Recent Corona Experience & Stingray

[Tajue17]

I have a 99 hot-rodded US Jazz (P/J) and I love this bass, but I do agree with you that fender's quality is in the mud pit... easy one is to look at the huge gap between the bodies and the necks now..

My stingray is one of the best basses I ever owned and the Best FEELING bass I ever owned, sits nice, neck is perfect and never moves no matter how crazy it got on stage (PUNK) with people banging into me and the bass..

thing is I love to max both P & J volumes on my fender that has a sweetness I cannot get from my Ray or other basses,, with that being said if I could only have one it would be a stingray from any year without a second thought--> I agree it does not matter what year because they are all perfect!

 

[bovinehost]

I think that Fender makes it easy for Lakland and others. Dan probably ASSEMBLES a better Fender than Fender makes. Look at those retail prices.....Whoa

Dan BETTER be assembling a better Fender than Fender. Skyline retail prices must be up around the MIA Fender price-point. And here I am with a 450 dollar "Built in the USofA" SUB in my lap. Hmmm. I've had a couple of Skylines. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for....me likey SUB big-time, GI!

BTW, I'm just guesstimating on the price of Skylines and MIA Fenders. Someone with more info feel free to correct me if necessary.

Let me repeat this for the TB crowd,. I love Fender Basses grew up with them. Still have the fire engine red v necked gold anodized pickguard P Bass my dad gave me when I was 15.......

I still adore a good Jazz bass. As I've said before, if this were a forum for people who own ONLY basses built in SLO, neither BP nor I could join.

People seem to miss that. Oh well.

Jack

 

[PzoLover]

voting with your dollars

Mondo

How can I throw stones at the people who are entrusted with Leo's legacy? Oops, maybe that is kind of a telling comment in and of itself. This is a question.....Do you think that they understand that they are custodian of Leo's masterpieces?

These guys do a fine job of makin a boatload of instruments and I am a fraction of their size and could never get there. It's easier to do what I do on my scale.
As I have said before I wish that they would understand their power and position and the responsibility to move the instrument forward that accompanies their leadership position that has provided for them so well... In other words spend money on R&D that doesn't involve a can of paint.....

What did you pay for these basses? Is it a fair comparision?

I think that Fender makes it easy for Lakland and others. Dan probably ASSEMBLES a better Fender than Fender makes. Look at those retail prices.....Whoa

Let me repeat this for the TB crowd,. I love Fender Basses grew up with them. Still have the fire engine red v necked gold anodized pickguard P Bass my dad gave me when I was 15.......

IMHO,FWIW
every transaction is like voting with dollars ... last time I voted, I traded a Corona5 for an SR5 ... next time I vote, I will probably cast my dollars in Big Poppa's tub and not in the Big corporate bucket ... maybe this isa David & Goliath story, but, eventually, the word has to get back to the CEO of the Corona operation that they have responsibilities that they could be doing a far bettter job of taking care of than they're presently doing, something tells me that that guy figures that as long as he survives shareholder's meetings he doesn't have to give a ratza$$ abouot bass players or Leo's legacy ...It's only bass players voting in the marketplace who can send that guy a message, and from what I've heard from my local warranty repairman; don't hold your breath waiting for Corona to figure out how to provide anything close to what we expect called "customer service"
meanwhile, if BP=David, I ain't betting my hard earned $$$ on no corporate Goliath ... my orders go to SLO ... my buck stops in SLOland, because I think I can trust BP to do good with it
ATB,
/PL

 

[Big Poppa]

I cant criticize their goals...mine are different...I guess I lack motivation on the instrument side to be the biggest or maybe I dont have the chops....whatever.

I once again repeat that I tip my hat to them for sheer size and volume. It is impressive. Really impressive because APPARENTLY the things I think are important in an instrument dont really matter to the general public. THat sounds like a dig and isnt.....I just think that basses and guitars should have fit and finish and set up.....Pzo the public votes with their dollars every day and Im a dinosaur.

If they really wanted to beat me in the boutique I think they probably could. Im under thier radar and insignifigant.

 

[Steamthief]

Pzo the public votes with their dollars every day and Im a dinosaur.

Maybe, but dinosaurs are cool, and kids really dig dinosaurs. Your future looks bright!

 

[the unrepentant]

I cant criticize their goals...mine are different...I guess I lack motivation on the instrument side to be the biggest or maybe I dont have the chops....whatever.

I once again repeat that I tip my hat to them for sheer size and volume. It is impressive. Really impressive because APPARENTLY the things I think are important in an instrument dont really matter to the general public. THat sounds like a dig and isnt.....I just think that basses and guitars should have fit and finish and set up.....Pzo the public votes with their dollars every day and Im a dinosaur.

If they really wanted to beat me in the boutique I think they probably could. Im under thier radar and insignifigant.

