Ernie Ball may as well be boutique now.

[citizenchris099]

Ya wanna give us a hint?

its about knowing the whole sale vs. MSRP and negotiating a price that the retailer is comfortable with (aka they still make money)

It looks like he is trying to imply that asking for and receiving a price below retail makes him a superior consumer.

I paid full retail for my EBMM SRS and I certainly don't feel like I did anything wrong despite his claim.

I'm not trying to imply anything. I just know how to haggle on items where there is a relatively wide gap between whole sale and MSRP. Most retailers are happy to negotiate to land a sale. Especially those whose sales force is commission based.

 

[maplenecked]

its about knowing the whole sale vs. MSRP and negotiating a price that the retailer is comfortable with (aka they still make money)



I'm not trying to imply anything. I just know how to haggle on items where there is a relatively wide gap between whole sale and MSRP. Most retailers are happy to negotiate to land a sale. Especially those whose sales force is commission based.

It looks like you got a lot little more out of it than a few extra bucks in your pocket, you get to feel like talk bass royalty by telling anyone who doesn't haggle like you that they are doing it all wrong. Proud of you.

 

[neptoon]

I just found this! 14 pages since Sunday night!! I only got through 5 or so pages and wanted to explain a little.

1) The simplest reason for the price is....it is what it is because it has to be. There's no formal market research. Sure, material price has gone up in the past 5 years but look at insurance and other overhead factors. We pay a living wage for starting employees, but 70% of our workers have been here for well over 10...lots of 20-30 year rockstars.

you guys can think what you want, bullet point #1 makes me want to play an ebmm...same with lots of other companies, it takes money to take care of your people, sure at our expense, but it's one of those things that makes it worth the price to me

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It looks like you got a lot little more out of it than a few extra bucks in your pocket, you get to feel like talk bass royalty by telling anyone who doesn't haggle like you that they are doing it all wrong. Proud of you.

I'm not seeing that at all.

 

[maplenecked]

I'm not seeing that at all.

If you're paying full retail imho you're doing it wrong.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Imho

 

[Bassbeater]

it takes money to take care of your people, sure at our expense, but it's one of those things that makes it worth the price to me

-no one better than a working musician to bear the burden of social injustice for a factory worker.

 

[maplenecked]

Imho

So you agree with him that I am wrong by paying full retail for my instrument? How humble

 

[neptoon]

-no one better than a working musician to bear the burden of social injustice for a factory worker.

the most horrible part is that i'm not even a working musician...nor a musician at all...just a weekend bass player on nearly the lowest level

 

[MultiScaleMale]

So you agree with him that I am wrong by paying full retail for my instrument? How humble

I think you just want to be offended.

 

[maplenecked]

I think you just want to be offended.

But that's ok cause he was humble about it.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

But that's ok cause he was humble about it.

Cool story bro.

 

[Bassbeater]

the most horrible part is that i'm not even a working musician...nor a musician at all...just a weekend bass player on nearly the lowest level

No judgement, I'm not working as a bassist right now. Technically this makes me just a bedroom bass troll.
I guess my point is that basically nobody cares about the working wages or conditions of musicians.

 

[maplenecked]

Cool story bro.

Thanks bro

 

[Bassbeater]

So you agree with him that I am wrong by paying full retail for my instrument? How humble

No lawyer-speak allowed!
Doesn't everybody wish they got a better deal on their last bass purchase? Ideally i wish I had gotten mine for free while cleaning out a basement. Then I would have liked to get it home and find hundred dollar bills stuffed in the control cavity. Then I would come here and post about it for days because you bros are all dumb for not cleaning basements, bro.

 

[maplenecked]

No lawyer-speak allowed!
Doesn't everybody wish they got a better deal on their last bass purchase? Ideally i wish I had gotten mine for free while cleaning out a basement. Then I would have liked to get it home and find hundred dollar bills stuffed in the control cavity. Then I would come here and post about it for days because you bros are all dumb for not cleaning basements, bro.

Haha. If your stingray special isn't under 8lbs like mine you're doing it all wrong, imho

 

[Bassbeater]

Fortunately, my EBMM weighs exactly nothing. Hehe.

 

[FunkySpoo]

its about knowing the whole sale vs. MSRP and negotiating a price that the retailer is comfortable with (aka they still make money)



I'm not trying to imply anything. I just know how to haggle on items where there is a relatively wide gap between whole sale and MSRP. Most retailers are happy to negotiate to land a sale. Especially those whose sales force is commission based.

So how does one find the whole sale price?

 

[Gluvhand]

So how does one find the whole sale price?

Secret handshake will get you that, IMHO.

 

[citizenchris099]

It looks like you got a lot little more out of it than a few extra bucks in your pocket, you get to feel like talk bass royalty by telling anyone who doesn't haggle like you that they are doing it all wrong. Proud of you.

A lot more than a few extra bucks? Not sure what the implication of that is. All I want is to save a few bucks here and there when I buy instruments so as to offset the grief I get from my wife...its really that simple.
Also I've no idea what "Talk Bass Royalty" is even supposed to mean. I'm just trying to help out anyone who might want an EBMM but thinks they are too expensive. Am I going to give away the specifics of how I get them below retail...no. I will say that I'm not doing anything special that anyone here could not do themselves.

So how does one find the whole sale price?

All I can say is that no one had to tell me how to figure this out..and I certainly didn't have to ask someone online.

The premise of this thread is that EBMM are now expensive enough to be classified as 'Boutique'. The price / value seems to be in question. The value...well thats up to you (I think they are stunning). I'm here to say that the price is negotiable. Yes if you're paying full retail you are in fact paying TOO much...because you simply don't have to. If that hurts your feelings I'm sorry...maybe next time you will think twice before you pay full price for something that I can guarantee you don't have to...unless you just like giving money away that is.