How You Got Here?

[AnthonyD]

To an EBMM bass, I mean... I was thinking about my path to Music Man. Finding my Sterling was nirvana for me - I had been casually looking for my perfect bass for over a year. Having found it, I am now an EBMM player for life!

I thought it might be fun to compare notes re: our "choice of bass" history...

This might be impossible (if not VERY interesting) for some of the gear whores, but give it a go anyway!

So, I'll go first... Starting way back in 1977...

<1977>
Royce SG-copy
Gibson Grabber
B.C Rich Eagle
Rickenbacker 4001
Fender Precision
</1984>

(Break from bass-playing - became an full-time drummer. Gave up drums for full time motorcycling. Gave up motorcycling for full-time family stuff)

<1998>
Ibanez SR400
Ibanez SR800
EBMM Sterling - 2004 - Nirvana!
</present>

What's your story!

 

[Freddels]

Do I have to go back to accordian lessons as a child?

 

[shamus63]

What's your story!

Too long and too many basses to post (or recollect) during working hours.

Let's just say I started in June '79 with a P-Bass copy...

...and ended up here...getting a price quote from Jack for what will be my tenth Music Man Bass.

I'm such a whore.

 

[lomky]

hmmm

1992 - gibson EB-3 (1972)
1994 - Ibabnez GT
1996 - Fernandez APB-5
2006 - Ernieball SUB4
200? - Ernieball Stingray

 

[Freddels]

1976 traded the accordian for a red Kay electric bass (looked like a Gibson SG guitar)
1980 Pedulla (ser#24)
1982 Englehardt upright
1987 custom 5-string fretless (high C) by Mark Campellone
2005 NS upright
2006 BongoHH
2006 G&L JB-2

 

[lonote049]

After 40 years of Fenders with occasional Hagstroms, Gibsons, a Reverend and a fabulous Hamer 2-TEK CruiseBass, I was looking for something different and stumbled into a great deal on an active SUB 5. It's my first EB/MM but it won't be my last. I simply can't believe the build quality on the bass! If they put that much love into a relatively inexpensive instrument, I know what to expect from the more expensive models. I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to try an EB/MM. It gives me something vastly different yet somehow familiar...another useful tool in the toolbox, so to speak.

I'm also very, very impressed with their customer service. The B-string tuner on my bass had excessive play, so I sent an e-mail. Within 3 days I had a replacement tuner; I installed it and I was off to the races! It is nice to see another company with excellent customer service (I've also had good experiences Hamer and Reverend customer service departments). It's a real pleasure to deal with people/companies who care about their products...and their customers!

 

[Figjam]

Fender MIM Jazz
Hohner B2Adb headless
Essex SPB-57 fretless
Godin SD
Spector Q5
MTD Kingston fretless
Sterling
HH SR5

Now my only basses are the two EBMMs. I aquired the Kingston after the Sterling in a trade for the Godin, but it recently was sold. I also got my first bass back, the fender jazz. It sits in its case though, its nut is actually broken.. but I just wanted it back so I could have my first bass, when Im old and nostalgic.

 

[TSanders]

My first bass was a MIM Jazz and my second a MIM P-Bass.

After I went on the road for the first time at age 15 I scored my first EBMM bass.

A StingRay 5. Brand new. White/rosewood/tort/matching headstock.

Ill one day order a bass in that config as a memory of when the standard was set for me.

 

[AnthonyD]

Too long and too many basses to post (or recollect) during working hours.

Let's just say I started in June '79 with a P-Bass copy...

...and ended up here...getting a price quote from Jack for what will be my tenth Music Man Bass.

I'm such a whore.

I expected as such...

 

[Moondog]

Good thread . . made me test my memory:
'75 Violin
'78 Hondo II P-Bass
'80 Fender P-Bass
'82 Fender Telecaster
'84 Charvel Bass
'85 Spector Bass
'88 Fender J-Bass
'91 Fender P-Bass
'95 EBMM SR4 ('95)
'96 EBMM Sterling ('96)
'04 EBMM SR5 ('01)
Fender SRV Strat
'05 EBMM SR4FL LE w/Piezo ('05)
EBMM Bongo HH LE ('05)
EBMM SR4 ('92)
EBMM SR4 ('00)
'06 EBMM SR5HH

 

[shamus63]

I expected as such...

Oh, oh! Make that my eleventh Music Man Bass...I forgot about the '79 Sabre I owned last year...the very same bass that brought me to this forum in August of last year to get a history lesson of said bass.

The wind was blowing in the right direction that day, or some such B.S.

 

[bass&cookies]

well, mine waswas a relatively short road. started out on a yamaha, then not too long after taking up bass i fell in love withh musicman basses. they pretty much became my dream basses. i later bought an ibanez, but a week later i found a used sr5 while looking for an amp... BANG sold the ibanez, bought the ray, a happy man.
now contemplating my next musicman bass.

