How's your local EBMM dealer?

[glockaxis]

I posted earlier about Musicians Outlet in Palm Desert but forgot to mention a couple previous stores.

Back in 96 a GC in San Diego County had one Axis on the wall at the very top. It was a gorgeous blue and I ended up buying it. I originally went in for a VH model but that relationship was severed and they already took delivery on the Axis and had no more VH's in stock. It would be cool to have a VH but I never regretted buying that Axis. It plays and looks as good as the day I bought it. It still is my number one.

I don't know if that store is still any good as that's the last time I was there (1996), but it is one of my few better moments at a GC.

 

[pack-rat]

Curious as to what dealer the other Canadians would recommend, here in Canada? As I understand it, US dealers aren't able to sell outside the US.

Try Long & McQuade - hit and miss with sales staff knowledge of EBMM though.

 

[nobozos]

One of the benefits of my job is that it allows me to travel the state of Illinois from top to bottom. Whenever I'm in a new town, the first thing I do is grab a phone book and find the music stores. I can say whithout a doubt that, for a guitar player at least, my local dealer in Peoria has one of the best shops in the state.

On their shelves now, they have a couple Sub 1s, a Beautiful Green Silo, and a Red FT Axis. They told me that they have a Y2D on order as well as a couple Rosewood Axis. As well as being a great EBMM dealer, they have an outstanding service department. The employee turnover there is very low. In fact, I don't think there has been any employee turnover for about the last 3 or 4 years.

The frustrating thing is that Peoria is kind of a funny town. It's frustrating to me to see some of the EBMM guitars hanging there for so long. The problem is that most guys don't go into Flores Music with an open mind, or to try something new. Most of the time, they walk in and ask, "What new Strats do you have", or PRS or Gibby. You know what I mean. They are brainwashed into thinking that they have to have these so called Benchmark brands.

I don't think this is a problem though. I firmly believe that EBMM is on the right track. All of us have been converted to EBMM through our experiences. We are not shy about singing the praises of this guitar. When one guitar player hears that you can get PRS quality, tone and playability from EBMM for half the price of a PRS, that means more to a player than any kind of slick marketing campaign.

 

[B2D]

Guitar Center El Toro almost never has anything new... I think right now they have an Axis and a few SUBs that are on clearance. They used to have a JP model but someone must've bought it because its been gone for a while and another one has not showed up to take its place.

They're filled to the brim with all kinds of OLP's though.

Their guitars are also poorly maintained. Bad tunings and setups, trem systems thrown out of whack, broken/rusty strings, loose electronics, etc. The Axis I referred to had action a mile high because the bridge was tilted forward at about a 30 degree angle and it wouldnt stay in tune to save its life. A simple setup would have fixed it and therefore possibly made it desirable. I dont know about you but i hate too see guitars that I KNOW are awesome get neglected and abused. This guitar also has 2 huge chunks - yes, actual chunks - of wood knocked out of the back of it. I dont know how they got there but it didnt come shipped like that. And it probably would NOT have happened if it had been way high on the wall out of reach... where the good stuff is SUPPOSED to be.

I do not think GC El Toro should be selling these guitars is they're going to get mistreated this badly. That is the the only place I've EVER seen badly set up and damaged EB's.

 

[francric]

I've been to the GC stores in Ft. Lauderdale and Charlotte. They never have any EB guitars in stock except for a few subs. Even the local dealers in NC who are EB dealers usually don't have anything in stock. They might have one Silo or Axis. The only dealer who has EB's on a regular bases seems to be Indoor Storm in Raleigh. I understand what Pete says about guitars taking up space and money but if you don't have some to show you can't sell them. Especially the bigger stores like GC. If you can devote wall space for high end fendies, gibbies and PRS (they have about 6 or 7 listed at 2200 - 2800), you should be able to have some high end EB's hanging also. BP can't you put some pressure on these guys or is that considered a no no??????? Maybe structure a contract that says you need to have some wall space dedicated for EB guitars? I can't understand why I can't walk into a store and find a EB to touch..........

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Frank,

In the EB dealer agreement (or at least the one I have) my requirements are to have some combination of 6 pieces in stock or on order at all times, with a minimum of 2 basses and 2 guitars. If the store has 6 on order for customers, they don't have to tie their own money up in inventory on the wall. In stock instruments are to be presented in an attractive display.

I have instruments on the wall because I would want to be able to try one out if I were a customer. You are right, many other places don't have product on the wall, but they are not required to.

 

[Doug]

I was in GC Edina, MN this past week asking about an Axis with Floyd. He checked other GC locations stock and said there was nothing in the area, and that the Axis had been put on "do not order" list as well as the Petrucci.

 

[francric]

I forgot to mention, I walked into a Sam Ash in Coconut Creek, FL. The guy told me they don't carry EB anymore. Haven't for over a year.................

 

[Jimi D]

Curious as to what dealer the other Canadians would recommend, here in Canada? As I understand it, US dealers aren't able to sell outside the US.

I've purchased two of my Music Man guitars from The 12th Fret in Toronto, and I have been very pleased with the transactions. Both deals were "long distance" deals, and they gave me hands-on descriptions of the guitars before shipping them out to me here in Ottawa. At home, both Long & McQuade and Steve's Music carry EBMM guitars, but I prefer Steve's for many reasons... One thing I have noticed is that Music Man guitars hanging on the wall at Steve's sell FAST! while they tend to hang in L&M for a while before moving - I think that's largely a reflection of how the staff consider the guitars. As Raz can attest, at Long & McQuade the EBMM guitars might be poorly set up with rusty strings on them - of course, a lot of guitars fit that description at L&M... On the other hand, when I was in Steve's and they had a Rosewood Axis in stock, two of the guys working there brought clients into the quiet room where it was hanging to see it in the half hour I was hanging out in the store - needless to say that guitar was sold in a couple days. Neither keep a large number of the guitars in stock, but L&M does have quite a few Music Man basses to choose from representing the entire line...

