Kev

Why can't they just use a bridge that isn't some horrendous concept? looks like a Ric copy, which is odd.

Well, Musik-Productiv are certainly still charging VAT and state their price includes all duty and custom fees, so that should be a total price. Currently waiting for a delivery of a £465 parcel, which will test this I guess.

I’d say so yes. Difficult to criticise the cost of special edition basses as they’re, well, special. Limited and not made in large volume over and over again. It’s the standard models that need to be scrutinised given how geared up they are to build them. Not just EBBM, anyone. Plenty of basses use identical materials to EBBM, so how many others will inflict huge increases on their basic stock?

What’s low supply, the number of basses from EBBM (due to covid etc) or the materials used? Either way, all mass produced bass builders will have the same issue, so if we don’t see huge price increases across the board, I’d be quite interested to know what unique issue ebbm is facing that can justify this. And, all the while, keeping US prices reasonable.

It’s a useful story, as it will bring it to some people’s attention. But how anyone can complete a sale that almost certainly said Ex Vat in more than one place think that they wouldn’t be charged VAT is difficult to imagine, especially if it’s someone who regularly shops online and noticed the prices drop by about 20% this month, assuming the shop aren’t being naughty of course.

Bass Direct taking preorders, not as expensive as I thought... https://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Spector_Dimension_5.html?fbclid=IwAR1fjwY9VXjsn8-_VUk2k7PQB46o-Tq5aHoA9Ip5skyFm9YhegTINk1js0U Serious competition for Combustions at £1,599

Problems? Surely not...

Wal is a whole different game, Used prices (particularly in the US) now regularly exceed the new cost, sometimes by some way. There have been several examples that have sold for $15,000 over the last 12 months. Absolutely insane. But not as insane as a £3k white stingray 😉

I think in fairness you can only compare these Musicman basses being discussed here to the Teambuilt Warwick basses, which are still very good at a workable price point. I guess you'd compare the Masterbuilt to the super special editions Musicman make, ball family reserve etc, and we don't know the new prices of those yet. That workable price point is now less than Musicman, yet a few years ago Warwick were lambasted for the cost of the German instruments, of which a Teambuilt is.

Do you know how many Stingrays are produced a year? I don’t know admittedly, I am assuming, but these have always been production basses built at mass. If that’s changed, then fair enough, but I wonder how many? Okay, fully back on topic again, in a calendar year, it appears they have raised the price by a very significant amount. Brexit should be unrelated as we trade with the US under the same terms as they trade with the EU. The only thing damaged is the £, and it hasn’t changed that much since last year. Why have they done this?? Or is it not then, is it someone else in the chain pocketing the money?

Great example though of how insane Ernie ball prices are. That bass, by construction type, materials used, almost every level of craftsmanship is hugely superior to a bloody stingray, and it isn’t that far off anymore, although admittedly VAT does carry it away a bit. For the record, all Masterbuilt instruments like this one are from the “Custom Shop” so to speak, absolute top end Warwicks, and only about 250 built a year, may be less as I think they’ve further ranked up teambuilt and down masterbuilt over the years. Being the owner of a 2017 Warwick that cost over £4K new (love me a bit of 2nd hand buying...) I can say it is an exceptional instrument, the woods used and construction is just flawless and so damn classy, a million miles from the Warwicks just over a decade ago, and, although taste has a huge bit to do with it, the fact that Ernie Ball are selling instruments approaching that price bracket is just, well, entirely bonkers. They’re mass produced!!!

Well that's what I mean. It has a Dingwall length 37" B, yet the Dingwall body is designed in such a way that the reach isn't too bad. The NS reach is already more than most for the scale length, and it looks like it's just a longer neck, with some gain from a bridge reposition?

