While the quality of build and playability would be on par, the sound of those two basses aren't even close to one another...
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EBMM price - ouch!
- Thread starter MultiScaleMale
- Start date
While the quality of build and playability would be on par, the sound of those two basses aren't even close to one another...
Sadly everything is getting more expensive. I bought a BFR 25th Anniv (Reflex) bass 7 years ago and it was $2200 at the time. I thought that was pretty expensive for a production bass and represents the most I have ever paid for a bass. It is a nice instrument though. I think if you find a new good quality bass that speaks to you, you buy it. Rejecting a great instrument over a couple hundred dollars is ridiculous to me.
I think it is easy to say that Fenders are overpriced for what they are because there are dozens or even hundreds of companies doing Fender pattern instruments in all price ranges. EBMM basses are a different story. Barring a few cheap clones, EBMM is it's own biggest competitor for it's unique product designs. If that's what you want, you buy it from them. There aren't any good options. That is why EBMM basses will always have a strong following and strong detractors. They are what they are and are unique in the bass market. Personally I don't like most of their bass offerings. The ones I like are truly great. I think that is the story with most EBMM users.
Over the years I have owned more than a dozen EBMM basses. Most did not work for me and they are gone. The ones I have kept are great basses well worth what I have spent for them. If they came out with something tomorrow that attracted me, I would check it out and buy or not based on merits of the instrument in hand. Today they have nothing I want so they will have to gain revenue from other customers however they need to. Raising prices is one way....
I think it is easy to say that Fenders are overpriced for what they are because there are dozens or even hundreds of companies doing Fender pattern instruments in all price ranges. EBMM basses are a different story. Barring a few cheap clones, EBMM is it's own biggest competitor for it's unique product designs. If that's what you want, you buy it from them. There aren't any good options. That is why EBMM basses will always have a strong following and strong detractors. They are what they are and are unique in the bass market. Personally I don't like most of their bass offerings. The ones I like are truly great. I think that is the story with most EBMM users.
Over the years I have owned more than a dozen EBMM basses. Most did not work for me and they are gone. The ones I have kept are great basses well worth what I have spent for them. If they came out with something tomorrow that attracted me, I would check it out and buy or not based on merits of the instrument in hand. Today they have nothing I want so they will have to gain revenue from other customers however they need to. Raising prices is one way....
The price increase has little to do with the "buyers" who failed to purchase at $1649 who are now declaring they will, also, not be purchasing at $2149. I'm pretty sure there is some overlap between these non-buyers and the people who would complain if they offered a mid-tier version of these basses at or around the Fender American Professional price range. Like I said earlier, if you find yourself in one of these categories, the price increase doesn't have to do with you. It's about the class of bass players behind you, who might actually buy something new. When it comes time to make their purchase, maybe they'll do a google search and find all of these useful posts with people sharing what they paid for a used Stingray in 2014 
I think Sterling himself poked the bass community for having a bark that is worse than their bite when it comes time to purchase new instruments with his offer to make a certain amount of instruments if he got a requisite number of deposits. The effort didn't bust the threshold.
I think Sterling himself poked the bass community for having a bark that is worse than their bite when it comes time to purchase new instruments with his offer to make a certain amount of instruments if he got a requisite number of deposits. The effort didn't bust the threshold.
The price increase has little to do with the "buyers" who failed to purchase at $1649 who are now declaring they will, also, not be purchasing at $2149. I'm pretty sure there is some overlap between these non-buyers and the people who would complain if they offered a mid-tier version of these basses at or around the Fender American Professional price range. Like I said earlier, if you find yourself in one of these categories, the price increase doesn't have to do with you. It's about the class of bass players behind you, who might actually buy something new. When it comes time to make their purchase, maybe they'll do a google search and find all of these useful posts with people sharing what they paid for a used Stingray in 2014
I think Sterling himself poked the bass community for having a bark that is worse than their bite when it comes time to purchase new instruments with his offer to make a certain amount of instruments if he got a requisite number of deposits. The effort didn't bust the threshold.
There was a little more to his “offer” than that.
It’s becoming more and more difficult to find EBMM basses in Canada anyhow so I guess the price increase is a moot point.
That's true in the sense that the L2K makes a lot of sounds that the MM doesn't, but I think it can also get darn close.
For the same reason they'd offer the "Game Changer", and think it would actually fly? Maybe they aren't as brilliant as their more ardent fans give them credit for.
Personally, I don't mind their big price increases. Haven't been an "Musicman man" for a long time, so meh. But, I was just about to list a USA Sterling H that I got in a trade deal....think I'll sit on it for a while longer and watch its value creep up.
Thanks, Sterling!
USA Lakland has been $4K+ for years. The last Skyline 55-02 Deluxe I saw was about $1,600. I bought my DJ5 new two years ago for $1,285.
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 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.
They have P and J style US built basses for ~ $2200. The active J/MM style is $2700 for four string and $2900 for a fiver.
I hope this isn't the backbone of their current business model. There are way too many popular shredders endorsing gear everywhere, at a much more reasonable price.
With the exception of that goofy looking bow tie guitar, I've always admired their gear. Great stuff. That thing looks like something Gibson would have put out recently. I'm not a 2k bass guy and would only consider going near or above that price point for something a little more boutique / unique. In all fairness, I'll say the same about Fender. IMO, $1800. to $2400. retail for a new Elite is nuts.
The J/MM you are referencing must be the 44-14 and 55-14. I know 55-94s are quite expensive.
I didn't mean to infer that one was better than the other, since tone is purely subjective - but personally, *I* prefer the sound of EBMM's preamps and pickups over that of the L2K... and *for me*, my EBMM Sterling 5 HS is more versatile than my L2K is, tone-wise... To each their own, though...
Oh, me neither. They're both great. I was just saying that the L2K can get darn close to what a Stingray HH does, though it does have other options. Unless you really need to have that exact Stingray tone, the cost benefit might make this a valid option.
I agree - IIRC, for all the bluster about wanting a 19mm spaced 5er, very few were actually willing to put their money where their mouths were...
Actually, most US Laklands are under $4K. The US P bass with all the options on the table (not the Classic series, which I discussed above) starts at about $3200. The 55-94 with paint, rather than a fancy top, is about $3700.
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Wasn't it only available in black, with a pretty short preorder window?
The way *I* remember it, plenty of people wanted it, until it was time to pony up some cash towards their desires - then, it was all hat, no cattle...
