greenwizard
Well-known member
I am 20 minutes from UConn, Eastern & Central. The other major colleges in CT are about 50 minutes away.
You are more than welcome to stop in any time you'd like!
Thanks Mr. Dubaldo! How far away are you from Yale??
- Thread starter jeffrey
- Start date
Thanks Mr. Dubaldo! How far away are you from Yale??
My local dealer is Five Star Guitar in Hillsboro, OR. The owners name is Ken and he is really an awesome guy. He has a fairly good stock of EBMM, although he sells more basses than guitars. I bought my Axis from him. I will also be getting a JP on order from him pretty soon. There is a GC not much further from my house than Five Star, but I would buy from Five Star even if their price was not as good as GC.
I enjoy supporting a local small business owner, especially one that operates with the sense of ethics that Ken does. I guess I should also mention he is a bass player whos main axe is a Bongo.
I enjoy supporting a local small business owner, especially one that operates with the sense of ethics that Ken does. I guess I should also mention he is a bass player whos main axe is a Bongo.
PeteDuBaldo
Well-known member
We are about 50 minutes from Yale/New Haven. Easy drive!
greenwizard
Well-known member
Big Poppa
Well-known member
IF you can find a bunch of Yalie gals without tape on their glasses Pete and his evil brother Nick will drive the miller beer van to your dorm and have a Music Man Toga party
Toronto and area
I know, late the party as always ... must of been too many BEvERageS
locally, Brent and Paul @ The Guitar Shop in Port Credit have been patient and very accomodating over the years .... and have helped me spend my money/trade gear/test drive ...etc, etc. etc ... There is always good stock of EBMM (and all sorts of other cool stuff). They have never done any pressure sales and have always been well informed in terms of products and real-world usage.
also, am a regular shopper/browser @ Long and Mcquade in Mississauga, Brampton and Burlington. only bad thing I can say is that there are too many nice guitars out there and not enough bank account for me to spend
overall? L&M helped me order my first Ball ... Guitar Shop helped me acquire my second Ball ... I own near matching Balls .... it's a struggle to decide where I will buy my next Ball ... but Brent and Paul seem to have best local selection imo
'course if I get another Ball, I may have to get another Z to keep it company
I know, late the party as always ... must of been too many BEvERageS
locally, Brent and Paul @ The Guitar Shop in Port Credit have been patient and very accomodating over the years .... and have helped me spend my money/trade gear/test drive ...etc, etc. etc ...
There is always good stock of EBMM (and all sorts of other cool stuff). They have never done any pressure sales and have always been well informed in terms of products and real-world usage.also, am a regular shopper/browser @ Long and Mcquade in Mississauga, Brampton and Burlington. only bad thing I can say is that there are too many nice guitars out there and not enough bank account for me to spend
overall? L&M helped me order my first Ball ... Guitar Shop helped me acquire my second Ball ... I own near matching Balls .... it's a struggle to decide where I will buy my next Ball ... but Brent and Paul seem to have best local selection imo
'course if I get another Ball, I may have to get another Z to keep it company
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Smellybum
Well-known member
Ball Dealers in Scotland...
My surname is Wallace -the last guy with that name that bitched got cut in 4 but here goes.....
It may just be me but Balls in Scotland almost seem dead, I count maybe 2 dealers (Guitar Guitar -and Sound Control) - that keep a stock, There are loads of other shops that will order one on request but nothing on the wall to "take away today"
Guitar Guitar seem the closest thing we have to a GC in Scotland - really into the boutique, and the store model is to seperate all the boutique gear from the China Crap.... Ironically the Owner of Guiar Guitar used to be partners with the owner of Sound Control - but that's a whole other gig...
Downside of the Scottish dealers is price - you can get a discuount of X% from a dealer in England, but not even close in Scotland.
Have GC ever thought of opening in Europe? - Give Thomann a run for their money??
As for dealer support - my local dealer (hilly billy bros.) <- not really but you'd never know it... Have no clue - I basically have to PM beth get a part number and dial the phone for the dealer... lack of dealer education is that an EB thing or a distributor thing?
And since we're on the subject - I know strings n things are good - and they have good knowledge but there's a serious breakdown from Distributor -dealer in most areas includng advertising....
"They may take our import taxes but they'll never take our balls " - William Wallace -with a little bit of smelly!
Don't mean to poke the bear poppa, but you asked to keep it going!
My surname is Wallace -the last guy with that name that bitched got cut in 4 but here goes.....
