MusicMan Game Changer... interesting?

[Schlatte]

Have you guys heard about the new MusicMan Guitar/Bass?

http://gamechanger.music-man.com/home.eb
Looks pretty interesting....
But could also be stupid as hell... I don't know what to think about it...

[Deltaphoenix]

I know JWAR and I are pretty interested in it. We both have had a 25th anniversary EBMM (same Reflex body shape, gorgeous top, HSS pickup combo) and loved that style bass.

The reports from other Ernie Ball fanbois on their forum seem to be unanimously positive.

I imagine that I would find several, not normal, pickup combos, several variations of more regular pickup combos. Plus the ability to explore 1000s more.

It will probably take me 2 years or so before I have the funds to get one. I am hoping for more finish choices by then.

[D.o.S.]

Never been a fan of the "tele-got-fat" shape.

[Gearmond]

on the other hand, you could argue that there is a point where pickup combinations just become cork sniffery and then the gamechanger turns into a flagrant misuse of potentially cool technology. or rather i think the benefit of this technology isn't in it being a boutique kinda thing, but it'd be better suited to maybe mid level or beginner? but on that end you really shouldn't be obsessing over tone that much.

personally i think the more gamechanger-y things going on in guitar are in the teuffel tesla, and things like that. guitars that take electric guitar playing beyond mimicking the properties of the acoustic guitar, or even replicating electronic instruments via midi. that sorta ethereal realm of electric guitar that usually involves killswitches, feedback control, pedals with responsive controls and stuff

[Deltaphoenix]

125,000 pickup combinations is a bit much, but it is about options., I guess. I don't think Ernie Ball is really boutique, more like very high quality production instruments. I am unsure about flagrant misuse of technology, I mean it's a choice to buy it, it isn't being forced onto people. I think most people could really dig 20 sounds out of it that are super usable, and distinct. For bass, Passive vs Active of some of those combinations may make for a few more 20, at most 40. Of which, if someone is gigging they may really use 5 different setups in a show.
Without trying it, who really knows? Maybe digging through some unique combinations will inspire some unique music.

I don't care, I want it. I like the basses. The cost of the GameChanger being in the bass isn't that much more than the base Reflex model. $2000 vs $2275. If I am in that deep already, why not get it in the bass?

[D.o.S.]

It also reminds me a little of the Variax.

[SmallEQ]

It also reminds me a little of the Variax.

Well, its nothing like the Variax as it does no modelling.

I'm as big of a MM fanboy as they come normally and while it holds little interest for my personal use, I do find the amount of fine digital control of the analogue signal path it provides to be very, very cool tech regardless of whether I would find it useful.

[Ghost Hip]

Never been a fan of the "tele-got-fat" shape.

This. And I'm also not one to give much thought to what is in my guitar. If I can here all the notes and it isn't muddied up I'm all good. I hate to be that "too complex for me" guy, but (and this is totally speaking for my set up only) I feel there are more efficient ways of altering my tone with what I already have outside the guitar.

Also, moving to guitar forum.

[kbit]

I think this is a great thing for people who want a bunch of different sounds or are primarily studio musicians. Like, now you don't necessarily have to have a tele/strat/les paul or a j/p/hb bass if you want all those sounds. Boom, one and done. Efficient and useful if you find use in that technology.

I wouldn't find it very useful because I know myself, I usually like a few sounds and stick to them, but kudos to EB for making something that can be so useful.

[IEatCats]

Eh, it's nothing revolutionary, in my opinion. Seems like a bit of overkill on the pickup combination front, and I'm an onboard tone freak as far as controls go. Interesting, though.