 

[Roubster]

My local dealers dont really carry much at all. I live in NYC, and I am suprised they dont have EBMM around here. This is probably the place that should have the most out of any, but I guess that is not true. The GC on 14th street usually only has 2 SUB's on the floor and that's IT. I saw an OLP, but who really cares about that. I havent been there for a little while now, but I doubt anything has changed. I've seen a JP there once, and that's about it. The other closer dealer to my place is Rudy's Music on 48th, which I like better, when it comes to service. However they dont have ANY EBMM instruments in there. That's where I ordered my Silhouette from, and they have been very helful and I am happy now . AFTER I ordered my Silo I found out about Royal Music in Brooklyn and in Long Island. That place is INSANE!!! The guy has SOOOOOO many EBMM guitars, and even new old ones that are not made anymore, ie the sparklers. I asked about the Burnt Apple he had, and the guy had it driven from Long Island to Brooklyn just so that I ca see it. He is a SUPER cool guy and has AWESOME prices. Whenever I am gonna buy another MM , I'm definatly gonna go to Royal Music. I still have to go check out his store in Long Island, cuz supposedly it's even bigger. I have a 1 month old Silhouette made just for me, which is makin me extremely happy. But I have been having the NICEST dream about owning all the models. At some point I want a Mystic Dream JP, Carbon Blue LUKE, Definatly the original Blue Burst Morse and also the New Y2D, and whole bunch more of some Silo's, and I forgot about an Axis with one of those awesome tops. Anyway, thought I would share my dream. The collection looked beautiful. Now I gotta start saving a lot of money. But I will definatly need a freakin place of my own first, in order to have all these GOODIES. Still live with my parents and brother, and having 5 guitars is proving to be a REAL tight situation. Later from the guitar invader!

 

[shamus63]

I'm definatly gonna go to Royal Music. I still have to go check out his store in Long Island, cuz supposedly it's even bigger.

Hey Roub ~ Where on LI is that store? I'll be in NYC mid-Nov, and may be shopping around.

 

[shamus63]

Nevermind that last post, I just found your new thread (Royal Music LI).

 

[5Stringer]

I couldn't ask for a better EBMM Dealer, the only problem is that he has a KILLER Albert Lee in stock .

Not any more!

 

[5Stringer]

Same. The only store worth going to in San Antonio is Century Music. Unfortunately, they don't carry EB guitars or basses (though they carry all the EB accessories).

Someone needs to call them and make'em a dealer. (hinthint)

Think I'll give 'em a call!

Dan

 

[5Stringer]

I bought my JP6 from Pianos-n-Stuff, which has been around since the 60's in Blawnox, Pennsylvania which is about a 35-40 minute drive from my house.

Another EBMM dealer near me is Hollowood Music.

Steve,

Actually Pianos & Stuff has a few guitars on order now, hopefully we will see it expand a bit more. You are right, they are easy to get along with.

Hollowood Music is no longer a Music Man dealer by mutual decision. As always, they sell plenty of EB accessories though.

Dan

 

[SteveB]

Steve,

Actually Pianos & Stuff has a few guitars on order now, hopefully we will see it expand a bit more. You are right, they are easy to get along with.

Hollowood Music is no longer a Music Man dealer by mutual decision. As always, they sell plenty of EB accessories though.

Dan

Dan,

Probably every guitar that Pianos-n-Stuff has on order is being special ordered for someone. (My Y2D being one of them!) They are happy to place orders and find out anything that someone needs to know. I keep putting the bug in Jason's ear everytime I go there, so I hope I'm having some microscopic influence on their ordering. I'm sure that once they see my Y2D they will order at least one for their stock. They are probably the most respected store in the Pittsburgh area.

It's probably good that Hollowood isn't carrying MM guitars anymore. Nobody there knew anything about them and they didn't show any interest when I would ask about them. As I said before, they recently moved their store.. to a location about 1/2 mile from the area's newest GC. They seem to be carrying a lot less inventory in the new Hollowood store... I'm not sure the move is good for the long-term viability of Hollowood, time will tell.

Jim Botti owns Brighton Music Center (two locations, one in suburban Pittsburgh and another one in an adjacent county). He's a great guy. Honest, friendly. But they make their money from lessons and school band rentals etc. He only carries stuff that won't hang on his wall for too long, and there's nothing high-end in there these days. I know that internet stores and big chains have brought him to this point. I would love to see him carrying Music Man, as he carries EB strings, polish, picks, etc. But it's not his niche right now.. sadly.

 

[kbaim]

This thread can be summed up as follows.

Most guitar stores don't stock Music man. Most employees don't know anything about them. A bunch of stores seem able to order them.

Most of us wish we could walk into a store and test out a few different eb's, but it seems to be harder than it was even a couple years ago.

We need to schedule a marketing and distribution meeting.

 

[jeffrey]

I agree!

 

[fogman]

+1

 

[5Stringer]

We know that there are definitely many, it is possibly the majority, of Music Man dealers who do not stock ample quantities of guitars. Many dealers feel that the basses move better and they tend to concentrate on them. There is a growing number of stores, though, that realize the value of the Music Man guitar line and stock several instruments, but they are still not the majority of our dealers. We realize there is a need for both additional/replacement dealers as well as the continuing education of our existing dealers. We're working on it, but it is as always a work in progress. If you have any suggestions, this is the place to let us know. We appreciate your feedback!

Dan