It may just be me but Balls in Scotland almost seem dead, I count maybe 2 dealers (Guitar Guitar -and Sound Control) - that keep a stock, There are loads of other shops that will order one on request but nothing on the wall to "take away today"
Guitar Guitar seem the closest thing we have to a GC in Scotland - really into the boutique, and the store model is to seperate all the boutique gear from the China Crap.... Ironically the Owner of Guiar Guitar used to be partners with the owner of Sound Control - but that's a whole other gig...
Downside of the Scottish dealers is price - you can get a discuount of X% from a dealer in England, but not even close in Scotland.
Have GC ever thought of opening in Europe? - Give Thomann a run for their money??
As for dealer support - my local dealer (hilly billy bros.) <- not really but you'd never know it... Have no clue - I basically have to PM beth get a part number and dial the phone for the dealer... lack of dealer education is that an EB thing or a distributor thing?
And since we're on the subject - I know strings n things are good - and they have good knowledge but there's a serious breakdown from Distributor -dealer in most areas includng advertising....
"They may take our import taxes but they'll never take our balls " - William Wallace -with a little bit of smelly!
Don't mean to poke the bear poppa, but you asked to keep it going!
roburado
Well-known member
The dealers that I have visited here in the Detroit area are like others around the U.S. They've got basses, but they haven't got guitars. This includes 3 GCs (there are more, but they're too far to frequent) and a few indies.
The GCs here are pretty much typical. A good number basses, few guitars. Admittedly, I saw a couple of JPs at one GC. I promptly bought one, my first EBMM. Eventually, the other JP6, a fully loaded MD, became a JP5. Then, I kind of lost track of it. I've seen and played a very nice hardtail Rosewood ASS at another GC. They were selling it at a sweet price (no case in the price, though) on Memorial Day. If I had the money, I would have loved to have bought it. If it were a regular ASS, which I like better, I might have put it on my GC card.
One indie store, Huber & Breese in Fraser, MI, used to have a bunch of Axes, ASSs, and a JP or two. Now, they have no guitars at all. They haven't had any up on the wall for a long time it seems. They were jerks to me when I needed a box to sell a Taylor on EBay. They sold me a box for $7.00. I tried some other places and had no luck. So, I had to bite the bullet and pay the $7. To me, it was about saving time and just getting a box. I was told the thing would fit. The guitar and case did not fit. I brought the box back to see if I could get another one. I told them the box didn't fit.
They made comments along the lines of the following. (BTW, it wasn't just one guy. It was at least two of them.)
Me: Hi, I bought this box yesterday, but the guitar and case doesn't fit.
H&B guy 1: What? It has to fit. Of course it does.
Me: Well, I tried to put the guitar and case in it, but it didn't. I can bring the guitar in and I can show you what I mean.
H&B guy 2: [angry tone] What? That's ridiculous. We've never had a box return--EVER!
H&B guy 1: Okay, bring the guitar in.
After I return from the car with the guitar, I proceed to show them how it doesn't fit. Their solution was essentially to just jam the guitar into the box and the packaging.
H&B guy 1: See, it'll fit. Just tape the **** out of it.
Of course, the guitar and the packaging were still sticking out the end of the box, and they just wanted me to fold over the ends of the box and "tape the **** out of it." Okay, fine. It worked, but I was looking for a solution that didn't involve that kind of a brute force solution. In the process of showing me his brilliant solution, H&B guy 1 tore one of the edges of the box. I was trying to be a good EBayer and trying to get the guitar to my buyer undamaged, but these guys were just not helpful. Okay, this isn't a story about my EBMM experiences with these guys, but I'm not too hopeful regarding their customer service after the sale. They basically squandered any good will I may have had for them by treating me like it was my fault that the box they sold me didn't fit after they assured me that it would.
The sale and the shipping went fine. So, the brute force solution worked, but I'm sure it didn't make me look like the best EBay seller to my buyer, who ended happy with his purchase and the transaction. I padded the heck out of the box with a ton of foam peanuts. I padded inside the case with newspaper and peanuts. The attitude of those guys at the store was very dismissive.
As a side note, H&B guy 1 tried to sell me a Buttercream Bongo5HS for a ridiculously low price or maybe a trade for my Taylor. The price was so low I had to ask him to repeat it, because I could barely believe that he was going to sell me the bass for that little. I thought about it, but I knew I'd get screwed on the trade. So, I thought maybe I'd sell the Taylor and come back to buy the Bongo. After that box fiasco, there was no way in hell I was going to give these guys any of my money. I don't care how cheap that Bongo was. I believe that they have 30th SRs. If they were the last dealer that had one, man, I'd think twice. As much as I'd like one of those 30ths, I'd really rather not give them my business, but they may have to be a last resort. F^(#@rs.
