Big Poppa's take on Sparkle,

[Big Poppa]

Hello,
Please excuse me in advance if some of this thread comes off as abrupt or condesending. It is not my intention. There are thousands of registered members here and about 50 regulars. Thanks for the regulars, and I wish some of the lurkers would join the fun. I did! One thing that delayed me joining was some of the posts continually beat a dead horse, and if some of the people would stop and think about some of these issues with a small dose of common sense the reasoning on our part might make a little more sense.

Lets start with sparkle. We got into sparkle because Dweezil Zappa wanted an Albert Lee in a baby blue sparkle with an 80's baby blue mirror pick guard. We then made a pink sparkle for Lisa Loeb, and then a gold sparlke for Blues Sarasceno. It was our big push at that winters namm show. Guitar Centers buyer went wild for them but NOBODY else did foriegn or domestic. I wished I listened to my good friend Paul Reed Smith when I showed him to them . He said "WOW, these are fantastic sparkles, Let me know if they work cause I couldn't give them away when I tried them. We blew our wad at the NAMM show and the Guitar Center buyer was replaced, I had to write a big check to Guitar Center to clear the sparkles out so they could buy good selling stuff. Do you think that we don't make sparkles to punish a few forumites? No we don't make them because the general public doesn't want them and we lost our ass when we did make them. I hope that puts this one to bed.

There are over 34,000 ways you can buy a Music Man Instrument! That in itself is crazy and Harvard consultants would say we are out of our minds. Each time we add a color it adds HUNDREDS of extra models or build codes. Each year we reluctantly have to discontinue colors to add newer more popular and current colors. When we look at what we discontinue we look at the fewest ordered not the most popular with the forum. If Blue Dawn was a big seller I would be happy to paint them all day long.

From where I sit over 34,000 choices and you guys are still are not satisfied.

I'll give you a story. When we did the EVH we had a bunch of colors and there was a beautiful dark green one. I knew from past history that green guitars don't sell. It didn't sell, we discontinued it and were inundated with requests for dark green EVH's.
I said we will re release it, but green guitars don't sell and the guys clamoring for them won't be reaching for the wallet when they are available again. They were re-released and nobody bought them! Name a sucessful green guitar. Don't say sea foam because Fender had a hard time giving them away in the old days. the Envy Green LE sold a fraction of the previous radience Red. The Buttercream is dusting both of them.

I got to go and squeeze a nice ruby red desert grapefruit and lace it heavily with some Ketel One. Have a nice weekend and I will try to respond to the forum LE if I get time.

Thanks for your support!

Big Poppa

 

[tkarter]

You sir rock and your inforamtion is appreciated. Out of all those choices I particualary like the one ya guys built me.

No way am I going to try an influence the boss. LOL


The big guy din't let Billy G ruin things and he won't let us do it either IMHO.


tk

 

[midopa]

It's coo, it's coo. I must admit: I'm one of those people who keep on about sparkle finishes (please don't ban me!!!). Still, I'm far more than content with my plain ol' black Bongo 4HH. Just goes to show!

 

[Chet the Jet]

Ya Big Poppa borrowed jonguitarz glock and ,shot that sparkle horse between the eyes.

 

[ernie1966]

Excellent and to the point, Mr. Big! You should repost your comments on the guitar forum, actually, it should become a sticky on both bass and guitar forums.
I for one, like the fact that the sparkles are discontinued. I am a big JP collector and hunting for the sparkles or any discontinued color keeps my quest (to have a Petrucci in every color it was available) alive and fun.. Like they say, "It ain't the kill, but the thrill of the chase!"

 

[OrangeChannel]

I'm venturing over here along with the Ern-dawg..and truth Mr BP....you definitely need to step into the 6 stringed world and say "What Up!" . This might just be one more reason why I love this company so much....in fact enough to supplement the 4 6's I have with a 5 string bass in the near future....hehehe.

 

[GWDavis28]

Big Poppa, thanx for your inputs they are well appreciated. Your company is one in a million. I am a lover of the sparkles and sad to know that they won't be returning anytime soon. Sorry to hear that a fine company like your had to lose money on your product. I can see where your coming from, you didn't sound considending, nor aburpt, but more like frustrated. We are beating a dead horse, a very dead horse and there is no ill wil meant by it. The product you produce is head and shoulder about all others and I was lucky to have found them when the sparkles where around (sort of). It is the love for this product that keeps us coming back here and buying more and more. Your right most people are all talk and when the time comes to pony up, so to say, they are no where to be found.

Glad to hear that the Buttercream is a hit and sorry about the envy green from the pictures I have seen it looks like an amazing color.

Please stop by more often and say a few word if you have the time it's reassuring to know that you truely do care.

Thanx, Glenn |B)

 

[bovinehost]

This is the most fun ever.

I freakin' TOLD you guys about the sparkles!

And don't get me wrong - I've put my money where my mouth is with both sparkles AND green and I'm glad I did...but ain't enough buyers like me, I reckon.

Did I say that this is the most fun ever?

Jack

 

[Moondog]

I'm happy I got my burnt apple SR5 but I agree w/Mr. Ball
that they can't be THAT popular . . . there are still quite a
few sparkles available @ my local GC's and @ another retailer.
(feel free to PM me for colors/prices)

BP, I recently purchased one of your beautiful buttercream
Bongos and eagerly await its arrival. Let's keep it a limited
edition color

 

[bass thumper]

Even though Blue Dawn was not a big seller to the public, I would love to have one. In looking at General Motors, Ford, Chrysler etc., all have autos that sell at different volume levels. Maybe Mustangs are a larger volume of sales compared to a Ford Focus, never the less there are still buyers for the Focus. This is not intended to disrupt or totally dissagree, but the time I have been on this forum I have heard a lot of talk about blue dawn being a sought after color by forum onlookers. I use this color only because it was discussed by Big Poppa. I have the utmost respect for this company & the products. If I didn't, I would not have spent $1200 on my last purchase, a SR 4. If forum onlookers have this much chatter about certain colors that are discontinued, is the rest of the public any different? Using blue dawn as an example, would it be unreasonable to ask to keep a few on hand (Ford Focus) for the minority? I hope nobody takes offense, this was not intended that way. Just something to ponder about. Peace to all.

