#16
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That's the idea.
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#17
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No one can argue that Internet and Big Box vendors are putting local B&M stores out of business in every category. This is to the detriment of all customers. Yes you will get better pricing but access to demoing guitars is disappearing. As everyone knows B&M cannot compete with mass marketers due to overhead. Paying more to B&M vendors is the only way to preserve our access to try out good guitars.
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Taylor V-Class 814ce, 717e BE WHB, 520ce, 454ce, 420 Cedar\Maple, T5z Classic Martin D18E Retro Cordoba C10 Crossover Emerald X20 Rainsong H-OM1000N2 Voyage-Air VAD-04 Custom Les Paul Hot Rod Deville 410, Fishman Loudbox Performer |
#18
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Quote:
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#19
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It's every business. Anyone who shopped at Walmart help put local stores out of business. Anyone who went to a shopping mall in the 70's and 80's put local stores out of business.
Now it's the internet. Hopefully the internet will put walmart out of business. |
#20
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The shop I frequent price matches his guitars to what is found on the internet. He hopes to make it up with service. He actually gives a 50% discount on yearly service if you bought the instrument from him.
He worked at another local store and routinely had people come in to try something. They would by it on line and then bring it to them for repair or setup. If you want something just to have that one ok, get it on line. Small shops understand if you are shopping brands. But it is just plain rude to go to a small shop and test drive their inventory and buy the same thing online.
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2007 Indiana Scout 2018 Indiana Madison Quilt Elite 2018 Takamine GJ72CE 12-String 2019 Takamine GD93 2022 Takamine GJ72CE 6-String 2022 Cort GA-QF CBB 1963 Gibson SG 2016 Kala uke Dean A style mandolin. (Year unknown) Lotus L80 (1984ish) Plus a few lower end I have had for years |
#21
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There are three guitar stores of consequence in my city: GC, SA and independent Reno’s Music. GC is dying, Sam Ash has taken over as the big box general music store and #1 Taylor dealer (Road Show goes only there), and Reno’s.
Reno’s is the archetype on the modern B&M+Internet. First, they specialize in Martin so they have a very profitable niche. Secondly, they are “right sized” for this combo business. Small showroom, generous warehouse space for plentiful inventory, lots of custom shop Martins in stock. They will compete with the toughest online guys—if you ask— or happily sell you a guitar at MAP if you don’t. They support the locals with accessories, lessons and generous hours with two employee/owners. They’ve got the sweet spot for today’s retailer. Low overhead, strong inventory and great prices. I would never buy a Martin anywhere else and I promote them on forums because I want them to thrive.
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Consensus, by definition, is a lack of leadership. |
#22
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Except for an AGF classified purchase, and our Voyage Air, all of our six other guitars are purchased from a private owner B&M store long distance via the internet. No business environment is static, and Reverb, founded in 2013, (per their website story) has evolved and buyers have evolved. We recently learned from an "article" that fifty percent of new guitar purchases are by women, which is not something you would have expected 5, 10, 15 or 25 years ago, however those in the business who adapt and cater to their potential customers have a better chance to survive and thrive.
You may be extremely knowledgable, and be an unsung musician, however to be successful you also have to be a good at business, have a well thought business strategy and adapt to changing market conditions. Sure, large well known chain retailers are a challenge, however well run individual shops are thriving, and those that do not succeed, likely fail from a poor business model/strategy and/or poor management/customer service. Not limited to the retail instrument business, it is easy to blame others or market conditions, rather than look inwardly and examine yourself for business failures. I hope the individual well run privately owned B&M continues to survive and does so by managing the business in the successful manner which makes it so today. Welcome to the world’s most popular music gear website.
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"the tragedy in life is not what we suffer, it is what we miss" Guitar Experiences-> | Bourgeois | Collings | Cordoba | Larrivee |Martin | Northwood | PRS Electric| Rainsong | Taylor | Voyage Air | |
#23
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I keep hearing folks talking about this “buyer’s market”...but it hasn’t been my experience. I’ve sold ten guitars on Reverb in the last few years and have always gotten about 50% of MSRP...though the fees can shave it a bit. Since I typically bought them st 60% of MSRP, I consider 50% to be a fair price. I’m not trying to make money flipping guitars; I’m just selling one to buy another.
