Build your own EBMM instrument

[steve f]

I have an idea for the Music Man website. I don't know how much work and expense would be involved and if it's already been suggested/dismissed, please ignore me.

What if there was a "build your own bass/guitar" tool like on some of the automakers' websites. It's pretty simple. Start with the instrument template of choice. Add color, neck, pickguard, headstock, pickup config, and voila!
You could even then print or store the instrument and generate an order sheet from that and email it to your favorite retailer. Maybe its something the retailers would support.

I bet your customers would find it helpful - I'd probably play with it for hours... The color charts online are nice but somewhat limited when you want to look at a specific combination. Fortunately there are great websites like Bass Central and The Perfect Bass where you can often hit on the combination, but that's variable.

Anyway, that's my idea. I think it would be fun. It would only cost a few hours time for a website person and it would be simple if they had some knowledge about how the automakers', real estate folks, and others do it.

Waddya think?

Steve

 

[Aussie Mark]

 

[oddjob]

 

[oddjob]

sorry... been done. EBMM actually took real shots of the different combos... with everything available they couldn't keep up

 

[DrGonzo5150]

Hey dude.. Welcome to the forum!

It has been discussed previously... As I understand, there are now over 130,000 build codes.

This thread should throw some light on it:
http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-basses/34459-design-website.html

 

[RobertB]

An earlier generation of the site did feature exactly the type of thing you're talking about, for quite a long time. In fact, I've heard it said by a very reliable source around here that it was featured on the EBMM site before it was ever featured on any automotive site.

Anyway, the world has moved on. That was when the offerings were significantly fewer. I think it's an issue of combinatorics - at least in part.

 

[bovinehost]

Mark, pass me some popcorn.

 

[spencer]

I think they should bring it back. I used to love drooling over the combos, they wouldnt need every pickup config just a simple H will work only options needed are body color pickgaurd color headstock and neck material, if they could do it with a program they wouldn't need to take pictures of every combo

 

[Colin]

use your imagination, order it and when it arrives tease us with pics...

 

[Sonnyonbass]

It would certainly be a very nice option to see the bass you are going to order first but there are just too many options. (is there a thing as too many when it comes down to basses ;-)) And we always want MORE options so... It's just impossible to take a pic of every combination available. Just use your imagination!
Whatever you order, it will look great!


Gimme some popcorn to please!

 

[steve f]

Thanks for the info - maybe BMW got the idea from EBMM!

All you would need is body style, color, and pickguard color.
The main thing would be keeping up with color changes and I imagine that could be challenging with all the offerings.
No photos would be necessary, other than one of the color if it were difficult to reproduce digitally.

We could make it really easy and just offer it for the basses!

Not a big deal either way - just thought it was a cool idea. I'm not surprised that it was a BTDT sort of thing and EBMM beat me to it by a decade...

 

[Aussie Mark]

All you would need is body style, color, and pickguard color.

And fingerboard wood, and matching headstock or not.

I don't know the exact numbers, but here's a hypothetical as to how many photos would be needed in the database -

Body styles = 9 (Stingray 4, 5, Sterling 4, 5, Bongo 4, 5, 6, Big Al)
Color = say 20
Pickguard color = say 10
Fingerboard = 3?
Matching headstock or no = 2

9 x 20 x 10 x 3 x 2 = 10800 different photos. Got some spare time and a big SD card in your Nikon?

 

[RobertB]

9 x 20 x 10 x 3 x 2 = 10800 different photos. Got some spare time and a big SD card in your Nikon?

times how many pickup configs?

 

[Aussie Mark]

times how many pickup configs?

Exactly. I was only taking into account the "cosmetic" side of things. As well as pickup configs you've also got fretted vs fretless. I think we're up to 100,000 photos already now.

 

[spencer]

Exactly. I was only taking into account the "cosmetic" side of things. As well as pickup configs you've also got fretted vs fretless. I think we're up to 100,000 photos already now.

Hmm sounds like a full time job. I'll gladly do it. Stand in the ernieball foctory taking pictures of every ball
that rolls off the line...


Or again just get a Photoshop program, that or someone on here get to work photoshopping every ernieball bass ever made..

 

[oddjob]

This is what Foggy is for

 

[mmbassplayer]

someone on here get to work photoshopping every ernieball bass ever made..

Spencer... i nominate you bud! Go for it. First up is an Olive Gold Big AL with an Abolone PG and one with a Python PG. JOSH

 

[Stephen]

Photoshopping just wouldn't do the finishes justice. Look at the pictures EBMM posts and you get an idea at which level their standards are (that would mean both instruments and photographs of them).

... besides that, it wouldn't be too hard to do. Configuring the instruments via script is not a problem, the real work is in preparing and then maintaining the pictures needed - and it would need to be pictures, because simply tinting a body via layers looks like rubbish (this is what most car manufacturers do. You get a rough idea, but it's really not aesthetically pleasing).

Cheers, Stephen

 

[spencer]

Spencer... i nominate you bud! Go for it. First up is an Olive Gold Big AL with an Abolone PG and one with a Python PG. JOSH

but im no good at photoshopping...