Music Man Session Series

[Swamp_Ronin]

I paid $2500 for my Stingray Special 4H in 2023 and have been around long enough to 'Know' I got something Special not just 'Think' it

EBMM Stingrays have been extremely successful especially the Special and continue to be

Of course. I have two myself and love 'em

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

Wow, these look awesome. Exactly what I am looking for. I am mainly a Fender guy but love having a Stingray around too. I admit, I will not own a bass with the Sterling/Squier logo. Can't explain why and don't have to. Plus, their hardware is horrible, worst tuners ever.

Price is a bit much, but your only other choice new is to spend like $3000 w/ tax on a Stingray Special, which are not worth it at that price. They were like $900 less a few years ago. Very nice basses, but since a Stingray is not my #1, just too much money. Plus they don't sound as good as the old 3 EQs.

Sure you can get a used (well used) Stingray for around $1500 but it will be used, may have issues, non-returnable, etc.

I'll be purchasing one of these the second the right one hits the Sweetwater gallery!!! I hope they do transparent teal.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

First there was Ernie Ball Music Man (EBMM), then there was Sterling by Music Man (SBMM), now it looks like they are gonna give us Music Man by Sterling (MMBS).

Lame jokes aside, I'm really hoping for a light weight 2 band version of this bass...

MMBS…..

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

How to say you can't afford the US brand without saying you can't afford the US brand….

I've got two EBMM's, which I bought new, so save your condescending wink for someone else.

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

Why try to shame someone based on what they can or can't afford?

Yeah I thought this was a low class and disrespectful move. Guy has no idea who he's talking to, my economic situation, or my skill level. He missed the point of my original comment.

I'm a big fan of EBMM, and how they are a good company that pays their workers a good wage. Not everyone could afford that, but they shouldn't be shamed because of it.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

Yeah I thought this was a low class and disrespectful move. Guy has no idea who he's talking to, my economic situation, or my skill level. He missed the point of my original comment.

I'm a big fan of EBMM, and how they are a good company that pays their workers a good wage. Not everyone could afford that, but they shouldn't be shamed because of it.

Very low class indeed.

Or, like I said, I don't WANT to spend $3000 on a Stingray when I would barely use it. I could afford a new Stingray Special, but it would be a waste. Plus, honestly, the old alnicos sound better.

 

[egonspengler]

How to say you can't afford the US brand without saying you can't afford the US brand….

What an incredibly lame thing to say.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I wonder if they'd ever release a Big Al H made in Asia?

I'm not a guitar guy, but I have a feeling that there is a Sterling by Music Man version of the St. Vincent guitar, the Cutlass guitar, and I think the Big Al guitar too.

There was previously mention by one of the Ball kids (possibly on this forum, and possibly in response to a question by me - I honestly can't clearly remember, it was a few years back) that there was a possibility of a Sterling by Music Man Cutlass bass, and Caprice bass.

This new Session range is a higher tier, and crucially branded Music Man (as opposed to Sterling by...) so I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to see the return of things that EBMM liked to put out, but were too big of a drain on resources, with too little ROI to make them viable.

That would include the Sabre, the Big Al (the SSS would make the most sense, as something unique), and possibly some variants of the Bongo, as well as the Cutlass, and Caprice.

This would be a no-risk gamble for EBMM, as all the risk would be shifted to Praxis, whose setup in Asia is much better suited to deal with that diversity of models, and dynamic volume of production.

Not that I think we'll see anything like that straight out of the gate. Hopefully the StingRay will be a big success, and they might consider expanding the range in the not too distant future.

 

[Wood and Wire]

That said, I could see that encroaching on the USA models' appeal and territory for sure, at least for some buyers.

Also, doing that would make it (in part) EBMM's headache.

The whole point of the licensed products is it's somebody else's headache, but EBMM collects a license fee, and it never disrupts / impacts their own production line, or opens them up to risk of liability.

 

[Wood and Wire]

There was a video I watched (I actually think it may have been the one from Premier Guitar on this thread) that mentioned that they're sourcing the electronics from the same manufacturer of the models of the 90's and 2000's. So, I guess take that for what you will. I'm not sure if that implies that they're using US electronics in them, or if they use import electronics in their US models. I'm assuming it's probably the latter. Regardless, I hope that means that they'll at least be good quality.

