Kev Posted Saturday at 20:13 Posted Saturday at 20:13 5 hours ago, NickA said: Quite .... why would you buy a downgraded version. In some cases the east Asian versions are just as good ( or better ..eg Squire in some examples) but when they're using cheaper woods, simpler construction and downgraded parts..... just buy a nice used original, it's not like they wear out ( tho my 23yr old Warwick does need new pots) Not only that, but buy a used original, the way things are now it'll probably be worth more if you move it on in a few years, whereas a SBMM will get you back half your investment maybe. 5 hours ago, Russ said: Used Bongos are quite rare, and not cheap. The people who like them REALLY like them and tend not to part with them. I sold two of mine for the same money I paid for them. This new SBMM version is probably down to the Bongo having somewhat higher visibility in recent times, with the likes of all-bass Australian prog outfit The Omnific using them. I've seen plenty whilst looking at the Musicman used market around the £1400 mark in the last 12 months, the difficulty is more getting one in the finish you want. I'd expect they'll probably sell well, at least initially, I just wish we didn't get such a bad end of the deal price wise. $699 would be fantastic, even with VAT on top. It wasn't that long ago we used to moan about $=£ and the exchange rate, now that would be a dream! Quote
NancyJohnson Posted Sunday at 18:22 Posted Sunday at 18:22 I loved my old 5HH, but the EQ was mental on it, which kind of ruined the experience. Admittedly, I adore the shape, but at £3K+ for a MM, nah. My only real opinion on any Sterling vs Music Man debate is that I've seen a few MM Stingrays live and I've seen a handful of Sterling Stingrays in action and while they look similar, the Sterling models are just missing something tonally; quite thin, not as full and not as burpy as the Music Man models. Now this might be down to Sterling users not sharing the same level of attention to set up/tone in as much of that curated by Music Man owners, but they just didn't have the oomph/rumble. I suppose if I could coerce my brother-in-law to pick up one at sub-$800, then maybe it could be a decent platform for customisation, but that would obviously come later. Quote
horrorshowbass Posted 3 hours ago Posted 3 hours ago Saying $699-899 on website so what are we saying £1200 in UK?🫠 Be nice not have to sell a kidney to try a bongo. Quote
Twigman Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago (edited) On 18/01/2025 at 01:51, Russ said: My big wish is for MM to add the Bongo to their customisation tool. They make far less of them than they do Stingrays, so surely offering them in custom colours should be much easier? Have you tried emailing Ernie Ball? I'm a huge fan of the EBMM Sterling, having a 4HH with a matching headstock. Anyway - it seems they've stopped making the Sterling and it's not available via the customisation tool either. I was curious as to whether I could get myself another Sterling 4HH to my specs so I emailed them. I got a quote about 4 days later for an ex-works price for what I had specified. Once I added shipping and import taxes and fees we were looking at north of £3.5k! - a bit rich for me but they did quote and would do it. Perhaps they'd do the same for a Bongo special. Edited 1 hour ago by Twigman Quote
Killerfridge Posted 36 minutes ago Posted 36 minutes ago 1 hour ago, horrorshowbass said: No preamp is saving this G string That's just a feature of all 5 string MusicMans (MusicMen?). A G string you have to hold on to for dear life to stop it slipping off the frets! Quote
Beedster Posted 15 minutes ago Posted 15 minutes ago 18 minutes ago, Killerfridge said: That's just a feature of all 5 string MusicMans (MusicMen?). A G string you have to hold on to for dear life to stop it slipping off the frets! A feature is, for example 4-band EQ That’s not a feature, that’s a design flaw and it’s shocking how many leave the factory like that Quote
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