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If you think the Fender price rise was significant, wait til you see these!

Musicman20

By Musicman20,
in Bass Guitars

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Musicman20 Veteran

Musicman20

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately, I've heard that Musicman are putting a price rise on the range, BUT, the UK seems to have been hit really badly. They are apparently wanting them to be the same as they are in places like Germany, and they are silly prices there.

These are still my favourite basses, but I'm glad I got mine when I did. I'm also glad I got a Bongo on order before these prices went crazy.

Whether it will last is another thing. I personally can't see many people paying these prices.

Damn economy!

Used to be £1599-1699 for a Classic Ray 4. Now look:

[url="http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=12070417354631"]http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=12070417354631[/url]

Used to be about £1300-1400 for a Sterling 4 H standard. Now look:

[url="http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=12070417384431"]http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=12070417384431[/url]

Bongo's are going to be £1800+.

Crazy.

Gone are the days when I bought a brand new Ray H 3EQ for £999.00 in Natural. :(

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CPBass Community Regular

CPBass

Posted
Posted (edited)

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1344005778' post='1758615']
Phew and there was me thinking of selling one of my Sterlings... think I'll hang fire for a year or two! :lol:
[/quote]

The Parker is up as 'For Sale' but reluctant isnt the word. No way have I been able to prise her from you!!! :P

Edited by Voodoosnake
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Schnozzalee Experienced

Schnozzalee

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Posted (edited)

Gibson, Warwick, Fender & Musicman are not worth considering anymore, USA Custom Shop G&L's are the best value for money that i've tried (£1300 new). People should start look for the alternatives like ESP etc if they want to be the original owner.

Edited by Schnozzalee
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Musicman20 Veteran

Musicman20

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  • Author
Posted (edited)

I'm definitely hanging fire on:

A) buying new until they settle the prices
B ) selling any of mine

Whether it affects second hand values is another thing, but I think over the next few years we will see a steady increase in the value.

Put it this way, my Sterling 5 HS would PROBABLY be around £1800 new now...and I didn't pay near that.

Edited by Musicman20
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EBS_freak Grand Master

EBS_freak

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ridiculous money for what is essentially a CNC cut and assembled bass. They are workhorse basses, not boutique basses and I think at that price, they are just going to fail. I think all it's going to do is drive people away from using their basses.

Thinking about it, it's probably a way of them pushing the prices of the Sterling branded basses up towards a grand.

As for Warwick. Stupid money... and as said, it's done nothing for the resales. If anything, it's a reason not to buy a new Warwick.

Edited by EBS_freak
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LukeFRC Grand Master

LukeFRC

Posted
Posted

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1344006298' post='1758632']
Oh bugg3r it, I forgot about her... it's defo available for 'sale' not trade. ;) :lol:
[/quote]
i've been eyeing up that 5 string green thing of yours, I guess you forgot about that one too! :)

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1344006536' post='1758639']
As for Warwick. Stupid money... and as said, it's done nothing for the resales. If anything, it's a reason not to buy a new Warwick.
[/quote]
price drop on the resales was before the restructuring to a more exclusive product with the higher price. partly due to them going big style into mass production around the turn of the century, and the perceived drop in quality and plethora of lower end models. To be honest they are doing what would be sensible for them to do, and that means higher prices on the new stuff. The good thing as a buyer is the old stuff is still comparatively cheap :)

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LukeFRC Grand Master

LukeFRC

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Posted

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1344007256' post='1758654']
A custom bass, or Sadowsky seems less of a crazy price now.
[/quote]

I still think sadowsky metro are silly prices, but thats just me.
customs, esp some british manufacturers.... are pretty good prices. If I was buying new I think ACG or Osprey would be getting a call

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Dingus Experienced

Dingus

Posted
Posted (edited)

As others have said, these prices seem to put Musicman almost up there with a lot of the custom/ boutique bass builders . One thing I have noticed since the recession took hold in the last 4 or 5 years is that manufacturers have chanced their arm at covering their costs /protecting their profit margins by steadily increasing prices to the consumer , and have I think been surprised by how little effect it has had on sales and how easily they have gotten away with it ; if someone has got their heart set on a particular piece of equipment they may grumble a bit but end up buying it anyway. There must surely however, be a certain point where the market won't follow. Where that point is is anyones guess, though.