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

It was 1977 and I was playing a Gibson Grabber and I walked into the House of Guitars in Rochester NY and they had this new fangled "StingRay" bass up on the wall....I bought it that day.

 

[koogie2k]

I got an EBMM Bongo simply by accident as a gift from my wife. She wanted to buy me a guitar for Christmas (EBMM of course) and saw the bongo and liked the looks of it and bought it thinking it was the kind I play. I decided to keep it, and in my harrowing attempt, I now play bass in a band....but, I still love to play my six strings.....

Since then, I have bought two more bongos.

 

[Mobay45]

Wow! This will take some thought.

1959 - Piano
1966 - Trumpet/Cornet
1974 - Laid the Trumpet down.
1980 - Fender Bullet Bass
1983 - Fender P Bass (Don't know what year it was.)
1985 - Ibanez Roadstar II
1986 - '81 Fender P Bass (Inherited from my Dad.)
1992 - Fender Jazz Plus 5 string.
2004 - My first MM bass. Black 'Ray w/Rosewood
2004 - Blue Pearl SR5
2005 - DG Bongo 5 HH
2006 - OLP Tony Levin - Natural
2006 - '05 LE BC Bongo 5 HH
2006 - GP Bongo 5 H

I saw some Stingrays in a music store back in the mid eighties but I wouldn't even try one because I didn't like the looks of them. Too bad for me, huh.

I tried a lot of basses in the last 2 or 3 years, but the ones listed after the SR5 are the ones that have survived. Of course the '81 P is still around but the DG Bongo is on the block right now.

 

[oddjob]

In order to the best of my memory:
'87 Phantom Zebra P-bass(which has been highly modded - Duncans and a Khaler) *
'88 Fndr Squier
'88 Yamaha fretless
'89 Guild Ashbory *
'89 Kramer Ferrington
'90 Yamaha TRB 4
'90 Ibanez 5 string
'90 EBMM SR4 (black on black)
'92 Frenz custom 6
'93 Frenz custom 6 fretless
'89 Ric 4001
'93 Fnder HM
'97 Kubicki ExFactor
'00 Warwick Streamer ProM
'04 Bongo 4H *
'05 Bongo 5HH
'05 Bongo 4HH *

* denotes basses I still have

This is by no means all of them, but does represent the major players that I remember (I would guess there are 15-20 that I am forgetting here - most I owned at any one time was 14 right before I got Kermit - I feel like such a Whore. I should go wash myself now)

 

[Freddy-G.]

'72 Fender Musicmaster
'69 Epiphone hollowbody
'73 Rickenbacker 4001
'75 Fender Precision
'89 Music Man SR5
'90 Roscoe LG3000
'00 Cort Curbow 5-string
'04 Fender Jazz MIA
'02 Fender Precision MIA
'05 Music Man Bongo 5HH
'03 Music Man Sterling Fretless
'05 Zon 519 Fretless
'05 Music Man SR5 HS Ltd. Edition
'06 Music Man Stealth Bongo 5H (on its way)

Can't wait to get my hands on the Stealth

 

[midopa]

I'll still quite the noob when it comes to bass playing. I've really only had two other basses before I discovered Music Man.

- Ibanez SG200
- ESP B205
- EBMM SR "Blue Eyes"
- EBMM Bongo
Ol' Blue Eyes is gone, but now I've got a kickin' Bongo that floors me everytime I play it.

Edit: I wanna add how friggin fortunate I am to actually own a Music Man bass! Honestly, after playing an MM, I've yet to be as impressed by a bass from other manufacturers as I am whenever I pick up my Bongo.

 

[Dr Stankface]

Ibanez GSR200
StingRay 5
2 Fernandes Gravity 5 Deluxes (both sold)
2 StingRay 4s (one had to be sent back because of fretsprouting and other things, other was traded)
Bongo 5 (sold)
Soon, HH SR5.

 

[drgroovenstein]

Hrm this might be difficult

1998

Peavy Dynabass
Lakland 55-94 Deluxe
Pedulla Pentabuzz
MTD 535 #540
Warwick Streamer Pro-M 4
Warrior Soldier 5
Warrior Standard + 5
Musicman Stringray 5 (Older, finished neck)
MTD 535 #640 (still have this one)
Warwick Thumb NT 5
Modulus Flea 5
Warmoth P/J 4 string w/ sadowsky electronics
Lakland Bob Glaub Skyline
Sadowsky Tokyo 5
Modulus Q5
Warwick Streamer Stage 1 5
Roscoe LG-3005
Fender USA Jazz Deluxe V
Musicman Bongo 5 H/S (still have this one, though for sale)
OLP MM3 (still own, travel bass)
Musicman Stringray 5 H/H *soon*

heh I tend to buy alot used and resell to try new things. I only buy new when I know I will keep it forevah. And no, I didn't actually go straight from a Dynabass to a 55-94, I owned a Jack Read custom for about 3 days inbetween hehehe.