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EBMM StingRay Special Club

#16,262
Wow, great shots. The sparkly bits on my brûlée Special 5H really shine through in some lighting and not others so I figured this would be similar.

Although I’ve never been too drawn to metallic finishes I do like them, and white & shell pink are my favorite colors for guitars, so that’s why I chose dazzler.

Thanks for sharing.
 
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#16,263
brushfirewolf said:
Wow, great shots. The sparkly bits on my brûlée Special 5H really shine through in some lighting and not others so I figured this would be similar.

Although I’ve never been too drawn to metallic finishes I do like them, and white & shell pink are my favorite colors for guitars, so that’s why I chose dazzler.

Thanks for sharing.
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You will be happy when you receive it then. Really so much better in person.

I too love Shell Pink. I have a Serek Lincoln Grabber being made that is Shell Pink. Trying to find a Perwinkle PG material.

The Dazzler should be louder than the Brûlée in person.

I saw a Violet Sparkle Burst Special 5H in person last weekend at Chicago Music Exchange and that is a very loud and deep sparkle. The purple - magenta - red pops of sparkle go so hard.
 
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#16,265
beavis420 said:
I think that Dazzler looks awesome, so I went to check the price… what????? Is this just what a Stingray costs now?
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Kobe Bryant Yes GIF
 
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#16,270
beavis420 said:
I think that Dazzler looks awesome, so I went to check the price… what????? Is this just what a Stingray costs now?
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Yeah they are pushing 3k now and are 3k after tax. I will say IME is that the consistency and attention to detail is indeed top notch. It’s a production instrument but I’ve yet to find a flaw in the current EBMM offerings.

Also incentive to buy used but the value retention is higher than most brands as well.

I’ve never bought an expensive bass new… this year I ordered a Serek and am now doing a new Bongo due to the Dazzler being offered on the Bongo for 2026. I’ve never felt compelled to buy a brand new over 1k bass until I played the newer MM offerings (vintage is another story, I have no problem paying the prices of entry on a 90’s or previous EBMM).

I guess that’s to say, I’m going to regret selling my Stingray Special. So resonant and lively and the neck width is perfect for me truly that I will eventually seek another or buy new (the violet sparkling burst is also stunning in person and the quality of the MM finishes is top notch) I’d bite at $2,900.

I will say it’s about the only exception outside of custom I can justify the price.
 
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#16,273
brushfirewolf said:
I'll second that. I've owned 4 Specials so far, with the 5th on the way. All have been perfect.
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I’ve given up on most modern production instruments. I’ve always been impressed with EBMM over the years. They are definitely on a heater streak these days though.

My 2018 Bongo is amazing, worlds nicer than the 05 (was a great instrument without doubt).

The change to the Special rather than just a 3 band Ray, all those refinements are welcomed.

Not seeing many companies doing the things MM does… the BFR released, the PDN exclusives. Finally starting to truly diversify color options and always releasing more, the opening up and adding colors to the Bongo line is choice.

My only nit pick is the builder - give me more color options or at least open it up to all available colors. Also open the experience up for Bongos…

Other than those minor dings - what more can you ask for when it comes to fit and finish?
 
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#16,277
The EBMM line up is the top of the line in USA factory builds. Ive owned at least a dozen. They were all excellent . To find something that I liked better, I had to go top of the line boutique. I will also put the German made Sandberg offerings maybe a level up from EBMM, but the EBMM sound is more pleasing to me.

Im keeping my Special BFR Fretless 5, unless I find a great deal on a used Fodera Fretless 5. They are quite rare. and tend to be expensive. People that have them tend to hold on to them, Like I said, to get anything that I like better, than EBMM I have to go top of the line boutique .
 
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#16,279
beavis420 said:
At that price point, I figure I might as well get something custom. Bananas
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If the bass at hand doesn’t do it for you at the price point that makes sense. I’ve always looked to customs to do something that is unique for me (finally doing that actually) or not available otherwise. Thing is, I’ve yet to find a bass that does the Ray thing as good as a Ray. And as an aside - just because I’ve never bought a new instrument over 1k prior to my Serek and now Music Man… I have owned high quality used instruments… heck I have a Gould era Modulus. The build quality and attention to detail on the current generations of EBMM are top notch and do warrant the price compared to other instruments in the same bracket. The impressive thing is they can push out a factory set up and fretwork that is as good as a private Luther or tech in a production environment. They are light years ahead of most production companies.

That’s all to say - the used market is also rich and you can get something that will basically hold value or better after initial depreciation. They just have better resale value. That is always an option.

We all have our views and of those views what fits our prerogative. I absolutely appreciate those who think it’s too much (everything is too much). For me it’s about what I actually get for the money spent vs my experiences in similar price point instruments. I’ve yet to find that matched from a production environment the way EBMM does it.

All this to say - I absolutely miss a CV 60’s P… throw the whole argument out the window ;)

Happy Friday.
 
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#16,280
Saetia said:
But I… but I’d have no problem doing that.
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I agree : )

Go back five generations (or less in most cases) and our ancestors would be stunned at what we consider important financially.

My “raised on a poor rice farm” dad’s first brand new pair of shoes were issued to him after he was drafted into the U.S. Army.

So yeah, a Special as my only bass, sure, and I would feel lucky to have it!
 
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