Edited by Dingus
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stingrayPete1977 Grand Master

stingrayPete1977

Posted
Posted

Im just going to sit back and watch the value of my pre EB go up and up :yarr: I will still buy a Classic 5 when I can afford one and maybe after a Genz 9.2 if I can sort out a decent regular gig to pay for it (your fault Gareth!) I just will so blame me if you like if they are still selling basses, EBS_freak will vouch for the makes of basses I have had close contact with over the years yet still I love my Rays? I could sell all three and my Jazz bass to buy both a Sadowsky 5 and that Genz 9.2 Max head which would do everything you could ever need from a setup but I just like them, crazy I know but what can I say :)

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Dingus Experienced

Dingus

Posted
Posted (edited)

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1344009290' post='1758701']
I could understand £100 price rise....but £300-400?! Seriously?!

The Metro's are overpriced IMO. £2000 for a pretty standard 5 string Jazz?!
[/quote]

I totally agree with you, but the strenghth /advantage Musicman have in the marketplace over boutique/ custom bass builders is that they have an extensive dealer network that puts their basses quite literally within reach of the general buying public -I expect in most major cities in the U.K you can find a shop that has a Musicman bass in stock- and they are able manufacture sufficient numbers of instruments to supply those dealers with stock in reasonable quantity and time. A lot of people , particulaly more" casual" enthusiasts lets say,would not contemplate waiting six months to a year or more for a custom build , know how to locate a UK distributor for overseas goods or indeed organise buying direct from abroad . For what it's worth , I think a great many higher priced supposedly high-end instruments are over-priced in so much as in the final analysis they do not sound or play better than basses half the price. Strip away the hype and you are left wondering what you actually paid for. I have bought basses in the Fender American Standard -Musicman ( pre-increase) price range that were just as satisfying instruments in every way as anything more expensive or exotic I have had. I am speaking generally and only in my own opinion/ experience of course; there are some very notable exceptions where expensive basses are worth every penny ,and what those exceptions are will vary from player to player depending on what they like and dislike, but price is certainly no guarantee of value or quality . The law of diminishing returns begins to apply. Until now I would have said Musicman basses represented excellent quality and value at a fair price considering their superb build quality , playability and sound -I can't think of a better made factory production guitar- but at these new prices I would have to seriously reconsider.

Edited by Dingus
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GarethFlatlands Rising Star

GarethFlatlands

Posted
Posted

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1344008128' post='1758676']
customs, esp some british manufacturers.... are pretty good prices. If I was buying new I think ACG or Osprey would be getting a call
[/quote]

+1
I don't see the point in buying big name stuff new anymore, not when there's brands like ACG and Shuker for bass or Gordon Smith for guitars. I'd buy 2nd hand again though, my Warwick was cheap as chips, lasted me for a couple of years and held it's value very well.

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RhysP Mentor

RhysP

Posted
Posted

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1344006536' post='1758639']
Ridiculous money for what is essentially a CNC cut and assembled bass. They are workhorse basses, not boutique basses and I think at that price, they are just going to fail. I think all it's going to do is drive people away from using their basses.
[/quote]

I don't think it will make that much difference - there will always be people stupid enough to pay through the nose for a name rather than a quality instrument.

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3below Mentor

3below

Posted
Posted

At the other end of the scale, nice bodies, necks and pickups are available at very reasonable prices. Apart from the name build your own for a fraction of the proposed prices. There are a lot of very good low cost basses about and when combined with good amp /speaker setup is the extra financial cost now being mooted matched by the gain.

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