• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

sanderhermans

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
1,091
Location
belgium
I dont think a lot of you understand how hard the high end guitar market is....You cannot continue to offer over 150,000 combinations and add 8 new instruments in twenty colors. We would love to make everything but we also like to make payroll...also we didnt discontinue a single big seller...NOBODY bought the sabre much less the classic one.

Also the same guy who said we werent smart also thought we made a mistake announcing the timing of the discontinuation of colors.... Dealers have instruments on order for months....if we waited till namm to discontinue the color we would have loaded up dealers with old stock and also not given consumers an opportunity to get one of the colors. Also saying that consumers like shopping in an environment loaded with color choices......please let me know a dealer that does this...There are may 10 dealers in the whole world who support us like that.

I really try to let you guys know what its like but sometimes I get frustrated.....

But you cannot make everyone happy... For those of you who gave us a benefit of the doubt...thanks....we arent trying to disappoint you kids...we are trying to survive.

Just to be clear. I DO get your point and i am sure you have made a good busines move. Just try to understand we are getting impatient for the new stuff coming up.
 

jlepre

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 30, 2007
Messages
3,020
Location
Parsippany, NJ, United States
Deleting colours just because they dont sell enough is in my opinion not verry smart... this is why i feel that way:
I believe that people like options from wich to choose, altough 90% of the population will end up choosing the same stuff over and over again. (In the case of ebmm this would be a black stingray with a maple neck for example) most people do not like the feeling that they dont have options. if they do or do not choose from all these options is irrelevant.

A simple example is your local supermarket, if they would only sell 3 kinds of vegeteables, 2 kinds of meat, .... because these are the top sellers (for instance salad and steak) that store would lose 95% of its clientel.
People in general love shopping in a loaded supermarket stuffed full of food of all kinds! At the end of the day these supermarkets throw away huge amounts of "unpopular" foods, while allmost everyone goes home with that same steak and salad as in store 1.
It doesnt matter that 90% of the stuff in the loaded store doesnt sell because they make so much money on a few popular products. But if they where to take most other products away and thereby delete the freedom of choice, that store would propably sell nothing at all.

Just to be clear. I DO get your point and i am sure you have made a good busines move. Just try to understand we are getting impatient for the new stuff coming up.

Not quite what you said...just to be clear.
 

sanderhermans

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
1,091
Location
belgium
Not quite what you said...just to be clear.
I think you all misunderstood my point. I am pretty sure musicman deleted all those colours to make room for new stuff, and NOT only because they didnt sell.... if that was the ONLY reason to cut em all out that would be a bad idea IMO. If there are multiple reasons like growing in pther regions, then it is a thought thru busines decision that fits into a larger plan.

However if musicman would release nothing new and kept their current line up as it is right now for a year or 2, then i stand by my point made in the earlier post.
 
Last edited:

jb90

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2010
Messages
19
Location
Poland
I think that there's a lot to do with StingRay, Sterling and Bongo. I think that people should discover the Musicman basses once again. There was a time when StingRay was absolutely one of the most notoicable bass on professional music scene ! But many bass players after years trusted new companies/luthiers or just change Musicmans to old Fenders. The same with Ampeg (many bass players choose/change to i.e. Aguilar now). I think that if maby Musicmans have passive tone option or maby even some custom shop there will be more customers who choose Musicmans ? Who knows ? Right know I notice that Musicman focus somewhat more on guitars and there are more "stars" playing Musicman guitars than basses... I'm a big fan of Musicman since 2005 when I bought my first StingRay and I wouldn't change this bass for anything... well, maby on 5 stringer with 2 Humbuckers :p but anyway I can't wait for new features ! The last best thing imo was introduce cobalt flatwounds - man ! I love flats on Musicmans ! I never be a fan of roundwounds. Big Al bass was great too (that dark midrange tone almost similar to P-bass or J-bass !) unfortunately bass players don;t discover this great basses. It's a pity...
 

bradfordws

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Messages
386
Location
San Gabriel CA
Here's something I have to add after thinking about this today - see pic from a 1980 catalog / colors page - and this is the very same catalog I used to flip through REPEATEDLY when I was a pup! This is before I ever attended a NAMM show - when you'd get catalogs off the rack (at the mom & pop music store - there was only one GC at this time) - notice the only colors offered are natural, white, black, sunburst and walnut. My point is..."What we have here is a failure to accept only a few colors after having been spoiled by many cool colors over the years since EB took over MM." That's all.

 

musicmaan

Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2013
Messages
13
Hey Big Poppa... your 'right, it's impossible to please everybody!.... So don't let them get you frustrated!... Just do what you do, and keep making stellar instruments! You don't need to explain **** to nobody! If you want to cancel colours, or entire instruments you go right ahead. Hell, if you want to only offer one instrument in only hot pink cuz you think it's best for EBMM, then you go right ahead, only you guys know what's best for your company. Can't wait to see what's next! I'd sure like to shake your hand some day!

