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I always wondered why Flea didn' t have a signature model by Music Man. For so many years all you saw him with was the MM. He really forged his musical identity with that particular bass. Tons of people bought them because of him.
He asked EBMM to make the StingRay his signature bass, for the reasons you mentioned, but Sterling Ball declined, mainly because there were numerous other bassists before Flea to bring the SR to prominence (Louis Johnson, John Deacon, Pino Palladino, Tony Levin, Bernard Edwards, etc.) and that it would be a slight to them to give Flea that model for a sig. In fact, there is no signature Music Man bass at all, only guitars.
Wow! That was kinda dumb business wise. A Flea signature MM StingRay would have sold big time.
Wow! That was kinda dumb business wise. A Flea signature MM StingRay would have sold big time.
I disagree. In fact, before Flea, MM were a real off-brand. Flea really is the father of that company in so many ways already. Folks may not remember how EBMM was before the RHCP hit. Hardly anyone played them. They were always fine instruments, to be sure - but NOT popular. The Fleaster changed that.
Hey, Mark from Blink 182 used to play one of those stingray basses!