Sterling by Musicmans on GC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Johnny Alien]

Well, this seems like a pretty good idea, and now these Sterling by MusicMan basses are now cheaper than Fender Mexican Basses.

A budget line is a VERY good decision IMO opinion however they are not cheaper than MIM Fenders. They are about the same price. One model is cheaper but it is also the only one using Basswood. Plus let''s not forget that for that price with the Fender you actually get the Fender logo on the headstock which is a really big deal to people and a good move by Fender.

 

[BobXboB]

Quickly scanned through, so I don't know if this has been covered yet or not, but...

The Sterling by MusicMan line is EBMM trying to put their hands in the market that bridges "entry level" (OLP) and "professional level" instruments. As a company they are taking a risk trying to have overseas models introduced into their line. It is important to their investment to have a recognizable brand name associated with that line. The fact of the matter is, this line is getting way more talk and attention by virtue of this "terrible marketing plan."

Most bridge market items bring in more money than their high-end counterparts. They probably understand that they will lose some of the pro-level instrument sales. They probably don't care because they believe that they will more than make up for them with the bridge-level sales. They also probably don't care if they have to stop production of the EBMM Sterling as long as there are more people buying MusicMan products.

Just a thought from the other side. I'm not a marketing guru in any way shape or form; I'm just trying to providing a logical argument for the choice that was made.

I agree with all but one point. Usually any press is good press but EBMM does not like these discussions and that's why you see so many fanboi's trying to shoot them down. Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan are good examples of not all press being good press. I think Sterling would be very happy to end this discussion (and he's said so himself) and just transitioning to being a huge importer of Asian basses.

 

[dannster]

When you move the volume of product the GC/MF do you can make all kinds of stuff happen. They commission lots of products from companies that are exclusive to their store. With enough money anything is possible.

That's absolutely ridicules. Since when does GC get to vote on EBMM business decisions. I suspect no one is buying this except the the regular EB forumites.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

So, a month or so before they start running off the line?

 

[BobXboB]

That the name of a bass could cause this much stir kinda shows that a few of us regard our opinions a little higher than we probably should.

It is fun to watch though...

+1

And not just to one side of the argument

 

[BobXboB]

Do I think its going to cause any significant brand confusion that will hurt sales? No.

It should cause significant confusion that will boost sales. It is a business decision after all.

 

[jaywa]

I can see these basses turning craigslist and ebay into a bit of a living hell a couple of months down the road.

I was thinking the same thing. Heck, the TB Classifieds, for that matter.

 

[BobXboB]

Of course this is just my opinion, but I find it hard to believe that Sterling Ball, who stood up to Microsoft,

I never heard that, what's the story there?

agreed to this name because GC or any other dealer insisted. I actually find it hard to believe that a dealer would actually insist on something like this from a big time player like EBMM. Why can't Sterling just admit that he has a huge ego and likes to name stuff after himself?

Does playing in a band with Albert Lee, Steve Morse and Van Halen and naming it after yourself (Biff Baby All Stars) seem egotistical. By the way Biff can play

 

[Elchupacabra]

A budget line is a VERY good decision IMO opinion however they are not cheaper than MIM Fenders. They are about the same price. One model is cheaper but it is also the only one using Basswood. Plus let''s not forget that for that price with the Fender you actually get the Fender logo on the headstock which is a really big deal to people and a good move by Fender.

Good point. I just hope that the U.S. EB line doesn't take a hit, because as I said before, those are the best basses that I've played. But my question is, how successful will these basses still be even with them being less than half the price of an U.S. EB? What ever happened to the SUB bass line? I'm still pretty new to bass, so how long were those out? I recall them recently being discontinued.

By the way, and I don't mean to get off-topic, but why have all of Fender's bass prices increased so much? Solely economic reasons?

 

[jaywa]

The SUBs must have just recently been discontinued. There was a fugly blue/green one with a weird "tread" style metallic pickguard on sale at my local GC a couple of months ago.

 

[Johnny Alien]

Good point. I just hope that the U.S. EB line doesn't take a hit, because as I said before, those are the best basses that I've played.

Doubtful. They might see a very small hit but there is more of a chance of opening up sales to new customers that may not have shopped in the $1500 plus market.

