Qualtiy of used gear at Manny's & Sam Ash

lamborghini98 · #1 01-21-2006, 08:02 PM

[rant]

I know a lot of people might not know about Manny's, but I assume if you do that you'll probably take a look here...

So I was in Manny's today and saw this crazy looking bass. At first I didn't know what it was but after maybe 3 seconds of looking at it, it hit me that it was a Peavey Cirrus. The thing is, it had a lot of the finish sanded off and was missing a knob. WHY would Manny's even BUY that instrument?! I dont get it! The finish on the top was mostly (not even completely.. around the knobs there was still some finish and between the pups there was finish) sanded off... I just don't get it. They only wanted 750 for it, but I can't even see paying that much! What?!

Oh, and in the past I have seen:
A Kubicky P/J with some of the knobs missing and the control cavity filled with something that looking like cotton or something. It's still there but I didn't feel like lookg at it anymore. That bass was seriously messed up, too. I think there were other points of damage.

An old Fender P (I think) with the neck taken off and rejoined... very very poorly. The pocket was so bad... I just didn't get why they'd buy it.

Currently they have a Fodera Monarch bolt-on with 2 gauges on the bottom of the left side...

Someone please go look at this and report back. I jsut don't get it.

So next I went across the street just to look around at Sam Ash to see what they had in. I saw guitars where the finish didn't dry and was dripping when it did... at least one bass with a huge chip in it (which they said was "repaired," but clearly not so much). I didn't look around much more but I remember basses with dead batteries that they wouldn't replace and terribly bowed necks.
What is up with this?? I don't understand why two (arguably one) well known music stores would present stuff like this. I didn't see much damaged new gear at Manny's (besides that Fodera), so I assume that theyre pretty good about that sort of thing because the salesman kind of freaked when he saw it.. but still.. come on guys...

[/rant]

echo008 · #2 01-21-2006, 08:12 PM

I saw the Cirrus you are talking about, what a mess! I thought maybe the bass had water damage or something ... and that monarch has been there for quite awhile now, the action is very high and is in need of a setup, the only thing of interest Sam Ash had was two Warrior guitars right up front as soon as you walk in, which seemed out of place in that store.
- Tom

paul n · #3 01-21-2006, 10:31 PM

I think a alot of what you're seeing is demo gear rather than used gear(not the Peavey though)., I could be wrong though. I saw the Fodera and got thought it was new (ie a the store got it in new).

I never really liked Sam Ash, it's too much like GC, too average. Mannys used to be GREAT untill Sam Ash bought them, now there's no difference between the two stores. Sad

~Paul

FreeSpirit · #4 01-21-2006, 11:03 PM

I'm sorry, I have only been to NYC once, and is Manny's across from Sam ash, around 48th or so and the bass room is upstars, and alot of the guitars right when you walk in is in glass cases? I am just curious...

Smallmouth_Bass · #5 01-21-2006, 11:24 PM

On a slightly different subject:
I have been to a few local music stores and tried many basses and it always gets me that they can keep so many in a poorly setup condition and with extremely dead strings. I've seen basses with monstrously high action or spots on the neck that you couldn't even get a note out of. Strings, I can understand a bit, but they really should try and keep them sounding good as much as possible and change them if required. My impression of an instrument is swayed a lot by the feel when I play it, so if they are setup poorly, it reflects bad on the instrument.

I know most stores will give you a free setup when you buy a bass. But really, it should be setup fairly well before you do. If I was a large instrument manufacturer, I would work it into the business contract (if possible) that you would have to periodically evaluate your stock and make necessary setup adjustments to be an authorized retailer.

echo008 · #6 01-22-2006, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreeSpirit

I'm sorry, I have only been to NYC once, and is Manny's across from Sam ash, around 48th or so and the bass room is upstars, and alot of the guitars right when you walk in is in glass cases? I am just curious...

Hi,
Yes Manny's is right across the street ...
- Tom

pyrohr · #7 01-22-2006, 08:40 AM

Hey I if you think that's bad go to GC (new Brooklyn store) at Atlantic teminal and check out the "boat paddle room"! Yes you read it right! They have a room full of brand new boat paddles that look like basses! What a F**kin shame! I bought this to a reps attention and he basically blew me off (some young punk kid with a job). They have a room full of useless basses!

echo008 · #8 01-22-2006, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pyrohr

Hey I if you think that's bad go to GC (new Brooklyn store) at Atlantic teminal and check out the "boat paddle room"! Yes you read it right! They have a room full of brand new boat paddles that look like basses! What a F**kin shame! I bought this to a reps attention and he basically blew me off (some young punk kid with a job). They have a room full of useless basses!

I wonder if they have "official" job descritptions at GC. Im sure someone is supposed to at least get the guitars into playable shape... meaning someone has to be responsible for setup and general maintenance! someone ! anyone ... I have heard more negative in this area about GC and Sam Ash than good.

pyrohr · #9 01-22-2006, 09:46 AM

I went back to that same store yesterday (I was a Verizon in the same mall) and was shocked that 1 month later every bass on the wall was so badly bowed they were totally unplayarble, I'm not talking minor setup but bowed necks! bongo's, stingray's you name it no bass was spared! They had a 5 string bongo with action you could put your fingers between the strings and fretboard! They have a fender 24 fret jazz that is not only back bowed but twisted! this is a new bass!

**MAJOR METAL** · #10 01-22-2006, 11:42 AM

I think that Fodera has been their for quite a whille.

paul n · #11 01-22-2006, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreeSpirit

I'm sorry, I have only been to NYC once, and is Manny's across from Sam ash, around 48th or so and the bass room is upstars, and alot of the guitars right when you walk in is in glass cases? I am just curious...