Virtually all the guitars I’ve sold were high-end, excellent condition Martins (D-28, D-18, CEO-7), Taylors (812ce, 712ce, 714ce) and Gibsons (J-45, Songwriter Deluxe Studio). Desirable guitars offered at a fair price are still moving well on Reverb...at least for me.
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2021 Edmonds OM-28RS - Sunburst (Adi/Old Growth Honduran) 2014 Walker Clark Fork (Adi/Honduran Rosewood)…incoming FOR SALE: 2023 Martin 000-15SM 12 fret w/ K&K mini Last edited by Rev Roy; 02-17-2019 at 01:46 PM. |
#24
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The OP makes it seem like Reverb was some sort of cool hang out that got trampled by corporate culture, which is a nice idea but is unfortunately pretty far from the truth. Reverb was started by David Kalt, who also started OptionsXpress, which was sold in 2011 to Charles Schwab for a billion dollars. Pretty much the definition of big and corporate. Pretty much every guitar dealer, online or brick and mortar, moved from Gbase to Reverb almost immediately as it offered a better platform for sales. In my opinion, the thing Reverb did the best was to allow individual sellers a way as easy ebay to list their items. Gbase didn't do this and lost out on all of these small sellers. I spoke with a number of dealers who hated Gbase but were stuck with it and were just waiting for someone to come along with a better version and Reverb did that.
As for the market being down, it's just not true. The marked ebbs and flows. I'll admit to knowing very little about the new guitar market but I am quite tuned into the used and vintage market as I make a good part of my living selling guitars. Some guitars that you couldn't give a way a couple years ago are hot today and some that were hot a year ago are stacking up unsold on ebay and Reverb. This is how it's always been in any used/collectables market and if you don't have the capital to sit on "cold" instruments until they come back around or aren't willing to adapt quickly to what the market wants, you won't last long in the business. |
#25
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Your original post could have used some more paragraph breaks. Hard for me to get into one that has 'graphs six and seven or more lines long.
My only guitar that was bought from a store preceded the internet by 25 years.
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______________________________________ Naples, FL 1972 Martin D18 (Kimsified, so there!) Alvarez Yairi PYM70 Yamaha LS-TA with sunburst finish Republic parlor resonator Too many ukeleles |
#26
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IMHO, the OP's post is akin to "let's all do our little part to save..............." I have never seen a tsunami stopped. The online business world is growing and similar to a tsunami, it won't get stopped. There will always be brick and mortar stores but the Mom and Pop ones are going the way or the dinosaur.
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#27
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#28
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In defense of online music stores: If you know what make and model of guitar you want, you can often view several guitars of that same make and model online and choose by sight, the guitar that at least meets your visual values. Sweetwater comes to mind. If you order the same model from a local Mom & Pop dealer because it's not in stock, you may feel obligated to buy the guitar that comes in even though you may dislike something about it such as the wood-grain characteristics of its top.
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom Martin D-18/UltraTonic Adamas I 2087GT-8 Ovation Custom Legend LX Guild F-212XL STD Huss & Dalton TD-R Taylor 717e Taylor 618e Taylor 614ce Larrivee D-50M/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi Larrivee D-40R Sunburst Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom RainSong BI-DR1000N2 Emerald X20 Yamaha FGX5 Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2 |
#29
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Man, that is going to make riding my exercise bike I bought online this week really difficult!
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#30
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whomever gives me the best deal gets my money whether it is a coffeemaker or a guitar. my wife gets 30% off at kohl's so she goes there and buys from the clearance area. she comes home with tons of clothes and shoes for very cheap.
i've only purchased one guitar in a store and that was GC. all my others were online. most of the small guitar shops are gone so the best you can do is to educate yourself on what is available, where it is and what the cost is. i usually do my music related purchases around black friday/cyber monday. this past year, at that time, i purchased an apogee element 46 audio interface at half off. sure couldn't do that in a store. play music!
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2014 Martin 00015M 2009 Martin 0015M 2008 Martin HD28 2007 Martin 000-18GE 2006 Taylor 712 2006 Fender Parlor GDP100 1978 Fender F65 1968 Gibson B25-12N Various Electrics |