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Post Genz-Benz: Amp lineup?

RocketMusic

RocketMusic

Gold Supporting Member
Commercial User
Oct 31, 2007
10,754
8,929
Blacksburg, VA
www.rocketmusic.net
Disclosures
Owner, Rocket Music
#1
With the demise of Genz-Benz, I find myself with not a lot of bass amp stuff in stock these days. :hmm: As I usually do, I'm gonna ask you guys for some input. There's no sense in me stocking stuff before I know somebody out there wants it. :help:

I've got all of the Bergantino cabs in stock, and I've got the bare essentials from Aguilar (both Tonehammers, some cabs, and all the onboard preamps). A fairly obvious move for me is to beef up my Aguilar offerings (add the DB-751 head, some more cab variety and their pickups). So the first question I have for you guys is what would you like to see me carry from Aguilar that I'm not currently carrying? I've usually got the GS112, DB112 and DB410 in stock in black. But how about the DB212? DB115? DB412? More of the GS line? Do any of [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] appeal to you for the DB cabs?

And my second question is this: what other brands out there currently appeal to you? I wouldn't mind adding another line or two, as cash flow permits...

Thanks in advance for your input. Any and all answers would be appreciated!
 
#4
Freddels said:
Chocolate Thunder and Boss Tweed are both very nice.
Click to expand...

I concur. :) Of course, I like all their colors. I just don't know which ones actually sell. It's like green basses. I love the look of a green bass, but I don't know very many folks who plunk down money for one.

And while I'm typing, I've got another question related to Aguilar. You can basically spit in any direction and hit an Aguilar dealer... so what would help a small dealer like me win your Aguilar business? We don't do a lot of the things like financing that Amazon and GC can do (although Paypal's "Bill Me Later" is an easy way to get financing, just not through us directly). What are some things that Amazon, GC or MF might offer that we don't (and that would cause you to buy from them instead of me)?

If discounting is the answer, just let me say that I'm generally happy to match anyone's price on Aguilar gear. I can't do it through my website (that would violate their advertising policy), but I am happy to do it over the phone or via email.
 
#5
MF will just about always give a 15% discount if you call. They have a liberal return policy (more liberal than really needed).

For a small shop, customer service and knowledge goes a long way.

As far as colors for the Aggie gear, you may just have to get some and see. Do a search on TB and see what is liked. I know that a certain store in Nawlins was selling the green ones at a reduced price a few years back. The Tweed and Chocolate never seemed to stay in stock. It's all subjective. Drop shipping is always an option if Aguilar has the stock ready to go.

As to other brands, what's out there? Do you want to compete on price with the big box stores? Sometimes those lesser priced items will make up in volume. The amps that are not common here like Puma, Warwick, AER, etc., are all pricey and could sit for a long time tying up capital (which is not good). RMC used to be the best place to get GK gear (not sure if that's still the case).

Is Genz going to get rebadged as Fender? Do you want to get involved in with Fender? From my understanding, they want dealers to buy a lot of stock.

Then there's Hartke. Decent products at a lower price point. Ampeg has their following.
 
#6
Yeah, I've gone as low as 15% off Aguilar. That's pretty steep, but it is what it is. I don't expect anyone to pay me more than they can get the stuff elsewhere every day of the week.

And we've got a 7-day return policy. That's as generous as we'll go on that, we think that's already quite generous. 30 days out, what someone would send back would be used as far as I'm concerned.

But those are all good points. Hopefully our policies are acceptable enough.
 
#7
From a market share standpoint GK gets a lot of love around here and covers a lot of ground from micro combos to big powerful stacks. They seem to have a mostly good reputation for tone portability and roadworthyness. They cover a lot of price points as well.

On the slightly higher price point side Mesa covers a lot of ground as well. From the Walkabout head and combos to thunderous huge rigs both hybrid and all tube you bring a lot of fans onboard.

It is good to see you guys constantly checking with your customers and flexing accordingly.
 
#8
two fingers said:
From a market share standpoint GK gets a lot of love around here and covers a lot of ground from micro combos to big powerful stacks. They seem to have a mostly good reputation for tone portability and roadworthyness. They cover a lot of price points as well.

On the slightly higher price point side Mesa covers a lot of ground as well. From the Walkabout head and combos to thunderous huge rigs both hybrid and all tube you bring a lot of fans onboard.

It is good to see you guys constantly checking with your customers and flexing accordingly.
Click to expand...

I was wondering when Boogie would come up! Honestly, they're one of my personal faves for a couple reasons. 1) I LOVE their big heads, man do they sound good. 2) They have a fixed price policy, which prevents the race-to-the-bottom sort of pricing that you see with most amp brands.

