Small Alembic Dealers - How do they do it?

[glocke]

Good subject...
At one point in my life I was happy to support the mom and pop stores.  That point was when money was not so much an issue for me as it is now.  Like many on here probably do I live paycheck to paycheck, and I have to literally watch every dollar I spend.  Some weeks ten dollars mean the difference bewtween being able to pay my bills or overdrawing my checking account.  As a result I have to shop where I can get the most mileage for my money.  If guitar center or an online retailer can get me strings for ten dollars cheaper than I will go there as opposed to the mom and pop store down the street..
 
Overall, it has been my experience that for the most part all stores are buyer beware.  Everyone is out to make a dollar, you really need to know what youa are looking for BEFORE going into any store.
 
As for the Alembic price increase and its impact on the mom and pops and future buyers, I dont see how the mom and pops will be able to sell these with places like bass northwest and bass central out there. Also, with two price increases in the space of a year, I see the custom alembic of my dreams slipping further away from me.  
 
That being said, if a price increase is what is needed to keep Alembic in business making what are probably some of prettiest looking and sounding instruments around, than I am all for it.  
I'll either just have to take a second mortgage out for the custom of my dreams, or keep an eye out on the used market for one that is clsoe to what I want...

[kmh364]

I'm not sure this is a real issue for the small dealers. While Steve over at Superbass was totally comfortable with the HUGE discount (he claimed to have made plenty) he gave me on my Custom Alembic order, Beaver at Bass Central said there was no way he could do a similar discount. There were other dealers who courted my business (all of them bigger than Superbass), including lower priced ones. Since the Dealer cost is fixed, I imagine it has to do with overhead/profit margins. Superbass is/was a one-man show operated from a residence, and Bass Central is a big store with a staff to support.
 
Regardless, I went with who made me feel the most comfortable, not who gave me the lowest price. Yes, price is an issue...but not at the expense of crappo customer service. There is a balance there that is certainly achieveable and does exist. I found it before, and in the absence of Steve, I believe I've found it again. I firmly believe that price and service are not mutually exclusive. As long as I am treaty fairly, I reward those who take care of me with repeated business and recommendations to buy from others.
 
To each his own I say.  
 
I've got a GC gift certificate in my wallet for a year now...their pricing, selection and quality are sorely lacking IMHO...they never have what I want, including small sundry items.
 
Just my $0.02.
 
Cheers,
 
Kevin

[David Houck]

Kevin; I'm guessing that to say Superbass was/is operated from a residence may be inaccurate.  I'll drop you an email.

[kmh364]

Dave: Just going by what I understood directly from dealing with Steve personally. What I should have said was that his store address was shared with his residence. His storefront has used and new basses and is manned only by him. I didn't mean to infer it was operated out of his bedroom. If I've offended Steve or anyone else, my apologies.
 
 
 
(Message edited by kmh364 on December 20, 2005)

[kmh364]

FWIW, Steve may be relocating and may or may not be resuming business in the future, from what I understand. Only time will tell, but I can only hope his retirement is temporary. He is exemplary to deal with and just a plain nice guy. I have dealt with some good people, but none finer IMHO.

[kmh364]

Thanks for keeping me on my toes and honest, Dave, LOL!
 
Prost!
 
Kevin

[flaxattack]

wow
this is getting hot!
i think what be left out of this equation is the tone of the buyer on the phone.. not treading anywhere to insult anyone
been a salesman for 30 years, i KNOW whos shopping and i know whos buying.i can hear it in the voice.
as an fyi- b and b came REAL close to getting the order on direwolf..again not the lowest price
but they answered my emails and took time with me on the phone. Superbass got the order as i felt- 1- he was genuinely interested and sounded excited about my custom and in my business and getting it right for me and 2- kevin recommended him and i didnt know kevin from a hole in the wall at that time but he was nice enough to answer my dreaming thread...
having learned this the hard way- its not what you say its how you say it and when it comes to email? cripes- its all in the mind of the reader...
all things being equal and now that susan has taken the play out of it, by limiting the discounts available, i knew what my tribute bass (aka jtb) was going to cost. this ia a very special bass for both myself and alembic and i have been very fortunate to visit alembic twice and go over my order and get it right  beaver came recommended by susan and i was not fool enough to go anywhere else if the president of alembic says
jeff i think you should work with beaver on this one. beaver hit the number i knew worked without the least bit of negotiation. bass central has done 3 favors for me since i ordered the tribute bass only one of them monetary. so i am comfortable with them.  
i hope that all of you find this kind of comfort level with your alembic or any other seller no matter what you are buying...i am in the mortgage business and i can tell you i have seen more borrowers shoot themselves in the foot trying to save a buck than you can imagine because rates went up during the time they were trying to save $10 a month on a mortgage.ends up costing them $20 more.
and please
we are all friends in here.. nothing should ever be taken personally...