One indie, Motor City Guitars, Waterford, MI, are pretty good guys, it seems. My buddy bought a Morse there. They have had some JPs come through the store. No guitars now. They do have some basses. I could see myself maybe buying a guitar or bass there.
Another indie, Music Castle, Royal Oak, MI, again has only basses. I have seen guitars on their inventory as listed on the Music Man site, but I have never seen any MM guitars there. I don't know that I'd buy anything there if I hadn't tried it somewhere else. There aren't really any nice amps to run the guitars through. So, maybe, I might order one through them or buy a guitar if there were one there. I guess it would depend on the guitar and the price.
But...as long as I'm ordering a guitar anyway, I might as well just order from Pete and Nick. They're a pleasure to deal with. Plus, they know more about these instruments than any dealer around here. And...one gets a good deal to boot.
Other semi-local stores:
Flashback Guitars, Monroe, MI: I drove over an hour to get there based on the online inventory at the MM site to find nothing but Ernie Ball guitar polish and some strings.
Elderly Instruments, Lansing, MI: The latch to my Str@t case was intact, but a bit loose. I brought the guitar and case there so that they could do some work on it in preparation for my selling it. They had a sign saying that they were a Fender authorized service center. So, I thought I was in good hands even though I kind of felt like I was paying a lot. The whole thing cost in the neighborhood of $120. They didn't put the right trem block and arm in. It's an upgraded arm, I think, but it's not "original equipment" for that particular instrument. I had no idea it was going to be like that. They just went ahead and did it. In the end, I think it's a better arm, but they should have asked me first. The loose latch? Uh... it became the missing latch while the case was in their possession. Of course, they put the burden of proof on me to prove to them that the latch was actually intact when I brought in the case. They tried looking around for it--probably a perfunctory and cursory search. Then, they told me they couldn't find it. They did nothing to offer to fix it, replace it, take some $ out of the cost of the services they performed for me, give me a credit, a free set of strings, a free set-up, nothing--not even some sort of token. I drove 90 minutes (one-way) for the displeasure of dealing with them. Their inventory was extensive on the MM online inventory. Their inventory consisted of a few basses and a damaged Candy Red Luke. Those guys will get no business from me. They do have some nice amps and some other nice things, but there's no way in hell I'm giving them any more of my money.
The GCs here are pretty much typical. A good number basses, few guitars. Admittedly, I saw a couple of JPs at one GC. I promptly bought one, my first EBMM. Eventually, the other JP6, a fully loaded MD, became a JP5. Then, I kind of lost track of it. I've seen and played a very nice hardtail Rosewood ASS at another GC. They were selling it at a sweet price (no case in the price, though) on Memorial Day. If I had the money, I would have loved to have bought it. If it were a regular ASS, which I like better, I might have put it on my GC card.
One indie store, Huber & Breese in Fraser, MI, used to have a bunch of Axes, ASSs, and a JP or two. Now, they have no guitars at all. They haven't had any up on the wall for a long time it seems. They were jerks to me when I needed a box to sell a Taylor on EBay. They sold me a box for $7.00. I tried some other places and had no luck. So, I had to bite the bullet and pay the $7. To me, it was about saving time and just getting a box. I was told the thing would fit. The guitar and case did not fit. I brought the box back to see if I could get another one. I told them the box didn't fit.
They made comments along the lines of the following. (BTW, it wasn't just one guy. It was at least two of them.)
Me: Hi, I bought this box yesterday, but the guitar and case doesn't fit.
H&B guy 1: What? It has to fit. Of course it does.
Me: Well, I tried to put the guitar and case in it, but it didn't. I can bring the guitar in and I can show you what I mean.
H&B guy 2: [angry tone] What? That's ridiculous. We've never had a box return--EVER!
H&B guy 1: Okay, bring the guitar in.
After I return from the car with the guitar, I proceed to show them how it doesn't fit. Their solution was essentially to just jam the guitar into the box and the packaging.
H&B guy 1: See, it'll fit. Just tape the **** out of it.
Of course, the guitar and the packaging were still sticking out the end of the box, and they just wanted me to fold over the ends of the box and "tape the **** out of it." Okay, fine. It worked, but I was looking for a solution that didn't involve that kind of a brute force solution. In the process of showing me his brilliant solution, H&B guy 1 tore one of the edges of the box.
