special orders

hankSRay

Well-known member
Hey guys, I know alot of you like to special order your basses rather than buying just whats on hand at the shop so I was wondering how this usually works at a place like GC. Im gonna specail order a SR soon for my graduation so I was wondering what to expect. for example Do you pay in full or is it normally just a down payment. thanks guys
 
When I ordered my first StingRay 5, I did it a my local music store. They only made me put 20% down, then I paid the rest upon its arrival.
 
I have only special ordered one Stingray....well, okay, it was actually a Bongo, but same company so maybe this counts?

Can I make one suggestion? Nothing wrong with Guitar Center, of course, but we do have a couple of authorized dealers who post here on the forum. Doug, aka bassplyr, runs Daddy O's Music Shack deep in the heart of Illinois.

I special ordered my Bongo Ltd Edition through him and it was painless and trouble-free. I think I remember giving him about 300 bucks down and then the rest when the bass was shipped, but I might be off a bit.

I'm betting that's how it works, though - some honest money up front then the balance when the bass is shipped.

Anyway, give Doug a call at the shop (217-529-4840) or email him to see what he can do for you.

([email protected])

And no, I get no kickback on this! (Do I, Doug?)

Jack
 
Speaking from experience, you will have to pay the full balance if you special order through Guitar Center--that's what I had to do.

Now, since I got the 15 month same as cash, it wasn't a big deal. But, if you aren't using a GC credit card, that probably isn't the way to go.

Give Doug a call at Daddy O's, or try Gard at Bass Central. I'm sure you'll be happy either way.
 
or you can also try grass hopper at bass central he gave me the hook up on a brand new ampeg 810e. great bunch of guys there at bass central.
 
you could also talk to the guys at bass northwest. theyre in washington and theyre cheap like crazy. i bought a 412 from them and it cost me 685 insured shipping and everything. musicians friend woulda been 670, just for the cabinet. their return policy kinda sucks (3 days from delivery) but their flexible, really cheap and the service is great. look at www.bassnw.com
 
Last edited:
bovinehost said:
I have only special ordered one Stingray....well, okay, it was actually a Bongo, but same company so maybe this counts?

Can I make one suggestion? Nothing wrong with Guitar Center, of course, but we do have a couple of authorized dealers who post here on the forum. Doug, aka bassplyr, runs Daddy O's Music Shack deep in the heart of Illinois.

I special ordered my Bongo Ltd Edition through him and it was painless and trouble-free. I think I remember giving him about 300 bucks down and then the rest when the bass was shipped, but I might be off a bit.

I'm betting that's how it works, though - some honest money up front then the balance when the bass is shipped.

Anyway, give Doug a call at the shop (217-529-4840) or email him to see what he can do for you.

([email protected])

And no, I get no kickback on this! (Do I, Doug?)

Jack


I agree - give Doug a call. He's always helpful.
 
I just placed a special order for a StingRay at Guitar Center (last month) and they only asked for a 20% deposit. I can hardly wait for it to arrive!
 
I gave my local Guitar Center three opportunities sell me a Sterling and they dropped the ball. Hard to find good help these days!

Instead, I ordered from a small shop - Imperial Guitar & Soundworks - that I stumbled across on the web. With a $300.00 deposit I ordered EXACTLY the Sterling I wanted (sapphire black w/ black ice pickguard, rosewood fretboard and matching painted headstock).

At one point I called to check status on the order and found out that "MY" Sterling was currently in "buffing" - too cool! The entire transaction was way smooth and I got a great deal - highly recommended! :D

Bottom line for me - Guitar Center is great for what's already on the shelf but for the special order stuff I get much better serivice from the small shop.
 
Well there you go! :D

Seriously, though - Bill Imperial was awesome to work with! VERY customer focused. A full 180° from my Guitar Center experience. There's definitely something to be said for the "Mom & Pop" shops - nothing quite like dealing with the owner of the company.

All this and it was less expensive, too!

Ok - finally getting control of myself - resisting the urge to go on, and on, and on... :rolleyes:
 
hankSRay said:
Hey guys, I know alot of you like to special order your basses rather than buying just whats on hand at the shop so I was wondering how this usually works at a place like GC. Im gonna specail order a SR soon for my graduation so I was wondering what to expect. for example Do you pay in full or is it normally just a down payment. thanks guys


gc
they take 50% ..
and the other 50% when the bass reached them
 
adelucia said:
Bottom line for me - Guitar Center is great for what's already on the shelf but for the special order stuff I get much better serivice from the small shop.


I've had great luck special ordering from my local GC. But, as they are staffed by humans, YMMV.
 
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