Music Man Majesty

[Gearzilla]

On the bright side Ernie Ball has been very prompt in replying to the situation this afternoon, and will take care of it on an expedited basis.

So ultimately great customer service.

 

[Fireproof]

This probably belongs in rants, but…

Just got my Majesty back on the 4th week after sending it in to Ernie Ball for a warranty repair. The tone control had gone out, and they replaced the entire preamp package.

Low and behold the pickup selector is backwards now!

Come on Ernie Ball. Do better!

 

[Gearzilla]

Come on Ernie Ball. Do better!

Accidents happen. To me the main thing is they responded promptly and stepped up in a professional manner to quickly correct things.

A+ customer service.

 

[Fireproof]

Accidents happen. To me the main thing is they responded promptly and stepped up in a professional manner to quickly correct things.

A+ customer service.

Absolutely. And that’s great to hear!

 

[metropolis_4]

I like EBMM guitars. I DON'T like EBMM prices

I've owned an original JP6, a Cutlass, a St Vincent, and a Majesty in the past and they were all awesome guitars. But EBMM has now officially reached the point where I don't think they're worth how much they're asking for them. They're good, but they're not THAT good.

I doubt I'll own another one unless things change.

 

[JT]

I've owned an original JP6, a Cutlass, a St Vincent, and a Majesty in the past and they were all awesome guitars. But EBMM has now officially reached the point where I don't think they're worth how much they're asking for them. They're good, but they're not THAT good.

I doubt I'll own another one unless things change.

I've picked up a few Sterling equivalents at various GCs and obvious it's not setup disclaimers aside; they haven't impressed me really at all. So kind of 0 for 2.

 

[TSJMajesty]

I've owned an original JP6, a Cutlass, a St Vincent, and a Majesty in the past and they were all awesome guitars. But EBMM has now officially reached the point where I don't think they're worth how much they're asking for them. They're good, but they're not THAT good.

I think that's just due to the outrageous inflation we've had. I've followed the Majesties, and the Enchanted Forest I bought in 2019 went for $3400 then. It's now $3800. That seems about right in line with inflation. The 20th has a $200 premium.
Now they've got these top-tier finishes that I agree are more expensive, comparatively speaking, for what you're getting. But those guitars- the Tiger Eye, Purple Nebula, Hydrospace, and now the Maple Tops have always been way higher.

I didn't follow their prices prior to 2019, but those, what I'd call the "mid-line" finishes- Smoked Pearl, Lava Flow, Ember Glow, Blue Honu- those all seemed to me, compared to an equivalent-quality/finish guitar from any other brand, like a great value. SS frets, locking tuners, Piezo, Coil tap, Dimarzios, trem..., get those similar features from other brands and I think EBMM are less expensive.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't think the rise in prices is unique to EBMM, and as such, they're still very competitive. It's just everything across the board has gone up considerably. Heck, a nice PRS S2 is now pushing $2000, and a few years back they were in the low teens.

What brand/model that would be a comparable match to an EBMM model do you think is a better buy, if any?

 

[metropolis_4]

I think that's just due to the outrageous inflation we've had. I've followed the Majesties, and the Enchanted Forest I bought in 2019 went for $3400 then. It's now $3800. That seems about right in line with inflation. The 20th has a $200 premium.
Now they've got these top-tier finishes that I agree are more expensive, comparatively speaking, for what you're getting. But those guitars- the Tiger Eye, Purple Nebula, Hydrospace, and now the Maple Tops have always been way higher.

I didn't follow their prices prior to 2019, but those, what I'd call the "mid-line" finishes- Smoked Pearl, Lava Flow, Ember Glow, Blue Honu- those all seemed to me, compared to an equivalent-quality/finish guitar from any other brand, like a great value. SS frets, locking tuners, Piezo, Coil tap, Dimarzios, trem..., get those similar features from other brands and I think EBMM are less expensive.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't think the rise in prices is unique to EBMM, and as such, they're still very competitive. It's just everything across the board has gone up considerably. Heck, a nice PRS S2 is now pushing $2000, and a few years back they were in the low teens.

What brand/model that would be a comparable match to an EBMM model do you think is a better buy, if any?

I bought my Majesty in Nov 2019 for $2400 and my St Vincent in Feb 2020 for $2100, both brand new from GC. Today the St Vincent is $2999 and the Majesty is ~$3600.

You're right, everything else has gone up too, it's not just EBMM. There might be some that have even gone up more comparatively. EBMM have just crossed the line of what I'm willing to pay for an electric guitar.

 

[metropolis_4]

I've picked up a few Sterling equivalents at various GCs and obvious it's not setup disclaimers aside; they haven't impressed me really at all. So kind of 0 for 2.

Yeah, I haven't been impressed with the Sterling's I've tried either. And they seem to be really inconsistent quality between different models.

I have liked the Sterling basses I've played though.

 

[Gearzilla]

Do you know what’s expensive right now?

Spoiler

Everything!