[bigredbass]

Just my two cents
 
(I'M JOEY WILSON AND I APPROVED THIS MESSAGE)
 
ALEMBICs are specialist instruments.  Any of us who have been here for quite a while realize several things:
 
As well as I THINK I know these instruments, it only takes a week or two before I see one on EBay, in the Showcase, the Featured Custom, and I think 'wow, I never thought of that'.  And I obsess about these axes all the time.  So I truly think it would be rare to call someone at a store who knows them even half as well as I do, and I've got a lot to learn.  Why do we all wind up calling Susan when the time comes to put the saw to wood to come up with our dream bass?
 
The dealers that stock them are by design independent businessmen (NOT chains) who desire to add the very best to their portfolio of products.  Whether they be the bass-only stores, the big or small local stores, whatever, it was a conscious decision to offer these extraordinary instruments.
 
But of course this includes the attitudes of these entrepreneurs AND their employees, and like a cross section of any business segment, this is gonna run the gamut from a true enthusiasm to indifference to a used-car lot mentality.  We'd all agree ALEMBIC stands behind these instruments like no one else, but you can't expect them to attitude-adjust every soul that comes into the transaction cycle, nor educate them past whatever their enthusiasm level is.
 
That's where we come in.  It's up to us to find a dealer we can feel warm and fuzzy with, or whoever will give you the best deal, or whatever floats your particular boat.  And as customers we're all different.  I always have to laugh at somebody who'll walk for a hundred bucks on a five to ten thousand dollar purchase, but that's just me. And whoever the dealer is, it's up to him to charge whatever he thinks he needs to make on a given item, and it's up to you to decide if it works for you.  And there's always a certain number of used ones floating around that can be had for much less than new, and they're often in great shape.  Maybe that's not a way for those of us who want something REALLY custom, but it can work for a lot of us.
 
The price increases are a fact of life.  And the best always costs more.  And you have to remember value in this:  New LP Customs list for almost 9 grand.  Anybody out there think it's an equal value to a 9 grand Alembic?  Personally, whatever they think they need to charge to continue their business AIN'T none of my business.
 
This would all be more simple if these things were turned out like sausages like Fenders and Music Mans.  But that would ruin them, so I'll glad they're not.  
 
The best always takes longer, there's less to go around, and it always costs more.
 
J o e y

[rockbassist]

Again this is for Keith H, First of all, you addressed me as Tom when my name is Kevin. You also made mention of a post that I did not make. I am giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you may have been trying to contact another member and that is fine. I was not trying to attack anyone. I was simply stating my experience at Mom & Pop stores versus chain stores. Basically what it all comes down to is there are good and bad sales people at every level. It doesn't matter if someone works at your local mom & pop or at Guitar Center. The bottom line is that we as musicians owe it to ourselves to do our homework and research products prior to walking in to any store so that we can tell when a sales person is full of shit. This is how I found my first Alembic. I walked into a Guitar Center that is 45 miles away from me. I know the assistant manager very well and he knows that I do my homework prior to making a purchase. I bought an Epic for $750. I realize that it is not a Series but it was a great deal none the less. I have since bought another Epic for the same price.  The bottom line is do your home work and buy what ever it is that will make you happy. I love my Epics and wouldn't trade them for anything including a Series bass. But that's just my opinion.

[keith_h]

Sorry Kevin you are correct when I saw your post addressed to me I had confused it with someone else. However my initial post on this thread was never addressed to you or your update.
 
Keith

[jlpicard]

It's obvious to me from reading these posts that a major purchase is a very personal thing. In the case of something like an Alembic, there is a very  subjective, highly emotional component to the purchase. Not the easiest of situations to reach a consensus on. Therefore I say, agree to disagree and leave it at that. You cannot know all the factors involved in someone elses decision, ie. financial, personal, familial, or even musical so why are we all trying so hard? We should all chill, and rejoice in the fact that all of us in this club, in our own way, have found the path to a place in this short life where we have been able to afford an Alembic. However we each managed it, I say Bravo, and Happy Holidays!

[rockbassist]

To Keith H, That's what I thougt. Anyway, my point is that it doesnt' matter what you buy or where you buy it. If you like it, PLAY IT and  BUY IT! Like I said before, I have met players who have never heard of Alembic or have looked down on them. I have met Series players who also looked down on Epics and I have met players who were amazed that I played Alembic. It really depends on what you are brought up on. I have said this before. I don't care if my Epic is a Top Of the Line Alembic or the bottom line is as long as it has the feel and sound of an Alembic and I like it, it is worth buying. I like Epics much more than Series basses that I have played. They have a more natural sound than Series basses do. I love Alembic because we support each other regardless of whether we play Epics, Series or anything in between. Alembic is Alembic plain and simple. I wouldn't trade my Epices for a Series anyday.