I guess this could be a case of history repeating itself - in that CLF were the manufacturer of the instruments, and Music Man were the client who commissioned them, then assembled, and sold them.

Perhaps EBMM have a whole new ringfenced department that just manufactures 90's spec preamps, and pickups, for sale to Praxis, and then collects a license fee on the complete instrument.sale

Who knows, but I'm certain there's no way EBMM are going to put additional pressure, and liability on their own production line.

 

[Wood and Wire]

That's more than I paid for a USA Stingray 10 years ago lol.

Yeah, and if these had existed 10 years ago, they'd have been correspondingly cheaper than your USA StingRay was.

Have you checked the price of a Mars bar today, vs what it was 10 years ago - or 10 years prior to that?

 

[Wood and Wire]

MMBS…..

I think that abbreviation may cause confusion.

This should help clarify, for the uninitiated :

MMbSbMM-NoBS

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I think that abbreviation may cause confusion.

This should help clarify, for the uninitiated :

MMbSbMM-NoBS

I had to reread it a couple of times and slow it down . Finally got it!!

 

[Nebadon2000]

Yeah, and if these had existed 10 years ago, they'd have been correspondingly cheaper than your USA StingRay was.

Have you checked the price of a Mars bar today, vs what it was 10 years ago - or 10 years prior to that?

I could list dozens of examples but here is one: I buy small bag of sugar free life savers 3/4 years ago they were$1.29 now $3.49

I looked at Stingray Specisls December of 2018 list at $2100
Bought mine in 2023 list for $2699
Similar difference for my Mesa Amp/Cab from same time frames

Yes I would prefer prices went up a little more slowly

 

[Geri O]

Why try to shame someone based on what they can or can't afford?

Why insinuate that someone buys expensive US basses to only make themselves feel better and can't really tell a difference in that and the less-expensive instruments? Then turn around and brag about how many basses they have and how much they cost? Do they even know which way is up?

All of you getting on my case seem to be perfectly fine with that. But I'm the bad guy?

Whatever. No surprise.

(At least I am respectful enough to call them "less expensive" and not "cheap"…..)

Oh, and lest you high-and-mighty types think I'm a high-brow buyer with expensive tastes, let me show you my $300 6-string Squier Jazz that has to be one of the best deals on a bass ever! With an Audere preamp (whew, just under the wire with that one), it has a great Jazz bass tone.

So there. Carry on. My shields stay up.

 

[ninjatanzen]

Why insinuate that someone buys expensive US basses to only make themselves feel better and can't really tell a difference in that and the less-expensive instruments?

All of you getting on my case seem to be perfectly fine with that. But I'm the bad guy?

Whatever. No surprise.

(At least I am respectful enough to call them "less expensive" and not "cheap"…..)

From what I read, they mentioned people should be able to feel like they have something special when they spent $3,500. That doesn't mean someone can't feel special with a less expensive bass. Only that, for the money, someone should probably be getting a good experience.

Calling an inanimate object cheap vs less-expensive isn't the same as shaming a living, breathing human.

 

[five7]

I wish my wages went up as much as a mars bar.

 

[Viscerok]

It will be interesting to see how much these weigh. My EBMM Stingray is incredibly light at less than 8 pounds.

I played a Sterling at GC a few months ago and I swear that thing was at least 10 pounds. A boat anchor. Completely different guitars as well.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

How to say you can't afford the US brand without saying you can't afford the US brand….

What a ridiculous thing to say. It's like me saying to you that you play the basses you do because you can't afford the basses I play. People have all sorts of considerations when they choose an instrument, and price is not correlative with quality.

 

[Geri O]

What a ridiculous thing to say. It's like me saying to you that you play the basses you do because you can't afford the basses I play. People have all sorts of considerations when they choose an instrument, and price is not correlative with quality.

But again. it's okay for folks to insinuate that folks buying expensive basses are doing it only for a self-gratification or bolstering a need to feel important? A lot of you guys think so. Fair enough.

I responded to that (did you even read that?). I didn't make an assertion. There's a difference.