Ed Roman is at it Again!

[kobgar]

Hehe, i went in this summer because I was in vegas for a bach party, knew he had alembics,  and i was dying just to play one, as there are no dealers down here in So Cal.  Anyways, Went in and found a rogue, when i asked if i could play on it, i was asked if i was going to purchase it that day, and was told that instruments couldn't be played unless you were going to purchase them.  I was kinda taken back, but they let me play on the rogue, and as you all know, it was freaking awesome.  After 5 minutes of that, they pulled the universal you had your five minutes on the nice equipment, now pay or get out routine, swapping the rogue out with a warrior bass.  I wasn't interested in that, walked out, and picked up a custom rogue a month later on E-bay.  Didn't even ask the price they were gonna sell it for.  Didn't meet Ed, but how are you supposed to know what you want if you can't play on it?  I understand protecting the guitars, but I wasn't some 9 year old with cheetos all over my hands or anything.  Oh well, that's my ed roman experience. cool showroom though.

[adriaan]

I wasn't aware that the classical scene was so prominent in Las Vegas that people go there especially with the intent to have a Bach party.
 
(Message edited by adriaan on September 15, 2004)

[David Houck]

And I didn't know Bach had Alembics.

[bassman10096]

I can appreciate the need to keep high ticket items from getting shopworn (The guys at BassCentral claim Beaver beats them when they play with the merchandise.), but come onnnn!
 
I've never had trouble getting access to high end gear provided I've made it clear I know a bit about what I'm looking at and I'm not talking to a teenage cashier/stockboy/sales expert.  Look what happened to Roman as a result of attitude - a bass was selected and then bought somewhere else.  That doesn't seem to concern them a lot, though.  Businesses that actually want to sell a product tend to find a way.  I have to believe Ed doesn't want to sell Alembics.
 
Bill

[gare]

I like the Cheetos idea..I'll have to use that one time, bet you could get by with it at Guitar Center  
 
Bob Bach, the great great great great grandson uses Alembics.

[tom_z]

Well, I guess everyone has different experiences of any given place. When I went to Ed Roman's I was treated very well. When I expressed interest in the Alembic guitar that was in the store (a very nice Tribute), Ed came from behind the counter and handed it to me to play. He followed that by handing me a Rick Turner, a Jet, and a string of other hand-built guitars including, of course, his own line. He was very professional, if laid back, and spoke at length regarding the virtues of all of the guitars I was playing. It was great fun!
 
Like Jonathan's experience, he gave me a nice tour of his inventory (some of which is not obviously accessible from the main showroom) and his workshop, where I played another guitar that had just been set up. Throughout this time, he was trying to sell me on his own lines of guitars. I have no problem with this as he encouraged me to do extensive comparisons. He does love his own work - he's proud of his guitars, and they?re not junk ? they?re quite nice.
 
Ed also loves to talk and he has lots of strong opinions, but for whatever reasons, his rap doesn't bother me - I've met plenty of guys like Ed, in all walks of life - this guy just happens to be my hometown guitar store owner. =)
 
With respect to my Alembic purchase, Ed quoted me a very fair price on the guitar I was ordering (better than Bass Central or Super Bass) and said it was his best offer and that he would not make any counter-offers if someone quoted lower. Bass Central did eventually make a better offer (no tax - out of state, made it easier) and I did the deal with Beaver.
 
Okay -  sorry  - this is a bit long. The bottom line for me about Ed Roman: The guy is a character, he rubs some folks the wrong way, if you're focused on what you want he is very accommodating, and his store is amazing.
 
Tom