 

[BobXboB]

I haven't had any 'horse's mouth" conversations about the naming of the line, but I guess I know the boss purdy good and doubt that GC twisted his arm and MADE him do anything.

You calling Sterling a liar?

 

[Elchupacabra]

The SUBs must have just recently been discontinued. There was a fugly blue/green one with a weird "tread" style metallic pickguard on sale at my local GC a couple of months ago.

I think that they may have been out of production for a while though, because few places had them. And GC often carries discontinued/used basses on display. I just wonder if this is any indication on how the Sterling line may perform.

 

[Rip]

I don't think this is going to change anything besides people asking if some bass is american or not, and that will make a difference at the price... That's all...

Bingo, short...sweet and true.

 

[Tommygunn]

Here we go indeed. I'm going to write this in case anybody at Ernie Ball is reading this. If anybody knows such a person, please forward this on.

My "day job" is in branding and brand marketing. I won't go into detail about what I do, but I will simply say that while there's lots and lots of people out there who claim to understand this space, I do this for a living at a high level. I have worked in top marketing capacities at a few different top tier Fortune 500 firms known to have effective marketing. I'm not bragging, I'm just laying my credentials on the table.

Rarely have I seen a decision as poor as this. Beyond confusion, Ernie Ball is going to effectively destroy a marque premium brand (Musicman Sterling Bass).

Now perhaps their plan is to discontinue the USA Sterling Bass. I doubt that's the plan though as its a great, reasonably popular bass that fills a need. My concern is, once the Sterling name gets associated with "budget" - I don't know how on earth they're going to collect $1500 - $1700 for a Sterling USA anymore.

Very very poor branding decision. Stunningly bad. Hard to believe. Ernie Ball - if you are reading this I strongly urge you to adjust this plan by more explicitly separating out the budget line (ie: call it something else for goodness sake).

No, no, no... this can't happen my baby is going to drop in price (not that I was going to sell it)

here is me and my baby unpluged having fun out side
http://s542.photobucket.com/albums/gg409/tommygunnfretless/?action=view&current=DSC00493.jpg

 

[bovinehost]

You calling Sterling a liar?

Oh, sure. That's exactly the kind of thing that keeps our friendship strong and vibrant. What he said about the naming thing was:

"Instantly we got jumped on by a vocal few and I addressed it and admitted that we considered it...and that our biggest customer, Guitar Center, insisted on the name. They are going to buy the most."

Again, haven't spoken to anyone about it, but that looks to me as if they reached an agreement with their largest customer. It's really not all that hard to imagine.

I also think the people who want to see some evil plot to somehow replace all the USA instruments with less expensive offshore models have been watching too much X-Files or something. What an odd thing to imagine.

Anyway, the name is what it is for whatever reasons. Some people think it works and some don't, but it won't be submitted to a popular vote and there's no mechanism for a recall. So, what's to talk about?

The instruments? I can't wait to try one.

 

[BobXboB]

Check this out, new Sterlings a penny under $1k.

Musicians friend sale

 

[BobXboB]

Oh, sure. That's exactly the kind of thing that keeps our friendship strong and vibrant. What he said about the naming thing was:

"Instantly we got jumped on by a vocal few and I addressed it and admitted that we considered it...and that our biggest customer, Guitar Center, insisted on the name. They are going to buy the most."

Again, haven't spoken to anyone about it, but that looks to me as if they reached an agreement with their largest customer. It's really not all that hard to imagine.

I also think the people who want to see some evil plot to somehow replace all the USA instruments with less expensive offshore models have been watching too much X-Files or something. What an odd thing to imagine.

Anyway, the name is what it is for whatever reasons. Some people think it works and some don't, but it won't be submitted to a popular vote and there's no mechanism for a recall. So, what's to talk about?

The instruments? I can't wait to try one.

So GC didn't make him do it they just insisted he do it. Totally different thing, my bad

 

[bovinehost]

Well, you apparently know him better than I do, so you make the call.

I got no dog in this name-game battle.

 

[Johnny Alien]

Check this out, new Sterlings a penny under $1k.

Musicians friend sale

Just those 5 strings. Weird. Crazy good deal.