I was trying to be a good EBayer and trying to get the guitar to my buyer undamaged, but these guys were just not helpful. Okay, this isn't a story about my EBMM experiences with these guys, but I'm not too hopeful regarding their customer service after the sale. They basically squandered any good will I may have had for them by treating me like it was my fault that the box they sold me didn't fit after they assured me that it would.The sale and the shipping went fine. So, the brute force solution worked, but I'm sure it didn't make me look like the best EBay seller to my buyer, who ended happy with his purchase and the transaction. I padded the heck out of the box with a ton of foam peanuts. I padded inside the case with newspaper and peanuts. The attitude of those guys at the store was very dismissive.
As a side note, H&B guy 1 tried to sell me a Buttercream Bongo5HS for a ridiculously low price or maybe a trade for my Taylor. The price was so low I had to ask him to repeat it, because I could barely believe that he was going to sell me the bass for that little. I thought about it, but I knew I'd get screwed on the trade. So, I thought maybe I'd sell the Taylor and come back to buy the Bongo. After that box fiasco, there was no way in hell I was going to give these guys any of my money. I don't care how cheap that Bongo was. I believe that they have 30th SRs. If they were the last dealer that had one, man, I'd think twice. As much as I'd like one of those 30ths, I'd really rather not give them my business, but they may have to be a last resort. F^(#@rs.
One indie, Motor City Guitars, Waterford, MI, are pretty good guys, it seems. My buddy bought a Morse there. They have had some JPs come through the store. No guitars now. They do have some basses. I could see myself maybe buying a guitar or bass there.
Another indie, Music Castle, Royal Oak, MI, again has only basses. I have seen guitars on their inventory as listed on the Music Man site, but I have never seen any MM guitars there. I don't know that I'd buy anything there if I hadn't tried it somewhere else. There aren't really any nice amps to run the guitars through. So, maybe, I might order one through them or buy a guitar if there were one there. I guess it would depend on the guitar and the price.
But...as long as I'm ordering a guitar anyway, I might as well just order from Pete and Nick. They're a pleasure to deal with. Plus, they know more about these instruments than any dealer around here. And...one gets a good deal to boot.
Other semi-local stores:
Flashback Guitars, Monroe, MI: I drove over an hour to get there based on the online inventory at the MM site to find nothing but Ernie Ball guitar polish and some strings.
Elderly Instruments, Lansing, MI: The latch to my Str@t case was intact, but a bit loose. I brought the guitar and case there so that they could do some work on it in preparation for my selling it. They had a sign saying that they were a Fender authorized service center. So, I thought I was in good hands even though I kind of felt like I was paying a lot. The whole thing cost in the neighborhood of $120. They didn't put the right trem block and arm in. It's an upgraded arm, I think, but it's not "original equipment" for that particular instrument. I had no idea it was going to be like that. They just went ahead and did it. In the end, I think it's a better arm, but they should have asked me first. The loose latch? Uh... it became the missing latch while the case was in their possession. Of course, they put the burden of proof on me to prove to them that the latch was actually intact when I brought in the case. They tried looking around for it--probably a perfunctory and cursory search. Then, they told me they couldn't find it. They did nothing to offer to fix it, replace it, take some $ out of the cost of the services they performed for me, give me a credit, a free set of strings, a free set-up, nothing--not even some sort of token. I drove 90 minutes (one-way) for the displeasure of dealing with them. Their inventory was extensive on the MM online inventory. Their inventory consisted of a few basses and a damaged Candy Red Luke. Those guys will get no business from me. They do have some nice amps and some other nice things, but there's no way in hell I'm giving them any more of my money.
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greenwizard
Well-known member
Sounds like my kinda party Big Poppa!
Actually we had a toga party here in kuwait recently (not a Music Man though).
At least I was told we had a toga party.
I was also told I was there....
PeteDuBaldo
Well-known member
brentrocks
Well-known member
brentrocks
Well-known member
my situation exactly...no 6-strings!!!
greenwizard
Well-known member
Wait...
You actually have a miller van...
21+ huh? Well I'm um....23
Okay fine, we'll still have the party. You can use my dorm, you bring the van, you get drunk off your ASS and I'll play with your Balls. And I mean that in the most heterosexual way!
Deal?
acwild
Well-known member
That's interesting that many of you have GC's that actually stock EBMM. I remember the one in Rochester, NY having a clearance with a great deal on two Axis'. It was so frustrating not having the cash at hand.
I asked my local GC in Springfield, NJ if they carried EBMM. The salesman told me that they don't because it's easier for them to sell Fenders and Gibsons. I just assumed that it was a GC thing, but I guess it's just the local store. They do carry the basses though.
