I just joined this forum

**Ben Esparza** · 05-03-2007, 02:45 PM

Hello everyone. My name is Ben Esparza. I'm known around a few boards as "Big Ben". I didn't realize that EB has a forum until today and I signed up. Just a little about myself:

I'm 47 years old. I'm married with 3 daughters that are spending all of my money on college. All I can say is that I'm very proud of them (one is getting her B.A. in Psychology in about 2 weeks from Whittier College, one is a sophomore at Cal State, Fullerton as a Theater/Dance major, and one is graduating from high school in a couple of weeks and will be attending the University of La Verne), they are all very beautiful (thank God they look like their mother), and they are very talented singers (another trait they inherited from their mother). My day job is with the Monrovia (CA) Fire Dept. as a Fire Engineer. I also look as if I can be Howling Wolf's long lost, hispanic son (hence the name "Big Ben"). I make a Sting Ray look small. I'm a Doo Wop fiend, I play in an R&B band, and am a staunch blues historian/freak. My main bass is a 1994 Music Man Sting Ray. I also have a '73 Fender Precision that I use for blues and Motown/Stax stuff, but the Ray is always first up. I've played some great basses, but nothing sounds and feels better than my Ray.

I look forward to hanging here.

**Sub1 Zero** · 05-03-2007, 02:50 PM

Welcome!

**adouglas** · 05-03-2007, 03:13 PM

Welcome...you've arrived at a good time.

Lots of people have just recently, or are about to, take delivery of some very, very special instruments*. Lots of excitement, good vibes, and general horsing around going on these days.

I think you'll find that we're an odd, fun lot.

Just two things to keep in mind, besides the usual respect-your-neighbor and keep-it-clean rules:

1) If you've got a problem with your bass, call Customer Service first. They're world-class.
2) Do not, under any circumstances, PM the user "Big Poppa." In real life he's Sterling Ball, the CEO, and he's got much more important stuff to do. He does make regular appearances here and is at least as twisted and warped as any three of us put together. And way funnier to boot.

Oh, and watch out for this guy named Jack. He's dangerous.

*Except for that one guy who insisted on getting a plain-jane black/black/natural Stingray....

**fogman** · 05-03-2007, 04:33 PM

Welcome!!!
How about some pics?

**n!k** · 05-03-2007, 06:05 PM

I'll just share the thread since I just joined too.

I'm a 22 year old guy from Minneapolis. I play rock and roll, and whatever weird **** I can convince someone else to play with me. I'm trying to assemble a stoner jazz/rock fusion band right now! I listen to every kind of music on the Earth from ABBA to Slayer.

About EBMM: I was always a Gibson guy. I loved the heavy, heavy bass sound and the wild looks. But Gibson has really let its fans down over the years. The quality compared to the 1960's models is terrible. I played a brand spankin' new Thunderbird that sounded thin and weak... which if you've ever played a 60's Thunderbird those would be the last words you'd ever think of to describe it. I never liked "the Fender sound" and lumped Music Man in that lot because of the Leo Fender connection. Then I played a Bongo. It was a bolt-on neck that could actually sustain, active pickups that actually sounded warm and full, and a thin and fast neck that could rival the T-bird any day of the week. I was blown away by just how bassy and phat the Bongo can be. But really snarly treble was only a few knobs away. In the end, the Bongo is the opposite of the bass I always thought I wanted-- and ended up being exactly what I needed.

I am a dude pit refugee. I'll just start posting here. All of the good guys from there are here, and others will follow.