As was already said yeah, Manny's is across the street from Sam Ash*, but the place with the glass cases is Rudy's music just down the street on the same block. Both Manny's and Rudy's have the basses on the top floor, though Manny's only put them up there after Sam Ash bought them out, they used to be down stairs next to the guitars.

*Techincaly any shop on 48th St. is across from Sam Ash these days. They've bought out most of the shops on the street and now have seperate store fronts for Guitars/Basses, Drums, Live Sound, DJ Equipment and possibly one or two more. If you go down to the Village, there's a couple of more interesting shops down there.

About the Fodera, Last time I was there, I got to spend all of 10 minutes, if that in Manny's as I had a train to catch. Chances are it has been there forever, I didn't get that good a look at it.

~Paul

UrbanAssault415 · #12 01-22-2006, 01:31 PM

I never liked Mannys, the one time I went there every good bass was locked and I swear the only way to play one was to show then a credit card # just to touch it.

Now when I went there I played a Geddy Lee which was the only fender you could play and a home customized no name p-bass which was very cheaply done. I tryed 2 ampes that didnt work and the one that did work was crackling alot.

After that Im probably never going there again. I had an easier time going to Rudys(which is known for not letting people play there stuff)and getting to play an MTD and custom shop Warwick (wanted to play the Ritter to but they said for serious costomers only,I understand I couldnt play everything) then being at Mannys and trying to play a MIA Fender jazz.

Tbirdbassist · #13 01-22-2006, 06:48 PM

This is sickening.

I'm heading to Manny's after school then I'm going down to GC. I must see this. If The guys at Fodera saw that Monarch they'd probably freak out (Its also been there for like 2 years).

I really hate the fact they have all the basses locked up and they get all pissy when you ask to play them. The only way I'll be going into any more Sam Ashes is if I'm to lazy to go to Guitar Center to buy strings (especially the Sam Ass on Queens BLVd, real assholes, especially the skinny older white guy with long greyish hair, AVOID THAT DOUCHE).

I only now frequent Guitar Center on 14th, Ritchie's Guitar Shop (little known place down on 11th street, contact me for info, he makes some sweet Jazz basss, guitars too) and Ludlow Street Guitars. As they are the only tolderable places left (Rudy's is only half the time...).

Any of you guys want to/got time tomorrow to meet up? So we could all be disgusted together...

fenderx55 · #14 01-22-2006, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tbirdbassist

I only now frequent Guitar Center on 14th, Ritchie's Guitar Shop (little known place down on 11th street, contact me for info, he makes some sweet Jazz basss, guitars too) and Ludlow Street Guitars. As they are the only tolderable places left (Rudy's is only half the time...).

I <3 Ludlow Street Guitars. Matt Umanov's is ok... expensive with mneh selection, but they're tech guys answer all of my questions...no matter how stupid they are. And only half-sarcastically.

Michael Jewels · #15 01-23-2006, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamborghini98

[rant]

So next I went across the street just to look around at Sam Ash to see what they had in. I saw guitars where the finish didn't dry and was dripping when it did... at least one bass with a huge chip in it (which they said was "repaired," but clearly not so much).
[/rant]

I saw that bass also; I believe it's a black jazz bass.

It looked like someone took a chisel and whacked a piece off that poor bass near the output jack if I remember correctly, and then someone who didn't know what they were doing tried to repair it with a hang-over.

The only reason I can think of why they do this, is that they pay the seller absolute bottom dollar for their damaged gear, and then repair the instrument as descibed above, and try to sell it using the, "It's vintage gear," line.

Mike

Bassic83 · #16 01-23-2006, 01:25 PM

Last time I was on "music row" was in the early 80s. Went to Manny's, Rudy's, etc. Now it seems it has become more "skid row" than "music row"...alas, it seems Guitar Sphincter has a lot to do with that being the general way things are nowadays. Some pinhead with an MBA got hired at GC and they now operate totally on "bottom line mentality", with musician's wants/needs totally devoid of meaning. Most of the competition is scrambling to catch the 800-lb. gorilla. So they mimic their "suck-cess strategy", and only carry the least expensive gear they can find. Someone at GC told me they did a study (obviously it was commissioned by the aforementioned pinhead) and they found that only 18% of their customers were pro or semi pro, the vast majority were kids trying out instruments to see if they could be the latest star, and most of them were financed by parents who wanted to spend the absolute least amount of money possible to get junior into something that looked something like a guitar (or bass, or drums...). They then threw out their marketing plan of "something for everyone, at every level" that worked so well when they were a much smaller chain in the early 80s. Now the mantra was "we're the Wal-Mart of the music business!". Hooray for them. Quality of personnel and inventory has been sliding substantially and very noticeably in the past decade. I can still get a deal or two here and there, but for the most part, they don't even carry anything that even remotely interests me. I have to go to the internet or to a boutique-oriented shop to even see some of the stuff that I would have seen at GC in the distant past. Yeah, they're probably making money, the only thing that matters is THE BOTTOM LINE. People don't matter, quality doesn't matter, reputation doesn't matter, inventory doesn't matter, service doesn't matter. What DOES matter, these days, is how much the cash register can hold at the end of the day. Sad, huh? It's that way in just about every facet of American life these days. I'm about to fire my 4-year-old daughter because she doesn't contribute to the bottom line of my tax return. How sad is THAT??? Not really, but I know people who would sell their elderly mother to science to make an extra buck.