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nurnay

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Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
985
Location
Chico, CA
Chico, CA finally gets a Guitar Center. Myself and some band mates went to check it out the other day, and it's very small compared to others I've visited (Phoenix, Sacramento). The biggest reason I wanted to visit GC was because I knew they carry a lot of EBMM stuff and Markbass amps. I *really* wanted to get my hands on a Bongo for the first time. I walk to the bass section, and they have ONE Sterling Sub, nothing else. All Fender and Ibanez. The sales guy approaches and I ask him why they don't have any EBMM. He says the store is too small and this is what they were given. Sigh. OK, can you show me what you have in bass amps? He points to 3 (THREE) bass amps by the wall. All made by Acoustic. That's it. I ask him why no Ampeg, Markbass, etc. He says "people are really into Acoustic amps nowadays". Bull. Needless to say, I was underwhelmed. My guitarist noted that there was a similar lack of diversity with the guitar selection. All Fender & Gibson.

Guess if I ever do get a Bongo, I'll need to travel further to try one. And I'll be sticking with the local music shops instead of them.
 

Holdsg

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Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
1,320
Location
Alta Loma, CA
don't feel so bad about the Bongo. I haven't seen a new one in ANY retail store for a long time, maybe 3-4 years ago. Gotta go to the secondary market or order new, that's about all you can get in the retail channel these days. Same goes for Big Al and Reflex, anything that's not Sterling or Stingray is slim pickens.

Now about GC and their "secondary market" strategy (smaller stores in smaller markets). Can't blame them for limiting inventory. But I also feel for you guys trying to get your hands on instruments in a smaller town. I feel really spoiled to live in a large market with more venues to go try stuff (even if, its not the whole product lineup, like I said before).
 

nurnay

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Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
985
Location
Chico, CA
don't feel so bad about the Bongo. I haven't seen a new one in ANY retail store for a long time, maybe 3-4 years ago. Gotta go to the secondary market or order new, that's about all you can get in the retail channel these days. Same goes for Big Al and Reflex, anything that's not Sterling or Stingray is slim pickens.

Now about GC and their "secondary market" strategy (smaller stores in smaller markets). Can't blame them for limiting inventory. But I also feel for you guys trying to get your hands on instruments in a smaller town. I feel really spoiled to live in a large market with more venues to go try stuff (even if, its not the whole product lineup, like I said before).

Re: ordering new - Both of my current EBMM's were purchased without playing, and that turned out fine. But I really want to try a Bongo before deciding. There's also the weight factor. As I get older, my back can't take heavy basses, so I want to be sure it's going to be comfortable enough to wear all night. I was really hoping these guys would have one. I'll call the Sacramento store and see what they have, though.
 

pete bass

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Joined
Dec 4, 2012
Messages
138
Location
La Vinuela, Malaga, Spain
Have you ever considered Mr Ball selling your products direct online therefor bypassing the dealers markup and making these first class instruments more accessible price wise ? I do appreciate the businesses such as GC needing to push their products for their own benefit but limiting choice for local consumers be it Guitars, Amps or whatever is a very negative thing and bad strategy....I would purchase anything from your product range online confident that what arrives at my door is nothing less than perfect....Just a thought from a bass player with only one Ball but hoping to get the another one very soon;)
 

LawDaddy

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Joined
May 3, 2009
Messages
764
Location
Auburn, CA
Just saw a couple of nice Bongos in LA area at the Sherman Oaks store. One orange and one blue on the floor(!). Some of the nicest GC staff in any store, too. I bought my Al guitar there last summer.
 

Big Poppa

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Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
18,601
Location
Coachella & SLO, California
chico is a third level market as far as commerce metrics go....they have detailed invbentopry models that they use and we dont fit.

I can do without the dealer or distributor
 

Soulkeeper

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 27, 2011
Messages
216
Location
Bergen, Norway
Have you ever considered Mr Ball selling your products direct online therefor bypassing the dealers markup and making these first class instruments more accessible price wise ?