MM
 

steevo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
395
Location
West Midlands, UK
I think that there's a lot to do with StingRay, Sterling and Bongo. I think that people should discover the Musicman basses once again. There was a time when StingRay was absolutely one of the most notoicable bass on professional music scene ! But many bass players after years trusted new companies/luthiers or just change Musicmans to old Fenders. The same with Ampeg (many bass players choose/change to i.e. Aguilar now). I think that if maby Musicmans have passive tone option or maby even some custom shop there will be more customers who choose Musicmans ? Who knows ? Right know I notice that Musicman focus somewhat more on guitars and there are more "stars" playing Musicman guitars than basses... I'm a big fan of Musicman since 2005 when I bought my first StingRay and I wouldn't change this bass for anything... well, maby on 5 stringer with 2 Humbuckers :p but anyway I can't wait for new features ! The last best thing imo was introduce cobalt flatwounds - man ! I love flats on Musicmans ! I never be a fan of roundwounds. Big Al bass was great too (that dark midrange tone almost similar to P-bass or J-bass !) unfortunately bass players don;t discover this great basses. It's a pity...
To open a custom shop just to offer more colour combos/pickguards/woods etc. would not make any sense.
Every musicman ive ever played is above and beyond any fender custom shop instrument ive played.
Be patient and im sure youll find something that you like.
Personally i like natural finishes so im always going to find something i like.

The one thing that could be offered is more availability in custom items to buy directly from EBMM. Things like pickups, pickguards, pickup covers, different finished hardware etc. Not sure what BP thinks about this but theres always going to be a market for mods.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 

Magic Jason

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 12, 2014
Messages
1,254
Location
Malmedy, Belgium
To open a custom shop just to offer more colour combos/pickguards/woods etc. would not make any sense.
Every musicman ive ever played is above and beyond any fender custom shop instrument ive played.
Be patient and im sure youll find something that you like.
Personally i like natural finishes so im always going to find something i like.

The one thing that could be offered is more availability in custom items to buy directly from EBMM. Things like pickups, pickguards, pickup covers, different finished hardware etc. Not sure what BP thinks about this but theres always going to be a market for mods.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

BP needs to do what he sees fit for his company... Untill now we could agree that he's done quite well!
 

sml175

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2016
Messages
6
Was walking into the Sam Ash store in NYC I saw a blue Pacific burst with a maple neck. I have always had a rosewood neck but this thing just sung out. about 5 days later thinking about it I called and got a great price shipped. Now the proud owner of a Stingray HH in Blue Pacific burst. This will go well with my cream Sterling by MM which is also one of my favorites out of all my basses.
 

mrpackerguy

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 17, 2006
Messages
609
Location
Badger and Packer Country
We should all be so lucky, innovative and skillful to have a major hand in creating one iconic American bass guitar that has withstood the test of time as BP has done with the Stingray. Anything after that is icing on the cake.

Sent from my XT1055 using Tapatalk
 

scottbass71

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
850
Location
Melbourne, Australia
So How much are people prepared to pay for a custom colour?
Reason I ask I remember BP stating I think it was at the forum get together in 2007 ( Geez time flies) that after spraying sparkle colours it costs between $500-$600 to clean the painting equipment to make sure there is not metal flakes in the system.

So would people pay that plus the cost of the paint itself, which nearly half the cost of the bass itself - I don't think so
 

steevo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Messages
395
Location
West Midlands, UK
Having checked out alot of different manufacturers websites over the last few days, EBMM still have the most exciting and varied looking line up. With the inclusion of the new basses, they cater for nearly every taste.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 

Golem

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2005
Messages
2,280
Location
My Place
Just by way of example, the cost-of-paint thing ...

Apparently peeps don't get it that not all bidness
follow the same model. Some established brands
definitely will offer a custom color for way under
the several hunnert $$ discussed above. But one
cannot imagine that it involves cleaning and then
refilling a major production line paint system.

It seems clear that MM uses such a system, and
has good reason to do so. A production line will
help reduce the per-item cost while maintaining
a high quality product. The brands that do offer
custom colors at a relatively modest up-charge
are obviously letting all the buyers of their stock
models and colors subsidize the existence of the
custom shop. Evidence is that their stock product
costs way more per item than a similar MM, yet
isn't "bench built by hand" or otherwise so exotic
as to justify stock item prices way above EBMM.


IOW if MM or any similar company [is there one?]
wants to add custom shop special order features
without a huuugely intimidating up-charge, then
customers buying stock models hafta pay much
more for stock models, to subsidize the "prestige"
of the very existence of a custom shop.

I prefer paying only for what I receive in-hand,
and not for "prestigious intangibles". I doubt the
one-at-a-time spray booth in such custom shops
will produce the tough finish you get from a well
run, well maintained production system. Anywho,
paint is just ONE variable. Imagine adding a few
more, or dozens more ....

Try telling Ford or GM you want a unique color, a
faster steering ratio, and an exotic audio system.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom