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Bstock? opinions please.

BirdThunder

BirdThunder

Guest
Dec 9, 2013
123
7
New York
#1
hey guys, it's me again, so I decided to get me an Epiphone thunderbird classic-IV pro but I can't afford the brand new one ($499+tax+soft gig ba=$550+), can't find one here or craigslist.

But I saw one for $320 at sam's ash online, but it says b-stock, I googled the term and it says it may have some defects, like cosmetic wear but nothing that affects the playability, but as usual I don't trust the internet, si If you have any experience with bstocks (esp from sam-ash) Can you please share your opinions and help me get my own bird. Thank you!
 
#2
I've bought B-stock basses on a couple occasions, and I've never had any problems. "B-stock" just means there might be a ding, blemish, etc on the instrument that keeps the manufacturer from selling it at full retail price. On the last one I bought, you practically needed a magnifying glass to find the blemish. I'd say go for it.
 
#4
I have a factory second Epiphone Thunder Classic Pro-IV. Took a couple weeks to find the blemish. It is a great deal. The headstock will have an indented 2 on it to identify it as a factory second. One thing regarding factory seconds though, my local shop doesn't get the bound Les Pauls that are factory seconds as he is doesn't want to get a blemish near the binding. He has in the past.
 
#5
I don't mind a ding or blemish, I just can't stand cracks, but if it's pure cosmetic I don't mind, i'm not gonna hang it on the wall, it's gonna be out on the music scene doing it's job. I'm just in a pinch since they did not give a full description of the condition, It's available online at sam-ash, any experience with sam ash guys? I really want a tbird so bad.
 
#6
#7
funnyfingers said:
Here is a sound clip of it with stock strings: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=318503&d=1361140206

Here it is with la bella stainless: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=319026&d=1361308336

I have some clips of it on my sound cloud with the original pickups and with SGD ND3 neck and SGD SW4 bridge if you want me to post those as well.

*These clips are direct into the computer.
Click to expand...

Holy sh*t! the stock sounds heavenly! love the warm buttery sound on labellas! POST AWAY MY FRIEND, i'd like to hear more!


**now i gotta get my bird!
 
#8
I've purchased several basses from Sam Ash and have been satisfied. Customer service is hit or miss. Had one exchange and it was a hassle, made a return and it was great. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again.

The Classic T-Bird IV is a cool bass. Good luck with your purchase!
 
#13
zachoff said:
Better to buy a B where you can actually see the reason for the classification. I bought a B Epi EB-3 and the flaw was that it was nearly impossible to set up without mega-high action because of a bowed neck. And don't buy a B you can't return... ie. Don't buy from eBay. That was the mistake I made.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's not bstock that's defective firewood.

We do a ton of Bstock. Guitars amps and everything else we sell. Sometimes it comes from the manufacturer that way. They will sell the rep samples, trade show stock, refurb'd returns, or anything else with an open box for whatever reason. They usually grade these by condition. Sometimes they just open the boxes because they have a ton of something and "make" them bstocks. Retailers it's pretty much the same thing. Bstock can be a customer return, a display item, or old inventory.

Manufacturers treat it differently from one another though with pricing and warranty. not all discounts to the vendor are great, some don't allow any change in advertised price, some set price at a percentage from A stock price, some just don't care what you advertise it for. Some offer full factory warranties, some offer a shorter one. If it doesn't have any warranty it's not Bstock. It's used. I personally buy a lot of it. Since I get a pretty great employee price the only way to save more is to get it cheaper from the vendor. I would only hesitate if you didn't trust the seller, the product, or the warranty. If you don't trust the seller to not send you garbage then don't buy bstock. if you don't think the product is reliable, just buy a fresh one. If the warranty is really short, just spend the money on unopened product.

Our Bstock is good bstock though for the reasons stated. We are upfront about what it is and we won't treat you any differently than if you bought Astock.

