Basskickerboy Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 got back from Guitar Center's Day of a Million Deals here in GR. It was pretty fun. I played a awesome Warwick, I wish I never had to put it down. But I thought it looked ugly. I played a Musicman too. Great fun. I got a tuner. Woohoo. It bugged me, but only like 10 basses were marked off, compared to the like 100 guitars. Oh well, sorry for the random post, but I haven't posted a long time, and I had this urge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moot Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 It bugged me, but only like 10 basses were marked off, compared to the like 100 guitars. Blatant discrimination Kicker. You have 2 courses of action. 1> Gather bass players from around the globe and stage a demonstration in front of the offending store or, 2> Get used to it but feel safe (and a little smug) in the knowledge that the powers that be know damn well that bass players aren't as easily duped as guitarists. "He is to music what Stevie Wonder is to photography." getz76 I have nothing nice to say so . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 30, 2005 Author Share Posted May 30, 2005 They had Les Pauls marked down alittle over half price. If theyda done that to a musicman, I woulda rabidly pounced on it without thinking. So since I wouldve been as easily duped as a guitarist, I think I'm going with option #1. My qwest begins tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Originally posted by Basskickerboy: My qwest begins tomorrow... Nice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Ethelred Hedgerow-Hedg Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Start an amnesty international style letter writing campaign. You'ld be suprised how far a well written letter will get you Bog visoko, a Rusija daleko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 30, 2005 Author Share Posted May 30, 2005 "a well written letter" Not so sure I'm quite the guy for a job like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATM Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 After Bass Central, our little Florida get-together could mob a local GC and have fun. Okay everybody, on June 18th, gather at your local GC and ask where the half-price MusicMans are! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/atmofmn/Bass/dr.jpg ATM http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v506/atmofmn/Bass/DeepThoughtsBS.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 Do you think we'd get arrested for bringing a catapault to destroy them if they don't find us a better deal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 Woah. My post title just so totally like... changed. Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicfiend Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I don't see change. What are youy talking about? (watch out everybody, he's on to us) Hiram Bullock thinks I like the band volume too soft (but he plays guitar). Joe Sample thinks I like it way too loud (but he plays piano). -Marcus Miller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 i don't know, the GC in atlanta had a pair of MM sterlings for $849 yesterday. you want me to buy you one and bring it up to GR when i come up in a month? i'm serious. i'll be in GR around the 4th of july. it's where i'm from. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornbread_medhotmail.com Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Well, there are a lot more guitarists than there are bass players. You have to be a bulldog when you go. Don't act too excited about the bass, otherwise you're screwed. Just go in there and and tell them "I'm only paying $x.xx for this bass." or "What is the absolute lowest you can go on this bass?" But, don't go on a saturday. They are less likely to deal with you on a saturday. But, you have to be prepared to walk away. Oh, and do your research BEFORE you go in the store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I have finagled discounts at the GC when I was living in Columbus, OH. Usually if you ask for the manager, he can manage to shave something off. Make sure you bring plenty of dead presidents with you and being a frequent shopper doesn't hurt. I also find the "Samash down the streat has an Ibenez that's just as good for about $50 less" doesn't hurt. Keep in mind they probably sell 100 guitars for every 10 basses. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicfiend Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Well, as far as making a deal at gc goes. One day i went in and played a used yamaha, and I liked it. I even tried to convince a friend to buy it. It was marked at 7 something though and that seemed a little steep. I walke away and when I cam back a month alter it was still there marked at 4 something. So i played it and then an employee walked up to me and asked, "Is there anything that I can do for you?" I meekly answered, "Give me the best price that you've got on this bass" About 10 minutes later he ambled back and told me that he could drop the price to about 400. He did not know that the bass had come in with a case, but I had seen it earlier. So I told him that if he dropped the price to 350 and had a case for it I'd but it. About 45 minutes later the price was down to 325 and I got the bass, a case, and a set of strings. It's one of the best deals I've gotten, and I believe I saw a recent auction for the same bass in the same condition go on ebay for over 700. So a deal is definitely posible at your local gc. All it takes is patience, time, and a little bit of indifference. Hiram Bullock thinks I like the band volume too soft (but he plays guitar). Joe Sample thinks I like it way too loud (but he plays piano). -Marcus Miller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Originally posted by ATM: After Bass Central, our little Florida get-together could mob a local GC and have fun. We can stop by the one in Lakeland on the way back...it's right off the interstate. They have some particularly brain-dead individuals working there. Could it be an evil bass petting zoo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruiser_dup2 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I think the GC sales flyers are a load of crap. Everything is ALWAYS on sale-- at a huge discount off the list price, but not at a huge discount off the price they sell it for every damned day. Nobody sells anything at list price, at least not in a major city. The GC's near me are always having the GREEN TAG MEGA/MONSTER SALE OF THE YEAR/CENTURY/EPOCH, but everything is pretty much always the same price, except for little crap like string winders and mic cables. Bruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 YES! Cheap string winders... I'll be traveling very soon to where you live real fastlike. Thanks for the offer robb., but no, I'm fine with what I've got for now, and I'm on a budget. By Musicman I shoulda been a little more specific, like, say, SUB or something. Thanks for all the advice guys. I will leave the computer today a smarter/wiser man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 And yea, my title changed from Hey, just...