Not serving EBMM well

[ptg]

Went to my local GC store this weekend. They had about a half dozen EBMM basses. I haven't played a Sterling in a while and said, Hmmm, let me try it. Well, let me tell you if I didn't know the fine quality of basses that EBMM makes, it would have turned me off forever. This bass was never set up or looked at in any way. The frets were so rough on BOTH sides of the neck, they were like razor blades. The knobs were almost impossible to turn as if they were gummed up. (Which, of course, was not the reason.) Etc., etc.

Isn't there some sort of protocall these guys are supposed to follow before putting a bass out on the floor?

By the way, I currently have a bass on order through this store!

 

[Big Poppa]

Ok here isw the deal

...Imagine how I feel when I go into a store and see our babies like this....

But here is the much told story of the other side.

Fret ends....Winter and a wild one...unfortunately wood expands and contracts with changes in relative humidity...especially with a "unfinished neck" It is a very simple procedure to fix.

rapid changes in the relative himidity also cause the neck to shift. A simple tweak of the truss rod fixes that asap



The bass is beat to hell because people have played the living daylights out of it. This is really a good thing as GC lets anyone play anything.

Please let me know what store lthis is in and we will get it taken care of. THey should stay on top of the first two items.

Thanks for the heads up

 

[ptg]

It was the store in Commack, NY.

Thanks for the info! Just thought with them being one of your main distributors that you'd want to know.

 

[Dr Stankface]

How about the Sterling at the GC in Atlanta I played yesterday had those black DR strings on it.

 

[Moondog]

Was in E. Brunswick NJ GC yesterday and riffled thru a half dozen MM,
and some other less superior basses . . .

thumbs up to the store, I think they were in fine shape considering
all the traffic and wear & tear. I'd lose my mind if I worked there but
the staff yesterday was very pleasant. A small headstock chip and a
broken pupblend pot on a Bongo were the only casualties. (2) 30th
Rays were within anyone's reach and covered in filthy paw prints . .
Oh the humanity! they played nice though and were not damaged

 

[Dr Stankface]

I must say that the Sterling I played yesterday was the only one with any playing imperfections. There was 1 Ray with a missing knob and a Sterling without a switch tip. All in all, A+ job done by the Atlanta GC team.

 

[AnthonyD]

I know for me, I appreciate the easy and open access to instruments.

It's gotta be a tough balance to manage.

 

[pjc812]

These stories make me sad. The EBMM guitars our store has in stock have ZERO issues because we do not allow abuse. Either myself or our guitar manager sets them up BEFORE they go on the wall. They are maintained until they are sold.

Here's how I see it. A guitar in my inventory is my property. Same as a guitar in my personal stash at home. If some kid came in to my house and beat the crap out of my guitar, I'd be a bit irate to say the least. The only difference is, the guitars in my store happen to be for sale and my personal guitars are not.

A great guitar such as a Music Man deserves the utmost respect from everybody who plays them.

 

[koogie2k]

I can understand the frustration. However, I can only tell you about the GC here. ALL their instruments are within easy reach of ANY potential customer. With that said, the volume of customers in GC is quite huge in my area. I am willing to bet, hundreds of people go to this store whether they buy anything or not. That leads to alot of instruments being picked up off the wall to be played. Easy access will cause this. The store cannot possible have a one on one sales team. It would not be cost effective. The employees there try to maintain the instruments as best as they can. I believe they are doing a good job of it personally.

Another store locally has all the guitars behind a counter. You have to ask to see the instrument. I have stood in this store 20+ minutes waiting to try out an instrument. Needless to say, it "looked" nice...but was not kept up as it should have been since it was "out of reach" so to speak.

This is a catch 22 really. If you let people play the instruments at will...expect some wear and tear. It is gonna happen. The other shop where the instruments are sitting behind the counter...well....they are not getting the business. They are on their way out. Reason, people don't want to wait to try out a guitar or bass. This is not a Mom and Pop store either. It is a bigger "chain" store.

I hate to see any EBMM guitar beat up and not maintained. But, there are hundreds of guitars and basses in the local GC and they do try to keep up with them.