Here's a quick search for our bstock.
Invalid Link Removed
If anyone ever has a question about any of it just PM me. I should know where it came from.
 
#14
Thanks man, here's the deal, Epi tbird classic-IV pro is $499+$49 tax(yes new york taxes a lot) for the A-stock, While B-stocks are $320 ($405 if I include the heavy duty gig bag I saw at amazon, no tax if I ship it to Joizey), and they said, If I ship it to NY/FL/CA I can return them to any sam ash store because I have paid the sales tax, problem is Imma be shipping to NJ which doesn't have sales tax, meaning if I have to return it it's gonna be shipped to FL and I have to pay the shipping, I know sam ash got a good rep, what I worry about is if they inspect the guitar carefully before shipping it, like I said,I don't mind a ding here and there cause sooner or later the guitar would be dinged/chipped and whatnot cause it's gonna be out there playing, doing it's job. Thanks for your opinions guys, I'm pretty much sold!
 
#16
BirdThunder said:
But I saw one for $320 at sam's ash online, but it says b-stock, I googled the term and it says it may have some defects, like cosmetic wear but nothing that affects the playability, but as usual I don't trust the internet
Click to expand...
The definition is meaningless.

Call Ash and ask what it means to them and if they'll eat return shipping for an exchange if there are substantial problems.

There may well be. I've read a few beefs about Epiphone B-Stocks before -- stuff not working, etc.

I once foolishly got a "B-Stock" import Spector once that had literally every CNT rout or hole off-kilter and out of alignment with every other one, by as much as 3/8". It was truly astonishing, a veritable trainwreck.

"How did they even DO this?" :eek:
 
#17
BirdThunder said:
Thanks man, here's the deal, Epi tbird classic-IV pro is $499+$49 tax(yes new york taxes a lot) for the A-stock, While B-stocks are $320 ($405 if I include the heavy duty gig bag I saw at amazon, no tax if I ship it to Joizey), and they said, If I ship it to NY/FL/CA I can return them to any sam ash store because I have paid the sales tax, problem is Imma be shipping to NJ which doesn't have sales tax, meaning if I have to return it it's gonna be shipped to FL and I have to pay the shipping, I know sam ash got a good rep, what I worry about is if they inspect the guitar carefully before shipping it, like I said,I don't mind a ding here and there cause sooner or later the guitar would be dinged/chipped and whatnot cause it's gonna be out there playing, doing it's job. Thanks for your opinions guys, I'm pretty much sold!
Click to expand...

Sorry to burst your bubble, but New Jersey has a 7% sales tax. However, there are ways around various state taxes. It all depends on how you ship something. If you are doing what I think you're doing, buying something from "A" and shipping it to "B" while actually living in "C", that just might allow you dodge them. Either way, if you pay sales tax on an item and then return it to another location, the taxes should be refunded as well. It's the shipping costs you might not get back.

As far as B-stock goes; if you consider a refurbished item to be in the same category, then I've bought two refurb'd Squier Standards (a Jazz and a P-Bass Special) and I'll be damned if I can find anything wrong with them…electronically, cosmetically or structurally.
 
#18
Yeah I checked, they are not charging me for the sales tax if I ship in New Jersey, I don't know why, I just called sam ash guitar dept and got em to inspect their bess b stock bass and yep, they're almost mint, except they don't have the plastic covering on their pickguards which is no biggie, Thanks guys! FInally I can get my bird.
 
#19
friskinator said:
I've bought B-stock basses on a couple occasions, and I've never had any problems. "B-stock" just means there might be a ding, blemish, etc on the instrument that keeps the manufacturer from selling it at full retail price. On the last one I bought, you practically needed a magnifying glass to find the blemish. I'd say go for it.
Click to expand...

+1

B-stock is fine-especially form Sam Ash-AMS-Sweetwater-Musicians Friend online

Stay away from "manufacturer refurbish"-seen this and its usually bad.
 

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