Anybody that knows what they're talking about would disagree. a lot of people regard EBMM basses to be the best out there, not just the guys on the forum, i'm sure you know this. But i know bassists and guitarists that have been playing for years, they own fenders or something generic and boring and think it's the best stuff going, i'm not saying it's crap but they've not tried anything different, haven't done any research into the instrument and don't know anything different, don't know any technical jargon (i'm not saying everyone should be a guitar geek). They have no idea what to look for in a bass, as long as it's got that name on it and looks alright, it will do. It's people like that i can't stand, they have never tried anything knew and don't know what's out there, they don't know the benefits of hardware A over hardware B or the difference between a $500 bass and $1000 bass, 'it still does the same thing'.

Whereas i know that you guys take pride in your instruments and build them with care, rigorously check every one before it leaves the factory, set it up perfectly, make sure the finish is flawless and try to improve your designs in any way possible. To me that's why EBMM will always win over any generic mass manufactured bass that is one of hundreds or even thousands of instruments produced every day where the design hasn't changed at all since 1951. I own a tobias, and the quality control on that is TERRIBLE, the two wings don't even match, and i'm not talking slight differences either, it's HUGELY noticable. I would say that's what i get for buying a cheap bass, but it's not! I bought a sub bass for £150 more and the quality is amazing! fantastic sound, plays beautifully, not one factory flaw, set up great (that could have been adjusted though, whatever), and it's built really solid. My point is, you guys go all the way! Thanks BP!

And yeah, the sub is a great bass eh Jack?

 

[MrMusashi]

heh.. the tobias quality is what it is because gibson bought em
the tobias i have is of insane quality.. you wouldnt believe how easy it is to play. that asymetrical shaped neck is something else!
now the reason i dont play it is because it sound like ****. its just mud and if you ever touch that b string it sounds like it has a 20 year old flatwound string whilst the others are stainless steel...

i like my jazz bass but i cant play it. i have to keep the t-wrench for adjusting the neck handy at all times. a lil temperature variation and kazing.. needs adjustment. other than that its a good instrument.
still doesnt compare to the eb's! just look at the frets.. they are so shiny i dont dare to think how much time someone spent on each of them. the b string on my sr5 20th kills every other bass ive ever tried. hell i can even play a fretted e and it sounds almost like the open string. it has clear definition on every note and not to mention THE sound!!!

MrM

 

[the unrepentant]

I know, gibson are useless and their customer service is possibly even more useless Mine isn't muddy.... the opposite in fact, WAY too trebly and there's loads of rattle on the B string, which sucks. EQ it right and it sounds OK, but nothing on my SUB. I know what you mean about the neck though, feels amazing! That's probably the best thing about tobias. Mine's only the toby pro 5 though, cheap bass but ah well, thinking of sticking some barts in there, but for the time being i'm broke...

Ah well, i have a musicman

 

[MrMusashi]

dont bother with the barts.. they are dull.. save it for another mm

MrM

 

[the unrepentant]

haha i might just do that, see if i can get a bargain on a used SR4/sterling

 

[PzoLover]

no lecture this time just a true story

Do you think the quality of brand F has gone down or could it really be that we never noticed the quality issues until higher quality equipment came out?

Good job Musicman!

Hey everyone, here's another page from my history book ... about QC ... my first real job after high school was in a glass factory (famous brand)where as an inspector, I earned the nickname "Hawkeye" for discovering the first (in our plant ) of a very rare and difficult to see flaw referred to as an "Eyelash check" in a matter of minutes, the top QC inspector on duty ( the guy inspecting my inspecting, stopped the trucks and shutdown the warehouse to hunt for more Eyelash checks and more hourly workers were called in to double inspect warehouse stock .. next story, in a famous car company //I worked for eventually, I've seen full truckloads of vendor supplied parts turned around and production lines stopped because of failed quality inspections ... my point here is, that if a corporation wants to uphold tough quality standards, it's simply a matter of wanting to make a choice and implement policies and empower workers to look for and find and report failed product ... it aint rocket science ... in the words of a famous local entrepreneur " Ya Gotta Wanna" ... end of stories about Quality Control
my point ... Always shop for quality and reject second best ... buy MusicMan basses
ATB
/PL

 

[The Crow]

I guess Fender bashing is really accepted here. As I've said in the past, no problem with MM, Fender or other brand basses I have bought. I've only bought one Fender bass that had problems. It was supposed to be a brand new MIA Pbass, purchasted from Musician'a Friend. Took it out of the shipping box, plugged it in & it had the most horrible humm, worse than a Strat plugged into an ungrounded amp & played under flourescent lights. Funny thing, the case it came in had a sticker on the side that said Tuscalusa Music.
I once had a philosophy professor that put the theory that most build yourself up by knocking others down. From my experience, MM don't need to knock others down to prove themselves, these bashing other brands threads get old fast. Y'all need to drop it & enjoy what you have while you have it.

 

[bovinehost]

No bashing.

"Fender Sucks!" is not acceptable. Reasonable discussion is okay, which is what I think this is, so far. I'll review the thread and be sure....but no, we don't bash other brands here.

mmkay?

Jack

 

[mynan]

No bashing.

