#31
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Last time I was at my local shop that carries a representative selection of Martin, Gibson and Taylor guitars on hand to try out with friendly, no pressure staff it looked like a ghost town with some very worried faces.
I’ve noticed the long term trend and am not happy about it. I understand some live in isolated areas and must shop online. They are excused (humor). |
#32
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#33
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Yes, I've been told it was "wordy". I guess one man's wordy is another man's well written post. But paragraph breaks, yes, you are right. My apologies for being long winded. It's a complicated subject to cover halfway decently.
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#34
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The world is not going adapt it's buying or selling choices, spend more money than they have to, nor be looked down upon because they chose to purchase from vendors that sell to the great unwashed masses that some people consider are below them, just to make life easier for someone else to get the price they want for a guitar. Get used to it. Get over it.
It's just history repeating itself...again. And frankly, a guitar that is purchased and ends up in a closet is still money in the maker's and seller's pocket and if they ain't making money, they're gonna stop making guitars. |
#35
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My coastal Southern CA town has 45 B&M businesses with for lease signs. Yet the tourist dollar is still strong in other businesses. My town has had 2 acoustic instrument stores for the last 30 years. They seem to be slow but it's like anything when a real great acoustic "buy" comes in it is scooped up, and there sits the remaining 3 or 4 dozen guitars. I do not know their ledger sheets.
I think having Reverb, CL, AGF, TGP and eBay are beneficial for seasoned buyers. Although I will be the first to say that judging an online used guitar (book by it's cover) is a mystery after buying and selling 50 acoustics in 50 years. With a stable of 6 or 7 baseline for the last 15. What I like about Reverb is that they initially drove eBay's exorbitant fee from 9 to 3.5% in the Musical Instruments category. Since then they have both increased slightly. But how nice it is to be a seasoned seller with the above 5 avenues to recoup hopefully 80% of your purchase? Who knows where it will be in 5 years. They're making 600 production guitars a day at Fender. I am in it for the love of playing. I do feel sorry for honest retailers and eBay account stores that have apparently lost their profit. Pivoting in a changing marketplace seems to be hard. |
#36
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Yes, but musical instruments are a bit different than running shoes or shirts. Each guitar may be a bit different from the next, seemingly identical, model. While a pair of Nikes is probably just like the next pair of Nikes. |
#37
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#38
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Reverb did hit eBay initially. That was what their initial plan was concieved on.
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#39
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Then they would be outraged that for him to do the same on their guitar would cost more than then have saved... |
#40
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I have 6 guitars. I enjoy them all. Only one of them was purchased new. My oldest Martin, 20 years old, almost.
None of them were purchased online or from GC or other big box stores. I place value on customer service. I like to have a place/ person to go back to. I enjoy having knowledgeable people to talk to and do business with. I don't feel like I overpaid for any of my guitars. They were competitively priced. Not the absolute lowest priced, but competitive and there is value in peace of mind with excellent customer service. I do business with 2 locally owned shops. I am happy to do so. I hope they will continue to thrive with their businesses. Oh, and unlike Amazon, they fairly pay taxes. Last edited by Paddy1951; 02-17-2019 at 05:49 PM. |
#41
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I like this post. It exemplifies what I was hoping to hear.
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#42
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I live in a small rural town.
Nearest music store is 50 miles away. When I asked if they could come close to the internet price I found on a new Maton 12-string they refused to talk money and told me to buy it online.... so I did. Their prices for strings are nearly double on some brands. I go out of my way to not use them. I don't care if they close down. The internet opened a whole new source for me. I bought my Guild F-412, Martin JDP II, Alvarez ABT-60, Rickenbacker 4003, Taylor 355 and 422 and 4 kit guitars from the USA. I buy strings from Strings By Mail, Strings & Beyond and Elderly Instruments. I'm sorry if anyone finds this offensive.
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Brucebubs 1972 - Takamine D-70 2014 - Alvarez ABT60 Baritone 2015 - Kittis RBJ-195 Jumbo 2012 - Dan Dubowski#61 2018 - Rickenbacker 4003 Fireglo 2020 - Gibson Custom Shop Historic 1957 SJ-200 2021 - Epiphone 'IBG' Hummingbird Last edited by Brucebubs; 02-17-2019 at 04:34 PM. |
#43
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I do live behind the Pine Curtain in the sticks.
I am a veteran of the Dallas Guitar Shows since the late 80s. A trip to Austin,Houston or Dallas is tiring due to the trip and the traffic. There is no guarantee I will find what I am interested in. I mostly buy used instruments. So.....Reverb allows me the opportunity to seek out certain years of guitars ( say a 1950 J-45 ) sold by whomever.Big shop or individuals. I can ask pertinent questions. It is a win for me. I can do so 24/7 in the comfort of my home. |
#44
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The very premise is flawed.
Other than Musician's Friend (who is not actually that competitive) every internet retailer that I have purchased from actually IS a Brick and Mortar company as well. If your local B&M can't compete, it's because they are not competitive. Elderly Instruments - Extensive B&M in addition to internet sales. LA Guitar Sales - Nice, high end, B&M in addition to internet sales My Favorite Guitar - B&M Retail shop in addition to internet sales. Wildwood - Same So if your brick and mortar local shop is going under, it's being killed by other B&M shops, that actually know how to compete in a modern economy. Even in the dark times before the web, local shops mostly survived on band rentals, accessories, strings, and music lessons. Also used sales. Where the web has really made a difference is in the markup on used items, it's leveled the playing field because it's much easier to comparison shop. And of course, a large number of instruments being sold on Reverb are also being sold by small Brick and Mortar instrument (and pawn) shops, who are using it as a platform to expand their customer base.
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Larrivee OM-03RE; O-01 Martin D-35; Guild F-212; Tacoma Roadking Breedlove American Series C20/SR Rainsong SFTA-FLE; WS3000; CH-PA Taylor GA3-12, Guild F-212 https://markhorning.bandcamp.com/music |
#45
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My two guitars I purchased recently (to get back into playing after many years) came from Alamo Music in San Antonio. I live in Florida. I connected with Alamo via the internet (Thank you Gary and Chris). Subsequently, I developed a relationship with them and will always check their inventory if I need anything. It was the relationship - price that drew me to them. So the internet was involved. If used properly it is a useful tool even for smaller businesses.
I wanted the gold G7th Special edition kapo and could not find it anywhere in the states. I ordered it off the G7th website - they are in UK. It was here the next day - not sure how? Developed a relationship with Simon Campling at G7th. Tried to hook him up with Alamo Music at NAMM lol. Internet can be a powerful tool - too powerful?
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2018 Martin 000-28 2018 Huss & Dalton Custom 00-SP 2015 Taylor Custom GC 2019 Martin CEO-9 |