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It happens rarely, but of course it does happen. Maybe once a month. Twelve sales a year is certainly not often enough to keep a retailer from going out of business. And all too often they'll come in, play that thing they weren't intending to buy, decide they like it, thank me for my time and then go order it elsewhere because it's fifty cents cheaper and it's not a floor model. None of that benefits the store in any way.
I know that stuff happened all the time, because guess who they'd call when they needed help with whatever they'd purchase. It wasn't Mr. Online Salesguy. It was me.
Anyone can order anything these days, which is the most compelling argument against keeping the expensive things in stock. There's little incentive to buy the thing from any place for reasons other than price.
A few of us are sticklers for putting something in our hands to make sure we love it first, but you see a lot of discussion here that indicates this is not really important to most people anymore. In our world of mass-produced, cookie-cutter CNC stuff, that's no longer really something that matters.
I recall the Markham store having some high end basses at one time.
I guess if you're in the $6,000 region what's a couple more thousand $$?
The first Long & McQuade that was remotely close to me in Ottawa had a Modulus and some German Warwicks. Having tried both out is what put me off of them! (The Modulus feeling sterile and the overweight and horrible balance of the Warwick Thumb).
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I would like to think that even if the shape, design, parts and finish are identical, that at least the quality of the wood (or how it is seasoned and aged) would be higher on the domestic models.
All else being equal, I will try to support the local retailer first before going to an alternate source. Now, just about everything is available online and it is impossible for the each retailer to have everything. Often, my wants are very specific and I have no choice but to order.
I've also noticed that you don't have to pay provincial taxes if you order out of province (or used to anyway) and international orders can be hit-and-miss if you get dinged for taxes. That puts local retailers at a disadvantage right off the bat.
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I remember playing a Modulus at L&M years ago. I wonder if it was the same one? (it was used)
Exactly. What do you need the store for? It just seems like an unnecessary intermediary.
I have to say that you write the most interesting post on TalkBass. Always full of wisdom, truth, and humor, without being rude or offensive. That is rare these days.
Nope.
There's quite a few reasons why it's cheaper to build products overseas and ship them to the US than it is to just build them here. Last time I named a few of those reasons, I offended someone. So I'll just mention one:
Labor costs.
At this point, it's the same materials, same tooling, same processes, same assembly line level skill, etc. Actually, probably more production overseas and at a fraction of the labor cost.
I seem to remember it being yellow or trans yellow (maybe natural). It was probably the same one. Modulus was my dream bass at the time (in theory). Getting one in my hands changed that. I didn't have the money for it at the time anyways, but I am glad I was able to try it in person to be able to make that decision without having to spend a lot of money.
Conversely, I played a Roscoe bass in Toronto once that forever solidified them as amazing instruments and it was the best bass I had ever played up to that point.
It's great to have a place that you can grab some strings, accessories or whatever and not have to wait. Even though Amazon is incredibly fast, if you need a pair of drumsticks or strings for tonight's gig, you're out of luck!
Plus, it is really nice to be able to try before you buy. I went into my local L&M to try an EHB to convince me that I didn't want one. It turns out I did and playing it (and ultimately buying it) only happened because I was able to play it in person. Plus, had I ordered one, I would have went with a fanned fret model. To my surprise, I preferred the straight fret model. Again, brick and mortar helped me immensely with that decision. I didn't bother going online and trying to find the cheapest one, I wanted that one and I was (gulp!) happy to pay for it from the store that stocked it and had it available for me to try.
As per the original question, I don't know. I personally make a clear distinction in my mind between, say an NYC Sadowsky and a Chinese Warwick/Sadowsky. What has changed for me is that I have a harder time seeing the value in any $7000 (US!) bass. It was one thing when, for example, an NYC Sadowsky could be had for $4000-$4500 but there are too many good, cheaper options out there today for me to be prepared to spend that much on an electric bass now.
What's happened to shops such as Long & McQuade is disappointing, but understandable given how things have gone with the internet and direct sales. In the early 2000s I drove to the L&M in Ottawa to check out Warwicks because I didn't know of anywhere in Montreal that stocked them. Not long afterwards, Italmelodie (in Montreal) began stocking both Warwick and Modulus (though the only time I saw a new neck-through Warwick in stock was at the L&M in Ottawa). In Montreal a neck-through Warwick could only be had via special order. Archambault (Montreal) stocked F basses but it seemed like it was the same one or two that they had on the wall forever. There was one in particular (an Alain Caron model) that was in terrible shape for a new bass, partly because it had been there for so long. Anyway, the selection of high end basses was always pretty bad in Montreal and it struck me as odd, given the number of musicians we have here.
What's happened to shops such as Long & McQuade is disappointing, but understandable given how things have gone with the internet and direct sales. In the early 2000s I drove to the L&M in Ottawa to check out Warwicks because I didn't know of anywhere in Montreal that stocked them. Not long afterwards, Italmelodie (in Montreal) began stocking both Warwick and Modulus (though the only time I saw a new neck-through Warwick in stock was at the L&M in Ottawa). In Montreal a neck-through Warwick could only be had via special order. Archambault (Montreal) stocked F basses but it seemed like it was the same one or two that they had on the wall forever. There was one in particular (an Alain Caron model) that was in terrible shape for a new bass, partly because it had been there for so long. Anyway, the selection of high end basses was always pretty bad in Montreal and it struck me as odd, given the number of musicians we have here.
That's one of the two they have at my L&M (Alain Caron F-Bass)! I have a feeling it might be there for a while. At least they have it up high and out of reach of prying hands.
I own 2 Roscoes, they are fantastic basses. I ordered one from Club Bass, the other I bought from a local TBer.
Just to clarify, I like having music stores. I was referring to having them special order something that's not in stock versus just ordering it yourself online. There's seems little point in involving the store in that scenario. Shops are great for non-bass gear. There are tons of guitars, keyboards, pedals to choose from.
They also have a good selection of basses. As long as it's Fender.
I agree, $7000 for an active Jazz bass is excessive. At that point it's about fancy woods, not improved sound and playability.
To the extent that lower priced options are marketed, I believe they don’t “devalue the real thing”. In terms of value, it’s probably neutral or slightly enhanced.
I do believe the introduction of so called “lower” models does cause reduced sales of “the real thing”.
In the case of EBMM/SBMM/ assorted Fenders, I think those product lines are now such a jumbled mess, I can’t even tell what’s what anymore. It just takes too much effort to determine what’s the top of the lines.
I’d really prefer to have clearly identified lines that distinguish flagship from budget without having to scroll through yards of spec sheets.
Fancy woods perhaps - probably more about pedigree and the way the business is set up. I mean, you look at the woods on some of the smaller, lesser known builder's basses and those woods easily compete with what's found on Sadowskys. But Sadowsky has a certain reputation, as well as a shop in an expensive area and a crew of workers on a salary. Just makes me think: people often have romantic views of smaller builders and of a more hands-on approach to building. "Hand-made", for example, sounds very old world and focused on high quality. But I've found issues with high end "hand-made" basses that you'd probably never find on a Squier (not talking about Sadowsky here as they are mostly CNC'd and are very consistent from what I've seen).
I've been one of those cats that enjoy my SX and Squier models and gig them. Even after having my 62 P bass.
Yet those new Vintage II P basses are singing a loud siren song to me.
Me too. It was Club Bass when he was at his first location. They didn't even have the Century models back then, so it must have been an SKB. I just remember it having a nice chocolatey brown top, playing really well and having a really clear and articulate sound.
Yes, definitely ... and no ... mostly yes ... but it kind of depends on the domestic bass you are talking about.
