`
There's a story, not usually doubted, that
while Fender was supplying necks to the
then-new EBMM bass manufacture, that
Fender intentionally delivered necks of a
somewhat questionable quality. It follows
from that story that one should therefore
encounter early production EBMM basses
with replacement necks just a few years
younger than the bodies.
Value ? I wouldn't concern myself with it.
Collector/vintage value exists in a parallel
universe to player/utility value. In the c/v
universe only a Fender brand bass has a
galactic scale market value, usually $10K
to $20K above its p/u value. True, a MM
can have collector value, but it will be of
a non-galactic scale, usually $1k above
its player/utility value.
Changing just a solder joint [frinstintz as
a necessay functional repair] can take a
nasty bite outa the c/v value of a Fender
[myths being rather fragile entities] and
a nasty bite outa $15K is REAL MONEY.
Since the c/v value of a vintage EBMM is
not of a galactic scale, a major drop in
the c/v value of an EBMM is measured in
3-figgers USD, versus often 5-figgers for
a Fender. Thaz a 100X differential !!!
Bottom line, sweat not the small stuff. A
vintage EBMM is $1500 to $2500, pricing
being so erratic that sometimes the lower
prices are on the more desirable basses.
A new top-of-the-line EBMM bass is about
$2500, coinciding with the higher asking
prices of the vintage EBMMs. So whazzat
mean ? It means any vintage EBMM that
2-or-more players would prefer vs buying
a new top-of-the-line model is a vintage
ax worth AT LEAST $2500. Essentially, if
any vintage EBMM is in reliable condition
and also plays well, it is a bargain when
priced anywhere within the usual pricing
range of $1500 to $2500.
____________________________
Someone is bound to bring up the unique
example of the very first production EBMM
StingRay, well documented, and recently
twice changed hands at the 5-figger level.
Wondrous, prolly worth at least that much
to own that piece of history, but otherwise
completely beside the point here and now.