(which led into my actual post, to Hey, just wait a second! Guitar center doesn't discount basses (this doesn't lead into my actual post). Huh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Brown Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Yep. Do you want your thread to be opened by the forum? Many of our most experienced and professional bassists don't open threads that don't give a hint of the content. So I changed the title. Yep. I'm the other voice in the head of davebrownbass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danzilla Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Not to jump on the Bash-GC bandwagon, but I haven't been that impressed by their bass gear selection, new or used, in about 5 or 6 years. I know I can go in and find Ampeg, SWR, and Fender amps, sometimes a Mesa; and the ususal Fender, Ibanez, Yamaha and Musicman basses. Rarely much more than that. And effects/rack gear- barely existent. I'll go and look, but moreso for guitar or pa equipment than for bass gear. "Am I enough of a freak to be worth paying to see?"- Separated Out (Marillion) NEW band Old band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMan99 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 The selection at the one in Rockville, MD, one of two primary shopping-districts for Washington DeeCee, is pretty bad too (limited selection from Yamaha, Ibanez, Fender and Warwick). I guess Internet shopping is taking its toll on "brick-n-mortar". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gitfidler Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I don't know that I agree about the virtues of internet over local 'b-n-m' stores, but I know that I will gladly pay 10% or so over the best that SamAsh or GC can offer to get the guys I deal with in my local music store. I took a guitar in there recently, had a couple of hours of tweaking done to fix an intonation problem, and when the store owner asked me if I had bought the guitar from him (Yep, 7 years ago) he tore up the repair ticket. Try to get thet from GC or MusFrnd.com! His guitar manager, keyboard manager, and repair tech have been with him 11-15 years each. The average salesman at GC lasts about 52 days. (Thats a survey result in a retail publication.) Which is why some dumb*ss at GC spent 10 minutes explaining to me why a Taylor T5 would not feed back through an electric guitar amp, but would through an acoustic amp. (Huh?) OK, so I've spent a lot of money with my local guy -- he has a pretty impressive inventory -- but if I drop an amp/guitar/bass off for repair I can walk out of the store with whatever I need to cover the gig that night, n/c, of course. My point is, there are a lot more important things than price that come into play when you're buying the stuff we buy; value doesn't always come with one of these -> $. Of course, I'm fortunate to have a local dealer in this obscure area as good as this -- most of you don't -- but I haven't found anything on the internet that's enough cheaper for me to get excited about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 "So I changed the title." Gottcha, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Originally posted by Danzilla: I know I can go in and find Ampeg, SWR, and Fender amps, sometimes a Mesa; and the ususal Fender, Ibanez, Yamaha and Musicman basses. Rarely much more than that. And effects/rack gear- barely existent.Well, scratch Musicman from that list, and you've got a good idea of what most music stores in my area look like ) and Brussels (hey CloClo ) there are some better stores ... "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornbread_medhotmail.com Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 To echo gitfidler, I almost exclusively buy gear from my local place. I get what I really want and I get good advice and opinions when needed. Yes, I pay $30 for DR Fat Beams when I could get 6 sets for $100 online. But, I don't get a free setup and intonation online. Nor do I get the "I gotta gig tonight and a payday next week. Can I take it home now and pay you later?" online either. I don't think GC or SA will do either of those. Hell, once I had an amp blow up on me late Saturday afternoon and a gig thaqt same night. I brought it in for repair and they gave me brand new amp off the showfloor for the gig. Of course, I, and all the bands I've been in, have spent untold thousands in that place over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Originally posted by Basskickerboy: "a well written letter" Not so sure I'm quite the guy for a job like that. That has become staggeringly apparent based on the contents of your last few contributions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 If the GC that The Girl and I visited yesterday had a 5 string Musicman Stingray in stock, I would have bought it on their "take it now, pay for it later" deal. I wound up buying nothing. The Girl bought a new vocal mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Originally posted by Bumpcity: If the GC that The Girl and I visited yesterday had a 5 string Musicman Stingray in stock, I would have bought it on their "take it now, pay for it later" deal. BassNW has some nice 5-string MM 'Rays in stock... Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbn Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I was going to head down to one of the GC's here in Houston, but my buddy flaked on me. Something about the wife and kids that I couldn't understand. Meh. Anyway, I was expecting less than mediocre deals and terrible setup. From the looks of things I wouldn't have been let down. I can (will) go some other time I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basskickerboy Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 Originally posted by Bumpcity: Originally posted by Basskickerboy: "a well written letter" Not so sure I'm quite the guy for a job like that. That has become staggeringly apparent based on the contents of your last few contributions. I only type not-so-perfect because I am secure in my spellinghood. I was a regional Spelling bee guy in eigth grade so there! :-P J/K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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