I asked my local GC in Springfield, NJ if they carried EBMM. The salesman told me that they don't because it's easier for them to sell Fenders and Gibsons. I just assumed that it was a GC thing, but I guess it's just the local store. They do carry the basses though.
Big Poppa
Well-known member
Smelly There are only some many balls to go around that gets to be a problem in foriegn countries where they are more expensive and the dealer just focuses on the easy strat sale. by the way I asked for this to continue a long time ago...
rob see the standard for retail seems to miss the diehards expectations whether its GC or a independant, but GC takes the brunt and I think sometimes deservedly but other times people are bitching about GC and their independant is worse.
rob see the standard for retail seems to miss the diehards expectations whether its GC or a independant, but GC takes the brunt and I think sometimes deservedly but other times people are bitching about GC and their independant is worse.
Colin
Well-known member
this is an interesting read, here's my take. When I first became a dealer the first thing I did was ring all the other EBMM dealers here in my State (and I don't mean drunken), it wasn't that many phone calls because there is not that many dealers around. To my absolute horror only one store had a couple of guitars, all the other stores only had MM basses and subs. One dealer told me they didn't think the guitars where made anymore and another store that stocked EB (strings only) was getting secondhand MM basses from overseas.
Here in Oz the basses walk out the door (surprisingly most of the enquiries/orders I receive are for the guitars) so it is understandable the dealers will focus on the basses. Also here there is less margin on the guitars, so the dealers will make more on the basses. Then there is Ebay, it is often quicker and cheaper to get MM that way, add to that I have given quotes that are cheaper than a guy's local store and then a get an email saying thanks, cause his local store is now going to match my price (which is always lower than theirs). So it is hard for a dealer to justify carrying stock when they can sell strat packs etc much quicker.
But for me the positives are so much better, I love these instruments and that's all I will ever sell. Wait until you see some of the guitars coming in soon and you'll know exactly what I mean, I'm like a kid in a candy store.
Here in Oz the basses walk out the door (surprisingly most of the enquiries/orders I receive are for the guitars) so it is understandable the dealers will focus on the basses. Also here there is less margin on the guitars, so the dealers will make more on the basses. Then there is Ebay, it is often quicker and cheaper to get MM that way, add to that I have given quotes that are cheaper than a guy's local store and then a get an email saying thanks, cause his local store is now going to match my price (which is always lower than theirs). So it is hard for a dealer to justify carrying stock when they can sell strat packs etc much quicker.
But for me the positives are so much better, I love these instruments and that's all I will ever sell. Wait until you see some of the guitars coming in soon and you'll know exactly what I mean, I'm like a kid in a candy store.
Jason5150
Well-known member
My local is Better Music in Canberra, and I can't say enough good stuff about them. Super nice guys, always willing help out and will give you honest truth about different brands etc...
They set up 12 stacks (of my choice) in a row for me to try out. I narrowed them down over about 6 weeks (coming in once a week). Until I chose the ENGL.
I am just playing the waiting game for my BFR Pet at my favourite music store.
There is one other store in Canberra that can get in EBMM's, the store used to be owned by Frank Gambales brother Nunseo (excuse the spelling), nice guy, used to give me tickets to Franks clinics....but anyway, they only ever stock (Ib#$%^, Gib#$% and ES% I heard they finally got in an Axis a couple of weeks ago. (this second store is now owned by the same person(s) as Better Music.
They set up 12 stacks (of my choice) in a row for me to try out. I narrowed them down over about 6 weeks (coming in once a week). Until I chose the ENGL.
I am just playing the waiting game for my BFR Pet at my favourite music store.
There is one other store in Canberra that can get in EBMM's, the store used to be owned by Frank Gambales brother Nunseo (excuse the spelling), nice guy, used to give me tickets to Franks clinics....but anyway, they only ever stock (Ib#$%^, Gib#$% and ES% I heard they finally got in an Axis a couple of weeks ago. (this second store is now owned by the same person(s) as Better Music.
roburado
Well-known member
I agree. In this town, GC may be among the better EBMM dealers.
Tim O'Sullivan
Well-known member
GC are indeed coming to Europe. I read about it in a trade magazine only a few months ago.
Smellybum
Well-known member
Poppa,
You posted on the buying from US thread that it's the usual cost thing etc. etc. - and you were interested in a different model....
Can I email you a very serious suggestion ?
You posted on the buying from US thread that it's the usual cost thing etc. etc. - and you were interested in a different model....
Can I email you a very serious suggestion ?