This topic has been talked about before and I am betting it will come up again in the future. We can't have it both ways sometimes. You either want to play it or look at it. Personally, I would play it to see if I like it...then order it from one of my brother dealers on the forum.

 

[ptg]

"They are maintained until they are sold." (Quote from pjc812)

My point exactly. I understand that you want folks to play the instruments and I fully support that (for many reasons) over having to ask someone behind the counter to play it. But it's up to the store to take care of their goods.

I must say that the Sterling I played yesterday was the only one with any playing imperfections. There was 1 Ray with a missing knob and a Sterling without a switch tip. All in all, A+ job done by the Atlanta GC team.

Now, not to be argumentative, but if I walk into a store and you're telling me that 1 Sterling had playing imperfections, 1 SR was missing a knob (not an easy thing to do) and 1 Sterling was missing a switch tip, it would seem to me that these all didn't happen on the same day and that the store is not looking after their products once they are on the floor. Not wanting to promote other brands here, but if that was the situation with the EB basses, I'm guessing they had a lot of other damaged basses from other manufacturers as well. That makes it harder to sell anything at all.

Even if a store picks a slow time every week (every Monday at 1:00 or something) and takes a quick look at their inventory, they would at least catch the obvious stuff...

 

[pjc812]

Just to clarify, our stuff (besides pocketable accessories) is not behind the counter. It is on the wall. We have our "local" GC beat by over 3000 square feet of floor space so we don't have a small store. In many aspects (from feedback I receive from customers) our entire store is better managed. We don't have a small staff. We do take care of our stuff. We do look at stuff before the store is open and during slow periods. If something is less than perfect, that issue is addressed. We experience every bit the heavy traffic of a GC, but things are not let slide that other places let slide.

 

[Baird]

One of Canada's biggest retailers is Long & McQuade and I have found that they almost always set up the instruments before they go on the wall.

I can't understand why a store wouldn't ensure the basses are set up perfectly. Most buying decisions are based on feel/playability IMO. I wouldn't buy a bass that was a chore to play and I likely wouldn't ask or wait around for it to be set up properly to try it a second time.

 

[midopa]

What I do when I visit GCs is bring some setup tools with me, a small screwdriver, a hex thing for the saddles and a small mesauring tool. Then I set up as many MM basses I can. I doubt I'm allowed to dothat, but I do anyway.

 

[mynan]

I might start doing that...and turn every non-EBMM I can get my hands on into a boat oar.

 

[rhythmCity944]

How about the Sterling at the GC in Atlanta I played yesterday had those black DR strings on it.

i know that sterling...i was scared to look at it

GO SABRES!!!

 

[tkarter]

I would in all honesty take the bass I found offensive up to the counter and say can you explain?

BP explained the fret ends. And I wouldn't dress them just to hang on the wall myself. You come to buy and I would have them fixed then and there for ya. I don't run a shop though. Much less a GC.

I have seen at MF house damaged caused on purpose just to get a lower price.

It is a two way street.

BP hire a personal body guard for every bass you produce. Allow them to carry guns.


tk

 

[ptg]

BP explained the fret ends. And I wouldn't dress them just to hang on the wall myself.
tk

I disagree. The bass was unplayable. That's like taking the engine out of a car and saying, Well, sit in it. Believe me, it drives real well when it runs.

Anyway, we'll agree to disagree

 

[PzoLover]

That's like ...

You're on the brink of a huge opportunity to open a hundred music stores across the country and show those bums at XX how to do the job right !

At a time like this, we need someone with your passion and vision !

You get started ...
BP will be your best and most loyal supplier, and
we'll be your best customers !

 

[RockinRayDuke]

Jack and I went to the GC on 635 in Dallas so he could buy some PA cabs. I spent my time in the bass room while he was shopping. I picked up a Sterling, plugged it in and no sound. No battery.

 

[tkarter]

I disagree. The bass was unplayable. That's like taking the engine out of a car and saying, Well, sit in it. Believe me, it drives real well when it runs.

Anyway, we'll agree to disagree

It did not come from the MM that way. It is a product of weather and climate. Spring and Fall.


Be a reasonable customer.

tk.