07 LE upcharge...

[adouglas]

Just talked to the estimable Mr. DuBaldo.

The upcharge for the 07 LE is...

...a lot. I don't want to break any forum rules, so I won't say. But it's more than I expected by a fair bit.

It reflects the amount of work and overhead that goes into it. Pete told me that they have to spray every guitar three times, and that the materials used cause wear on the equipment, forcing early replacement of the spray guns.

I thank my lucky stars I can afford it.

 

[Big Poppa]

THis years upcahrge for LE is 150 more than years past because

More expensive case
Inlays instead of silk screen
the paint is signifigantly more
there are three times the labor to paint
the sparkles contaminate the booth and require a total shut down and almost haz mat clean up

 

[lumberjack]

the sparkles contaminate the booth and require a total shut down and almost haz mat clean up

Hey Poppa,

Can you expand on this a bit, please. Aren't the sparkles already mixed in the paint when it's sprayed.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[adouglas]

the sparkles contaminate the booth and require a total shut down and almost haz mat clean up

Geez, whenever I paint anything I just use a big old cardboard box to catch the overspray....

 

[Oldtoe]

Hey Poppa,

Can you expand on this a bit, please. Aren't the sparkles already mixed in the paint when it's sprayed.

Thanks,
Scott

I could be completely full of crap here; but I believe in my talks with body shop owners, the metal flake is sprayed on separately. Maybe. I do know it clogs the hell out of spray guns.

 

[phatduckk]

i dont know much about how to paint a bass but since sparkles are now discontinued i could imagine sparying sparkles in a "sparkle free" booth being a pain.

doesnt the blue dawn have 2 sprays? blue, blue 2 and sparkle? that cant be a hurried process. these things are painted by hand and that probably takes more time... and ya know, time is money

 

[SteveB]

Hey Poppa,

Can you expand on this a bit, please. Aren't the sparkles already mixed in the paint when it's sprayed.

Thanks,
Scott

I realize you didn't ask me, but maybe I can shed a little light while BP digs his way out from under NAMM orders.

I believe he means that when they're done painting sparkle colors, they have to completely clean the paint system (guns, lines, etc.) to avoid any unwanted sparkles showing up in the next (non-sparkle) paint job. This was one of the big problems with the sparkle finishes in the first place.

They'd shoot a beautiful, say.. vintage burst, and then get an odd fleck or more of the sparkle paint that was lodged somewhere in the paint equipment. Consequently, that burst was ruined and a lot of time lost.

 

[SteveB]

Oh, and I wanted to chime in also about the LE upcharge. $150 is a dirt cheap upcharge, and I'm sure that the EBMM gang kept that charge as barebones as possible for our collective sake.

Heck, the Mystic Dream color upcharge for a Petrucci is more than that.. and there's nothing 'limited' about it! And I've seen a lot of Mystic Dream JP guitars out there...

 

[adouglas]

Oh, and I wanted to chime in also about the LE upcharge. $150 is a dirt cheap upcharge,

Uhh... no. Read BP's post more closely.

It's $150 more than the upcharge for last year's LE.

The figure is $500 over the cost of a stock bass. If this breaks a rule let me know and I'll kill it. (Don't think so...it's not secret and it's not street.)

That's what surprised me. I was expecting an upcharge of a few hundred, but not a bump quite that big.

But given the extra effort it takes to finish these instruments, it seems about right to me.

 

[Musicman Nut]

THis years upcahrge for LE is 150 more than years past because

More expensive case
Inlays instead of silk screen
the paint is signifigantly more
there are three times the labor to paint
the sparkles contaminate the booth and require a total shut down and almost haz mat clean up

$150 is really nothing, Other companies Charge that much as an up charge to do a sunburst Finish, So now you get the Blue Dawn custom Finish with the Cool 2007 Custom inlay, not bad deal if you ask me.

 

[SteveB]

Uhh... no. Read BP's post more closely.

It's $150 more than the upcharge for last year's LE.

Ooops! Sorry.. I missed that.

Still, a $500 MSRP fee translates into a street price that's no so horrible. We always have the option of buying the non-limited versions!

Do yourself a favor though, and don't look into the BFR pricing...

 

[adouglas]

Ooops! Sorry.. I missed that.

Still, a $500 MSRP fee translates into a street price that's no so horrible. We always have the option of buying the non-limited versions!

Do yourself a favor though, and don't look into the BFR pricing...

Not sure, but I think that in practice upcharges don't get discounted. The bass itself might be. So it's $XXXX street for the bass, plus the upcharge for LE, plus the upcharge for piezo (or whatever) and that gives you a final price.

Since I'm going for a piezo and an LE, the upcharges alone are enough to cover a used standard bass with ease. But to me...it's worth it.

I think that's as far as we can go with discussing prices, though. Must stay within guidelines.

BTW, I'm fully expecting the BFRs to cost as much as any given upscale premium bass. Which is to say, probably more than my car is worth.

 

[Oldtoe]

I was expecting about $500.

And I get my underwear at Wal-Mart. Go figure.


the we don't have a Target here,

 

[Kirby]

Sounds reasonable to me. I have cleaned up spray guns before and it is a pain! I can't imagine totally breaking down the system for sparkles.

 

[bassmonkeee]

Not sure, but I think that in practice upcharges don't get discounted. The bass itself might be. So it's $XXXX street for the bass, plus the upcharge for LE, plus the upcharge for piezo (or whatever) and that gives you a final price.

Since I'm going for a piezo and an LE, the upcharges alone are enough to cover a used standard bass with ease. But to me...it's worth it.

I think that's as far as we can go with discussing prices, though. Must stay within guidelines.

BTW, I'm fully expecting the BFRs to cost as much as any given upscale premium bass. Which is to say, probably more than my car is worth.

That has not been my experience. When I've purchased anything, I knew the list price including piezos, finish, etc, and then given a sales price that was a percentage of that list price. YDMV.*
















* Your Dealer May Vary

 

[BOOST]

i'm still wondering this year if left handed will be avail?!?!?!?

 

[RitchieDarling]

Upcharge??

Upcharge?? Don't care........


Just call me when it's done!


Ritchie

 

[EBMM7181]

Upcharge?? Don't care........


Just call me when it's done!


Ritchie

That's what I'm talking about! Even though I didn't order a LE, I just paid what they told me it cost, and just CALL ME WHEN IT'S DONE!!!!!!

 

[RitchieDarling]

That's what I'm talking about! Even though I didn't order a LE, I just paid what they told me it cost, and just CALL ME WHEN IT'S DONE!!!!!!

I like this guy!

We should go have a beer sometime!

Ritchie

 

[EBMM7181]

I like this guy!

We should go have a beer sometime!

Ritchie

I already asked if you would take me to NAMM with you next year, but you didn't respond, so I took it as a '' NO '' lol



:: You can drink a beer, and I'll drink a Coke, and I'll buy :: haha!