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Bass Central...

#61
I bought my Alembic Spyder and my Pedulla MVP 4 from BC. Beaver and crew are the best. Great prices, service, etc. Someday, I'm going to order a custom Alembic, and it will be through Bass Central. These guys are the greatest.

Alan Dover
 
#62
Top bunch of blokes.

When I was on holiday in Florida about 4 years ago I went into Bass Central. Very helpful and friendly guys, and when I was leaving Beaver gave me a copy of his tuition video for free (not in a "you suck, you need this video" way :) ). I didn't purchase from them on that trip, but I bought my Sterling from them 2 years ago.
 
#63
Arwai said:
As my experience, they replied email slowly and not answered all my enquiries. Sometimes, they have no replies.... :crying:
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The e-mail situation is the only weak point of Bass Central. But you have to realize that they get at least 200 e-mails a day. Can you imagine what that is like on Monday morning. As a result of all of the junk e-mails they get, they delete a lot of what may appear to be unessential e-mails. I can't comment on your specific e-mails, but the best way to get a hold of them is through a phone call.

Just don't talk about the last Victor Wooten concert you went to. They don't have time for that. They are really busy with the phone ringing off the hook all day long. But they will make sure they take the time to make you happy with questions or concerns related to any type of bass or gear that you are interested in. I've been in there right at 10AM when they first open a couple of times. That seemed to be the best time to call since the phone didn't start ringing until about 10:05AM!
 
#64
I actually had a pretty bad (or at least uncomfortable) experience with them:

I searched high and low for a lefty upright, and BC (among many others) suggested the NS designs 4 string. Based on this reccomendation and many positive reviews online, I decided I'd go with the NS. NS actually had one of these lefties in stock and could drop ship to me, so the planets were in line for me to get a new bass!

But like most big purchases you want to shop a bit for price, service, etc. BC got wind (from the NS rep) that I had been requesting quotes at other shops, so BC just went ahead and bought the bass from NS, then proceeded to call me and tell me that if I wanted the bass before the 8-12 weeks or so it would take NS to build another one, "that I had no choice but to buy from them" (seriously). To top it all off, they weren't even the least expensive option! This all seemed a bit 'mafia' to me, but business is business.

To make the sale Beaver went on and on about how I had nothing to lose because he'd take it back in a heartbeat if I didn't like it. "100% satisfaction". I played it for two days and decided that it wasn't as close to an acoustic as I was hoping (BC knew this was my goal), so I called and asked about return procedures.
They were obviously upset; they eventually grudingly took it back, but not after they told me (several times) how much money I was costing them by sending it back...

All in all I've spent about 6-8k in bass equipment since then and not a penny with them based on this bad experience about two years (?) ago.

As for the website, they have had a GORGEOUS red Roscoe lefty on the site for years that literally sold like 18 months ago. What a tease! I am forced to look at what might have been every time I visit the site! Come on BC, it's 2005! :p

However, all that said, you've got 15 or so people here talking about how great they are, and only a few guys saying they're not so great...I'll take those odds! And the guys are extremely knowledgable...I guess I just had one of those rare bad experiences. :crying:
 
#65
I went while on a trip to DisneyWorld with no intention of buying anything. Left with a Lakland 4-94 and they'll toss that bass in the coffin with me when I die!

It's hard to explain the experience to anyone, you just have to go. When I bought my Lakland, I played about 10 of the Laklands in the store and was able to compare them to find the one that I thought was best. You just can't get that anywhere else.

Nobody pressured me, nobody treated me like a second class citizen. No typical music store bull****. This place is like bass heaven!
 
#69
bikeplate said:
HI

I have spent so much cash there I'm embarrassed to admit it. Great people, great service, great gear

Rob
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Bass Central's #1 customer for at least 4-5 years running, right there!

(And, no I'm not making that one up! :D )

I'd like to add, as one of the guys that formerly helped Rob out, he was the #1 customer not only for the AMOUNT spent, but for just being the cool guy that he really is.

(That comment gonna get you to buy a Roscoe anytime soon?? Hmm??? HMMMM??? ;) )
 
#70
I think these guys are great for one add'l reason - they have MY bass on their website as a "sold" sample (and not on their used page either). With some spalted tops, there's no making up an intricate wood pattern. They're still using pics of my bass. Now I know exactly where it was bought new and came from originally, though I got it used as second owner from bassnw, which I like a lot. Thanks.
 
#71
Make sure you know what their return policy is as with any other bass retailer. I made this mistake. I wanted to return an MTD Professional Strength Gig Bag for credit or an exchange and was told I could not. I'm still trying to sell it to this day. And make sure you get a receipt. I never got one when I received this order.
 