"Fender Sucks!" is not acceptable. Reasonable discussion is okay, which is what I think this is, so far. I'll review the thread and be sure....but no, we don't bash other brands here.

mmkay?

Jack

Not that my opinion holds any weight, but I completely concur. Aside from the OP's post sharing his experience, this has really been not much more than a comparison of corporate philosophy.

 

[oli@bass]

And to be honest, not all EBMM's are made equal.
There are good ones, and there are gooder ones.
I like me the gooder ones better

 

[Big Poppa]

wow crow

Where Have I bashed Fender Basses? Quite the contrary. I am talking about corporate philosophy and they do a half a billion dollars a year and I dont come close to it.

Maybe you are hypersensitive.......KEn had a bunch of problems and we discussed them with respect.

 

[PzoLover]

when it's time for me to vote

I cant criticize their goals...mine are different...I guess I lack motivation on the instrument side to be the biggest or maybe I dont have the chops....whatever.

I once again repeat that I tip my hat to them for sheer size and volume. It is impressive. Really impressive because APPARENTLY the things I think are important in an instrument dont really matter to the general public. THat sounds like a dig and isnt.....I just think that basses and guitars should have fit and finish and set up.....Pzo the public votes with their dollars every day and Im a dinosaur.

If they really wanted to beat me in the boutique I think they probably could. Im under thier radar and insignifigant.

my background up here in Canada is in motor vehicles: for over 5 years I worked under a flag from Detroit - domestic product- Ididn't learn what I know about qualty product or customer service from those guys ... then I earned a lucky break and switched for over 10 years to work under flags from Munich and Stuttgart ... top quality product at higher prices but also top notch customer service ... and for me, more expensive, imported product was a good fit because I didn't have to make excuses or apologies for anything ... the corporate motto of the Stuttgart group was taken from one of the original guys, "The best oR Nothing"... and that worked fine for me, so, BP, you're a dinosaur like Karl Benz was a dinosaur, he didn't personally become a billionaire, but he did turn the world of transportation on it's head and it's not a fault of EBMM that more sprouts are geared earlier to want to become "Rock Stars" than fine musicians, and I tip my hat to EBMM for serving musicians and holding a focus on innovation and quality, while other folks go for the BIG dough and serve Shareholders and the "Music Industies" as a priority
so, while I'm not a big market force, I'm still a loyal MusicMan player and fanboy, and I appreciate the total value set that's represented by the EBMM label and therefore I reject other brands that don't seem to meet my needs andexpectations or reflect my value beliefs the ways that MusicMan does

BP, Please don't quit pushing the envelope for us who appreciate cutting edge quality at fair prices and aspire to be better Musicians
ATB,
/PL

 

[RobertB]

If stating why you love instruments by one maker is implicitly "bashing another" ... I guess I'm guilty as charged. I don't see any bashing going on in this thread at all.

To add my 2 cents to the comments about Fender quality, my take is that the ones coming out of their Japanese factory are actually superior to their American models today, especially for the money. Cases in point: the Geddy Lee and Marcus Miller signature Jazz models. I was really impressed with both of those. If either of 'em had an 11" neck radius I might've kept it. That's one of the things I've become really partial to, since owning/playing EBMM's. Oh yeah, and the monster tone.

 

[Hutton]

If stating why you love instruments by one maker is implicitly "bashing another" ... I guess I'm guilty as charged. I don't see any bashing going on in this thread at all.

To add my 2 cents to the comments about Fender quality, my take is that the ones coming out of their Japanese factory are actually superior to their American models today, especially for the money. Cases in point: the Geddy Lee and Marcus Miller signature Jazz models. I was really impressed with both of those. If either of 'em had an 11" neck radius I might've kept it. That's one of the things I've become really partial to, since owning/playing EBMM's. Oh yeah, and the monster tone.

"my take" are the important words here. My take is that the Japanese products let themselves down in the accuracy of the reissues and in the inferior quality of the hardware. I also prefer the build qulaity of the American product especially the new P and J basses. Having said all that, the build quality of an EBMM product is consistently high with no need to compare countries of manufacture. This is surely where the stength of the EBMM company lies.

 

[RobertB]

"my take" are the important words here. My take is that the Japanese products let themselves down in the accuracy of the reissues and in the inferior quality of the hardware. I also prefer the build qulaity of the American product especially the new P and J basses. Having said all that, the build quality of an EBMM product is consistently high with no need to compare countries of manufacture. This is surely where the stength of the EBMM company lies.

I haven't checked out the reissues or any of the other basses coming out of Fender's Japanese factory, besides the 2 I mentioned - the Geddy Lee & Marcus Miller. Hardware-wise, both of those come with the LQ Badass II bridge, which I like, and I didn't notice any differences/shortcomings in the tuners/machine heads, etc ... But anyway, for me personally, it's a moot point. Fender's in my rear-view mirror. I'm just over it. And that's not "bashing". Just a personal fact.

And of course I agree with you totally about EBMM's product quality and its consistency. I'm eager to check it out extensively, in the form & context of a Bongo ... got one on the way.

Later,
Robert