I don't mind price matching if I'm already in bed with a brand, but I have a really hard time signing up for new brands that will predictably yield low margins. It's usually just not worth the effort... Hmmm... as I type, I seem to be talking myself out of seeking a new amp line. Maybe I'll pick up a new bass maker instead?

The good news is I don't really have a pile of cash to make a move right now, anyway. So I can continue to cogitate on this.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys! It is appreciated.
 
#9
Finding those brands that keep you out of the price wars makes a lot of sense.
Always remember you're not just a box outlet Rocket has earned respect in the marketplace for expertise and customer service. I would say that many of us have purchased products because of your honest evaluations and open discussions in the forum.

That should be a tremendous opportunity for an amp manufacturer to gain sales they likely would not get otherwise.
So for the high volume guys; What are they willing to invest to market the new relationship?
For the boutique builders look for guys who want to joint venture with a limited number of dealers for assured mutual success.
That is the approach we take at our company when looking at new products and territories.
Not to blow sunshine up your pants leg but I often use Rocket as an example when trying to keep our team focused on the things that make strong companies. I don't by a lot but it always comes from Rocket and its the only store I refer friends to.
That is a big value for your suppliers.

Favorite Amp- Always Thunderfunk
 
#10
bassWR said:
Finding those brands that keep you out of the price wars makes a lot of sense.
Always remember you're not just a box outlet Rocket has earned respect in the marketplace for expertise and customer service. I would say that many of us have purchased products because of your honest evaluations and open discussions in the forum.

That should be a tremendous opportunity for an amp manufacturer to gain sales they likely would not get otherwise.
So for the high volume guys; What are they willing to invest to market the new relationship?
For the boutique builders look for guys who want to joint venture with a limited number of dealers for assured mutual success.
That is the approach we take at our company when looking at new products and territories.
Not to blow sunshine up your pants leg but I often use Rocket as an example when trying to keep our team focused on the things that make strong companies. I don't by a lot but it always comes from Rocket and its the only store I refer friends to.
That is a big value for your suppliers.

Favorite Amp- Always Thunderfunk
Click to expand...

Wow! Thanks, Dennis!
 
#11
Mesa is good. I had a Walkabout combo that sounded really good (when I could get it dialed in). If someone twisted the knobs on the EQ on me, it would take a while to try to get it back to where I liked it. :D

The M9 was too hi-fi for me

The guitar tube amps were the shizz back in the day. I had a few friends that each had a couple of them. The ones made out of exotic woods were beautiful.

I would think you'd do pretty good as a Boogie dealer. The ones I've dealt with were kind of snobby and didn't really want to talk about the product. They also didn't have much in stock but would just want to order for you.
 
#19
RocketMusic said:
Yeah, I've gone as low as 15% off Aguilar. That's pretty steep, but it is what it is. I don't expect anyone to pay me more than they can get the stuff elsewhere every day of the week.

And we've got a 7-day return policy. That's as generous as we'll go on that, we think that's already quite generous. 30 days out, what someone would send back would be used as far as I'm concerned.

But those are all good points. Hopefully our policies are acceptable enough.
Click to expand...

Tough to compete against Musician's Friend on this type of stuff. With Aguilar, good 'up front price' and then 15% off on top of that if you call them, with free shipping and a 30 day, no questions asked return policy. Per your OP, I would stay away from brands that are carried by these big box dealers (GK, etc.).

So, what is left. TecAmp, Glockenklang? High cost, low awareness brands, each having some pretty good dealers already (Fretspot, Luthiers Access Group, Austin Bass Traders).

So, long story short, I would probably not add anything. Keep the Aguilar thing going (assuming you are selling some), Bergantino for sure.

The only suggestion MIGHT be to get in on something from the EU that isn't really in distribution here at this point. I'm sure, just like Glockenklang 10 years ago, there are great products looking for some sort of dealer in the US.
 
#20
RocketMusic said:
I was wondering when Boogie would come up! Honestly, they're one of my personal faves for a couple reasons. 1) I LOVE their big heads, man do they sound good. 2) They have a fixed price policy, which prevents the race-to-the-bottom sort of pricing that you see with most amp brands.

I don't mind price matching if I'm already in bed with a brand, but I have a really hard time signing up for new brands that will predictably yield low margins. It's usually just not worth the effort... Hmmm... as I type, I seem to be talking myself out of seeking a new amp line. Maybe I'll pick up a new bass maker instead?

The good news is I don't really have a pile of cash to make a move right now, anyway. So I can continue to cogitate on this.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys! It is appreciated.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong, but I remember them requiring that you carry just a boatload of product to become a dealer. And, I don't think they allow 'out of area sales' (i.e., they don't want to participate in the on-line thing, so that dealers aren't competing against each other.

They might have relaxed those requirements over the years though.
 

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