I don't think the multiscale ergonomic suit the NS at all. The headstock on the 4 is DREADFUL, the 5 suits it better, but it still doesn't look right. Needs a redesign to look in line with the slanted nut. The string tree is terrible, and again just looks "out" because of the angle its at. I'm not entirely sure why it needs one, but a decent headstock redesign would have made that redundant I'm sure. Is that a tree that you need to actually pull the string through to restring as well?? Its a lot of money for a bass built in the Far East. It's good to see Korg pushing Spector into new areas, but It just feels like they haven't fully committed. A tweaked NS just doesn't cut it for me, just looks wrong. Should rival the Dingwall Combustion series though, certainly looks like better value when you consider the cost of those is a bit more with less fancy woods. I like that Ethos in that coloured finish though. US finish normally, right?

Yup, 2nd hand market will move with it for sure. If people keep buying them, which they will, they'll keep going up.... It really doesn't seem that long ago you could pick up an old US 2 band Stingray new for £900. I'm only 32 so its not like I'm thinking of the good old days exactly...

I think they just trade under WTO rules, so effectively the same as us, so it shouldn't be the reason. Unless, by chance, the UK uses an EU based distributor??

There is an active US-EU trade deal??

Jumping Off Topic briefly, I absolutely adore how the forum has interpreted the male shrugging emoji on my phone's keyboard! 😂

I don’t know what to say, that just isn’t my experience of the change in prices since I’ve been looking at/buying them 🤷🏻‍♂️ But yes, back on topic, £3k for a Stingray is crazy talk, as is the price rise since 2020.

The upcharges are significant. That Candy Red one has a £300 finish upgrade, £260 pickup upgrade and £365 preamp upgrade. Adding that to the £2650 white one takes you to £3,575, so just a fraction different than what Bass Direct are asking. They turn around basses quickly so they'll both be current crop. Expensive, but they always have been and pricing over the last 7 years or so has been consistent. The Far East basses, however, have exploded.

That isn't quite right, Bass Direct don't currently have stock of any ABZs, but AB1's start at £2650 odd actually now I've just checked Bass Direct (less actually, as the one linked has upgrades from the base spec), so actually the prices of the Canadian models haven't really changed, during the time the chinese models have almost doubled!! That's the point here, its why suddenly all these builders feel they are able to charge very premium prices for their Far Eastern basses built at mass in factories at a much lower cost. https://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/ABI_5_Vintage_White.html

^^^ That looks much better with those knobs, seem to match the tuners quite nicely too!

Yeah Strandberg was a bad example, I guess I meant from a price perspective. But yes, I totally agree that there is no chance in hell you can justify buying a Strandberg over the Nordstrand loaded Ibby's at least.

The Strandberg basses I referenced start at £2,750 I believe, fully built and assembled in the Far East. Spector have just released a new multiscale bass as well, and I believe they are also £2k and built in...the Far East. I don't get it either. I bought a Dingwall NG-2 when they were first released and it cost me £1,150 from Bass Direct. At the time, it felt like it was good for the money, but it still had a feeling of a cheaper bass, which was off putting when I put out 4 figures for it. The fact they are double that now, when the Canadian built models have had nowhere near the same level of increase, is staggering. For example, I think a fairly base level Afterburner was around £2650 when I bought my NG-2. and they're around £3250 now. We're talking 6 or 7 years, so that seems fair. The Strandberg, well its just daft. I've played a couple, and they were both rubbish. Sharp metal edges, poor routing quality, only good thing about them was the neck, and that's basically what you're paying for.

That is a ridiculous price increase. However, I think brands like Ernie Ball, Rickenbacker etc are looking at brands like Dingwall and Strandberg and seeing them selling basses between £2k and £3k for instruments built in the Far East, and thinking that their US instrument could and should sell for a lot more...

Yeah was about to say he does say the neck isn't original. I mean, £260 is crazy, but I can't imagine anyone looking for a "Lawsuit" bass will go for this. And it weighs 15.5lb, which may make it the heaviest bass I've ever heard of! Although the 14.5lb Warwick bass made of solid ebony held that record, so I seriously doubt this bass weighs heavier than that, given its construction. Cant be over 5KG or so.