 

[Soulfinger]

Well, I'll just go on record to say that the Ball boys make just about the highest quality finishes you can get. They're beautiful, smoother than glass, and very durable. I was playing my Lava Pearl Stingray tonight, and I just had to stop for a minute and admire how nice the finish is.

Oh yeah, and my DG "Big Poppa" rules the freaking earth with a hammer.

 

[bovinehost]

If forum onlookers have this much chatter about certain colors that are discontinued, is the rest of the public any different?

I would have to venture a guess that yes, the rest of the public IS different.

We are tweakers, geeks and certified EBMM enthusiasts. Some might even call us, um, I don't know - freaks? Just kidding, sort of, about that last term. I mean, I'm one of you guys, right?

But let's face it. Most bassists are out there buying and playing black, sunburst...and the really seriously adventurous bassists play red basses. Mavericks! They're living at the edge of the herd!

So I reckon EBMM could make a decent living selling those colors.

Everything else is gravy for US.

That's my take on it, anyhoo.

 

[muggsy]

There are over 34,000 ways you can buy a Music Man Instrument! That in itself is crazy and Harvard consultants would say we are out of our minds. Each time we add a color it adds HUNDREDS of extra models or build codes. Each year we reluctantly have to discontinue colors to add newer more popular and current colors. When we look at what we discontinue we look at the fewest ordered not the most popular with the forum. If Blue Dawn was a big seller I would be happy to paint them all day long.

Thanks Big Poppa, I'll shut up about Blue Dawn now. I can understand why sparkle finishes aren't big sellers, although I can also understand why those who like them can get fanatical about it. I like envy green too, so I guess I'm not in tune with the masses, but what the hell, I like what I like. EB is a business, though, so supply and demand is ultimately what it's all about.

My next bass will be a 4-string HH Bongo, and there are certainly enough stock and LE color choices to keep me up at night. Right now I'm leaning towards stealth black, which I never thought I'd like until I saw the NAMM photos. I have to sell one of my current basses (not an EB) to pay for it, but my mind could change five times before I place the order. If there were two color choices and they both sucked that would be a problem, but that is most definitely not the case.

 

[skabassist13]

it is sad that the general public does not like green or sparkles. especially EB's sparkles. they were beautiful. but if nobody wants em, and you have to pay for em just to pay the bills then it makes sense why you would stop making them.

 

[xcental34x]

I will never ask for a sparkle finish again....I swear.

 

[edensdad]

Hello,

I'll give you a story. When we did the EVH we had a bunch of colors and there was a beautiful dark green one. I knew from past history that green guitars don't sell. It didn't sell, we discontinued it and were inundated with requests for dark green EVH's.
I said we will re release it, but green guitars don't sell and the guys clamoring for them won't be reaching for the wallet when they are available again. They were re-released and nobody bought them! Name a sucessful green guitar. Don't say sea foam because Fender had a hard time giving them away in the old days. the Envy Green LE sold a fraction of the previous radience Red. The Buttercream is dusting both of them.


Big Poppa

I guess I'm in the minority - I love Dark Green guitars so much I bought my Envy Green JP6 in Maryland for a premium and had it shipped to Florida because no one had one locally. Thanks for the insight, and the 34,000 possibilities.

 

[phatduckk]

it definately makes sense to discontinue colors that dont sell ... ebmm is a business after all.

with that said though I have to agree with bovine on his comments about us beiung enthusiasts. no, we're not the normal "im buying a guitar at guitar center" guys. i almost think of us as members of a small music scene (think Berkeley Punk Scene around 1988) ... in a scene many people pride themselves on having witnessed a "legendary" band's final show or boast about having seen Green Day at a 500 person club. The same way each local scene has its premeire band we have our favorite ebmm feature or color ... and also in the same fashion, just cuz everyone in our scene loves a particular resident band it doesnt mean that they'll make it in mainstream music.

thats my take on it ... hope it made sense.

side note: my first MM was a Blue Dawn Sterling. A few years ago, before I realized there's no such thing as too many guitars, I was wanting a Sterling but was hesitant. So after work I was driving to Guitar Center to kill time and thought to myself "if they have a Blue Dawn Sterling with maple neck, black pg and non-matching headstock, then ill buy it ... or else just new strings". So, low and behold, i walked thru the door and there she was

 

[SteveB]

There are over 34,000 ways you can buy a Music Man Instrument! That in itself is crazy and Harvard consultants would say we are out of our minds.

Well, I'm glad you choose to ignore those Harvard types. Was it not a Harvard professor who said the hub idea which became FedEx would never work?

I love that Lord Bongo is all giddy about your participation in the forum.

 

[xcental34x]

Fed Ex?! Hmphh

 

[Fuzzy Dustmite]

I personally enjoy the look of the sparkle basses, but fully and completely understand the a) pain in the ass it is to make them, and b) the bigger pain in the ass to sell them to the general public.

I would never go as far as requesting that they be put back into production, but am content to oooh and ahhh over them in posts & on the 'bay.

They remind me of bumper cars