tegs07 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 There are some exceptions but GDP and salaries are increasing in many East Asian countries. Simultaneously there are some demographic issues (eg China) where the workforce is aging. Labour is getting more expensive, particularly skilled labour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwmlondon Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 3 hours ago, neepheid said: But I can get a South Korean made Reverend which does more (ie. has two pickups) and will be excellent quality for less than £900. The grand is quite the psychological threshold to cross, so manufacturers had better provide reasons why I should. This bass doesn't provide any reasons why I should when you stack it against cheaper instruments of excellent quality which are manufactured in places with theoretically higher labour costs. Hard no from me. Sorry, EBMM/SBMM fanbois, but their pricing has been ridiculous for a while now. I'm still prising my jaw off the floor at >£1000 SBMM Rays. What is this market segment they're aiming at? The affluent cheapskate? Does it even exist? I don't define myself as a fanboi. I do think that as long as you can get a Sterling Sub Stingray for under £400 you have a choice. I see Sterling 'Rays at under £700 which puts them roughly in the same ball-park as Sire, Ibanez or Yamaha. The MusicMan brand has a fair bit of kudos but it's not like Fender or Gibson who can trade off the name and sell some utter cr*p for top dollar so I'm not going to write off the buying public as idiots and MusicMan as con artists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwmlondon Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 3 minutes ago, tegs07 said: There are some exceptions but GDP and salaries are increasing in many East Asian countries. Simultaneously there are some demographic issues (eg China) where the workforce is aging. Labour is getting more expensive, particularly skilled labour. I wonder where the next bargain basement country of manufacture will be? Pakistan? Bangladesh? A newly independent Wales? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegs07 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 (edited) Who knows. Maybe globalisation is reversing and people will need to get used to buying fewer (and in many cases better quality) things? Edit: How Harley Benton continues with such rock bottom prices is a mystery. I guess no licensing deals, little in the way of bricks and mortar for sale and distribution and some very slick workflows to allow volume sales at low margins. Even so. Edited January 29 by tegs07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 I quite like it - like natural basses, prefer passive, looks quite smart. Never really played an MM bass but in the back of my mind always thought I needed one to complete the holy trinity. At c£100 a month for nine months it seems almost rude not to but I made a rule with myself a few years ago that I'd only buy basses from the brands country of origin (can probably blame Fender for that). One to consider... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 I have a EBMM USA Sterling 4HH and all these other basses with the name Sterling makes folk think my bass is a cheap version of itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 31 Author Share Posted January 31 30 minutes ago, Lw. said: I quite like it - like natural basses, prefer passive, looks quite smart. Never really played an MM bass but in the back of my mind always thought I needed one to complete the holy trinity. At c£100 a month for nine months it seems almost rude not to but I made a rule with myself a few years ago that I'd only buy basses from the brands country of origin (can probably blame Fender for that). One to consider... How does that work when the electronics and stuff won't be from the same country? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 34 minutes ago, Lw. said: I quite like it - like natural basses, prefer passive, looks quite smart. Never really played an MM bass but in the back of my mind always thought I needed one to complete the holy trinity. At c£100 a month for nine months it seems almost rude not to but I made a rule with myself a few years ago that I'd only buy basses from the brands country of origin (can probably blame Fender for that). One to consider... You do you, but a thought occurs - what have these brands done to earn this fierce loyalty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted January 31 Share Posted January 31 14 minutes ago, fretmeister said: How does that work when the electronics and stuff won't be from the same country? It does take some mental gymnastics, sure. Fortunately I'm not a trading block negotiating deals so it's not too big a problem, though generally I take it as wherever it says it was made, that's where it was made. If the electronics are originally made in china, the tree grew in India, the metal dug up in Africa but the label says it was Made in USA, then that's good enough for me. Don't ask me what nationality I'm classing my Limelight as! 9 minutes ago, neepheid said: You do you, but a thought occurs - what have these brands done to earn this fierce loyalty? My buying habits very clearly show I have no brand loyalty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 So it seems we are getting an actual Joe Dart by Sterling by Musicman. Interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossyrocks Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 All this "this, by that, byt'other" bends my head. That's Lancashire for WTF. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Aye, the model naming structure some big brands have adopted is ridiculous. Feel it's become counterproductive for actually selling to punters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ.c Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 (edited) I'm interested in the new affordable Joe Dart bass. Anyone know what soft maple is like as a body wood? Will it ding up like basswood? https://sterlingbymusicman.com/products/joe-dart?variant=41532195831923 Edited May 1 by russ.c Added a link 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerfridge Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 (edited) £326 is an absolute bargain Edited May 1 by Killerfridge 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ordep Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted May 1 Author Share Posted May 1 6 minutes ago, Killerfridge said: £326 is an absolute bargain + shipping + vat + duty. About £520 total. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerfridge Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 58 minutes ago, fretmeister said: + shipping + vat + duty. About £520 total. Yeah not quite as much of a bargain as I first thought. Still, I think probably a fair price given the name attached Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ.c Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 Getting on for nearly 600 sold already. Hot cakes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassApprentice Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 Surely Joe Dart has to be Musicman's best selling artist? He's sold out 3 rubs of full fat USA models at tip end price tags now he's made another £250,000 (roughly based on average of £400 for each bass) in less than 12 hours. That's a mad amount of money and units to move for very simple basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killerfridge Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 11 minutes ago, BassApprentice said: Surely Joe Dart has to be Musicman's best selling artist? He's sold out 3 rubs of full fat USA models at tip end price tags now he's made another £250,000 (roughly based on average of £400 for each bass) in less than 12 hours. That's a mad amount of money and units to move for very simple basses. Love or hate their music, Jack Stratton really has figured out marketing to musicians 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 9 minutes ago, Killerfridge said: Love or hate their music, Jack Stratton really has figured out marketing to musicians mugs. Fixed it for you. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ.c Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 If I'm a mug, I'm more than happy with that description. 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russ.c Posted May 1 Share Posted May 1 (edited) Come to think of it, I suspect there are some well-informed members of this forum even, who admire the basses which Jack Stratton et al. market to them as musicians. I for one like what EBMM and Joe Dart are doing, and I hope it inspires a new generation of bass players to emulate their hero. Edited May 1 by russ.c 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 (edited) 10 hours ago, BassApprentice said: Surely Joe Dart has to be Musicman's best selling artist? No, John Petrucci is. Music Man have introduced the first JP6 and JP7 guitar models in 2001 and all the prog metal fanboys have been buying them like hot cakes - and many of them didn't stop at one, but bought a whole host of different limited edition finishes. Since 2001 there have been many changes to the model (great marketing trick) so that all the fanboys had to get those as well. And then the John Petrucci Majesty came along, in 2018. The success has completely overwhelmed Music Man, it has quickly become one of their best-selling models to date! It's a neck-through build, prohibitively expensive, with rather dividing looks, but despite all that they sell them faster than they can make them. Music Man have a very clever marketing strategy with their "The Vault" online store, selling many limited editions or special finishes that are only available through the Vault. It gives them full control over those sales, they get the full profit, and because many are Artist models or similar to the one the artist is playing (for example the Mystic Dream flipflop finish associated with John Petrucci: on the old JP6 and JP7 this was a standard option but on the Majesty it's only available through The Vault) the fanboys have to come to Music Man directly if they want one. Edited May 2 by LeftyJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloke_zero Posted May 2 Share Posted May 2 15 hours ago, russ.c said: Anyone know what soft maple is like as a body wood? Will it ding up like basswood? I had to look it up: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/differences-between-hard-maple-and-soft-maple/ - seems like its probably denser than basswood 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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