Status of the Eminence Electric Upright Bass
What's Happening with the Eminence Bass?
Gollihur Music purchased full and exclusive ownership of the trademark and manufacturing/distribution rights for the Eminence Electric Upright Bass in 2022.
Prior to our acquisition of the Eminence Bass product, no new basses had been imported into the USA for over 18 months. Supply chain issues, shipping holdups, and other delays that were related to the global COVID-19 pandemic all conspired to make importing such a unique instrument very difficult.
We are currently working with both the existing manufacturer as well as investigating new manufacturing options for moving forward. Below are some common questions, and I've done my best to answer them.
When will new basses be available?
As mentioned above, the supply chain is highly unpredictable right now. We are working with the original manufacturer to get a handful of already produced instruments, which may provide a bridge to the next run of new instruments, whether made by them or a new manufacturer. So we might be able to have a small selection of instruments sometime early in 2023. But we don't know which models will be included, and the numbers will likely be small. Our intention is to have something brewing in the first half of 2023, but things can change quickly. Sorry I can't be more specific, but it's a very fluid situation.
What will pricing be?
Also a difficult question to answer. But my intent is to actually make them a bit cheaper than they used to be. Whether I can achieve this, I don't know for sure. For what it's worth, previously the 4-string fixed model was around $2800, with the removable neck model somewhere around $3250. 5-strings generally ran a couple hundred dollars more.
Will all models still be made?
It's my intention to eventually discontinue the fixed neck model. There's no downside to having the RN bass even if you never take it apart, other than the price premium. And if I'm able to bring the price of the bass down, it'll be a non-issue (one of the ways the price could come down is by streamlining the model count.) So while I might have some pre-existing fixed neck models initially, they will probably be going away, long-term.
Will Eminence basses be available at my local retailer?
Probably not. The intention is to self-distribute through the Gollihur Music store only; this is also one of the ways that we can hopefully reduce the price - by eliminating an entire profit tier.
Can I be notified with any news/updates, or when Eminence basses become available?
Yes! Please use the form below - include your name, email, and a quick note indicating which model(s) you are interested in, and we'll add you to our free, no-strings-attached, obligation-free update list.