Please, no genuine MM web shop with international shipping and a full inventory (or even worse: a custom order wizard where you can assemble your own instrument from a pool of all the accessible parts and configuration options, with the approximate price being updated in real time)! :eek:

Nononono! I need to save some of my money for ... um, ya know, other stuff, like food and such.

(Although I wouldn't necessarily object to developing the code for such a webshop.) :rolleyes:
 

adouglas

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Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
5,592
Location
On the tail end of the bell curve in Connecticut
Re: ordering new - Both of my current EBMM's were purchased without playing, and that turned out fine. But I really want to try a Bongo before deciding. There's also the weight factor. As I get older, my back can't take heavy basses, so I want to be sure it's going to be comfortable enough to wear all night. I was really hoping these guys would have one. I'll call the Sacramento store and see what they have, though.

My H Bongo is very light (under 9 lbs... it doesn't get much lighter than that) and the ergos are unparalleled.

Take a lesson from your own experience... order and you will not be disappointed.

Five years ago or so a buyer at GC went for the Bongo. I believe that individual is no longer with the company and Bongos have not been seen at the chain since. I think it's a safe bet that unless you happen upon a used one, you will not find a Bongo at ANY Guitar Center store.
 

bovinehost

Administrator
Joined
Jan 16, 2003
Messages
18,185
Location
Dall-Ass, TX
GC had no idea how to sell the Bongo.

The smart-ass in me wants to say, "So instead of learning to sell it, they decided to throw in the towel" but I'm just not like that.

Wait, the hell I'm not.
 

adouglas

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Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
5,592
Location
On the tail end of the bell curve in Connecticut
By the way, I do believe that if you contact EBMM they can tell you which retailers in your area have ordered Bongos. I don't think they can tell you if the bass is still on the wall, but at least it can give you a line on where you might find one.
 

nurnay

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Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
985
Location
Chico, CA
chico is a third level market as far as commerce metrics go....they have detailed invbentopry models that they use and we dont fit.

Yeah, I figured we were smaller. The town is only about 100k people, and gets much smaller when the students and faculty take off for the Summer. College town, sigh.
 

JayDawg

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Joined
Feb 21, 2010
Messages
1,880
Location
Sterling, Colorado
It's funny, with the Bongo, I will often go to Guitar Center and take on of mine. Every time I have done so, within minutes I get a crowd of people surrounding me asking me about the bass. Even the GC employees ooh and ahh over them and always say they wish GC would carry more of them in the stores.
 

stu42

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Joined
May 18, 2007
Messages
562
Location
Calgary, Alberta
My H Bongo is very light (under 9 lbs... it doesn't get much lighter than that) and the ergos are unparalleled.

Take a lesson from your own experience... order and you will not be disappointed.


Agreed....especially on the Single H. Or you could wait in vain for 3 years, like I did, to find one to try in person only to then finally work up the nuts to spring for one and come to the conclusion that you should have done it 3 years ago and WTH were you thinking!?! And by that time you'll just be 3 years older and have 3 years less time to enjoy it!! :)
 

five7

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Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
4,293
My bongo 5 HH weighs under 9 lbs, plays and sounds amazing. It would be hard to part with. I have owned 25 other MM basses and they are all gone. If you lived closer, I would loan you mine to try.
 

adouglas

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Aug 12, 2005
Messages
5,592
Location
On the tail end of the bell curve in Connecticut
doit5bj.gif
 

five7

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Nov 24, 2008
Messages
4,293
I wish! I let my first one go and tried to get it back but the guy I sold it to also let it go. Let me know when you get tired of yours. lol
 

tunaman4u2

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
1,013
Location
Boston
Sterling 5HH & Bongo 5HH = bliss

NOT A CHANCE I would be INSANE enough to not have a Sterling, never... no chance. I'm starting to feel the same way about a Bongo. Its just a must and I've tried a lot of stuff!
 
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