[Gearmond]

its most definitely corksniffy overkill.

and besides, what good is all that if its proprietary and you don't like the way it plays :P

idk, theres easier ways to jump through the same hoop, and this doesn't make any previous way easier, nor is it a particularly new way

[Mudfuzz]

on the other hand, you could argue that there is a point where pickup combinations just become cork sniffery and then the gamechanger turns into a flagrant misuse of potentially cool technology. or rather i think the benefit of this technology isn't in it being a boutique kinda thing, but it'd be better suited to maybe mid level or beginner? but on that end you really shouldn't be obsessing over tone that much.

personally i think the more gamechanger-y things going on in guitar are in the teuffel tesla, and things like that. guitars that take electric guitar playing beyond mimicking the properties of the acoustic guitar, or even replicating electronic instruments via midi. that sorta ethereal realm of electric guitar that usually involves killswitches, feedback control, pedals with responsive controls and stuff

its most definitely corksniffy overkill.

and besides, what good is all that if its proprietary and you don't like the way it plays :P

idk, theres easier ways to jump through the same hoop, and this doesn't make any previous way easier, nor is it a particularly new way

I agree.

It also reminds me a little of the Variax.

Well, its nothing like the Variax as it does no modelling.

I'm as big of a MM fanboy as they come normally and while it holds little interest for my personal use, I do find the amount of fine digital control of the analogue signal path it provides to be very, very cool tech regardless of whether I would find it useful.

Good points.

Personally I find the idea very overkill, because no one other then you will notice a damn thing, now if being able to do "all these different" sounds makes you play better then great! get it! To me though it looks like a good way to waste a lot on time futsing around more then anything else... I could see people after having on for a while wanting a bass with one pickup and NO controls

[rfurtkamp]

I remember when the first demo came out from EB.

My concern with it (and to be fair, Gibson's monster Firebird X or whatever it is) is the USB-only configurability.

You're buying an instrument that will require software updates (or a legacy machine, and boy howdy are those fun to keep running just for one thing!) for near eternity to be useful, and that requires a certain amount of faith that the company will continue to provide those updates, or there's a robust enough fan community to do so. Line6 and Roland are the only two I can think of I really trust in that department, it's why for instance on the modelling amps I'd never buy a Fender Mustang I or II, I'd want a III just to have the screen, even if some of the deepest editing requires software - it wouldn't be totally crippled without it.

Same reason I hate the Fender/Roland VG Strat that doesn't even have a 13 pin out - they're not thinking ahead or 10 years from now, and in a $2k instrument, I'd want to have real assurances.

This is also why I pay a premium to get rackmount or even floorboards that are MIDI dumpable and controllable, or still buy mics that have XLRs and need phantom power over the cute all in one USB choices.

Don't get me wrong, it's a neat idea, I'd love to play with one for the heck of it, but I'd rather just slap a GK-3 on something (internal if I wanted a permanent or more invisble choice) and use a GR-55 or VG99 and go to stupidtown.

[Deltaphoenix]

I did just get a VB-99 and fc300...stupidtown indeed...
Seriously a good point though.

[D.o.S.]

I remember when the first demo came out from EB.

My concern with it (and to be fair, Gibson's monster Firebird X or whatever it is) is the USB-only configurability.

You're buying an instrument that will require software updates (or a legacy machine, and boy howdy are those fun to keep running just for one thing!) for near eternity to be useful, and that requires a certain amount of faith that the company will continue to provide those updates, or there's a robust enough fan community to do so. Line6 and Roland are the only two I can think of I really trust in that department, it's why for instance on the modelling amps I'd never buy a Fender Mustang I or II, I'd want a III just to have the screen, even if some of the deepest editing requires software - it wouldn't be totally crippled without it.

Same reason I hate the Fender/Roland VG Strat that doesn't even have a 13 pin out - they're not thinking ahead or 10 years from now, and in a $2k instrument, I'd want to have real assurances.

This is also why I pay a premium to get rackmount or even floorboards that are MIDI dumpable and controllable, or still buy mics that have XLRs and need phantom power over the cute all in one USB choices.

Don't get me wrong, it's a neat idea, I'd love to play with one for the heck of it, but I'd rather just slap a GK-3 on something (internal if I wanted a permanent or more invisble choice) and use a GR-55 or VG99 and go to stupidtown.

To be fair, I think MusicMan has done a whole lot to establish a solid brand loyalty with the people who love 'em, and I think they'll provide support for this for at least a hot minute, if not two.

That said, I totally agree with your paranoia. Three prongs and 1/4ths is as complicated as I get for a reason.