at these inflated costs. I’m now also mulling over the idea of selling off all of my EBMM basses and switching to another brand.

I have worked for 2 separate guitar and bass manufacturers in the past that had custom shops and everything was made here in America so I know the actual cost of making an instrument and because both companies weren’t producing the same volume amount as EBMM, I know our material cost was more expensive. Sterling Ball said the price increase was due to the high dollar amount of doing business in California. If that’s the case, I could understand a price increase of around $100.00 but not $500.00 - $600.00, like they did on almost every bass and quite a few guitars as well.

I have a feeling a lot of customers or those that were considering becoming customers will also be like me and take their business elsewhere. I simply can’t see as many people buying new when a majority of EBMM basses and some guitars sell for $1,200.00 or less or more than $1,000.00 less than what a new one sells for. I then wonder what EBMM will plan on doing then, when their sales numbers drop dramatically?
 
#30
MattZilla said:
what? Heated seats? A touch screen?

Their necks are among the best in the biz, their electronics blow away most other mass producer's, and people need raises to not start sending out resumeés to machine shops.
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Stereo, figured maple, better colors. They're out pricing mass producers. If you want to take the offering at current prices, more power to you, but I need a little more to find value at the current price point.
 
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#33
MultiScaleMale said:
I'm probably late to the game, but I'm looking for a four string "fun" bass. Not a P, I want sexy, slappy, tappy, happy. Looked at a Sterling 4 HH and noticed the price is up $500 from just a short time ago. More digging and found that they all went up $400-500. I thought that Bongo at GC was $2199 the last time I looked and is now $2699. A 25-30% increase at least taps the brakes. They know what they're doing, but that significant of a price increase seems to put all but the gotta have it purchases on hold. The killer is that Musicians Friend had the bass at the previous price, but now the same bass is $500 higher. Come on, it's like I'm buying a mattress or a used car now.
Click to expand...

It could be a long wait but my GC has at least 2x in the past 4 years blown out all EBMM for about 50% of MSRP.

And I recall noticing a couple of months ago that used EBMM are taking virtually the same hits as are used Carvin so scoop one up at 50% of last year's used street price while you can... seems like that may be about only 40% of current MSRP. Good luck.
 
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#34
MultiScaleMale said:
I'm probably late to the game, but I'm looking for a four string "fun" bass. Not a P, I want sexy, slappy, tappy, happy. Looked at a Sterling 4 HH and noticed the price is up $500 from just a short time ago. More digging and found that they all went up $400-500. I thought that Bongo at GC was $2199 the last time I looked and is now $2699. A 25-30% increase at least taps the brakes. They know what they're doing, but that significant of a price increase seems to put all but the gotta have it purchases on hold. The killer is that Musicians Friend had the bass at the previous price, but now the same bass is $500 higher. Come on, it's like I'm buying a mattress or a used car now.
Click to expand...

Fella, they ain’t that great IMO. With enough guys like you speaking with your wallet, those prices may come down. The good news for those that already own one, your resale price just went up....
 
#35
MultiScaleMale said:
I believe a Stingray, the new version, will start at $2199 for the four string, single pickup version. I’ll see if I can find a source for that.
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The new Stingrays 4 H models with bolt on necks have a MAP price of either $1,999.99 or $2,099.99 depending on what finish you get.

Before I knew about the price increase, I was going to open a music store and feature Music Man instruments. They sent me a dealer order and price sheet and when I saw all of the new price increases, I very quickly changed my mind.
 
#36
I have sold 3 of my sterlings in the past 3 years. The cleanest which was clean and a Special finish I got $900 for, minus shipment and I doubt I cleared $800. The 2 others were rough but players, one went for $675, the other for $600. There is a HH locally for $900 and its sat forever but its fretless.Its hard to even sell a Sterling 4 in any Pickup combo or special paint for $900 used, so buy used.
 
#37
I know I *should* buy used, I always recommend that to others when they're looking. At the previous $1799, I definitely would want to go new. But at $2299, that really changes the equation. Maybe if I were looking in November or December and forgot about the $500 bump it wouldn't matter as much. But right now, it's like, "Damn!"
 
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#38
MultiScaleMale said:
I'm probably late to the game, but I'm looking for a four string "fun" bass. Not a P, I want sexy, slappy, tappy, happy. Looked at a Sterling 4 HH and noticed the price is up $500 from just a short time ago. More digging and found that they all went up $400-500. I thought that Bongo at GC was $2199 the last time I looked and is now $2699. A 25-30% increase at least taps the brakes. They know what they're doing, but that significant of a price increase seems to put all but the gotta have it purchases on hold. The killer is that Musicians Friend had the bass at the previous price, but now the same bass is $500 higher. Come on, it's like I'm buying a mattress or a used car now.
Click to expand...

Lots of good deals right here on TB.
 
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