#72
I bought a Stingray from them just over a year ago. I'm in South Africa and rather than getting it shipped over I waited for my in-laws to visit family in the US. I specifically wanted a matching headstock,which they didn't have in stock, so Grasshopper sent one from their stock back to EB so they could do the headstock for me, and then got the bass sent to where my family was. Grasshopper put up with months of me enquiring before the sale happened and then bent over backwards to make sure the bass reached my in-laws before their visit was over(which saved me international shipping and import duties). Would definitely shop there again.
 
#74
Carlo Tanori said:
Make sure you know what their return policy is as with any other bass retailer. I made this mistake. I wanted to return an MTD Professional Strength Gig Bag for credit or an exchange and was told I could not. I'm still trying to sell it to this day. And make sure you get a receipt. I never got one when I received this order.
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We already went over this in another thread: they are VERY clear on their return policy, it's on the website, and every salesperson tells you what that policy is when you make a purchase. The recipt is never an issue, your records are kept on their system, and they can even e-mail you a copy of it, if you wish.

Again, did you try to return the gigbag after the PUBLISHED AND STATED return period? You didn't reply to my post in the other thread, so are you avoiding accepting responsibility? If so, it's your fault that you still have the bag, no one else's.
 
#75
Gard said:
We already went over this in another thread: they are VERY clear on their return policy, it's on the website, and every salesperson tells you what that policy is when you make a purchase. The recipt is never an issue, your records are kept on their system, and they can even e-mail you a copy of it, if you wish.

Again, did you try to return the gigbag after the PUBLISHED AND STATED return period? You didn't reply to my post in the other thread, so are you avoiding accepting responsibility? If so, it's your fault that you still have the bag, no one else's.
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The salesperson DID NOT tell me anything regarding the return policy of this particular item when I made the purchase.

Peace,
Carlo
 
#76
HI

Gard, you are trying to suck me in. Actually, I'm considering a 6 string bass. I've never owned one and would like to get one to keep and work on things with. Soloing, recording, etc. I might be in VA beach real soon. Maybe I can drive the extra and visit. I will keep u updated

Rob
 
#77
Carlo Tanori said:
The salesperson DID NOT tell me anything regarding the return policy of this particular item when I made the purchase.

Peace,
Carlo
Click to expand...

Then you should have asked to speak to Beaver and explained this to him at that time. That, if it is true, is the fault of the sales person.

Question: how long after you recieved the item did you attempt to return it?
 
#78
bikeplate said:
HI

Gard, you are trying to suck me in. Actually, I'm considering a 6 string bass. I've never owned one and would like to get one to keep and work on things with. Soloing, recording, etc. I might be in VA beach real soon. Maybe I can drive the extra and visit. I will keep u updated

Rob
Click to expand...

Cool! We'd love to have you stop by Rob!

However, keep in mind that Greensboro, NC is a good 5 hour drive from VA Beach....

:eek:
 
#79
Gard said:
Then you should have asked to speak to Beaver and explained this to him at that time. That, if it is true, is the fault of the sales person.

Question: how long after you recieved the item did you attempt to return it?
Click to expand...

About 2 weeks. I know thats a long time but I had other things going on and didnt get around to doing anything about it (personal stuff). Anyway, I had all the packing, box, etc., and I had wanted to exchange it for the regular Undercover single gig. I did not request my money back.

For the past month its been at Bass Exchange in Sherman Oaks, CA on consignment. Hopefully it will sell there.

Carlo T.
 
#80
Carlo Tanori said:
About 2 weeks. I know thats a long time but I had other things going on and didnt get around to doing anything about it (personal stuff). Anyway, I had all the packing, box, etc., and I had wanted to exchange it for the regular Undercover single gig. I did not request my money back.

For the past month its been at Bass Exchange in Sherman Oaks, CA on consignment. Hopefully it will sell there.

Carlo T.
Click to expand...

That's the problem, two weeks. If it had been a week or less, I think they'd have been more flexible. Sorry man, but I still gotta stay on the shop's side for this one, it's just too long, unless you're dealing with a "big box" that has a department that handles just this kind of thing, and even sells "seconds" (i.e returned items that can't be sold as "new" because of obvious use marks, dings, scratches, flaws). BC doesn't do that, they're too small.

Good luck selling it, sorry about your troubles. Next time, find a few minutes in your schedule to call a shop about a return in a reasonable time, or when you call after a longer period, ask for a manager that can circumvent the policy.
 

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